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Reader senior writer Ben Joravsky riffs on the day’s stories with his celebrated humor, insight, and honesty, and interviews politicians, activists, journalists and other political know-it-alls. Presented by the Chicago Reader, the show is available by 4 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays at chicagoreader.com/joravsky—or wherever you get your podcasts. Don’t miss Oh, What a Week!–the Friday feature in which Ben & producer Dennis (aka, Dr. D.) review the week’s top stories. Also, bonus interviews drop on Saturdays, Sundays, and Mondays. 

Chicago Reader podcasts are recorded on Shure microphones. Learn more at Shure.com.

Chicago Reader senior writer Ben Joravsky discusses the day’s stories with his celebrated humor, insight, and honesty on The Ben Joravsky Show.

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There are a lot of rumors surrounding the Chicago Cubs right now and it feels impossible for them all to come true. Of them all, however, one that feels the most likely is the one that suggests that they are going to sign Kodai Senga out of Japan.

The Cubs landed Seiya Suzuki last year and he was brilliant in his first Major League season. Now, Suzuki is apparently trying to recruit Senga and get him over to the Cubs. That would certainly provide a boost to their team as they try to be competitive in 2023.

They weren’t a very good team last year but there were signs that suggest that they might be able to turn the tide. Adding good players during the offseason is a great way to add wins to your team and Senga is certainly a good player.

He is a pitcher that has some high-level fastball work. He throws a traditional fastball that can touch triple digits in addition to his cutter which is nasty. The knock on him is his lack of a third pitch which is something that he is going to have to develop before coming to MLB.

He could certainly use a changeup or a breaking pitch that would help him strike out Major League hitters more but he has an amazing base to work with as he tries to make that transition. The Cubs should be all over this right now.

The Chicago Cubs could really use a player like Kodai Senga right now.

After the 2023 season, it is hard to guess who the Opening Day starter might be but it very well could be Kyle Hendricks just out of respect. However, the right move might be someone like Marcus Stroman or Keegan Thompson but Senga would get consideration if he signed.

Making a singing like this one year after adding studs like Stroman and Suzuki would show the league that they are interested in winning. The National League Central could be wide open so you just never know at this point what their mindset is.

Senga is going to sign with someone this offseason so the Cubs might as well make a push for him. His stuff on the mound has the potential to be nasty and it would be fun to see it alongside some of the other good pitchers that the Cubs are trying to develop right now.

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Over the past few years, Randy Finell—the enigmatic 21-year-old Ohioan releasing music as Brakence—has avoided interviews and other press appearances while racking up tens of millions of streams. He lets his openly confessional music speak for itself. On “Fifthenigma,” a Soundcloud upload from 2016, he mixes samples and jittery beats under his warbling vocals, crafting a moody tapestry that recalls the early work of electronic producer Baths in its playfulness and sincerity.

Brakence’s formula has remained the same ever since, though his productions have become increasingly complex. His self-released breakthrough album, Punk2, ended up shoehorned into the “hyperpop” box when it came out in 2020, but putting him in a category with anyone else does a disservice to the distinctiveness of his pop. Brakence wraps up midwest emo and emo rap into a sharp, glitchy package; his genre blending is always precise and thoughtful, and he’s adept at creating fractured landscapes that capture Gen Z malaise. On “Dropout,” an account of his decision to leave Ohio State University in 2019, lurching hip-hop percussion and on-the-brink-of-tears vocals infuse the song with equal parts confidence and anxiety—despite his uncertain future, he sounds victorious singing “Now I’ve got more freedom than I’ve ever seen.” When he raps about relationship issues and flirting on Instagram, moments of catharsis arrive jaggedly, with record scratches (“Fuckboy”) and slipshod pop-punk excursions (“FWB”) telegraphing ambivalence.

Brakence’s latest singles, which precede his second album, Hypochondriac (out in December on Columbia), coat his clever songwriting in a glossier sheen. “Argyle” makes twinkly guitar melodies and IDM-style production feel one and the same, while “Venus Fly Trap” ends with an elegant intertwining of piano, vocal melodies, whispering, and agile beats. His sampling is more effective than ever too: loner anthem “CBD” lets the sound of a buzzing fly soundtrack its chorus, and “Caffeine” folds shouts from a famous Super Smash Bros. Melee match into its frenetic production. Brakence may have only a couple albums under his belt, but his music already feels emblematic of his generation’s sonic ingenuity.

