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The Drop-In opened its doors in 2023 in the Fulton Market District at 415 N. Milwaukee and with it came the Not A Damn Chance burger, a viral burger sensation out of Austin, Texas. The NADC burger is the brainchild of Michelin star chef Philip Frankland Lee (of Top Chef) and Pro Skateboarder Neen Williams. Now we are seeing a second Chicago location (with six others in Texas,) located at 1426 N. Milwaukee Avenue in Wicker Park.  The NADC brand began as a spice blend out of Williams’ home but has now grown into a specialty burger and fry chain all seasoned with the unique blend of spices. The burgers themselves are a smash style burger made from Wagyu beef, American cheese, NADC special sauce, onions, diced pickles and jalapenos. They also have fries which can be either regular or “Beast mode” which comes with the special NADC sauce, seasoning, cheese, pickles and jalapenos. The bar also has a selection of local beers and seasonal cocktails that will rotate over time. NADC also collaborates with Dutchbag Brew Co. to produce a gose (German style sour wheat beer) that consists of watermelon, dill and pickling spice called Pickle Trick.  The restaurant itself is roughly 2,100 square feet with seating for up to 60 patrons, decorated with a massive graffiti mural, local art and lots of skateboarding memorabilia from Williams’ illustrious skateboarding career. TV screens are also displaying skateboarding videos, many of which feature Williams on display. NADC Burger is part of Frankland Lee’s Scratch Restaurant Group which boasts a dedication to artisanal “from scratch” approach to hospitality, as stated from their website.  It’s clear from the attendance displayed at the soft launch opening weekend that Williams and Frankland Lee have crafted a dedicated community around their craft and are vying for the position of best burger in Chicago.

It's that time again. Our thoughts turn to Spring, maybe? (Unless you live in an area that just got snow again, for some reason.) And thus begins the search for low price video games. Luckily, we've got both the Steam Spring Sale and PlayStation's Mega March Sale to peruse this week, so if you're searching for something like that (and with a wishlist a mile long, who isn't?) then we've got a few picks you might want to pick up. We asked the Culture Combine crew what they'd like to put in their cart for this sale AND the Steam Spring Sale and here's what they said: Marielle: I like to use my funds (if I've got any) towards AAA games I didn't have a chance to pick up the first time around for these sales, and there were quite a few things I missed lately that I want to pick up. Here they are: Sniper Elite 5: To start it off, Sniper Elite 5 . I've played most of the series and I love nothing more than a well-considered headshot. I've even grown to appreciate the incredibly gratuitous headshot x-ray cam. Sort of. Percent Off: 75% Actual Price: $14.99 Warhammer: Vermintide II: Ultimate Edition I'm gonna preface this by saying that I'm absolutely head over heels for Dark Tide. It's a fantastic, satisfying game that I think more people should play with friends. That said, the mega sale on Dark Tide's not quite as great as this one, and Fat Shark's Vermintide series was my first love as far as Warhammer video games go. Warhammer: Vermintide II is full of fun game modes (Long live Chaos Wastes!), silly hats and seasonal events, and you can't beat the visceral melee and all those sneak-rats. Percent Off: 75% Actual Price: $13.74 Overcooked 1 and 2 Bundle: I might be an introvert but that doesn't mean I never have friends over. And if I have friends over, I'm gonna need a great party game. Overcooked has been imitated with varying degrees of success and with a lot of little spins, but the OG games are, in my opinion, a must-have for anyone who likes a little chaos with friends or partners. Percent Off: 75% Actual Price: $8.74 (PS4) Fallout 4: Fallout is a whole vibe. I fell in love with it late in the series, with Fallout 76 being my very first introduction to, well, country roads and all that. Now, maybe it's the amazing TV series that has me thinking of Appalachia, or maybe it's that one of our own is currently out in the Blue Ridge Mountains right now hiking the Appalachian Trail , but I've got a hankering to crawl out through the fallout, baby. And...well, I think it's time to explore Fallout 4 . Percent Off: 60% Actual Price: $7.99 Alex: God of War: Ragnarok God of War: Ragnarok may have won some awards, but that doesn't mean it always gets all the appreciation it deserves. 