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Cake. Wikimedia Commons Welcome to Blind Spot, where we take time to dig into something big in the cultural zeitgeist we might have missed. A retrospective that’s also a first time perspective. What’s old to you, is new to someone else and in the spirit of that I present to you my Cake Retrospective. My history with Cake came during my high school days, when I was deep into my music discovery era, and at the time, my then-girlfriend and I would split the music. She would pick one band and I’d pick a similar band, and we’d listen to them separately and then discuss. In this instance, she chose Cake and I chose Beck. I still love the entire Beck catalog but I never took the time to dig into what made Cake such a mainstream success until now. Here are my thoughts and favorites  as I’ve gone through the entire Cake discography. Motorcade of Generosity (1993) Comanche- is such a good drunken sing along song that I can imagine an entire bar slurring along to every lyric.  Pentagram- is a fascinating dip into blue grass that kind of tells me what I need to know about Cake. They really can do it all.  You Part the Waters- devolves into some weird places, starting with a piano intro then flipping to some Primus styled guitar and of course the horns, then an orchestral interlude? This one's a journey.  Rock N Roll Lifestyle- finally feels like the band has something to say. I was kind of hoping for something a little more meaningful and I finally got it.  Album Overview: I can see that this was the band really trying to hone their sound while exploring ALL the spaces in between. From bluegrass, to orchestra, they are still in their growth phase here, but the potential is definitely there. This whetted my appetite for more and acted as a great introduction.  Fashion Nugget (1996) Frank Sinatra pairs a slow crooning, smooth style plus a bass and keyboard solo with noir-y horns. This is the first song to really make me a fan. The way each instrument is organized and layered has me hooked.  The Distance is such a hip hop not hip hop song that  might be the best Cake song period  Friend Is A Four Letter Word is hauntingly sad. Melancholic and introspective.  I Will Survive It was awesome to see a cover on an album, let alone an interesting twist on a classic. There was a brief phase when bands would include covers, but that time has long gone, but I Will Survive is such a unique take on the classic Donna Summer song that it stands on its own and separates itself from the original.  Perhaps Perhaps Perhaps sounds like a drunken saloon limerick. I’m starting to see a trend here in what to expect from Cake.  Album Overview: Yeah, at this point the band is officially standing on its feet now declaring exactly who they are. They are shifting from fantastic covers, haunting introspection, genre bending pop and songs sung at closing time at your local dive bar. They are a very specific vibe but kind of a lot of different, very specific vibes all at once and I am loving all of them.  Prolonging the Magic (1998) Is there a more wholesome song than Satan is My Motor ? A feel good little ditty that just puts me in a good mood Never There is obviously a peak single with that funky bass line, vocals with attitude and slow build horns. There’s a reason they are one of the best bands of the 90’s.   Walk On By is a fantastic twangy dip into a southern country style. It amazes me how Cake flows between genres so fluidly.  Sheep Go to Heaven melds right from Walk On By almost like a part 2 of a 3 part saga and I love it.  When You Sleep feels like a twangy mellow epic, and if you told me they were the three acts of a single story, I’d believe it. Rising and falling as the story unfolds.  Cool Blue Reason plays as a melancholy walk through a dusty desolate town with a bit of a hip hop vibe.  Album Overview: A largely melancholy low energy album that is all about the vibes. It's reflective, it’s isolating but also rarely negative. Just sitting on a bus reflecting on your life as a whole. This album gave me a lot of room to think and I love it for that. It may not have the energetic bangers of the previous album but I felt a warm calming feeling the more I spent time with it.  Comfort Eagle (2001) Shadow Stabbing and Short Skirt/Long Jacket are the radio hits I’ve been most aware of, and for good reason. These songs both just hit the right spots in my ear holes. Commissioning A Symphony in C seems like a deeper story I’d love to learn more about. It drops breadcrumbs of details to the point that it seems super specific but I was unable to get the full picture and I love it.  Comfort Eagle is a perfect anti-establishment rebellious song. This made me want to protest anything, and in the current political climate, we need it more than ever.  Love You Madly is one I’ve absorbed through cultural osmosis but mostly for that infectious guitar rift and those love stricken lyrics. This song lives rent free in my head.  Album Overview: Ah, the Cake I’m familiar with now. Cake continues to impress me with how they are able to create vivid musical landscapes that tell a deep and compelling story, even if it’s unclear what the full story is. It’s nothing if not incredibly compelling.  Pressure Chief (2004) The bass line and guitar riffs of Wheels are how you start an album! A slow build to more Cake greatness. What more can you ask for?  Carbon Monoxide : do I sense a little DVO mixed with Green Day? A bouncy tune that encourages a chanting crowd then shifts to a high amount of synth keys.  She’ll Hang the Baskets is more of that crooning country twang. At this point I’d welcome a full Cake Country album, they do it so well.  End Of The Movie : what a little sad personal song about not wanting to say goodbye, . This fits right in with any emotional death or breakup scene in a movie or TV show. Then it ends abruptly, kind of like life. I don’t know, but this one got me.  Tougher Than It Is is a perfect encapsulation of overthinking or overcomplicating life that really speaks to me on a personal level. I think it’s a pretty universal statement that we could all take to heart.   Album Overview: This album proved the emotional range that Cake can achieve when given the opportunity. I loved the ups and downs, twists and turns of what proves to be, some ongoing fantastic storytelling.  Showroom of Compassion (2010) Federal Funding is another anti-corpo song that would be welcome at any protest or march. I love it.  Long Time is an obvious dedication to the fans that missed them within their 6 year gap between albums. Luckily for me, I didn’t have to wait that long for more Cake greatness, but it still stands out as a return to form for the band.  Teenage Pregnancy is an instrumental spiral into the despair and uncertainty of what can come with an unwanted pregnancy. It’s an instrumental journey with plenty of twists and turns, and every instrument is used with clear purpose. I felt this deep in my bones, despite never experiencing this myself.  Bound Away is the token country bar anthem that we’ve come to expect from Cake and the album is better for it.  Italian Guy comes straight out of a Wes Anderson film. It 's so wild how Cake can pin down a single style and hit it so perfectly.  Album Overview: The weakest of the Cake offerings in my opinion, yet still impresses from beginning to end. Moving from protest songs, spiraling disparity, country to pop elegance.  Other Notes No one works a tambourine, vibraslap, cowbell or egg shaker like this band. It really amazed me how much of a visual tapestry and layered orchestration Cake presents in each individual album. They weave back and forth effortlessly and span all genres at breakneck speeds. I found myself continuing to come back to Cake after writing this article, if only to reflect on the songs that punched me in the gut with regrets, emotional spiraling and introspection. Cake became my thoughtful band, but also my drinking band, my anthem band, my rebellion protest band, my quick little jaunty tune band. That’s the thing about Cake. I’ve discovered they are sort of all encompassing. They hit all points, and can be for anyone in any mood. I’m kind of surprised by how universal they are. They aren’t my favorite band, but I’ve discovered how comprehensive their sound can be. Cake is a band for everyone and it’s really cool to be able to achieve that in such a divisive world.

