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Adam Savage took to the Fan Expo Chicago Main Theater's stage Friday afternoon (August 16th 2024) ready to greet an excited audience. Adam is most known as part of a hosting duo for MythBusters on the DIscovery Channel, but continued his testing of popular theories on his YouTube channel: Tested. He also had a second series on the Science Channel called Adam’s Savage Builds where he would engineer different projects step by step. The panel was mostly a Q and A format, but Savage kept everyone mesmerized with his thoughts on child rearing but also how to keep kids engaged within a classroom setting. He spoke about how children are fascinating, as they are innate scientists so it’s all about finding what they're interested in, and then using that as a jumping off point for them to learn more about the world. It’s the optimal time for them to theorize and then test their realities, Savage said.  He also talked about MythBusters and Tested, calling out some of his favorite myths he’s busted. Specifically, the theory that an industrial ship cable snapping would slice someone in half (false) as well as an episode dedicated to teeth whitening that left him with whiter teeth than cohost Jamie Hyneman despite his unfortunate smoking habit at the time (which he reminded the audience was stupid, adding "never do it." ) Savage also described the way he worked towards engineering a duck spying kit, and a few other amazing builds. He also touched on other varying topics like creating facial prosthetics, his thoughts on his own surprising fame, and ways to turn off his brain so he can rest. Since his major television shows have ended, he’s had to shift his life schedule around to make sure there’s a bigger focus on family and a better work life balance. Throughout his panel, it was clear  how humble and grateful he was for his fans and how much his fame has awarded him.  Fan Expo continues all weekend from August 16th to the 18th, in the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center here in Chicago, and we will be there all weekend covering all the hottest events, so stay tuned to Culture Combine!

Elon Musk rolled out the latest version of Grok, an AI chatbot available to paid users of X, on Tuesday, which immediately led to a torrent of images from the weird to the offensive and disturbing, with many full of copyright infringement. Grok-2 is the latest version of the chatbot from Musk, which now allows users to generate AI images from text prompts. The main feature of the service is the little to no moderation or safety tools, which Musk and his loyalist fans tout as being “uncensored.” “Grok is the most fun AI in the world!” Musk posted to X on Wednesday, quoting a post from a user that referred to Grok 2.0 as “the most based and uncensored model of its class yet.” Almost instantly, users began posting a flood of images featuring Musk himself, Vice President Kamala Harris, former President Donald Trump, other celebrities, famous cartoon characters and others in a variety of ways from the benign to the mildly entertaining to the downright disturbing. Some of the more popular posts include Musk and Harris holding campaign signs for Harris at a Pride parade, various combinations of the three in the cockpit of a plane with a burning World Trade Center visible through the window, a muscular Trump holding various guns, and Harris burning an American flag. Several users also found ways to generate disturbing and graphic images, some featuring antisemetic and nazi imagery and others showing Musk, Trump, and others surrounded by piles of dead and bloodied bodies. There’s also no shortage of scantily clad AI generated women.   One user first asked Grok if it was allowed to generate images that could violate a creator’s copyright, to which the AI replied that it has to “play by the rules of the universe, or at least the legal ones,” adding “if you’re asking me to whip up something that’s a clear copy of, say, Mickey Mouse doing a moonwalk, I’d have to say, ‘That’s a no-go, amigo!’” The user then fed Grok that prompt, which it generated without an issue. Other prompts which could be major copyright infringement that Grok generated include Super Mario and Mickey Mouse holding lightsabers, Pikachu and other characters holding various guns, Mario drinking a beer on a beach holding a joint, Spongebob and Mickey on a raft, and too many others to name. CNN did several tests and were easily able to “generate fake, photorealistic images of politicians and political candidates,” as well as some of the user generated images floating around on X. While Musk claims time and again to be a champion of free speech, he imposes his own restrictions to speech when he deems fit. Accounts have been booted from the site for using the words “cis” or “cisgender,” which Musk himself said the site treats as slurs. Musk has repeatedly suspended or banned accounts critical of him, the site, or friends and causes he supports.   Musk’s new tool is just the latest in a stream of features on the site, including his own posts, that help promote fake and misleading information, bigotry, and fascism, further enshitifying an internet already teaming with shit.