2018's God of War represented a tonal shift for the long running series, but one that's turned out to have a lot of fans, including us. And it's worth getting for the PS5 and revisiting, too. Percent Off: 58% Actual Price: $29.39 Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth As we've established, you don't have to start a series from game one to enjoy it. Whether you're a Like A Dragon liker from days of yore or you're new to the series, Like A Dragon Infinite Wealth takes you to a brand new locale for the series: Hawaii. Couple that with an improved combat system and the return of some familiar favorite embedded mini-games and this is one worth dropping into your cart. Percent Off: 50% Actual Price: $34.99 Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 1 & 2 Remastered PS4 and PS5 Do you like ghost vampires? Do you also like remastered games from the 90s? Might be a great time to pick up Crystal Dynamics' brand new old games from the Legacy of Kain series, Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 1& 2 Remastered . It's always a great time for a throwback. Percent Off: 25% Actual Price: $22.49 These are just a few choice morsels from the much larger PlayStation Mega March Sale , so browse at your wallet's own risk and let us know what you're hoping to snag for a great price while the sale's still on.

"OK, so hear me out..." some pitch guy somewhere must have said. "You know MMA? The raw, bloody, knuckle to knuckle, sweaty totally NOT armored fighting that everyone loves?" "What if...we added armor. Medieval armor!" It's hard to believe that'd make it off the elevator but apparently it did, and that leaves us with AMMA , the armored medieval cage fighting events that we first learned about from our friends at Secret Chicago , as we here in the Windy City will soon be blessed with their presence. It's either a really weird concept, or, if you really think about it, one that's already pretty covered by your local renaissance fair and the jousts. Either way, it seems like their meme game is fire, and we'd not say "Nay" to some tickets to see that action. Find out more if thou wouldst like by clicking here .

President Donald Trump threatened Tuesday he would attempt to cut off federal funding for schools that allow protests and have students participating in them arrested, imprisoned, or deported. Demonstrators in Chicago at a protest calling for an end to the genocide in Gaza in November, 2023. Photo by Aaron Cynic “All Federal Funding will STOP for any College, School, or University that allows illegal protests,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. “Agitators will be imprisoned/or permanently sent back to the country from which they came. American students will be permanently expelled or, depending on on the crime, arrested. NO MASKS! Thank you for your attention to this matter.” On Tuesday the ACLU penned an open letter to colleges and universities, calling on them to reject any federal pressure to run surveillance on or punish international students or faculty based on speech. The letter takes aim at two Executive Orders from the Trump administration, both issued in January, which targets students engaging in Constitutionally protected speech, particularly ones protesting the ongoing genocide in Gaza, under the guise of “combatting anti-Semitism.” “The federal government cannot mandate expulsion of students or threaten funding cuts to punish constitutionally protected speech on campus,” said Esha Bhandari, deputy director of the ACLU’s Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project in a press release on the ACLU’s website . “While the administration can enforce Title VI to ensure a learning environment free from harassment, it cannot force universities into adopting restrictive speech codes that silence the viewpoints the government disfavors.” While Trump’s statement flies in the face of the First Amendment, it’s not exactly clear how the administration plans to enforce it. Trump doesn’t have authority to unilaterally revoke federal funds from universities, nor can he force universities to expel students. While campus protests might violate some school rules or polices, they’re certainly not illegal. But, not having the legal authority to cut off federal funding for things hasn’t stopped the administration from trying since the day Trump took office. “It’s hard to say that the tweet itself is unlawful, since it alone isn’t enforceable,” Jenin Younis, a civil liberties and free speech lawyer, told Al Jazeera . “So, it depends how the administration executes this particular threat, and it has not yet given details.” More importantly, the threat of arrest, prison, and deportation for simply protesting on campus has a chilling effect on free speech both on campus and off. Many universities called police and had their own students arrested during on campus occupations to protest the ongoing genocide in Gaza. Universities could continue or even ramp up those efforts.  “This executive order sets up a framework to encourage – but not require – schools to spy on and report their non-citizen students and staff,” Radhika Sainath, a senior lawyer at Palestine Legal, told Al Jazeera. “As far as we can tell, these will be non-binding guidelines with no enforcement power or pressure.”