Brakence Jane Remover opens. Sun 11/27, 7:30 PM, Lincoln Hall, 2424 N. Lincoln, sold out, all ages

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As remakes and decades-later sequels premiere, it has become increasingly rare to stumble upon a film that doesn’t rely solely on callbacks to the first film to keep you tuned in. While Disenchanted is a breath of fresh air in that it carries the story along rather than stalling to catch viewers up, it occasionally relies too heavily on the tropes of childhood fairy tales, causing moments of complete disbelief and failing to capture the magic that enthralled viewers 15 years ago.

After a few less-than-fairy-tale years in New York, Giselle (Amy Adams) embarks on a journey to relocate to a place where villains hide in plain sight—suburbia. Joined by Robert (Patrick Dempsey), a teenage Morgan (​​Gabriella Baldacchino), and a new family addition, Giselle plants roots in Monroeville, where bake sales and high school dances are the talks of the town. After a wish brings storybook magic to life, Giselle learns that a true fairy tale world isn’t one with ogres, dragons, and princesses locked in dismal towers. A magical life is one you create, filled with memories of loved ones who believe in and support you. 

Adams is at her best when she isn’t the whimsical damsel singing to roaches and skunks, but the wicked stepmother who wears her hair high and finds a blundering Dempsey a nuisance. In one of the most charming scenes, Adams switches from one to the other between breaths, fighting to maintain her morality. A sing-off with Malvina Monroe (Maya Rudolph) is a pinnacle of the film that showcases just how good bad could be if the leading ladies had more screen time together. Disenchanted shines when it strays from the woes of teenage angst and focuses on the cyclical nature of boring adulthood and a wish for more. Don’t we all wish we could trade in daily commutes, familial bickering, and coffee and toast for a little excitement? 

It’s worth catching up with Giselle and crew one last time, even if the madness of the Big Apple is swapped for the bake sales of suburbia. PG, 119 min.

Disney+

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Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio was announced in 2008, and this year it was finally released. Del Toro saddles up with stop-motion animation legend Mark Gustafson to present some of the year’s most stunning visuals but also goes a step further by adding some weighty thoughts on war, death, and family to the beloved Carlo Collodi fairy tale. 

Set in wartime fascist Italy, Pinocchio opens with a broken Geppetto (David Bradley) grieving the loss of his son. During a bender, Geppetto assembles Pinocchio (Gregory Mann), who is then given life by a magical sprite (Tilda Swinton). It’s not long until the carefree Pinocchio must contend with a harsh world that is immediately suspicious of him, Geppetto included.  

The plot covers a lot of thematic ground, all of it good, but it’s hard not to be distracted by the film’s technical achievements. Characters are lively and expressive thanks to wonderful animation, and the sets take full advantage of the seaside Italian setting. Though it’s his first animation rodeo, del Toro’s vision is ironclad across every inch of the production. There’s a pair of recurring ethereal characters who are quite possibly the most Guillermo del Toro things to ever appear onscreen. You see them, nod your head, and go, “Yep, that’s him. No one else can do that.”

Visually and thematically it’s a win, but your ears might be conflicted. The voice cast is great all around, with Bradley and Ewan McGregor’s Sebastian J. Cricket being easy highlights. That’s overshadowed by the fact that the film is apparently a musical. Sort of. Characters break into jarringly bad songs every so often, but they’re quickly forgotten about. Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio excels when it adheres tightly to the vision of its director, but staggers when it allows the successes of other animated films to puppet its decisions. PG, 117 min.

Limited release in theaters and streaming on Netflix

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Over the past few years, Randy Finell—the enigmatic 21-year-old Ohioan releasing music as Brakence—has avoided interviews and other press appearances while racking up tens of millions of streams. He lets his openly confessional music speak for itself. On “Fifthenigma,” a Soundcloud upload from 2016, he mixes samples and jittery beats under his warbling vocals, crafting a moody tapestry that recalls the early work of electronic producer Baths in its playfulness and sincerity.