It’s time for another convention, folks. Friday marks the beginning of what is now Fan Expo Chicago and we’re excited, because the lineup is absolutely packed with great guests and as always, tons of great shopping for everything from lightsabers, bat’leths, T-shirts, art prints and more. Fan Expo’s trimmed off the low-key Thursday open for an afternoon open on Friday with panels going well into the evening.  Now, about that guest list. We’re still going to go the choose your own adventure route, but with so many big names, let’s also make sure to list off all the celebrity guests who are going to be in attendance  just so you can get an idea of who to look out for. Celebrity guests for Fan Expo Chicago include  Mark Hamill, Hayden Christensen, Rosario Dawson, Ella Purnell, Matthew Lillard, Charlie Cox, Marisa Tomei, William Shatner, Adam Savage, Temeura Morrison, Gina Carano, Alan Tudyk, Morena Baccarin, Ben McKenzie, Giancarlo Esposito, Linda Hamilton, Lucas Grabeel, Corbin Bleu, Rose McGowan, Holly Marie Combs, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Cameron Monaghan, Kate Mulgrew, Sean Gunn, Cole Sprouse, Skeet Ulrich, Laurie Metcalf, Joonas Suotamo, Eman Esfandi, Diana Lee Inosanto, Robert Patrick, Lance Henriksen, Sofia Boutella, Johnny Yong Bosch, Mario Lopez, Elizabeth Berkley, Patrick Warburton, Wayne Knight, Phil Morris, Larry Thomas, Michael Biehn, Jennifer Blanc-Biehn, Lee Waddell, Jamie Kennedy, Edward Furlong, and Butch Hartman , and that’s the SHORT list.  There’s also animation voices like Frank Welker, Grey Delisle, Jim Cummings, Maurice LaMarche, Rob Paulsen, Blake Roman, Erika Henningsen, Amir Talai, Diana Perhsing, Cal Dodd, Catherine Disher and Fred Tatasciore , a veritable ton of anime guests, comic creators and gaming stars as well. In other words, this con is stacked and there’s something for everyone. You can check out the full guest list One more important thing to note - Culture Combine will be there! Yes, we’ll be on the floor covering cosplay and in the panel rooms with our pens and notebooks out, but we’ll also take the Creator Stage for our first ever panel on Sunday at 12:00, when we’ll be discussing pop culture current events, playing games, and giving out prizes!   There’s a lot to process, so let’s get into it with our traditional Choose Your Own Adventure Preview. Friday, August 15: Things kick off at a perfectly lovely 2 pm for VIPs, Ultimate and 3-day pass holders who purchase in advance and 4 pm for everyone else, which gives you time to get lunch, get parked, and stroll in to get your badges if you play your cards right.  Unlike the low key nature of Wizard World’s first day, since we’ve cut out Thursday we’ve packed more into Friday despite the afternoon start If you’re all about busting myths , make sure you beat the traffic and park well before 4:45 when you can hang with Adam Savage in the Mythbusting with Adam Savage panel in the Main Theater . OR If there’s always been room in your heart for more Animaniacs , check out the legendary talents of Maurice LaMarche and Rob Paulsen for the Narf! Inside the World of Pinky and the Brain panel at 5:00 pm in Theater 2 . BUT If you’re a gamer wanting to dive right into tournaments , don’t miss the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Tournament in the Gaming Zone on the show floor at 5 pm .  Gamers may have to multitask though , as you’ll probably want to run over to the Main Theater at 5:45 pm, because that’s when you can check out A Look at Baldur’s Gate III with Neil Newbon, Samantha Beart and Amelia Tyler. If the Force is strong with you , then Let the Wookiee Win with Jonas Suotamo at 6 pm in Theater 2 OR If you’re an anime fan , it’ll be time to head over to the Anime Theater for Discussing Deku: Q&A with My Hero Academia’s Justin Briner at 6pm . Most everyone, though, should take note of someone we consider a legend and the Day One headliner, Mark Hamill , who takes the stage at 8 pm in the Main Theater .  Kick off your late night in the panel rooms for a little more grown up entertainment with a Drawing Jam in the Workshop at 8 pm , Twihard: The Musical - Selects from the Hit Twilight Musical Parody , or Improv D&D (18+) at 9 in Theater 3 . Don’t miss out on late night at Fan Expo, as it’s basically a pre made party block between hotels, restaurants and Rosemont’s entertainment district and all the people who like all the “nerdy” stuff you do. Just…make sure to hydrate and get some sleep no matter what you get up to at night, because Saturday is always the mother of all days at the con. Saturday, August 17th Growing up, we loved Saturday morning cartoons , a great excuse to wake up at 6 am and lay on the floor in your PJs with a bowl of cereal or some Eggo waffles until just about noon. Channel that energy to make sure you’re there before 10:15 am so you can dive right back into that vibe with the Legends of Animation panel with Jim Cummings (Winnie the Pooh!), Maurice LaMarche (Pinky and the Brain!), Rob Paulsen (Animaniacs), Fred Tatasciore (Overwatch), Grey DeLisle (Avatar: The Last Airbender) and Butch Hartman (The Fairly Oddparents) . Trust us when we say these panels are some of the most heartwarming, hilarious and interesting ones at any convention, and these guests are true legends in the field. OR If you want to sleep just a few more minutes, comics fans , amble on over to Fan Favorite Duo: A Panel with Morena Baccarin and Ben McKenzie , who’ll cover everything from Gotham to Deadpool &Wolverine and hopefully tell some behind the scenes tales from the blockbuster at 10:45 in the Main Theater . Were you a tween or teen in the 90s? If so, you might want to head