Screenshot: Absolum In my mind, DotEmu is associated with retro beat ‘em ups because of their success with games like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge  and Streets of Rage 4 . Of course, they’ve dabbled in other genres with Windjammers 2, Pharaoh: A New Era, and Metal Slug Tactics being some stand-out examples. But all of these are games that are both retro-inspired and are already part of existing IPs. That’s what makes Absolum the real standout in Dotemu’s offerings. I know everyone is hyped for Marvel Cosmic Invasion , but I think there should have been more buzz around Absolum  – I absolutely loved the hours I put into it. Absolum isn’t the first roguelike beat ‘em up that I’ve heard of, but it’s probably one of the most polished I've played. This isn’t a genre/sub-genre mash-up that comes around very often, and never has a developer with such pedigree handled the idea. Fortunately, Dotemu knocks the concept out of the park. Screenshot: Absolum Absolum plays like a standard beat ‘em up: fight enemies, destroy environmental items, and sometimes pick-up weapons (there are only throwable weapons in Absolum) or other items like health. There are two initial characters to choose from, with a roster of four characters to work towards. Each character has a different feel and moveset. Galandra mixes quick strikes with a slow, heavy sword attack. Karl (which is hopefully a Deep Rock Galactic reference) is a dwarf that uses a blunderbuss and his fists to dispatch foes.  Screenshot: Absolum As you progress through Absolum on your journey to dispatch Azra, the game’s advertised big bad, you will meet lots of different enemy types and interesting ways to dispatch them. You can collect rituals and trinkets on your journey, both of which have the ability to drastically change how effective your character can be. And that's the biggest difference in Absolum versus your average beat ‘em up:   its roguelike structure that gives you the ability to upgrade your character with abilities that have the potential for some absolutely devastating synergy. And that’s why I like to play roguelikes. As with most roguelikes, you have some agency over where you can go on the world map. Except in Absolum, you determine which fork to take. Sometimes these forks are hidden or blocked off by some puzzle. It’s not possible to see all of Absolum in one playthrough, but that also means you’ll be playing the same areas repeatedly.  Screenshot: Absolum Thankfully, Dotemu anticipated returning to areas over and over again and made going back and exploring already tread ground a little more interesting than just seeing the same stuff over and over. Sometimes new events will pop up, or characters you met on your travels will catch up and pop in for some help or guidance. There are also a handful of sidequests and other secrets to uncover that will require multiple runs to complete. Obviously, there is also a true end boss and other hidden bosses to discover and brutalize.  There is a lot of heart put into Absolum , and that’s evident in both the game’s tight gameplay and its lore. Each of the four characters you can unlock are unique and have distinct personalities. The worldbuilding is superb, though it's very derivative of similar works that came before it. Absolum ’s strength is in DotEmu’s fantastic execution, however, and not its originality.  Screenshot: Absolum If I did have any substantive complaint about Absolum is that it feels much too short, and too easy. I was able to see most of the game within the first 4-5 hours of playtime, and I'm not exceptional at beat ‘em ups nor roguelikes. In fact, I had such an easy go of it that once I finally got a character powerful enough to meet the end boss, I steamrolled him without breaking a sweat. It was often the case that I would find myself either vastly overpowered or not at all prepared for a fight, with few encounters that were in-between. Absolum is one of my games of the year. I have a feeling it's slipping under the radar a bit, but I hope it’s successful enough that Dotemu keeps working on these new IPs, because their first truly novel offering in a long time is an absolute gem.  Absolum is out now.

Federal Judges have issued rulings temporarily blocking the Trump administration from mobilizing the National Guard in Illinois and the use of certain types of weapons and tactics during protests. Protesters gathered in Grant Park in Chicago for a rally and march against the deployment of National Guard troops in the area and continued ICE raids. Photo by Aaron Cynic. On Thursday, a judge granted a temporary restraining order  prohibiting the Trump administration from “ordering the federalization and deployment of the National Guard of the United States within Illinois" until at least October 23rd. Speaking from the bench in her ruling, U.S. District Judge April Perry said that the Department of Homeland Security’s perception of events in and around Chicago that those protesting ICE raids are engaged in a “rebellion” are “simply unreliable,” according to The Chicago Tribune . Judge Perry said that deploying the National Guard on the streets of Chicago would only make an already volatile situation worse. She said that troops are “not trained in de-escalation or other extremely important law enforcement functions that would help to quell these problems,” and mobilizing them would “only add fuel to the fire that the defendants themselves have started.” Illinois Governor JB Pritzker celebrated the decision, writing on Bluesky  that the Trump administration is “not above the law.” “Donald Trump is not a king — and his administration is not above the law. Today, the court confirmed what we all know: there is no credible evidence of a rebellion in the state of Illinois. And no place for the National Guard in the streets of American cities like Chicago.” Some 500 National Guard troops began deploying in the Chicagoland area on Wednesday. Some were seen outside the ICE detention facility in suburban Broadview. The ruling comes one day after thousands of Chicagoans took to the streets in the Loop to protest both the deployment of the Guard and continued ICE raids in the area, which have terrorized communities since the beginning of “Operation Midway Blitz” last month. ICE has disappeared more than 1,000 people in the Chicagoland area since the operation began. Chanting "Chicago isn’t licking boots, no Trump, no ICE, no troops,” and "up up with liberation, down down with deportations,” they marched along Michigan Avenue to Trump Tower after a rally beginning in Grant Park. A person dressed as the Statue of Liberty at a rally in Chicago before a march against the deployment of National Guard troops and continuing ICE raids in the area. Photo by Aaron Cynic. “What we are seeing is an administration that is sending troops in to scare us into silence,” Alderwoman Jessie Fuentes told the crowd. “To punish dissent. And we will not allow that here in the city of Chicago.” Fuentes was violently handcuffed and detained by ICE agents at a local hospital in her ward while advocating for a person ICE had brought there after detaining them. For weeks, residents protesting the administration’s continued kidnappings throughout the area along with journalists and others have been met by heavily armed agents who’ve deployed tear gas, pepper balls, flash bang