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Understandably, Chicago Bears fans are upset. And quarterback Justin Fields appeared to offend them further in postgame comments. Fields said this:

“It hurts more in the locker room than for Bears fans. I mean, at the end of the day, they’re not putting in any work. I see the guys in the locker room every day, I see how much work they put in.” That was his response to this question from a reporter: “Does losing to this team, does it sting more because of this rivalry and how much Bears fans want to win this game?”

Now, I will be the first to admit that Fields could’ve worded his response better but I also found it annoying that certain online outlets seemed to paint his comment as Fields “taking a shot” at Bears fans in a bid to get attention.

As afternoon host Danny Parkins pointed out on the air Monday afternoon on 670 The Score, while we fans may have a huge emotional investment in these games, our lives are also not directly affected by wins and losses.

Meanwhile, the players and coaches have their professional lives on the line. Poor performance can lead to players and coaches being unemployed.

I suppose a counter-argument could be made that players don’t care as much as fans because they’re getting paid well to play a game.

And because some will move on to other teams and some, perhaps most, won’t care as much as fans about the rivalry since they didn’t grow up rooting for one team or the other.

But I suspect most players do care about winning and losing no matter who the opponent is because of the work they’ve put in. Again, there are also professional stakes at hand.

Yes, Fields should’ve acknowledged how much fans care and how upset we get when the team loses. He probably shouldn’t have compared players directly to fans in an either/or manner.

Obviously, it’s possible that players and fans care equally about losing to Green Bay, even if for different reasons. He also probably shouldn’t have been dismissive about fans not putting in the work. Fans give their time and their money to the team.

Certainly, fans could find something else to do for three hours each Sunday and fans could also save a lot of money by not buying Bears merchandise, game tickets, game concessions, parking, etc. Not to mention what fans spend just by going to a bar or ordering pizza for the game.

Justin Fields probably didn’t mean to insult any fans during his press conference.

Then again, having watched the video, I don’t think Fields really meant to be dismissive. It sounds like poor word choice from a young player in the heat of a press Q and A session.

It can be true that Fields’ comments were insensitive towards the fans and that Bears fans have a tendency to overreact to any criticism. It can also be true at the same time that Fields is right in saying that players are the ones who hurt more because of the professional repercussions of losing, no matter how much emotion fans invest.

Personally, I think it’s much ado about nothing. Fields has a valid point, he expressed it clumsily, and in so doing he sounded like he was insulting Bears fans whether he meant to or not. Expect a clarification or apology later.

To me, this flap is small potatoes compared to the Bears’ bigger problems like a lack of a passing game, an inability to stop the run, and so on.

This author doesn’t like the word clickbait since essentially all content is meant to be clicked but it’s true that sometimes certain media outlets try to inflate minor controversies into major scandals in order to bring in pageviews. I’m also aware that even calling out such behavior is also playing into the discourse.

The next time a player says something like this, check the context (the question being asked, any follow-up, etc) and think it through. It’s easy as a fan to feel insulted when the quarterback seems to suggest you don’t care about the team’s biggest rivalry. Especially after spending time and money on the team.

That said, I doubt that was Fields’ intent. I think he was just frustrated that the Bears lost, and perhaps frustrated by the question. I don’t know if the questioner meant to do it but I can see how Fields might perceive an implication that players don’t care the way the fans do.

I think Fields was just trying to reassure fans that the players care as much, if not more, than they do and didn’t make the point well.

Eight hundred words pointing out how this is a non-story aside, it is really a non-story. What matters isn’t who cares the most but how the players respond come Sunday. And every other weekend from now until the season ends.

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The Chicago Blackhawks just finished up the Tom Kurver’s Prospect Showcase with the Minnesota Wild on Sunday. It was a two-game series that each organization’s prospects played in that also allowed them to showcase a few practices.

It was an incredible event that allowed some folks to see a few of the team’s top prospects as they try to develop their game and become NHL players. There were a few players that stood out above the rest.

On Sunday, the Blackhawks defeated the Wild by a final score of 5-0. Mitchell Weeks had a 37-save shutout which was really impressive but there was another player that had an even more noticeable game and that is Lukas Reichel.

Reichel had four assists in the contest and was the main reason that the Hawks had great offensive output. If he can continue making players around him better as the competition level increases, he will be a great player in this league.

The Chicago Blackhawks have a lot to look forward to with Lukas Reichel.

Reichel was the 17th overall pick by Chicago during the 2020 NHL Draft and has been one of the team’s top prospects ever since. He made his NHL debut in 2021-22 and played in 11 games. In those 11 games, he had one assist.