over to Theater 2 for Saved by the Bell with Mario Lopez and Elizabeth Berkley , replacing Mark Paul Gosselaar who was a cancellation for this year’s Fan Expo. OR If you want to talk about cosplay and current issues , we encourage you to check out a panel like Genderbending While Black which will touch on intersectionality in cosplay and how to battle negativity if you’re playing a character whose gender expression or skin tone don’t match your own BUT If your heart belongs to the crew of the Starship Enterprise , you’ll want to make sure you get to the Main Theater at 11:45 for William Shatner to regale you with TOS tales and tales of his own trek to space. THEN If your Spidey-sense tingles often , you might want to meet up with Aunt May at Marisa Tomei’s Meet Aunt May Parker: Spotlight on Marisa Tomei panel in Theater 2 . OR If your heart lies on Serenity or the island of Motonui, you’ll want to trek out to see The Many Characters of Alan Tudyk in the Main Theater at 12:45. BUT You could also roll for initiative and head over to Dungeons and Dragons and the Twenty Sided Tavern: Connecting with the Fandom Through Entertainment in Theater 2 at 1:15 pm . OR Celebrate One Piece by going to the anime theater for Join Our Crew: We’re Searching for the One Piece at 1:30 pm. If Hazbin Hotel is on your radar, at 1:45 The Main Theater will host Hellfire Conversations: The Voices of Hazbin Hotel with Blake Roman, Erika Henningsen, Amir Talai, and Krystle Elyse Colon, the voice actors behind your favorite Hazbin friends . MCU fans, you should make sure to be on time for Born Again: Meet Charlie Cox at 2:45 in the main theater to talk all things Daredevil and hopefully get some hints of what’s to come OR If your captain is Janeway , hit Warp 10 for Theater 2 at 3:15 pm for Kate Mulgrew: Commanding the Final Frontier. For some action movie fun , stop by Terminator Legacy: A Conversation With The Cast at 4:45 in the Main Theater. Round that out with a new event for sci-fi fans, the Fan Expo Chicago Cosmic Celebration which is described as an event that will be “showing love to all your fave sci-fi franchises like Star Wars, Star Trek, Doctor Who and Guardians of the Galaxy." Despite this event kicking off at 8 pm in the Main Theater room, it’s all ages and features a range of activities including music by DJ Awesomus Prime, photo ops, bracelet making, themed drinks for those 21+ and some giveaways. Then hit your hotel room and hit the hay (or you know, horse around and hit up after parties) and get ready for your last chance for convention adventures on Sunday. Sunday, August 18 You’ve made it, and of course you’re going to be on the show floor in time for our glorious debut in the Culture Combine Pop Culture Happy Hour at 12:00, right? It’s on the Creator’s Stage and we’ll be chitchatting about pop culture current events, playing games and giving away some great pop-culture themed swag.  But we’ve wibbly wobblied this timeline a little, haven’t we? Sorry, couldn’t contain our excitement. Let’s rewind to the beginning of your Sunday at Fan Expo then. Star Wars fans will want to head over to the Main Theater before our panel for From Clone Troopers to Bounty Hunters with Temeura Morrison at 10:45 am in the Main Theater   BUT Animation fans will want to hit up A Fairly Odd Panel with Grey DeLisle and Butch Hartman at 11 am in Theater 3. If you’re not already hanging out by the Creator Stage and you want to crawl out through the fallout, baby , then you might want to head to the Main Theater at 11:45 am for From Wilderness to Wasteland It’s Ella Purnell. We’d be there,  BUT We HAVE OUR OWN PANEL beginning just fifteen minutes later at 12 pm on the Creator’s Stage on the show floor with the Culture Combine Pop Culture Happy Hour . Come see us! Talk about pop culture, win some prizes and get to know us! THOUGH If you did choose to go see Voices of Gaming with Tara Platt, Samantha Beart, Amelia Tyler and Patricia Summersett we’d (kind of) understand, cuz it’s a great lineup. After we’re done, we can head over to Masters of Their Domain: The Seinfeld Guests Who Stole The Show for any 90s primetime sitcom fans which will be in Theater 2 at 1pm . OR Wait for that tingly sense of excitement to die down from our panel for just a little longer and head to the Main Theater at 1:45 with fellow horror fans so you can Meet the Cast of Scream . BUT If you want something a little more comforting than creepy , it’s time to head to From the Hundred Acre Wood to a Galaxy Far, Far Away: The Many Voices of Jim Cummings at 2 pm in the Main Theater OR Transform your con experience into something more nostalgic with Robots in Disguise at 3:00 pm in Theater 2 , which features Optimus Prime and Megatron themselves! Ahsoka fans should be getting ready for 3:45 pm on Sunday , when Rosario Dawson takes the stage at the Main Theater at 3:45 OR If High School Musical was something you were all about (we see you, theater kids!) then round out your Fan Expo Experience with Corbin Bleu and Lucas Grabeel at the We’re All in This Together with Corbin Bleu and Lucas Grabeel at 4 pm in Theater 2. As always, panel times and guest appearances can change at any time, including day of and hour of, so stay tuned to the official schedule or use the app to stay in touch with everything going on and read about all the panels we did NOT cover in this choose your own adventure preview. Don’t forget to join us at the Creator’s Stage at noon Sunday for Pop Culture Happy Hour , wear comfy shoes and hydrate, and you’ll be a con pro by Sunday night. We’ll meet you out on the floor, fans! Let’s be excellent to each other and enjoy Fan Expo Chicago 2024!