grenades, and other munitions and tactics indiscriminately and without warning. Photos by Aaron Cynic Federal agents have attacked peaceful protesters and journalists alike outside the facility in Broadview on a regular basis and tear gassed a large swath of the Brighton Park neighborhood after shooting a motorist which they accused of allegedly ramming a vehicle, though evidence suggests otherwise. Agents also tossed tear gas out of a vehicle onto a street near a school in Logan Square, and have violently confronted residents for legally filming their activities, something elected officials in Illinois have encouraged. Federal agents attack protesters outside the ICE dention facility in Broadview, Illinois. Photo by Chris Riha. Also on Thursday U.S. District Judge Sara L. Ellis issued a temporary restraining order preventing federal officers from using these tactics and weapons against peaceful demonstrators, members of the clergy, and journalists reporting in the area. "Individuals are allowed to protest,” Judge Ellis said while issuing the order. “They are allowed to speak. That is guaranteed by the First Amendment of our constitution, and it is a bedrock right that upholds our democracy.” Plaintiffs in the lawsuit include multiple media outlets like the Chicago Headline Club, Block Club Chicago, and Raven Geary and Steve Held of Unraveled Press, along with the Chicago Newspaper Guild Local 34071, the National Association of Broadcast Employees & Technicians Local 54041, and several clergy members who have been targeted by agents for weeks, according to a press release from Loevy and Lovey, the law firm representing them. Steve Art from the firm celebrated the ruling, saying: "For weeks, federal forces sent to Chicago have terrorized residents. They have used incredible violence against civilians, against demonstrators, against religious and political leaders, and against the press. They hope to scare us into silence and submission. But the community here in Chicago will not be bullied. Today, because of the work of hundreds of brave community members, a federal judge has entered an injunction prohibiting the illegal conduct of federal agents in the Chicago area. We applaud the Court’s ruling, which will protect constitutional rights and many members of our community." “I saw snipers on the roof of the detention center, pointed down at us simply trying to pray from our beliefs, in what we believed was a country of freedom,” said Father Brendan Curran, a Dominican priest who has led prayer vigils outside the Broadview facility for nearly 20 years. "Today's ruling would not have been possible without the bravery of the Plaintiffs and many others who stood up in the face of egregious state violence and misconduct," said Daniel Massoglia, Director of the Civil Rights Clinic at First Defense Legal Aid. "It sends a powerful message in favor of press freedom, religious freedom, and the freedom to dissent against government abuses."

Photo: Chris Riha ( @superbia454 ) The ongoing feud between the sitting president, the Chicagoland area and State of Illinois continues to escalate. Operation Midway Blitz has been underway for a month and has involved US Immigration and Customers Enforcement (ICE) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as well as several other federal agencies. In this past month, we've seen agents deploying tear gas in several Chicago neighborhoods , violently handcuffing a city alderman , arresting journalists , as well as having heavily armed agents rappelling from Blackhawks into a South Shore neighborhood to conduct a raid on an apartment building where numerous US citizens, including at least four children , were detained. Photo: Chris Riha ( @superbia454 ) Trump has now also announced that he will deploy the Illinois National Guard against its commander in chief's wishes, also deploying members of the Texas National Guard, to 'protect' agents from the city he also frequently refers to as a "war zone." IL Governor Pritzker has been an outspoken opponent of Trump and these actions, and has worked with Chicago mayor Brandon Johnson to block the moves with a federal lawsuit. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson on his way into Manny's Deli on election day in 2023. Photo : Aaron Cynic Mayor Brandon Johnson has also recently signed an executive order to establish "ICE Free Zones" which prohibit use of city property for federal immigration operations, according to an official press release on chicago.gov . “We will not tolerate ICE agents violating our residents’ constitutional rights nor will we allow the federal government to disregard our local authority. ICE agents are detaining elected officials, tear-gassing protestors, children, and Chicago police officers, and abusing Chicago residents. We will not stand for that in our city,” said Mayor Brandon Johnson. “With this Executive Order, Chicago stands firm in protecting the Constitutional rights of our residents and immigrant communities and upholding our democracy.”    The city's resistance to this illegal invasion appears to only be inciting the wrath of Donald Trump, who again took to social media to rant about imprisoning both Pritzker and Johnson : "Chicago Mayor should be in jail for failing to protect Ice [U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement] Officers!" "Governor Pritzker also!" Photo: Aaron Cynic This is not the first time Trump has tried to have a Black man unjustly arrested,” Mayor Johnson posted on social media. “I’m not going anywhere.” Pritzker also responded in his own series of social posts on "X" stating "I will not back down. Trump is now calling for the arrest of elected representatives checking his power. What else is left on the path to full-blown authoritarianism?" In an interview with MSNBC after speaking at a rally at Federal Plaza in Chicago for workers affected by the government shutdown, Pritzker called Trump "unhinged." "This guy is unhinged. He's insecure," said Pritkzer. "He's a wannabe dictator. And there's one thing I really want to say to Donald Trump. If you come for my people, you come through me. So come and get me." BREAKING: The Chicago Teacher's Union has Denounced Trump's Targeting of Chicago's Mayor in an official statement that follows: CTU Denounces President Trump’s Targeting of Chicago’s Mayor: Chicago Will Continue its Proud Tradition of Protecting City Residents and their Liberty in the Face of Troops Call for Johnson’s Arrest is Latest Sign Trump is Waging War on Successful Black Political Power, Using Government for Personal Agenda, Unfit for Office Chicago, IL. In response to Donald Trump calling for the arrest of Brandon Johnson, Chicago Teachers Union President Stacy Davis Gates cited the city’s 1850 council resolution calling on local police to not aid and abet fugitive slave patrols, and denounced Trump’s targeting, claiming it is making everyone less safe. “A hundred and seventy five years after Chicago passed resolutions refusing to aid and abet fugitive slave patrols, we have a mayor who is taking every step to once again protect Chicagoans from lawless capture and we have a sitting President who is attacking him for it. Sen. Stephen Douglas denounced Chicago for refusing to support the agents deployed to take away Chicagoans’ liberties and Trump is doing the same today. Our democratically-elected mayor is making our city safer by keeping a bright line between local government and the lawless invasion of our city being carried out at the order of the President. He should be celebrated and protected for it. More to come on the situation unfolding in Chicago as it happens