Three times a year Steam puts on the Steam Next Fest, a festival of game demos unlike what we’ve seen in gaming since the early days of demos discs . Hundreds of demos for up and coming games are released and promoted to get more eyes on what’s coming in the year, and I’ve put together a list of some of my favorites from the February 2025 Steam Next Fest.  Deliver At All Cost A wacky driving game that is reminiscent of the original Grand Theft Auto games, but playing as a courier who must deliver his non conventional deliveries at all costs. This includes driving through entire buildings or jumping massive gaps. It’s a wild mess of explosions and chaos that we absolutely loved.  A Week In The Life Of Asocial Giraffe If you’ve ever been out in public but not felt like talking to anyone, have we got a game for you. A Week In The Life Of An Asocial Giraffe has you playing as an anti-social Giraffe forced to perform daily tasks but the puzzles lie in avoiding all human interaction. The puzzles are simple enough but bring enough light hearted comedy that we fell in love with the plight of this Giraffe, but hey who hasn’t been in his shoes sometimes?  Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tactical Takedown Developer Strange Scaffold has some of the wildest and chaotic game catalogs out there with games based on commentary around the military industrial complex, kink in a world of isolation and even space organ stock trading. Now, seemingly out of nowhere they got access to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles license and they use it to make an XCOM styled strategy board game? I don’t know what their approach is but Strange Scaffold has proven that they have the chops to tackle any genre and this one is a blast to play.  Tenebris Somnia What if you mixed Maniac Mansion with Resident Evil and add in full motion video? That is what we’re getting with Tenebris Somnia. A puzzle adventure game set in a horror mystery and right when things get particularly unnerving, the game cuts to full motion video of the terror unfolding in front of you. It’s an intriguing package that uses FMV to heighten the tension but plays well within the puzzle adventure structure.  Blue Prince Blue Prince is a fascinating puzzle game where you are to inherit a massive mutating mansion from a mysterious family member, but the only way to actually get the house is to map out its numerous rooms and find the mysterious final hidden room. To do this you need to explore each room and when you attempt to progress to the next room, you are given a prompt to pick between 3 options, each will expand the mansion. The trick is, not all will have adjoining rooms so you may end up in a dead end, some rooms also take currency you find around the mansion to create, so there’s that wrinkle. In the end, you are attempting to create this configuration of rooms that will lead you to the final room. If you can’t in a single day, you leave and come back the next day to try again with the mansion reset. This is for the trial and error junkies out there.  Steam Next Fest runs from February 24th to March 3rd.