Although he only had one point, he was someone who didn’t look overmatched. At 19 years old (at the time), he had moments where he looked like a rookie but he didn’t look like he didn’t belong by any means. He also showed that he could play on any line at this point.

Reichel had four assists in this prospect game which suggests that he is ahead of his peers for the most part which is outstanding to see. As mentioned before, making people around him better is one of the keys to his game and that was on display here.

After seeing him play very well here against these Minnesota Wild prospects, he is off to a good start. Now, he is going to head to training camp where he will have a chance to make the NHL team.

They already burned the first year of his contract by allowing him to play more than nine games last year so playing this year should be no problem for him as long as he deserves it.

Of all the things to take away from this showcase, Reichel’s play is the most exciting. This year will be a solid development year for him. The Hawks are looking to be adding more young players to join him as a core piece which will really help them rebuild properly.

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A boorish American film producer (Adrien Brody) visits a London theater in the midst of a record-breaking sold-out run of Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap with the idea of turning the hit play into a movie, offends and outrages everyone he comes into contact with, and is, quite justifiably, murdered. Instead of letting sleeping dogs lie, an alcoholic veteran detective (Sam Rockwell) and chipper rookie policewoman (Saoirse Ronan) stumble through what is intended to be a rollicking, blunder-filled investigation to unmask the killer. 

As someone who’s had the misfortune of sitting through a production of Christie’s venerable whodunit, the idea of staging a comic murder-mystery in, around, and atop that play is truly inexplicable. I have no idea how an A-list cast like this was hoodwinked into participating in this wink-wink nudge-nudge snooze fest. Staying home and playing a rousing game of Clue with a warm cup of cocoa would’ve been higher stakes for all concerned. This is some very weak tea indeed. PG-13, 98 min.

Wide release in theaters

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June and Jennifer Gibbons from a young age famously took a vow of semi-silence, speaking only to one another. The twins—who were ostracized in their Welsh community due to race (their family had emigrated from Barbados, and they were the only Black family in the area)—found refuge in an outré fantasy world, writing stories and plays that came to life via a bevy of handmade figures. The vastness of their combined imaginations is what Polish filmmaker Agnieszka Smoczyńska (The Lure) captures best in this film about their unusual lives, based on the eponymous book by Marjorie Wallace, a journalist who took an interest in the womens’ stories when they were in their 20s. The film, written by Andrea Seigel, charts their childhood, during which psychologists raised concerns about their behavior; their unruly teenage years, when they rebelled in an attempt to add substance to their lives, about which they hoped to write; and finally their 11-year institutionalization after an incident of arson. Black Panther’s Letitia Wright and Tamara Lawrance portray June and Jennifer, respectively, as teenagers and adults; their performances are incredible, bolstered by the insane sequences translating the folly of the sisters’ profound maladaptive daydreaming wherein bizarre puppets à la the Brothers Quay are animated in a stop-motion fashion to bewitching effect. These parts, as well as several original songs written for the film, derive from the twins’ writing. Smoczyńska’s idiosyncratic vision distinguishes what otherwise might have been an overly literal telling of their story, and of their own stories; her dedication to their craft honors their unique circumstances. R, 113 min.

Wide release in theaters

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Barbarian writer/director Zach Cregger takes a simple premise and spins it into a series of unexpected permutations. Some tropes work better than others, but we’ll give him credit for inventiveness.

In town for a job interview, Tess (Georgina Campbell) arrives late at night in the pouring rain to find her Airbnb occupied by a surprise guest, Keith (Bill Skarsgård). After some tense feelings, they discover some common interests and decide to spend the evening as short-term roommates. The tension shifts from Keith’s intentions to the house itself, as bumps in the night lead to startling discoveries.

Without spoiling too much of the fun, Cregger uses several historical horror flick callbacks to decent effect and is clearly an enthusiast of the genre. Narratively, Barbarian uses the location itself as a primary character, delving deep into the dark history of the house and shifting focus between multiple characters. There’s a grab bag of current-day societal issues ranging from #MeToo to gentrification and the decline of American cities. It’s not all trauma here, as the film drops in some truly comedic moments, deftly pacing out the scares. And while several of the scenarios stretch credulity, when Barbarian works, it achieves some entertainingly ghastly heights. R, 102 min.