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker said that President Donald Trump plans to federalize 300 or more National Guard troops to send to Chicago, along with other cities like Portland, Oregon. Federal Agents with the Bureau of Prisons and other law enforcement officers push protesters outside of the ICE detention facility in Broadview, Illinois. Photo by Chris Riha . “This morning, the Trump Administration’s Department of War gave me an ultimatum: call up your troops, or we will,” Pritzker said in a statement on Saturday . “In the coming hours, the Trump Administration intends to federalize 300 members of the Illinois National Guard. They will pull hardworking Americans out of their regular jobs and away from their families all to participate in a manufactured performance — not a serious effort to protect public safety. For Donald Trump, this has never been about safety. This is about control.” A memo obtained and published by CBS News  on Sunday confirmed this. “Up to 300 members of the Illinois National Guard will be called into Federal service effective immediately for a period of 60 days. The Chief of the National Guard Bureau will immediately coordinate the details of the mobilization with you, in coordination with the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Commander, U.S. Northem Command. The mobilized Service members will be under the command and control of the Commander, U.S. Northern Command." The statement says troops would be deployed "to protect Federal property, at locations where violent demonstrations against these functions are occurring or are likely to occur based on current threat assessments and planned operations." Sunday night, Pritzker reiterated the statement and added more context, saying that the Texas National Guard would be deployed to Illinois, Oregon, and other locations and called it an "invasion." “This evening, President Trump is ordering 400 members of the Texas National Guard for deployments to Illinois, Oregon, and other locations within the United States. No officials from the federal government called me directly to discuss or coordinate. “We must now start calling this what it is: Trump’s Invasion. It started with federal agents, it will soon include deploying federalized members of the Illinois National Guard against our wishes, and it will now involve sending in another state’s military troops." The announcement(s) come as the Department of Homeland Security continues to escalate its attacks on the people of Chicago, its suburbs, and the collar counties surrounding Cook County. In just the last week, in addition to regularly kidnapping people off the street in the Chicagoland area, ICE conducted several large-scale raids, including one in the South Shore neighborhood that featured Blackhawk helicopters with heavily armed agents rappelling from them, doors broken down, homes broken into, property stolen, and people, including children, zip-tied and disappeared into vans in the middle of the night. Beginning on Friday and through the weekend, ICE agents also deployed tear gas in several Chicago neighborhoods, including near a hospital in Humboldt Park, a school and grocery store in Logan Square, and through a swath of the Brighton Park neighborhood after community members began a spontaneous protest in response to agents shooting a motorist. Additionally, agents violently handcuffed Chicago Alderwoman Jessie Fuentes at a hospital, who was advocating for a person in the custody of federal agents. DHS released a statement  alleging that the agents in Brighton Park were “rammed by vehicles and boxed in by 10 cars” while “patrolling in the greater Broadview area,” which is some 15 miles northwest of the neighborhood. According to an 8 page criminal complaint published by the Sun-Times , the motorist allegedly "drove aggressively and erratically towards” agents' vehicles, disobeyed stop signs, red lights and drove “the wrong way down one-way streets in order to pursue the CBP Vehicles.” Evidence of the allegations has still yet to be confirmed, and video circulating on social media appears to contradict the DHS narrative. In the wake of the shooting, DHS agents deployed a host of chemical munitions on people at the scene, including members of the Chicago Police Department. The motorist and one other person have been charged with felony assault. Law enforcement from federal, state, and local agencies have also ramped up attacks and arrests on people protesting outside of the ICE detention facility in Broadview, Illinois, a western suburb of Chicago. For weeks and months, community members, activists, and elected officials have been protesting outside the facility, where many of the people kidnapped by ICE in the greater Chicagoland area are held and “processed.” Those who’ve been inside the facility, including Steve Held, a journalist with the outlet Unraveled , who have been documenting the situation for weeks, described deplorable conditions detainees face. “Reportedly some ICE detainees are held for days, even up to a week,” Held wrote in a thread on Bluesky , after being released from being arrested while covering protest outside the facility. “Our room stank of sweat & pepper ball powder after just a few hours. Their room appeared dirty, filled with men dressed for labor, trying to get comfortable to sleep in chairs or on the cold floor in the cinder block room.” Governor Pritzker has directed pleny of fiery rhetoric towards Trump and has repeatedly told residents of Chicagoland to protest and film what ICE does when they kidnap people off the street. At the same time, the Illinois Department of Transportation set up large concrete barricades outside of the facility in Broadview to designate a "free speech zone." Various federal agencies still attacked demonstrators anyway, with the help of the Illinois State Police and other local agencies. Photo by Chris Riha Photo by Chris Riha While National Guard troops were not yet seen on the streets of Chicago or the surrounding area on Sunday, the war of words between President Trump and Governor Pritzker continued. Speaking to Jake Tapper on CNN’s State of the Union,  Governor Pritzker called the raid in South Shore “shameful,” and said that the state’s Department of Children and Family Services is investigation what happened to the children who were zip-tied and elderly people who were held in a truck for more than three hours. “What kind of a country are we living in? And this raid at this building is emblematic of what ICE and CBP and the president of the United States, Kristi Noem and Greg Bovino, are trying to do,” said Pritzker. “They want mayhem on the ground. They want to create the war zone, so that they can send in even more troops.”   Monday morning, the State of Illinois filed a lawsuit attempting to block the deployment. “The American people, regardless of where they reside, should not live under the threat of occupation by the United States military, particularly not simply because their city or state leadership has fallen out of a president’s favor,” the complaint reads, according to The Hill.