Brakence’s formula has remained the same ever since, though his productions have become increasingly complex. His self-released breakthrough album, Punk2, ended up shoehorned into the “hyperpop” box when it came out in 2020, but putting him in a category with anyone else does a disservice to the distinctiveness of his pop. Brakence wraps up midwest emo and emo rap into a sharp, glitchy package; his genre blending is always precise and thoughtful, and he’s adept at creating fractured landscapes that capture Gen Z malaise. On “Dropout,” an account of his decision to leave Ohio State University in 2019, lurching hip-hop percussion and on-the-brink-of-tears vocals infuse the song with equal parts confidence and anxiety—despite his uncertain future, he sounds victorious singing “Now I’ve got more freedom than I’ve ever seen.” When he raps about relationship issues and flirting on Instagram, moments of catharsis arrive jaggedly, with record scratches (“Fuckboy”) and slipshod pop-punk excursions (“FWB”) telegraphing ambivalence.

Brakence’s latest singles, which precede his second album, Hypochondriac (out in December on Columbia), coat his clever songwriting in a glossier sheen. “Argyle” makes twinkly guitar melodies and IDM-style production feel one and the same, while “Venus Fly Trap” ends with an elegant intertwining of piano, vocal melodies, whispering, and agile beats. His sampling is more effective than ever too: loner anthem “CBD” lets the sound of a buzzing fly soundtrack its chorus, and “Caffeine” folds shouts from a famous Super Smash Bros. Melee match into its frenetic production. Brakence may have only a couple albums under his belt, but his music already feels emblematic of his generation’s sonic ingenuity.

Brakence Jane Remover opens. Sun 11/27, 7:30 PM, Lincoln Hall, 2424 N. Lincoln, sold out, all ages

Read More

As remakes and decades-later sequels premiere, it has become increasingly rare to stumble upon a film that doesn’t rely solely on callbacks to the first film to keep you tuned in. While Disenchanted is a breath of fresh air in that it carries the story along rather than stalling to catch viewers up, it occasionally relies too heavily on the tropes of childhood fairy tales, causing moments of complete disbelief and failing to capture the magic that enthralled viewers 15 years ago.

After a few less-than-fairy-tale years in New York, Giselle (Amy Adams) embarks on a journey to relocate to a place where villains hide in plain sight—suburbia. Joined by Robert (Patrick Dempsey), a teenage Morgan (​​Gabriella Baldacchino), and a new family addition, Giselle plants roots in Monroeville, where bake sales and high school dances are the talks of the town. After a wish brings storybook magic to life, Giselle learns that a true fairy tale world isn’t one with ogres, dragons, and princesses locked in dismal towers. A magical life is one you create, filled with memories of loved ones who believe in and support you. 

Adams is at her best when she isn’t the whimsical damsel singing to roaches and skunks, but the wicked stepmother who wears her hair high and finds a blundering Dempsey a nuisance. In one of the most charming scenes, Adams switches from one to the other between breaths, fighting to maintain her morality. A sing-off with Malvina Monroe (Maya Rudolph) is a pinnacle of the film that showcases just how good bad could be if the leading ladies had more screen time together. Disenchanted shines when it strays from the woes of teenage angst and focuses on the cyclical nature of boring adulthood and a wish for more. Don’t we all wish we could trade in daily commutes, familial bickering, and coffee and toast for a little excitement? 

It’s worth catching up with Giselle and crew one last time, even if the madness of the Big Apple is swapped for the bake sales of suburbia. PG, 119 min.

Disney+

Read More

Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio was announced in 2008, and this year it was finally released. Del Toro saddles up with stop-motion animation legend Mark Gustafson to present some of the year’s most stunning visuals but also goes a step further by adding some weighty thoughts on war, death, and family to the beloved Carlo Collodi fairy tale. 

Set in wartime fascist Italy, Pinocchio opens with a broken Geppetto (David Bradley) grieving the loss of his son. During a bender, Geppetto assembles Pinocchio (Gregory Mann), who is then given life by a magical sprite (Tilda Swinton). It’s not long until the carefree Pinocchio must contend with a harsh world that is immediately suspicious of him, Geppetto included.  

The plot covers a lot of thematic ground, all of it good, but it’s hard not to be distracted by the film’s technical achievements. Characters are lively and expressive thanks to wonderful animation, and the sets take full advantage of the seaside Italian setting. Though it’s his first animation rodeo, del Toro’s vision is ironclad across every inch of the production. There’s a pair of recurring ethereal characters who are quite possibly the most Guillermo del Toro things to ever appear onscreen. You see them, nod your head, and go, “Yep, that’s him. No one else can do that.”