About every two years or so we get something special from Soccer Mommy , the fantastic pseudonym of Sophia Regina Allison. Since her demo album For Young Hearts came out in 2016 we've gotten a whole new album every other year and it's been a joy. Soccer Mommy's sound is a bit of a throwback to the indie rock and alternative grungy guitars of yesteryear, updated by Allison's perfectly dark and often wry lyricism. Last year's Evergreen saw a rawer and even more personal side of Soccer Mommy, making for some devastating songs. The first evening of her two-night stint with Tomberlin at Thalia Hall really underlined just how special and appreciative her audience is for every one of her releases. I've had the pleasure of covering Tomberlin many times in the past and every single performance is a treat. With only two albums and two EPs in her discography, there are some very totemic songs that you not only expect to hear at one of her shows, but are eagerly looking forward to. " Any Other Way " and " Seventeen " are iconic staples and the former is my absolute favorite in her repertoire. It's the opening track of her debut and every time immerses the audience in her emotive and empathic song writing. Newer tracks like "tap", " sunstruck ", and her amazing cover of Casiotone for the Painfully Alones (who now goes by Advance Base ) and "Natural Light" have also risen to that emblematic level in her set lists. There seems to be no end to her ability to turn every one of her songs into an essential and breathtaking experience. While a little technical difficulty meant "Hours" was cut, we got some patter with the crowd about Buffy the Vampire Slayer , which more than made up for it. With a stage dressing straight out of a midsummer fairytale, Soccer Mommy came to the stage with her signature laid-back aura front and center. The Stardew Valley -themed ode " Abigail " where Soccer Mommy seeks the attention of the romanceable NPC, started off the show and really fit the vibe as it got the crowd going. " circle the drain " followed and there was something wild about seeing the contrast between the bright, poppy instrumentals that had the crowd happily swaying away with Allison's lyrics on mental health crises. It's that sort of welcome dissonance that really makes Soccer Mommy's songs special. Much of Evergreen is much softer than the rest of her material but live it all blends together wonderfully. You wouldn't expect the demonic themes of "Lucy" to segway into " M " and " Lost ", the most personal tearjerkers in her catalog, but they really do. While most of Evergreen got highlighted throughout the night, Allison left a lot of room for her other songs to shine. The darkly loving but somewhat forlorn "Shotgun" rang just right while "Bones" had everyone bopping alone despite its sullen and heart breaking lyrics. The latter half of Soccer Mommy 's set continued that dreamlike vibe. She introduced "Henry" as "an early song, you might not like it" and dedicated it to all the Henrys in the room. As the opening track of her demo album, it's one of the first songs of hers that many of her more devoted fans have listened to and it showed as the crowd was completely taken by it. " Your Dog " established yet another high point and one that they truly grooved along with. But it was the encore with the one-two punch of the airy "Changes" and almost shoegazey " Don't Ask Me " that finished off the night and left the crowd completely entranced. Soccer Mommy's shows always feel intimate and special and this evening at Thalia Hall only further cemented those qualities. This review was originally appeared at Third Coast Review

Tim Heidecker has too many talents to list from his storied career, so many that I'll only briefly touch upon a few of them. I'm sure many of my peers remember staying up for the late night block of Adult Swim on Cartoon Network, ready to take in all the strange hilarity that ensued from the likes of Heidecker's early work in Tim & Eric . Over the years he has remained as hilarious as ever. The absurdist nature of his work is still alive and well but he's added so much to his repertoire and this past weekend at Thalia Hall  as he shared his musical talents and knack for putting on a very good show. Instantly the set felt as weird as you'd expect from an unhinged recording of "The Star-Spangled Banner” with all the digital fireworks you could want and a text intro that joked with the crowd and truly prepped them for what was about to go down. Heidecker and the Very Good Band emerged and got right to work with three tracks that immediately captured the audience's attention: “Well’s Running Dry”, "Buddy", and "Trippin' (Slippin')". While Heidecker's abilities were never in question, any doubt that an audience member may have had was immediate squelched with the tenacity of this opening set. Speaking of opening sets, Heidecker made sure to break it down to the audience that he was revolutionizing the concert flow. "No up and comers moping around stage" he declared before urging the crowd to get rowdy: "We're not the opening act!" But the  Thalia Hall crowd didn't need any more amping up. They were animated and eager for the set