Wide release in theaters

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Viola Davis has ascended to the next level of her craft in the exquisitely crafted historical action-epic The Woman King, which delivers what the Wonder Woman franchise should have—bloody Amazons kicking men’s asses without airbrushing. Based on the real-life African kingdom of Dahomey and its all-female warrior regiment (which inspired Black Panther’s Dora Milaje), an awesomely shredded Davis plays General Nanisca, a warrior who immediately recognizes the danger and scope of the growing transatlantic slave trade. Nanisca struggles to convince King Ghezo (a wonderfully cast John Boyega) to act before it’s too late. 

Thuso Mbedu plays a spirited Nawi, a young recruit that struggles under the discipline and sacrifice that the life of a true fighter requires. Luckily for her, she finds a kindly big sister in the fearless Izogie, played by Lashana Lynch (MI6 in No Time to Die). As Nanisca’s tough facade begins to crack, she leans on her spiritual advisor and confidant Amenza, played by Sheila Atim, who channels both the immaculate bone structure and acting chops of the late Cicely Tyson. 

Director Gina Prince-Bythewood (Love & Basketball) films through the lens of Blackness, highlighting the beauty, strength, and fierceness of Black people, unlike most stories about the slave trade that wallow in Black trauma and are filmed as education for white audiences. A well-crafted script (story by Maria Bello and Dana Stevens) delivers action, heart, and great storytelling set against the expansive vistas of the West African countryside, making The Woman King an instant classic. PG-13, 135 min.

Wide release in theaters

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Pearl is director Ti West’s technicolor nightmare, an origin-myth prequel for his previous slasher film, X. The film focuses on the eponymously named Pearl (Mia Goth), a young girl stuck on her family’s farm with dreams of seeing herself on the big screen. But Pearl is sick of feeling alone. Her husband left her to fight overseas in World War I, so she finds herself at her parents’ mercy. Her father (Matthew Sunderland) suffered a terrible stroke, rendering him paralyzed, and her mother (Tandi Wright) rules the farm with a cold, iron fist, squashing Pearl’s dreams and refusing to let her mingle with others because of the Spanish Flu. 

This gruesome fantasy-esque film introduces Pearl among her best friends: her farm animals. Similar to Snow White, Pearl voices her dreams to her farm animals before performing a joyful dance routine. However, it becomes abundantly clear that this is no fairy tale. Interrupted by an unnamed goose, Pearl slips into a horrifyingly stern gaze, gripping the pitchfork firmly before killing the farm animal—the first instance (but definitely not the last) where Pearl’s simmering rage boils over into feverish violence. From this point onward, Pearl slowly succumbs to her brutal delirium, transfixed by her dancing aspirations. 

Without Goth’s stunning performance, Pearl would likely fall into horror obscurity. Goth’s reprisal is unparalleled, personifying a terrifying angle of Hollywood escapism and fleshing out the character of Pearl depicted in the movie’s predecessor. Her impressive performance arrives at its climax during the final monologue, when Pearl divulges her murderous tale to her sister-in-law, in lieu of her absent husband. Goth’s chilling delivery is simultaneously comical and tearful, providing depth to Pearl. Together, West and Goth created an inventive, unique slasher genre, and a movie worth rewatching several times. R, 102 min.

Music Box Theatre, wide release in theaters

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Viola Davis has ascended to the next level of her craft in the exquisitely crafted historical action-epic The Woman King, which delivers what the Wonder Woman franchise should have—bloody Amazons kicking men’s asses without airbrushing. Based on the real-life African kingdom of Dahomey and its all-female warrior regiment (which inspired Black Panther’s Dora Milaje), an awesomely shredded Davis plays General Nanisca, a warrior who immediately recognizes the danger and scope of the growing transatlantic slave trade. Nanisca struggles to convince King Ghezo (a wonderfully cast John Boyega) to act before it’s too late. 

Thuso Mbedu plays a spirited Nawi, a young recruit that struggles under the discipline and sacrifice that the life of a true fighter requires. Luckily for her, she finds a kindly big sister in the fearless Izogie, played by Lashana Lynch (MI6 in No Time to Die). As Nanisca’s tough facade begins to crack, she leans on her spiritual advisor and confidant Amenza, played by Sheila Atim, who channels both the immaculate bone structure and acting chops of the late Cicely Tyson. 

Director Gina Prince-Bythewood (Love & Basketball) films through the lens of Blackness, highlighting the beauty, strength, and fierceness of Black people, unlike most stories about the slave trade that wallow in Black trauma and are filmed as education for white audiences. A well-crafted script (story by Maria Bello and Dana Stevens) delivers action, heart, and great storytelling set against the expansive vistas of the West African countryside, making The Woman King an instant classic. PG-13, 135 min.

Wide release in theaters

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