Visually and thematically it’s a win, but your ears might be conflicted. The voice cast is great all around, with Bradley and Ewan McGregor’s Sebastian J. Cricket being easy highlights. That’s overshadowed by the fact that the film is apparently a musical. Sort of. Characters break into jarringly bad songs every so often, but they’re quickly forgotten about. Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio excels when it adheres tightly to the vision of its director, but staggers when it allows the successes of other animated films to puppet its decisions. PG, 117 min.

Limited release in theaters and streaming on Netflix

Read More

The Chicago Blackhawks are one of the worst teams in the NHL simply based on rosters. They got off to a hot start but have cooled way down over the last few weeks. Now, they are really cold following a weekend where the Boston Bruins and Pittsburgh Penguins destroyed them.

Part of the reason that they have come crashing down is the fact that Seth Jones has come out of the lineup. That is not good for a team whose roster is mostly bad as it is. He has missed the last ten games following an injury to his thumb.

He hurt it blocking a shot on October 29th against the Buffalo Sabres. He finished that game but hasn’t played in any of the ten games since. During that span, the Blackhawks are 2-6-2 which is absolutely terrible. As a result, they have fallen way down the standings.

Jones skated on his own before practice on Tuesday and then was a full participant with the rest of the team when it started for real. That is the first time that he has done that since his injury. Now, it seems like he is trying to be ready to go on Wednesday night.

The Chicago Blackhawks are getting Seth Jones back right in time.

This game on Wednesday is going to be a very tough task. The Dallas Stars are one of the best teams in the NHL and the Blackhawks get to go there and play them in Jones’ hometown. That would certainly give them a much better chance.

Even with Jones, they are a far inferior team to pretty much everyone but having him will certainly give them a chance to at least be competitive. He plays well at even strength, on the power play, and on the penalty kill which makes him incredibly valuable.

Again, he isn’t going to be the savior but he makes them much more respectable. You can assume that forwards like Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews will be happy to have him back in the lineup. He makes everyone’s job easier. Even the goalies will appreciate his return to games.

It would be nice to see Ian Mitchell get to stay with Jones returning. This is a good young defenseman that could learn a thing or two from a guy like Seth Jones who has had a very nice NHL career so far. This should be fun to watch if he does actually return as planned.

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The Chicago Blackhawks have a huge test ahead of them before American Thanksgiving. They will face off against the Dallas Stars on Wednesday night ahead of the holiday. This is sure to be a very hard game against a big-time team.

The Dallas Stars are currently 11-5-3 which is good for 25 points and the top spot in the Central Division. They are also fourth in the overall NHL standings and the Vegas Golden Knights are the only Western Conference team ahead of them.

What is it that makes the Stars so good? The answer is everything but it starts and ends with their goaltender Jake Oettinger. He is fourth in the NHL with a 2.18 goals-against average. He is also tied for third with a .929 save percentage. He has truly been the backbone of the team.

As for their forward group, there are some really good ones. Jason Robertson leads the team in scoring with 29 points. Roope Hintz is also elite as he has 23 points on the year for second on the team in scoring.

Joe Pavelski has 21 points and Jamie Benn has 20 which is awesome because the veteran studs on the team are still contributing after all these years. Tyler Seguin is also trying to have a resurgence as he has 15 points in 19 games played.

The Chicago Blackhawks have a great Dallas Stars team next on the schedule.

As far as defense, they have one of the best in the league with Miro Heiskanen. Guys like Esa Lindell, Nils Lundkvist, Jani Hakanpaa, and Ryan Suter also contribute defensively as well which rounds out a rather nice group.

The defense isn’t as offensively gifted (besides Heiskanen) as some others in the league but they do their jobs exceptionally well elsewhere on the ice. All of these great skaters in front of that goalie make it no wonder why they are leading the division.

The Blackhawks are struggling. After a hot start, they have come crashing down. This past weekend was brutal for them as the Boston Bruins and Pittsburgh Penguins really destroyed them. With a team like Dallas approaching, they need to be much better if they want to win.

Coming into the season, the Blackhawks were seen as a lottery team and now they are starting to look like that. To be honest, with kids like Connor Bedard and Adam Fantilli available, that might be the best thing for them. We will see what happens.

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