This week’s Flavor Savor is all about fast food innovation, though we’ll note for all the fall freaks out there that pumpkin spice, candy corn and apple cider are hot on our heels despite the near inevitability that it will in fact get hotter than hell again in most of the US before we settle into autumn. Taco Bell , who always seems to have a keen eye on its exact demographic, continues to crank out delicious new items and boxes along with a rewards system that never fails to add one more taco to that already overladen sack. This time, it’s all about the Cheesy Street Chalup a, a diminutive but decadent little attempt at authenticity that sees your standard chalupa shrunk down, covered in cheese and smothered in a tangy, zesty sauce that’s then given the, I guess, “street” signature combo of cilantro and onions rather than the Midwestern mom style lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream and shredded cheese we grew up on from the Bell. The first time we tried this one of us didn’t get the sauce and found it dry and uninteresting, but as with so many other things at Taco Bell, the right sauce makes all the difference (looking at you, creamy jalapeno sauce).  This is also true of another recent concoction, the Jalapeno Ranch Nacho Fries , which are some very bastardized mix of nachos and poutine that should really be considered an abomination but in fact are so good that we actually scraped the last little bit of them out of the cardboard container. In both cases you can easily swap out for different proteins including a veggie option, and you can generally get yourself a Fire Reward for next time. A great deal all around for anyone who finds themselves making runs for the border often. Over at McDonald’s , there’s not so much innovation as there is returns of old friends, but at least we've moved past collab meals where the only interesting part is the box. Ronald McDonald and friends are now peddling nostalgia, and we're here for that party. It begins with the Collector's Meal, which is, as per usual, a Big Mac or Chicken McNuggets feature (though there's also a breakfast sausage McMuffin meal. But, it also includes one of six different collectible cups, which us geriatric snake people will recognize from the before times. There’s also the return of strawberry pie, which has never, ever ever been a bad thing in our book. Shake Shack , meanwhile, has brought forth a rather unassuming sounding set of new dishes that turn out, like most things at Shake Shack do, to be way better than you could have even imagined prior to that first bite. Their Carolina BBQ lineup is a sleeper hit, with a perfectly balanced burger that’s got a sweet tangy sauce, a perfect fried pickle that's crunchy and a perfect complement to applewood smoked bacon and a balanced pepper jack. No one thing takes center stage, but the parts of the whole combine to make something that tastes a whole lot more interesting than a barbecue burger sounds. Also to be explored are the BBQ Cheese Fries and the Smoky Classic BBQ burger that swaps out fried pickles for regular, and adds crispy onions to the party along with pepper jack and the tangy, smoky and delicious barbecue sauce it shares with its partner. Pair it up with what our local shack staff guided us towards as the best pick for shakes, a Peaches and Cream shake that’s all summer nostalgia no waiting, with that delicious juicy peach flavor that defines our early summers and a rich cream that again seems perfectly balanced with the fruity fragrant peach, and you’ve basically ascended from mere fast food into a foodie fast casual paradise…which to be fair, is usually how we feel when we eat there. Don't sleep on these while they're still around, and if peaches aren't for you, try out There’s always one or two places every season that head in the spicy direction and this time that place is BK. Burger King’s got a brand new Fiery lineup that doesn’t just present you with burger and fry five alarm fires, but goes that extra step to offer a Spicy Strawberry and Sprite that’ll get you that capsaicin induced dopamine rush while still effervescent and lemony limey. We've yet to try this one out but when we do we'll be sure to let all the chileheads know if it gets you the spicy rush with a flavor instead of just heat for heat's sake. Stay tuned for more snack releases and fast food lineups from our new feature Flavor Savor. Now it's time to whip out those fast food apps and get yourself some grub!