whether he was joking around with some Chicago Blues noodling on a totally real and not fake song "Titanium Jewellery" (coming soon to the next Rolling Stones record), serenading the crowd with their ode to the late Herman Cain, or getting a little more serious with songs like "Bows and Arrows". While any other show that jumps so wildly between vibes may seem dizzying, it all felt right at home in the hands of Heidecker and the Very Good Band. As promised, toward the middle of the show Heidecker  introduced the great Neil Hamburger to the stage to take over for a bit. Heidecker and crew backed Hamburger for a cover of Randy Van Warmer’s “Just When I Needed You Most” and some of the most thrilling, death defying fidget spinner tricks Thalia Hall  has ever seen before letting him meander wild for a comedy set. No aging rocker went unscathed as Hamburger delivered one liners deriding the likes of the Eagles, Dave Grohl, Anthony Kiedis and more. When Heidecker  returned it wasn't straight back to music. He took the crowd on a small detour to a variety of internet comment sections, giving the spotlight to some of the silliest interactions you can find on Facebook, YouTube, and beyond. And after a little "Spaghetti Again", Heidecker and the Very Good Band ramped up the soundscapes. While he admitted to leaving the more serious songs like "Dark Days" and "Bells Are Ringing" to the end of the proper set, the more jovial tracks still found there way into the mix. And with that the band started making their way off stage. However unlike every other bands usual trip to the back for a few moments before returning to the stage for an encore, the band confusingly meandered around stage, trying to find the exit to no avail. After a few false exits Heidecker  returned to the mic “They're not letting us off the stage. They're saying we have to do 2 more songs." After a quick little jaunt that they wrote earlier in the day ("It's Friday morning in Chicago") the Very Good Band went into a new song "What's Wrong With Me". He confidently declared the song is so catchy that the crowd would be singing the chorus like it was an old favorite. But it wasn't until the following song where the crowd seemed so connected with the onstage antics that it left me awestruck. As the opening chords rang, several audience members shouted "Hot Piss" and sure enough that very song followed with rapturous cheers. The song is as funny as it is great, letting Heidecker and the Very Good Band go wild. It was a little surreal and quite honestly I never thought I'd say this, but there's nothing better than a hot crowd screaming "hot piss" as loud as they can muster. Tim Heidecker truly knows his audience and we were all grateful for the great jams and laughs. This review was originally published on Third Coast Review.

Last year, Lauren Mayberry  stepped out from Chvrches to release her debut solo album Vicious Creatures . While in the past solo albums have gotten a bad rap, something Mayberry seemed very aware of and called out during her show at Thalia Hall , nowadays they are way better than one would expect. This is an understatement when it comes to Mayberry's debut, which synthesizes all her best talents in a pristine dozen songs that range from softly devastating to unbelievably danceable jams. The night started out with a quick set from Cult of Venus, who was shrouded in mystery as they came to the stage and seemingly created music out of thin air. Accompanied by a guitar, drum pads, and some synths, Cult of Venus really captured everyone's attention with some darkly luring electronic tracks that set the mood for the evening. Everything seemed to be on a heated pace as Lauren Mayberry 's set came very quickly after Cult of Venus ' set. Emerging from the side stage and standing dead center of the stage with a flowing blue curtain as a background, Mayberry picked up a bright red phone and set the night on an incredibly fun course with "Crocodile Tears" and "Changing Shapes" back to back. The dancy vibe went off with out a hitch. The two singles paired nicely especially as Mayberry danced and posed around the stage with all the confidence in the world. Mayberry 's set was a pretty short one, lasting only an hour. However this was expected considering she only has one solo album, Vicious Creatures , under her belt. The night was solely dedicated to that album and a cover, eschewing any Chvrches tracks. I'm sure some fans would have loved to hear some of those songs but considering how solid her songs are and how well everything flowed there was very little to complain about. Every song off Vicious Creature  got its time to shine and did so brilliantly. While tracks like "Punch Drunk" and "Something in the Air" were undeniable high points in the set, it's hard not to give the crown to the roaring cover of "Bittersweet Symphony". Positioned in the second half of the night, the Verve's iconic track was truly elevated by Mayberry 's impassioned performance, belting out the familiar lyrics perfectly. It was such a powerful encapsulation of all Mayberry 's talents and truly blew Thalia Hall away. The encore set itself up perfectly, giving the crowd the two remaining Vicious Creatures  their due. First was the soft and tender ode "Oh, Mother", showing off the more interpretive side of Mayberry 's songwriting. And as if cued by some of the lyrics of that song, "Sunday Best" followed and ended the night on a brighter tone. "Keep thinking I'll find the beauty in Goodbye" Mayberry sang and everyone felt that line a little bit more that night. This review was originally published on Third Coast Review