There are no bad Paul Thomas Anderson movies. And while lately there has been a bit of ebb and flow after There Will Be Blood and between unparalleled masterpieces like 2012’s The Master and 2017's Phantom Thread and lighter but excellent fare in 2014's Inherent Vice and 2021's Licorice Pizza , you can't deny PTA’S artistry and style. That seems to be the guiding force of One Battle After Another , which ranks high on the upper echelon of his work. Despite being worked on for two decades, One Battle After Another feels uncomfortably timely or unfortunately prescient. The film centers around members of a revolutionary group called The French 75, specifically Perfidia Beverly Hills (Teyana Taylor) and Ghetto Bob/Rocketman (Leonardo DiCaprio) who run around California releasing illegal immigrants from detention camps, blowing things up, robbing banks to fund their missions, and various other acts to battle fascism, which is embodied in the personage of Col. Steven J. Lockjaw (Sean Penn). Their stories interlock and come to a head when their decisions tear a rift through The French 75, propelling Ghetto Bob and his new born daughter Charlene into hiding. This section of the film immediately hearkens back to 70's style filmmaking. From the heavy grain on the film stock to the tight close ups to the pacing, it all meshes together into an almost grindhouse film that is elevated to arthouse. Feels weird to say that, especially with the recent backlash on elevated horror, but it works so damn well here. The closest thing I would liken it to is a pop version of postmodernism. The rest of the film jumps forward 15 years where we meet with the new cast of characters. Beyond the aforementioned leads you have people like Sergio St. Cloud, hilariously portrayed by Benicio del Toro, balancing life as a martial arts sensei and expert at helping migrants in the US, a secret cabal of racists with a name I won't spoil who let loose a preppy fixer to alleviate some unwanted pressure, and a group of former revolutionary who, once again, I refuse to spoil their names or newfound callings. Before all this conspiratorial mess comes crashing down, we do get a brief moment to "relax" and meet Ghetto Pat/Rocketman, now Bob Ferguson, and his teenaged daughter Charlene, portrayed by an incredible Chase Infiniti, now Willa in their new lives. Now to the action. Those final 2/3rds are a series of elongated cat and mouse games between several characters that is as thrilling as anything put to film in the last several decades. Every scene has this kinetic energy that refuses to dissipate as Bob haphazardly evades Lockjaw and his forces while Willa learns of her families origins as she is separated from her father. This all culminates in a breathtaking final set piece that is masterfully handled. Another thing One Battle After Another does incredibly well is being inspired by Thomas Pynchon's Vineland rather than directly adapting it. If you've read the book, you can definitely see characters, motivations, and even absurd plot lines lifted directly from the surprisingly digestible tome. But ultimately the story is much more streamlined and despite its complexities, is very easy to follow as it focuses so heavily on Bob and Willa’s fleeing from the overwhelming breadth of Lockjaw’s blind retribution. That is not to say that the intensity of the revolutionary acts or the militaristic forces outweighs the other big thing that makes the film great: the comedy. One Battle After Another is a satire and a very, very funny one as it successfully has its cake and eats it too. It's wild and goofy with moments of anachronism and absurdism (the maybe takes place now more or less) standing shoulder to shoulder with plenty of serious elements to ground the whole thing, making the juxtaposition of the two contrast heavily and taking the inherent hilarity in crazy names to a new level. If you're not cackling at a group of fascist racists calling themselves...I still won't spoil it..., then you're taking the movie way too seriously (or don't know that the real life Proud Boys take their name from a song cut from the Aladdin movie that was later included in the musical version.) Acting wise everyone here is doing top tier work. Leonardo DiCaprio has allowed himself to take on roles of aging out of their element characters (see Once Upon A Time in Hollywood ) and is excelling at it. Sean Penn is bored online unrecognizable as his face is in a constant grimace, his hair cut in such a way that you can't help but think fascist, and his overall being feeling imposing as he struts around like Vince McMahon or nefarious Popeye. Chase Infinity, whose real name seems plucked for the mind of Pynchon himself and could frankly be an apt name for her character, is maybe giving the best performance in the movie. She truly embodies the scared teenager being swept up in this conspiratorial plot. The supporting actors like Benicio del Toro and Teyana Taylor steal their scenes while more subdued choices from Regina Hall lend some much appreciated gravity to the film. While One Battle After Another may not be as dense as it's source material, it still manages a complex array of themes that I'm sure every viewer will take something from this film. Whether it's the political criticisms, the father/daughter dynamics, the consequences of peoples past defining them or being the thing they need to let go; there are just so many themes running around that it's impossible to focus on just one. PTA hasn't made a bad movie yet, and One Battle After Another is another notch in the masterpiece column.

Listen closely, youngs. We want to tell you about a time when people would take their entire computers to other people’s houses, connect them all up at one person’s house, fire up the microwave, pour the Doritos, and game together. It was called a LAN party, and it was one of those weird things where you suddenly decide maybe it WOULD be awesome if you could hang out with all your gamer friends IRLsies. And it was. You could eat a bunch of snacks, play a bunch of couch co-op, explore new games, and team up for co-op action where you could actually communicate with other people easily and in the same room. Ok, sure. We only did that once, but lots of people did it way more often. And I get it. I game to escape too. I like to cozy up with my console or hunker down in my office with a great game and forget the rest of the world exists. But there’s something wonderful about getting around other people who love games the same way you do. We’re extremely lucky to be where we are as a publication, because Chicago has long been home to iconic game companies, from pinball giants like Williams and Stern to arcade giants like Midway - even Bandai Namco and Atari had HQ here back in the day.  That’s not remotely all though, as the indie game scene in Chicago continues to shine, and gain national recognition.  We can lay claim on everything from Mortal Kombat to Killer Queen Black, Bugsnax, Cosmo’s Quickstop, Cold Calling, and a myriad more. What else we can lay claim to is an amazing culture around indie games that’s accepting, cool, and supportive. Chicago’s indie game scene is familial, fun, and intimate. You don’t just get to play a lot of cool games - you get to talk to their creators, and cheer them on later when you see their games in a Nintendo Direct, a PlayStation showcase, or Steam Next Fest. CIGS 2025. Photo: Marielle Bokor We’ve been surfing the scene since the very first BitBash. We were there for the Logan Playtest parties, VGA Gallery openings, collabs at MSI and the Art Institute, and the opening of Chi Gamespace. Sadly, a lot of that magic seemed to have vanished in the post-pandemic world, and we’d be lying if we said we didn’t miss it. Until we made it through the doors at the Chicago Indie Game Showcase presented by Indie City Games. In their own words, Indie City Games is : “a Chicago-based non-profit working to provide local independent game developers and artists with space to create, share, meet, collaborate, and showcase their work. Our mission is to foster an intentional, mutually supportive community around multimedia, interactive art.” And what it felt like to us when we walked in was the return of an old friend. Just like some of the first Bitbash events we attended, it was FULL of people ready to jump in to the amazing, quirky, silly and social world of indie games. There were familiar faces with developers Young Horses of Bugsnax sponsoring along with Big Sir, creators of Cosmo’s Quickstop, which we first saw in its earliest iterations at a Logan Playtest party in years past. Cold Calling was on site, and plenty more people who’ve been here all along.  