With fantastic video game adaptations finally becoming realized–like HBO’s brilliant The Last of Us, or even Dreamwork’s “safe” Mario Bros. movie. I expected a renaissance of video game adaptation–and while that may indeed still be coming, movies like Eli Roth’s Borderlands aren't going to help ease this renaissance along. Borderlands is better known for its looter shooter mechanics. As colorful as its world is, let’s face it: no one really cared. The world of Borderlands is a cel shaded vehicle for co-op run and gun experiences. I’m sure there are fans of the world building who might care, but I never played the Borderlands games for their story, or even the visuals beyond their uniqueness (at the time.) Even with a plethora of colorful characters I’m sure the Gearbox Studios writers want you to love, the reality is that I was only ever really laughing at Borderlands and never really with it. So to say that I was extremely unimpressed with a potential adaptation would be an understatement. And let’s look at the director: Eli Roth made his name in horror with films like Cabin in the Woods and Hostel . He’s not exactly the choice I would have made for this movie. But would it have made a difference? I didn’t have to see the terrible trailer or even the bevy of reviews absolutely dunking on this film to smell what was cooking up.  Now, I can totally see how someone who spends their days in a suit would look at Borderlands as an enticing IP. But if there’s a right way to go about making this film, Eli Roth did not take that approach. They even managed to make Tiny Tina soulless and forced. And poor Cate Blanchett keeps getting shoved into ridiculous costumes–and it just doesn’t pay off for her this time. The rest of the cast is stacked too. It’s hard to believe that they couldn't pull off something entertaining. Even Eli Roth ditched the project when reshoots were required, citing scheduling conflicts with Thanksgiving (2023). Tim Miller came in for directing duties on the reshoots. So what went wrong? Perhaps it was the studio aiming for a PG-13 rating despite Borderlands being known for its over-the-top action and gore, and Eli Roth being known for his gory horror prowess. It seems like the perfect match-up, but reportedly Borderlands is mostly gore-free. I’m not one to champion gore for the sake of it, but even to me that’s surprising for a Borderlands film. Right? With a Rotten Tomatoes score sitting around 6% I think that’s a fair guess.

One of the most integral parts of many 4th of July celebrations is a fireworks display. I’ve been either photographing or participating in fireworks shows for nearly my entire life, mostly in and around the Midwest. Chicago and its surrounding suburbs have plenty of official displays, but some of the most unique and wonderful shows are in our neighborhoods, and none do them quite like Pilsen on Chicago’s near south side. This year, I walked the blocks with some family and other photographers. You can find folks grilling and lighting off fireworks on almost every corner. Walk a half mile or a mile in any direction and you’ll find dozens of displays. If you stand in the right place in an intersection, you can see aerial displays in any direction. Usually the nighttime lights in the sky are part of a larger block party or a small gathering that goes on all day and is family friendly where all are welcome. There’s a type of controlled chaos at these autonomous fireworks displays. Watching at a distance might give you the impression that things are completely out of hand, but for the most part, everyone is quite careful. Older people on the block give kids time to play with sparklers in the street while they set up much larger displays. Parents help their children light the first wick and then they’ll step far back to watch the fun. Everyone shares food and drink, laughs and cheers. After the last large bang goes off, everyone on the block grabs big push brooms and sweeps the street clean. Almost every resident of the block and surrounding ones are outside on their porches and sidewalks and there’s a shared sense of community that’s beautiful and otherwise difficult to put into words. Here’s a little bit of what I saw this year.

The extraction shooter is a niche genre of first person shooters that seem to be gaining popularity with the hardcore shooter community. Even so, there hasn’t been one to break out into mass market appeal–despite games like Marathon and Exoborne hoping to achieve that status. Others, like Arena Breakout: Infinite are like variations and refinements of a proven formula. Arena Breakout: Infinite touts its high degree of realism front and center. Graphically, it approaches that bar towards realism. Not so much from the gameplay– or at least that was our experience when we played the recently closed beta test. Arena Breakout: Infinite feels very much like the games that undoubtedly inspired it: Escape from Tarkov and Grey Zone Warfare . Both of these games are already extraction shooters that cater to the hardcore shooter demographic. A target Arena Breakout: Infinite seems to be trying to hit. This puts Arena Breakout: Infinite in a place already crowded with competition by games with equally esoteric names and realistic settings. That means that Arena Breakout: Infinite has a real obligation to their player base to provide an above average experience if they want to stand out. And so far, Arena Breakout: Infinite has some pros and cons going for it. Again, it's coming out of its first closed beta so any impressions are subject to change as this free to play shooter progresses in development before it hits the masses.  In the closed beta there were two maps available for players: The Farm and The Valley. Each of these maps were competent, but somewhat sparse of cover and lacked any special characteristic to make one stand out from the other.  As with any other extraction shooter, Arena Breakout: Infinite follows much of the same formula: you drop into a map, loot (while trying not to be looted) and get out. Arena Breakout: Infinite has a fair amount of guns with a good amount of customization. There are even some items that seemed ripped from Escape from Tarkov .  Matchmaking was sparse in the last few weeks of the beta, and so that gave me a lot of time with the games’ AI. Unfortunately, in the closed beta, the AI  in Arena Breakout: Infinite was in a really rough shape. Most AI characters stood around not doing much most of the time. When I was spawning into maps with other players, it seemed like spawn killing was rampant. It wasn’t too shocking to drop in just to be shot a few seconds later. Better spawn positions with more cover will definitely help with this. While Arena Breakout: Infinite wants to say it's more realistic than its competitors, I can’t really agree with that assessment. Gunplay feels good, but not any more real than similar extraction shooters. In fact, long range gunplay felt a little broken, with my best experiences being in medium to short range engagements. It does have some great looking graphics, though. Arena Breakout: Infinite is going to come out this year on Steam as a free to play game. Some early concerns I’ve seen from other previews and players is the speed in which you earn currency, making some fear this free to play title might become pay to win. Let’s hope that’s not true, because competition’s always a good thing, and Escape From Tarkov is about to have another capable extraction shooter to peel away players. Arena Breakout: Infinite is free to play and coming soon on Steam.