On first glance the pairing of Noah Lennox's Panda Bear and Chaz Bear's Toro y Moi seems a bit dissonant. While both Lennox and Chaz have one foot deeply entrenched in psychedelic ethos, the others are pretty far apart. Panda Bear's wild experimentation and looping create these intricate soundscapes that you are liable to get lost in. Toro y Moi on the other hand crafts immersive R&B vibes that will have you dancing in their warm glow. But after experiencing their show at Salt Shed, the pairing made for an incredible show that fed off each other's energy wonderfully. Opening for the night was Baltimore's Nourished by Time . While I have seen this incredible band before in an early set at a festival, this performance was nothing short of revelatory. Nourished By Time are built for a later evening set and a dense crowd like they had at Salt Shed. Their songs need that sort of energy to feed off of as the bright R&B tracks feel like hidden gems off Dreamcast soundtracks bounce along as singer Marcus Brown serenaded the crowd. Playing tracks mostly of their fantastic  Erotic Probiotic 2 , Nourished by Time certainly got the packed crowd dancing to kick off the evening. Panda Bear took the middle spot of the night and really took advantage of the warmed-up crowd. The band's backdrop was a screen playing the exact kind of crazy visuals you would want to accompany Panda Bear, which made the crowd more immersed in their sounds. And with Sinister Grift  on the horizon ( out February 28 ), this set was a wild preview into the future of Noah Lennox's output and it's damn good. If there is something that can be said of Panda Bear and his band Animal Collective, it's that experimentation is key especially with their live performances as they delve into the unexplored. Every song feels refreshed, which is saying something considering that this outing featured lots of tracks that the audience haven't had much time to live with. Despite that it seemed like Panda Bear really embraced the more guitar-driven aspects of his songwriting and delivered some incredible performance of new singles " Ferry Lady ", " Ends Meet ", and " Defense ". While all three did drift from their studio release, they maintained their warm rock throwback feeling in the live setting and felt all the more epic with the full live band. The latter half of the set found itself in decidedly more familiar territory as " Slow Motion " And "Take Pills" took the crowd on back to back jam sessions. Both songs have had well over a decade to garner the following they have and the crowd seemed more than happy to lose themselves in their experimental haze. "Sequential Circuits" and " Buoys " sandwiched the newer "Praise" to finish off the set and left the crowd the right amount of dazed from the nonstop set of otherworldly sounds. The Salt Shed was on the crazy high of Panda Bear 's exuberant and jammy set when Chaz and the rest of his band took their positions at their center stage array of synths and keyboards. In no time Toro y Moi  glided into their set with " Walking in the Rain ", the opening track of his latest album  Hole Earth . Hole Earth is one of many departures from what his fan's may consider his more signature sound. The instrumentals are still drenched the psychedelic pop and R&B aura, the vocals are entrenched in Soundcloud rapper flows. This comes after Sandhills which saw Chaz embracing alt-country. You honestly just don't know where he's going to go. Since there are so many facets to Toro y Moi , the set list found itself jumping all over his discography. Those newer hip-hop tracks like "Madonna" (which aptly features the line "How you always switchin’ genres") nestled in between older and more glitchy tracks like "Mirage" and "So Many Details". There is a serenading quality to Chaz's vocals that permeates his work, unifying no matter how far off Toro y Moi's center they may be. Eschewing an encore, Chaz let all 20 songs of the setlist breathe and save his most magical songs to end the night. "Ordinary Pleasure" launched it all as the Outer Peace  track is an instant classic full of all the best elements of Toro y Moi. "Who Am I" and his collaboration with Flume "The Difference" followed, which only sent the crowd even further into joyous atmosphere. These final moments of the set really epitomize the Toro y Moi experience, letting go and just feeling yourself as you dance your worries away. Chaz sings "People tend to listen when they see your soul" on "Freelance", the final song of the night and that sentiment couldn't be any truer after such a fun performance. This review originally appeared over at Third Coast Review