There were all kinds of new and interesting games, too, from brand new developers and those who’ve been around the block some time. There were great DJs, ‘zines, games with alt controls, arts and crafts, drinks, and killer after parties, and we ate up every minute of it.  The full list of games (which you should absolutely check out) is pictured in this graphic for the event, but here’s a few picks from our staff stroll through.  Contract Rush DX What happens when you mix the shoot ‘em up genre games like Metal Slug with early internet flash cartoons? I would say, you end up with something like Contract Rush . A shooter that plays in that perfect nostalgia old school shooter realm but with so much charm and wit to the overall story that makes the levels vastly different in game play. There’s a lot to explore with multiple unlockable characters and each level having a unique mechanic, so strap in for some Contract Rush DX! - Alex Beatdown City Survivors Beatdown City is an ongoing series of beat ‘em ups that are throwbacks to the old school NES games. Now, they're flipping that all on its head by moving into the Vampire Survivors space with Beatdown City Survivors . Much like Vampire Survivors, you are moving around a level, auto attacking as hordes of enemies attack. What makes this cool is all the Beatdown City flavor with characters, movesets and unlockables that really lend itself cleverly to what we already know about Beatdown City. This is definitely one to keep on your radar.  - Alex Wordlock I love me a good dungeon crawler, but we are also big fans of typing games. Smash both of those worlds together and we have Wordlock , a dungeon crawling typing game. You play as a wizard, roaming a dungeon and typing to cast spells. Each spell is set to a specific key, and you've just gotta hit the key to equip the spell, then hit the space bar to start the casting process. A word will appear above your head, and typing it correctly will unleash the spell on an enemy. This is the same for opening chests and doors, so there’s a lot of fun typing action to be had. One neat detail is that when you start to type, the game enters a slow-mo bullet time mode. This is already on my watch list and it should be on yours too if you are into typing games.  - Alex Escape from Slumberland We blindtested this game without knowing it was in fact, a Big Sir game. See, in our time in Chicago, we’ve found a lot of great people, and Big Sir are certainly that. Their first game, Cosmo’s QuickStop, has long been a game we’ve personally been in love with and in our opinion, something more people should know about. But, this time around, Big Sir has something spooky, artistic, and immersive going. Escape from Slumberland evokes that cozy but creepy sort of Alice meets Tim Burton and Beetlejuice sort of spooky vibe. We got a chance to play around in solo mode, but the game will be a four player co-op adventure you can play online. It’s got a great atmosphere, with that great balance of silly, acerbic and scary that means you can play it with your older kids or in a group of friends on a Friday night with some brewskis and it’ll be fun either way. You find toys, grind them up (say goodbye to Pookie!) and then collect moonbeams to be released from your dream dungeon. In co-op mode, dead players who are spectating can even buff their teammates. Simply put, it looks like it’s going to be a blast.  We can’t wait to get our hands on this when the release date is announced. - Marielle Hyper Typer 2000 “I love a good typing game” I said enthusiastically, enjoying a moment of pure chaotic confidence before my downfall. See, one of my journalist superpowers is a very quick typing speed (with good accuracy!) so I thought “I’m about to CRUSH this.”  How sweet and innocent I was then. See, HyperTyper 2000 isn’t one of those “simply type fast and you’ll be fine” games. No, no no. It involves being able to prioritize threats, only type with the left hand, and use combat tactics like parrying and secondary weapons. As you beat waves, you get cooler upgrades, but the enemies become harder.  The different upgrades are well-balanced, the controls are simple but tricky, with variants like numbers if you want to try your hand at that instead, the soundtrack slaps, and the balance between bullet hell and typing game is absolutely addictive. A regular bullet hell gives me anxiety and I panic and fold, but Hyper Typer 2000 makes me want to come back and get that high score every time. I played the demo far more than I had to to do this review, and it’s just because it’s that fun.  - Marielle Take That Mainstage! -  The Take That Mainstage! demo was the most involved one we sat down to play at CIGS. This is another genre mashup, and while we love those in theory, in practice it’s not always something that works. So when we say it’s a mashup of a management, conversation battle and rhythm game that actually somehow combines the genres in a meaningful way, it’s a compliment.  It reminds us a little bit of Boyfriend Dungeon, a game we thoroughly enjoyed for the depths of its world and the chaos of its battles. In Take that Mainstage, you’ll have to craft songs, manage relationships, find places to play, and then actually get up on stage and play the monstrosity of a song you put together earlier, hoping it’s not too hard to actually get through now that it’s in Guitar Hero form. ((Spoiler alert: we chose poorly, opting to see what a chord called K would lead to, and in the end, were practically booed off stage)) While we did think that there’s a bit of information overload going on as you start the game, it actually means there’s a lot of depth to the gameplay once you’ve mastered the rounds, so to speak. Talking to people garners information, of course, but also inspiration, and after a while starts to flavor your runthrough, and when wading through a bunch of walls of text in conversation battles can be fun for some, it’s still a nice respite to get a little more active with rhythm game segues.  We’ll be wishlisting this just to get a little more time with it when it releases in Q2 of 2026. At the end of the day, it’s easy to put a bunch of games in a room and call it a festival. Hire a DJ, now it’s a party. It’s harder to nail a vibe, but CIGS did it effortlessly. Coming into the Indie Games Showcase felt like coming into the living room on a Saturday morning ready for your favorite cartoons - knowing for sure that things were going to be awesome - but all your friends are there too, and some of them made the things you’re playing. It’s discovery, art, and plain fun all at once, and it’s our favorite flavor of gaming event. Lucky for us, there’s more to come from Indie City , with Chicaghoul kicking off at Night City tomorrow. This three week game jam with an emphasis on horror and Halloween runs September 28th through October 18th, with a pop-up showcase at Night City on October 25th , but you can start playing the games via Itch.io  now. If you’re in Chicago, and you love games, you need to have Indie City on your radar, because these are events you won’t want to miss, and a community you ought to get to know.