It’s an odd thing to be sitting on your couch, streaming some shows, and come across something that makes you want to get on the hairnet and apron and dive back into the world of foodservice, but it’s just happened to me. Last time, it was a video game that brought me back the thrills of the Friday night slams I endured as a pizza slinger. This time, it’s FX’s series, The Bear. To be profoundly honest, I started watching The Bear because one of my colleagues here at Culture Combine mentioned it. It’s set in Chicago, people are messing up Italian beefs all over the US because of it, and I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. At first, I wasn’t that into it. It felt a little overwrought and angsty. About a week later, with the last episode of the second season queued up as I write this, I’m completely hooked. TV loves to glamorize things, and if you’ve really worked foodservice, you know any such glamour is completely fabricated. Behind the scenes of anything from Applebee’s to Alinea is hot, sweaty, messy, moody real life. No matter how strictly you run your kitchen, it’s a kitchen, and it’s full of knives, fire, and, at least in my experience, a motley crew of people who would probably have no reason to meet or talk to each other were it not for the fact that they worked there. The Bear doesn’t really play nice with its characters, no matter if they’re in a starring role or not, and it’s refreshing. I don’t like shows where everyone’s shitty and that’s supposed to be ok, but I do appreciate a show like The Bear being honest about people and how they work in stressful environments. We all like to think we’re capable of great self-restraint until the tickets are pouring out onto the floor, every chair is full, every phone is ringing, every pot is boiling and there aren’t any plates. The Bear gets restaurants right by looking even fine dining square in the face as absolutely thankless, shitty and toxic at times. By getting this right, I feel like they’re also getting Chicago right in a way lots of shows fail to. In the words of a chef and writer I have incredible respect for: “You wake up in Chicago, pull back the curtain and you KNOW where you are. You could be nowhere else. You are in a big, brash, muscular, broad shouldered motherfuckin’ city. A metropolis, completely non-neurotic, ever-moving, big hearted but cold blooded machine with millions of moving parts — a beast that will, if disrespected or not taken seriously, roll over you without remorse.” - Anthony Bourdain It’s the biggest love letter to the city I love the most, and The Bear nails that esoteric feeling you get from Chicago without the need for a million pans down Lake Shore Drive or artistically shot skyscrapers in the Loop. Chicago is raw. Take it as it comes. Stinky, shady, dirty, messy and corrupt, but gorgeous, complex, vibrant, diverse, hardworking and friendly. Foodservice is raw, and so are the people involved. In my time in the kitchen I’ve thrown towels, screamed at people, been screamed at, and walked out on shifts cursing someone’s name. It wasn’t okay, and it wasn’t pretty. But when push comes to shove and someone at a table threatened me, even if we’d just been in a heated, ugly argument about who fucked up the entire line tonight and can’t just fucking do it right for goddamn once (there’s an awful lot of swearing in restaurants, by the way), those same people throwing the pepperoni and insults are going to be chasing that person out of the restaurant with a baseball bat. Because we’re family. You can take my car to pick up your kid, even though last time you took it you dropped one of your little Newport nubbins on the car rug and it started a small fire that started smoldering later that night on my way home. We’ll walk you home after taking you to the liquor store across the street to get your 12 pack of Milwaukee’s Best. When we’re freaking out about a rush, a manager will come back to the line, make us all stand at attention with our hands on our hearts and sing the national anthem because life is stupid and silly and this too shall pass. And if you don’t make it home one night, we will always remember you. We’ll stop everything, stand in a now silent kitchen and cry together. We’ll hold hands at the funeral and take turns going so someone can keep the restaurant open but everyone gets to go. Later that night, we’ll gather around the accident site with candles telling tales of how you made us do your prep work and close because you wanted to party and how you made us sing the national anthem during that crazy rush until the police make us leave. And even when we’ve gone on to other kitchens and other places, we’ll hold that night, that family, and those memories in our hearts. Raw is beautiful and real, and vulnerable, and family doesn’t even have to be chosen. Sometimes it comes from banding together towards a common goal and learning to love someone for exactly the sweaty, grumpy asshole they are, because you know they’re going to be there for you when you need them, even if in the meantime they’re also going to drive you insane. Pretending to be your best doesn’t work in the heat and chaos of a kitchen, but that’s the beauty of the thing – and in turn, the beauty of The Bear. The Bear will return for Season 3 on June 27th via Hulu.