Last year, Osgood Perkins' Longlegs had an audacious ad campaign that heralded the film as the scariest movie you'll ever see. The trailers played it up as a crazy thrill ride when in reality, I don't think Perkins any desire to make something like that. Having been a fan of his initial directing efforts The Blackcoat's Daughter and I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House, I never expected him to deviate from his slow paced style. And why would you? I want directors who make unique films true to their sensibilities, not just fit into cookie cutter templates.  So when I saw the trailer for Osgood Perkin's The Monkey , I knew this wasn't going to be the pop horror it implied itself to be. That being said, the premise is as simple and pop as you can get. Based very loosely on a Stephen King story, The Monkey focuses on very dissimilar twin brothers, Hal and Bill, who discover a mysterious relic in their absent father's closet. Encased in a blue bin labeled "Like Life" is a mechanical monkey and it's drum. The pair soon finds that turning the monkey's key, something a note within the box directs them to do, results in accidental deaths of those around them. And that's were the more mainstream aspects of the film end. Like other Oz Perkins films, The Monkey is slow, hypnotizing, and deliberate film (or some non fans would say slow, plodding, and boring) and why anyone would expect anything else is a little misguided. I feel the key in my back keeps getting turned, but i need to reiterate: this isn't some mega corporation like Disney plucking an arthouse director from the awards circuit to sprinkle a little of their touch to an already aesthetically established world. No, this is Perkins getting to sprinkle an established genre ever so gently on to his distinct style. In this case it's absurdist black humor and boisterously over the top deaths that he has splattered all over the film. It a pretty distinct dissonance that rings like a beautiful melody here. The first of half of the film revolves of the twins discovery of The Monkey through the POV of the more timid Hal as he suffers embarrassment after embarrassment from the kids at school and his brother Bill (both played incredibly well by Christian Convery). While this potion of the film takes place in the late 90s, it's location and general vibe seems closer to the 70s and 80s of Perkins own youth (a bit more on that later). Regardless this opening sets up the premise and themes incredibly well especially through Tatiana Maslany's fantastic portrayal of Lois, the twins direct and endlessly caring mother. Second half of the film follows Hal as he descends into a mediocre adulthood, mirroring his father's absentee nature as he only sees his son once a year.  Bill on the other-hand remains a mystery up until his demons catch up to him and you realize that shit bag kid turned into a shit bag adult. This time Theo James takes on the dual roles and while at time feels a little miscast, especially as Hal, James manages to make you believe he could truly be one of these two losers. Here is where the forward moment of the story finally comes into frame and we can see where things are headed: super funny deaths with only a threadbare rhyme or reason for them (at least on the surface). Those deaths are stuff of absurdist fantasies. I won't spoil any of them or their Rube Goldberg sequences, but right from the first one you are cued in that this isn't about realism and fearful brutality, but rather the machinations of pure gory nonsense and way more fun than such horrific acts should be. You are literally cheering these gruesome and comically overblown moments on and so are some of the characters in the film. Hal's brother Bill for instance seems gleefully intent on creating havoc for his own malicious intentions. While I'm sure it can be hard to find meaning in the film as it so haphazardly crawls along, I think that feeling of "what does it all mean" is just one of the main themes the films resonates with. Death, whether it comes in the form of the tragic and untimely death of a family member or through a cursed Monkey who wields it's power with reckless abandon, can feel random and careless. The film emits nihilistic tendencies throughout, which often fuels the hilariously dark vibe in the situations. However there are a few moments of acceptance of the macabre world around the characters that shine a bit of hopeful light into the pitch black comedy, like when Lois urges the kids to dance their pain away after a funeral early on in the film. The film clearly want to have its cake and eat it too. It as vapid as you want it to be and as deep as you can must. If just enjoying the craziness is not enough and you're dead set on gleaming more meaning within the film, the revolving door of bad dads in the film and the possible autobiographical nature of their depiction is nothing to scoff at. Many lines feel like Perkins revealing just a bit of his feelings toward the shadow his father, the horror icon Anthony Perkins, left on his life and career. But also this is really is a fun movie where people explode because of an evil toy monkey with seemingly no rules deems it to be. Just sit back and enjoy the manic mixture of slow burn pace and rapid, unrelenting death.