Katseye Gap Commercial (Gap) Call it a coincidence, a competition or,perhaps, to a certain type, an 'attack,' but what you can't call it is unentertaining. (American Eagle;Getty Images) Shortly after Sydney Sweeney created a wave of ick around her "good genes" ad for American Eagle, which many thought was an outright dogwhistle to white supremacy and a show of bowing to the pressures of the current right wing run "democracy" we live in, Gap showed up to shake things up. Where companies like Target have abandoned (and then tried to backtrack) DEI and the principles of, you know, treating everyone as though they're beautiful, valuable people no matter the color of their skin, their orientation or their size, some companies have actually decided to have and maintain backbones. Gap's been doing creative, choreographed ads for quite some time, and has often pulled off some rather elaborate, amusing stuff, from the swing dancing khakis ads of the 90s to spots with Audrey Hepburn, Madonna and more -- and who could forget the iconic West Side Story inspired jeans vs khakis ad from 2000? Collabs are all the rage this...decade, really, so teaming up with someone like Katseye was a foregone conclusion. But was it also a calculated effort? What's so apparent even without the tag line is that Gap is aiming for inclusivity. Katseye represents a different generation of celebrity (members of this band were hand picked and trained in a reality series) but there's more to it. They're also known as an "international" girl group and represent not only the US but the Philippines, South Korea and Switzerland as well. Wordlessly, and stylishly, this group takes a stage and embraces diversity, while putting on a show that many people say they look up to watch again...and again. Not to "get woke" - to have fun. Because it turns out, embracing everyone's differences and letting them live their lives the way they want to is just...better. It makes the world more vibrant and fun to explore. It makes blue jeans look amazing on everyone. And if that kind of choreography, music and style makes you mad, well... Maybe it's time to examine why.

Chicagoans pack the streets of the West Loop for a rally and march on Labor Day. Photo : Aaron Cynic In a press conference that was delayed over an hour yesterday, spurring even more rumors about his health, President Donald Trump appeared alongside loyalist Republicans for a “special announcement.”  Much of his speech was a typical ramble on topics far and wide, though the purpose of the presser seems to have been mainly centered around Space Force and Space Comm and the movement of operations to Alabama. At the beginning of the presser Trump also mentioned a military attack on a Venezuelan boat, killing 11 people, which he called a "drug carrying boat." Lotta drugs on that boat,” he added. Most concerningly, Trump could not stop talking about Chicago, referring to it as a “hellhole” that was worse than Afghanistan. When asked if he would order the National Guard to the city, Trump said "we're going in," and called Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker “naive,” saying that Pritzker should call and ask him for help. “Well, we’re going in. I didn’t say when. We’re going in," said Trump, adding he had an “obligation” to do so, despite recent ruling in a California court that his actions in Los Angeles were illegal. Chicagoans rally on Labor Day to both celebrate the worker's holiday and protest President Trump's desire to send troops to the city . Photo : Aaron Cynic This, naturally, did not go unnoticed in Chicago, where activists have already been busy organizing emergency protests should the Guard deploy to the city or in Illinois.  Governor Pritzker wasted no time in his press conference Tuesday, first addressing what he called Trump’s “unhinged” remarks, reiterating that he had not and would not ask for Trump’s alleged "help." He also addressed the feelings of uncertainty and tension that many in Illinois and Chicago are feeling as this illegal deployment looms.   Pritzker affirmed the normal working relationship with federal agencies like the FBI, Secret Service and ATF, pointing out the cooperation between them as a clear illustration of the lack of coordination and communication present with this request.  “Chicago does not want troops on her streets” he said.  “I refuse to play a reality game show with Donald Trump again” he added.  “What I want are the federal dollars that have been promised to Illinois and Chicago for violence prevention programs that have been proven to work. That is money that Illinois taxpayers send to the federal government and it is an insult to any and every citizen to suggest that any governor should have to beg the president of any political party for resources owed their people.” Photo: Aaron Cynic The governor went on to inform the public about the staging of military assets at nearby Great Lakes Naval Base, which could be from agencies such as ICE, Customs and Border Control, the Department of Homeland Security and many others. He said he believes the staging began on Monday, September 1, and would likely follow the blueprint from the Los Angeles deployment, and that the targets would likely not be hardened criminals, but immigrants who are here following the law.  Pritzker went on to express concern that this month was chosen because of Chicago’s Mexican Independence Day celebrations, and reported that he’s been told “ICE will try and disrupt community picnics and peaceful parades.”  “Let’s be clear. The terror and cruelty is the point. Not the safety of anyone living here.” Photo: Aaron Cynic Pritzker also revealed that the Trump administration was already staging the Texas National Guard to be deployed to Chicago to “protect ICE.” Texas Governor Greg Abbott denied this through a spokesperson. Pritzker said that the Trump administration was looking for any excuse to deploy armed military in Chicago’s streets, and addressed the press directly, stating that as soon as someone so much as “flings a sandwich” it would cause a military response, urging citizens to “not take the bait.” As we wait to see what will transpire in the next few days here in Chicago, it feels as though most of the city has a shared goal with Mayor Brandon Johnson, who said it clearly in his remarks on Monday at a “Workers Over Billionaires” protest: “No federal troops in the city of Chicago. No militarized force in the city of Chicago. We’re going to defend our democracy in the city of Chicago. We’re going to protect the humanity of every single person in the city of Chicago.” More on this story as it develops.

Gamescom Opening Night Live was just foisted upon us, and with it, Geoff Keighley has again made himself the figurehead for all things gaming events. He uses these events to have mini-E3 Summer Game Fest type announcements and this three hour show was no exception. As such, here are our favorite big announcements from Gamescom Opening Night Live. Hollow Knight: Silksong We've been desperately waiting for the follow-up to one of the best Metroidvanias ever created: Hollow Knight. We got some bonus footage of the elusive follow up during the show but as of this writing we now have even more: a release date! Two weeks away and it can't come soon enough! The fans are already salivating for this title. Routine This upcoming game promises First Person Survival Horror but with all the retro CRT VHS filter goodness you’d want from a nostalgic piece of scary 80’s media.  PVKK PVKK or Planetenverteidgungskanonenkommandant is a narrative based game similar to Papers Please, but now with some light FMV. In it, you pilot a planetary defense cannon as humanity's last defense. But first, have a nice cup of tea.  Absolum Absolum is an upcoming 2D roguelite beat’ em-up that looks like an amazing hand drawn cartoon from the 80s. It’s fast paced and impressively animated but also, guys! There’s a frog wizard! He-Man and Masters of the Universe: Dragon Pearl of Destruction Another one to look forward to in the beat’ em-up genre hearkens back to our childhood. He-Man and Masters of the Universe: Dragon Pearl of Destruction puts you in control of the classic He-Man characters against the villainous Skeletor. Time to clock in, 80’s kids! Denshattack What if you combined Tony Hawk with Jet Set Radio, but with a fast paced train? That’s Denshattack . Ride, grind, and flip while riding a sick future train through a beautifully animated Japan. This looks so sick! Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice Anime So, this isn't a game, but we finally got our first trailer of the Sekiro anime with stylish sword fighting action scenes that rival Ninja Scroll, and equally as gory. Check out that trailer! Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight The history of Lego games is long , and the newest addition, Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight has you playing all the best moments from every single Batman movie. Holy smokes! We’ve seen the Batman property mixed with Lego before, but now we can play as Christian Bale or Robert Pattinson in Lego form? Sign me up!  Fallout Season 2 Clearly, the stories we've been loving in video games since the very early days have now made their way into mainstream media - to resounding success. Shows like Last of Us and Fallout are giving video games the credit they deserve for beautiful, tragic, and interesting narratives, and we're on the brink of a brand new season of Fallout. One of our favorite moments of ONL was when we saw our first trailer for Fallout Season 2 which has our plucky group of wanderers visiting New Vegas. This trailer was all fan service and we loved every second of it! Unbeatable Do you like off the wall anime like FLCL and rhythm adventure games? Well, we got a new trailer for Unbeatable , showing off all the colorful style and flavor that we’ve been waiting for. Look for it in November. Resident Evil Requiem  The real showstopper of Opening Night Live was the announcement of Resident Evil Requiem , where we get a mysterious new protagonist, Grace Ashcroft, and the reveal of an all new creature to stalk us throughout the story. February cannot come soon enough.  Did you catch ONL? If not you can watch it in its entirety here . What announcements were you most excited about from the show? Leave a note in the comments.

Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen at Fan Expo Chicago 2025. Photo: Marielle Bokor We got to catch Ewan McGregor on his Fan Expo “Please Hire Me Back as Obi-Wan” Tour, where he was accompanied by his former on-screen padawan Hayden Christensen. However, beyond an impressive lightsaber demonstration, the two didn’t interact much beyond Ewan McGregor telling Christensen that he’ll call him–or at least that’s what I got through gestures and lip reading. So it was really two half panels rolled into one, but McGregor turned out to be the real charmer. Before the panel started we were treated to a fan tribute, which Ewan McGregor genuinely appreciated, calling it ‘touching.’ He seems to understand the fan’s love of everything Star Wars and even acknowledges the fans will know more than him when most subjects are discussed. As it turned out, fan knowledge came up quite a bit. The real deep cuts from fans came when the subject of lightsaber fights came up. McGregor was telling about how his fights with Christensen would be so fast and brutal, that not only did they need to manipulate the film to make the speeds seem more believable–they were also constantly switching out lightsabers with ones with fresh “blades” as the hollow tubed lightsaber blades used on set would bend after a while. When McGregor was talking about the sci-fi prop armorer responsible for changing those blades, an audience member yelled out “Thomas!” to which McGregor replied “I don’t even know why I’m here! You all know more than I do!” Ewan McGregor at Fan Expo Chicago 2025. Photo: Marielle Bokor McGregor also talked about his love for Andor , and how while watching it he got the idea of a potential Obi-Wan in season 3. Said Ewan said “I really liked ( Andor ) and then I got really excited. I was thinking ‘I could be in this timeline. I think I am! I think I could be in season three!." And then I realized "Oh No!” In another fun moment the actor portraying the wise Jedi Master mistook a General Kenobi figure in maroon armor as a sort of Mandalorian x Obi-Wan hybrid. But when he found out the truth, he took it in grinning stride, saying “oh, that’s right, that’s right.” In a few rapid fire question moments we got to find out whether Obi-Wan is a dog or a cat person. After a nearly 20 second pause McGregor concedes that Ob-Wan would be a dog person. Despite being a cat person, I can get behind this. When the vague question “Star Destroyer or Death Star” McGregor said “Star Destroyer.” and offered up reasons such as “they’re very pointy” and “they do that stop there” while mimicking a Star Destroyer dropping out of hyperspace with his hands. Then he spontaneously admitted “I’m still embarrassed about that Mandalorian thing.” It’s okay Ewan, we forgive you. Hayden Christensen @Fan Expo Chicago. Photo: Marielle Bokor When McGregor left the stage for Hayden Christensen’s portion of the panel, there was a bit of lightsaber fun before they parted ways. And the subject of lightsabers came up rather quickly with the prop armorer Thomas being mentioned immediately.Thinking Christensen was continuing a “bit” about Thomas the lightsaber maker, the actor instead went into how he was genuinely appreciative at the sci-fi prop armorer’s contributions–as we all are. I guess the real hero of the story here is Thomas–bringing sci-fi magic to life. Christensen also mentioned how exciting it is to work on a Star Wars film. On his experience working on the prequels he said that “one of the unique things about working on a Star Wars project is that everyone is just so excited to be there. And George Lucas got the very best people in each of their respective fields to come in and participate. "The costume design. The set design.” And of course, Thomas.

John Cena at Fan Expo Chicago 2025. Photo: Aaron Cynic John Cena made an appearance at Fan Expo 2025 in promotion of his retirement from WWE and Peacemaker Season 2, and like he has at many panels in the past, packed the room full to capacity. Also as usual, Cena, one of the most decorated WWE superstars in history, wowed his fans with his dedication and humble nature. Despite being there to promote his acting work, his wrestling career outshined anything else, as he’s retiring from an epic 20 year career. John insisted on an unmoderated panel, so he could focus on only speaking to the fans.  During his time on stage, Cena focused heavily on the three pillars of his career: Hustle, Loyalty and Respect, emphasizing that it’s more than a motto - it's how he’s lived his entire life. This showed in his humble demeanor and measured communication to the audience. He chose his words carefully, so as not to overstep but to also set communicative boundaries regarding how he interacted with the audience.  Initially, Cena insisted he didn’t want praise, but would acknowledge every single word of praise thrown at him from the audience with kindness, regardless. John Cena at Fan Expo Chicago 2025. Photo: Aaron Cynic John spoke on his “make 70% good decisions a day,” adage, initially talking about his diet but taking it to his personal life as well. The wrestler also touched on his viral video about earning the sunset every single day through positive work. Cena even spoke on his rap career, admitting he hasn’t flexed those muscles in a long time so he no longer had the skills necessary to continue rapping.  By the end of the panel, Cena had cemented himself as one of the most straightforward Hollywood/WWE superstars out there. From his modest start at the All State Arena with WWE to being in some of the biggest action and comic book IP on the planet, even if you weren’t initially a fan, he will make you a fan, if anything, out of pure respect for what he is trying to achieve every single day. As quoted by Cena: “I just want to do the most positive thing for the world that I can with my talent.” That's a goal we can all work towards. For more from Fan Expo Chicago 2025, keep it here. We've got even more amazing celebrity interviews and panel roundups to share with you.