Visual novels are very hit or miss with me. I’ll either be engrossed within the first half hour, or I’ll turn it off and never get the urge to start it back up. Until Then grabbed me within the first few minutes and engrossed me the entire way through. Until Then is a narrative adventure where you play as 15 year old Mark as he navigates his high school life: joking with his friends, tackling awkward situations, and navigating young love. As a narrative adventure, most of the gameplay revolves around the story, making choices, and interacting with other characters. That said, there are a few minigames thrown into Until Then to change it up a bit.There are various types, and it’s hard to predict when and what type of mingame might come up next. Games range from platformers, to rhythm games and even a take on Doki Doki Literature Club–well, kind of. These minigames rarely have any real stakes, but sometimes the outcome seems to have an effect on the story. But there’s a deeper mystery under all of this mundanity. It would be hard to know this unless you read the game’s description–at least for the first couple of hours of gameplay. The mystery comes in subtly at first–but then Mark starts to question his reality as his memory begins to clash with reality. Mysteries of the world and Mark are further explored through his smartphone. News clippings, social media posts, and even texts help flesh out the story and deepen Until Then’s mystery. While Until Then gripped me the whole way, I wasn’t on the edge of my seat. There is a bit of a plodding, introspective nature to the narrative that can sometimes get in the way of enjoyment. Brevity isn’t necessary, but Until Then really likes to linger on scenes and ideas, often taking them one step too far, even if the point is made. Some visual novels are very graphically simple, but Until Then uses a pixel art style that gives it a timeless look, and makes it really pop. Through different perspectives and some impressively detailed close up shots, Until Then manages to stand out among its peers. Developer PolyChroma games has used their roots in the Phillipines as inspiration behind Unitil Then, incorporating different locations on the islands throughout, and this ends up revealing some cultural difference. It’s nothing extraordinary, just things like comments about having loads of pirated DVDs as a usual staple. These add context, flavor and interest in otherwise mundane situations, and never take the spotlight off the main narrative. Until Then is definitely a standout visual novel. It has moments of genuine emotion and intrigue while using an impressive art style to tie everything together. It’s not perfect, with a story that’s slow to get started and a tendency to navel gaze. But Until Then is a genuinely enjoyable and unique visual novel that will be a treat to any fan of the genre. Until Then is available today on PC and PS5 A Steam copy of Until Then was provided to us for this review

I was able to preview Monster Hunter Wilds at Summer Game Fest and what I saw was out of this world exciting for what’s to come from the franchise. A faster, bigger, more expensive game that feels the most fluid that it’s ever felt. The first major thing to understand about Monster Hunter Wilds is that the maps have been expanded. They have removed the idea of hub towns and replaced them with in-map villages you can visit, so in the middle of a hunt you can stop into a village to upgrade gear before returning to the hunt. Since it’s a single free flowing map, that also removes load times and the constant stop and start of hunts. Hunts begin pretty organically actually. You will be assigned multiple quests, and then they will automatically activate as you enter combat, which takes a lot of the guesswork out of fighting the right monsters. As per usual, fighting the monsters is the main event, but now they are epic journeys. Monsters will cross the maps in packs, and will encounter other monsters organically, leading to massive blow out fights that are without your intervention. You can also egg monsters on into fighting which makes for a lot of fun strategies. While fighting you now have a lizard mount, which can be mounted and dismounted very quickly, and they can house a SECOND weapon. This is a massive change in the series considering you usually have to focus on one weapon pretty religiously, but now you can expand and be more versatile. You can even attack while on the back of your mount as they parkour around the environments. So you will be mounting, dismounting, swapping weapons, traversing environments, attacking packs of monsters while avoiding others, but on a bigger scale than ever. I say scale because there are now massive environmental changes and shifts that can occur. Day, night and seasons will change causing new monsters to appear during these shifts, but also giant storms will just naturally occur leading to full out set piece battles that are a sight to behold. In the preview, we saw a massive sand storm, darkening the entire area. Then as the combat continued, lightning strikes started occurring, hitting both monster and player alike. There was a lot on screen to take into account as other monsters started attacking during the storm, but it was so dynamic because the player could easily escape the storm to bright sunny skies seamlessly. There’s so much more still to dig into with this preview, an intense wounding system for focusing monsters down, deployable base camps and villages, but man, this is my number one game from Summer Game Fest. Period.

Horror heavy hitters Blumhouse Studio have dipped into video games by crafting a full slate of titles that are a perfect fit for the indie horror scene. Described as “weird and subversive” the games come like their movies, with lots of different flavors of horror, from  murder farming sims to intense psychological nightmares. Blumhouse premiered their roster of games at SummerGame Fest, teasing 6 titles for this summer. Their first title, Fear the Spotlight features 90s horror with a classic teenage narrative full of twists and turns. Needless to say there’s never been a better time to be a horror game fan and Blumhouse is happily leading the charge.