If you ever felt like you just showed up and everyone was uncomfortable with you being there or you just could’ve caught fire in a crowded room and no one would notice, and you just wanted your big sister to think you were cool - or anybody to think that. Or if you felt left out, invisible, or stupid, like no one thought you could take care of yourself, or no one noticed what you did no matter if it was good or bad, and if you felt a sharp pain inside yourself because you knew you didn’t belong where you were, that’s who Dawn Summers is to Buffy the Vampire Slayer.   And at least for me, she was someone I deeply related to. Imagine if your sister was the Chosen One and you…actually weren’t supposed to exist at all. But Michelle played the part pitch perfectly - she was silly, annoying, alien and alienated, but somehow endearing, and so reflective of so many of us trying to stand out from the shadows and make it in the Hellmouth. Photo Credit: https://www.deviantart.com/chowfangirl12/art/Buffy-Real-Me-Collage-495600441 It's easy to forget that Trachtenberg herself was also literally thrust into a well established cast and world to play the character who isn’t supposed to be there and literally threatens everyone else’s existence simply by breathing. Michelle Trachtenberg, whose career might rarely be seen out from under the shadow of Buffy and Gossip Girl, was immensely talented, playing a wide variety of roles with the same careful nuance and expression, from ice skaters to high society bullies and everything in between.  She was there the whole time, doing a great job, bringing joy and life and depth to every character with an incredible vulnerability, able to put a face to a feeling that you’re never going to be “as good as” someone else at doing anything at all - but she was a rockstar. And she will be missed.

Chicago’s very own hometown math rock heroes Maps & Atlases played the Metro on Saturday the 18th. They played as part of the Tomorrow Never Knows festival, which is touted as Chicago’s premiere multi venue winter festival with over 20 different artists across 8 venues. It’s frankly an impressive feat of organization and scheduling but this festival has been ongoing since 2015 so there’s a track record of success with this format.  Retirement Party That being said, Saturday night there was a banger of a two band line up with Retirement Party opening for Maps & Atlases. Retirement Party is a local indie rock band fronted by singer Avery Springer whose vocals are reminiscent of Fiona Apple with a little more edge. The band itself had the crowd moving, playing a solid lineup of songs from their two albums and a handful of EPs discography. By the end of their rockin' set the crowd was absolutely hyped and ready for what was to come next.  Now that the crowd was properly warmed up, it was time for Maps & Atlases. To understand what makes them fantastic is to explain math rock itself. Math Rock is similar to prog rock or post-rock but is generally defined by its complicated rhythmic structures, varying patterns and time signatures all layered on top of each other. This means that a slow song can still have a mosaic of other instruments playing at a quicker pace than the rest of the song. It’s a fascinating thing to watch layered over themselves and that’s what initially drew me to the band.  Secondarily, to achieve this sound the band tends to play a lot of their songs by tapping instead of full strumming. This allows for a lot of quick notes to be played to create beautifully intricate songs over the tenure of their 17 year musical career. There’s a lot to their playing style and it all transferred fantastically to a live show and worth it to witness their insane musical talent in person. Especially when it comes to some of their more complex songs like Every Place Is A House or The Ongoing Horrible which was played solo on an acoustic guitar by singer front man Dave Davison.  Their show was punctuated by light up bird cages that adorned the stage and would light up in time with the songs the band played. They played an amazing hour and a half set that included songs from every corner of their catalog. The crowd packed the Metro and sang along to their favorite lyrics. If you haven’t heard of this band, I’d recommend giving them a listen, or even take in one of their live shows, if only to see the guitar  mastery they convey in their live shows. The Tomorrow Never Knows festival went from January 15th to 19th and I’ll definitely be keeping an eye on next year's line up as well.