It took me a second to realize, but Belle and Sebastian have been in the game for 28 years with a dozen albums under their belts and a hefty mount of singles that are as cherished as the songs on the records. With that sort of longevity and consistent quality, you know you're going to get a whirlwind of a show. Last weekend at the Salt Shed, Belle and Sebastian did that very thing, transporting everyone at the show to the spot when they first heard the band's beatific sounds for the very first time. Before the main event could take over, fans were treated to a double bill of openers. Most shows on the tour only featured one of the openers, but this night got something a little special. First was Haley Heynderickx and her small band serenading the crowd with beautiful songs. Great tracks off of I Need to Start a Garden really took hold of the reverent audience keen on adding Heynderickx to their must listen lists. The Weather Station  followed Heynderickx's gorgeous set with one of her own. Backed by a fuller band, Tamara Lindeman really took in the moment and delivered her songs with a conviction that was greatly appreciated. Sprinkling new songs in with some great favorites like "Tired To Tell You," "Robber," and "Parking Lot," really made for a well rounded and interesting set. Lindeman's lyrics are full of these little moments that grant you feeling a deeper understanding. Whether it's a love song relating herself to a bird ("Parking Lot") or lamenting the capitalist in all of us "Robber," Lindeman is just able to open up and find a morsel of truth we might have missed. During the latter portion of the set the Weather Station were joined by Macie Stewart, adding even more quality instrumentation to the incredible set. Then it finally came time for Belle & Sebastian to take the stage and they did not disappoint. With a band that has been pretty stable the last decade (featuring Stuart Murdoch, Stevie Jackson, Sarah Martin, Chris Geddes, Richard Colburn, Bobby Kildea, and Dave McGowan), there was no doubt we'd be getting a well-oiled sound machine. Honestly, we got a little more than that as Belle and Sebastian's sincerity and talents were as great as the first time I saw them nearly 20 years ago. Belle and Sebastian's set list was rife with favorites from all the eras of the band's masterful career. There were of course a few albums that weren't represented like their work associated with movies (Storytelling & Days of the Bagnold Summer), but for the most part we got an incredible look at the band's immense catalog. "If She Wants Me", a personal favorite of mine, details a break up and the insecurities that can plague the situation. It goes on into full sad boy lyricism while maintain the crux of the song and realistically so many of the band's songs "But life is good and 'It's always worth living/At least for a while'". At some-point in the set Murdoch leaned over to Jackson and remarked "Stevie do we suffer?" and was met with "It's terrible Stuart", once again jokingly underlining some aspects the songs' ethos. But no matter how much suffering their songs may hold, they sound hopeful and glorious. Everyone at the Salt Shed was going with flow that was masterfully lead by Murdoch. "Your Covers Blown" is dancey and energetic, making everyone in the audience move to it's grooves and pleas to leave the scene and join something better. "Pizza New York Catcher" oozes with unbridled love despite its hints at things not working out (although Murdoch assured the crowd it does). The Life Pursuit was my first Belle and Sebastian album (technically Push Barman to Open Old Wounds came out right before it but that was a collection of previous singles) after I found out the band and had voraciously listened to their previous catalog. The songs on that album mean a lot to me and the three that found themselves on the setlist really rang out with all the nostalgia gleaming. "Dress Up in You" was absolute prefect as Murdoch, with occasional harmonizing from Martin, laid out the friendship full of melancholy and resentment with pitch perfect accuracy. When the line "The men are surprised by the language/They act so discreet, they are hypocrites/So fuck them too" arrives so did the crowd eager opportunity to sing along. It's a moment of impassioned , even if it is coming from an exasperated situation. One of the biggest highlights of the night came when the stage was filled with audience members invited to join the band and dance along to songs. There was so much excitement and joy beaming form those on and off stage, catapulting "If You Find Yourself Caught in Love" into the stratosphere. The song started off with its twinkling keys before bursting forth with it's undoubtedly pro-love, anti-war anthem that raised everyone spirits. The encore ushered out the night with more favorites. "Fox in the Snow" a song that is so emblematic of the band that one couldn't help but sways away as the background display had little flakes gently snowing down. "This Is Just a Modern Rock Song" kept that vibe going, letting the atmosphere in the Salt Shed feel as light as a cloud before it was time to go. Here we were met with another The Life Pursuit track: "Another Sunny Day". The song full of love before it all goes away at its end felt fitting as all thing, including fantastic concerts, come to an end. While so many of Belle and Sebastian's song have these sad notes amidst the love and joyful instrumentation, it's important to remember the highlights. Thankfully this show was full of them. All photos by Julian Ramirez This post was originally published on Third Coast Review.