Who bought Jonathan Rosenbaum's DVD collection?

Plus: Anora's lead actor is one to watch. [View this email in your browser]( | [chicagoreader.com]( by Maja Stachnik|November 1, 2024 Happy Friday! Reader staff showed up for Halloween: [Take a look at these costumes]( from past and present (including editor-in-chief Salem Collo-Julin in an adorable Super Baby costume). Read on for an interview with the Reader’s longtime film critic Jonathan Rosenbaum and a look at Anora. [Color illustration by Xomeless shows three figures wearing black and skeleton masks standing in a row. Two are outside a building with a cracked facade and a smashed window. The third stand behind the window, holding a rolled up newspaper. A sign above the window says Carls Diner.]( Film critic Jonathan Rosenbaum [Credit: courtesy Jonathan Rosenbaum] [An interview with Jonathan Rosenbaum: “It’s a little bit like improvising.”]( Joshua Minsoo Kim spoke to Jonathan Rosenbaum, the Reader’s chief film critic from 1987 to 2008, about his upbringing and the role of a film critic. Rosenbaum began to write growing up in Alabama, though he started with comics, novels, and other fiction. Living in Paris for five years in his twenties, he was tasked by a friend to edit a collection of film criticism; while he only wrote one piece for the collection, he connected with critics and was able to transition from being a film fan to a critic himself. Rosenbaum also mentions what he believes the role of a critic is (hint: it’s not whether a film is good or bad), and why he eventually left the Reader after so many years. He recently sold his entire DVD collection to a pediatrician; they’re hoping to start something of a film club with lectures and discussions. A collection of over one hundred of Rosenbaum’s essays and reviews going back to 1964 was recently published by Hat & Beard Press. [READ MORE](  MUSIC & NIGHTLIFE - Indie rock fans may find Chicago band Damager’s new studio album familiar if they’ve heard Japandroids’ 2012 record Celebration Rock—front man Dan Stewart drew inspiration from the work’s sound to create Forever or Else, which explores navigating Chicago’s rock scene and bar culture as a twentysomething. They indulged in the idea of [“celebration rock” at a release party at Beat Kitchen last night]( the record also includes two bonus live tracks recorded at Gman Tavern, a venue critical to Stewart’s journey in pursuing music more seriously. Tyra Nicole Triche and Leor Galil also report that dormant record label and studio [Someoddpilot, reactivated earlier this year, is releasing an archival reissue of teenage thrash-metal group Ariah’s 1989 debut album](. Launched by Ariah drummer Chris Eichenseer, Someoddpilot also dabbled in album art and website design; the reissue is out today. Plus, blog-turned-nonprofit awards ceremony Raydiant Splendor hosts the third annual Raydiant Awards on Saturday, November 9, at the Woman’s Club of Evanston. “This whole award show is for ordinary people who are doing extraordinary things, and I want it to be a testament to anybody that you don’t have to have millions of followers to have impact,” founder Rayvón Carter says. Early-bird tickets have sold out, but general admission tickets are still available.  FOOD & DRINK - Daniella Mazzio found love at first bite trying [Nata’s guava Linzer cookie]( buttery layer of shortbread and its perfectly trim edges a reminder of the passion coming from mother-daughter baking duo Rocio Jimenez and Rosie Cruz. You can find them at pop-ups across the city; Mazzio and her husband enjoyed the sweet treats at Plant Chicago’s Mercado de Intercambio in Back of the Yards.  FILM & TV - Anora tells the story of 23-year-old sex worker Ani living in New York’s Brighton Beach, played by compelling star-to-be Mikey Madison. After meeting (and being love bombed by) a lanky Russian named Vanya, the two kick off a whirlwind romance so enticing that it’s hard not to feel invested. His facade eventually breaks down, revealing himself to be “nothing more than a spoiled brat who treats people as disposable playthings.” Maxwell Rabb highly recommends the film, as do [these sex workers and dancers clapping with their pleasers]( plspecial early screening of the film hosted by production company Neon. - [Grafted is body horror at its most immersively uncomfortable,]( acting as something of a cross between Mean Girls (2004) and Face/Off (1997) by way of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974). It works best when it goes off the rails (rather than trying to take itself too seriously) and places protagonist Wei in situations in increasingly high-stakes situations where magnified violence is the only means of liberation. [Zachary Lee] [a logo for the ben joravsky show with a graphic of a man wearing a cap](  PODCASTS Ben Joravsky has been talking about Kamala Harris and MAGA all week, including a deep dive with [executive director of the Cook County Democratic Party, Jacob Kaplan]( one of the original “Political Know-It-Alls.” Plus, [political science professor and columnist David Faris]( talks about swing states, the only seven states that matter in the presidential election; and [lawyer Adolfo Mondragon]( asks what Elon Musk will want from Donny in exchange for giving MAGA so much money and love.  BEHIND-THE-SCENES I’ll be out this upcoming Monday, but my wonderful colleagues are covering for me: check back for a pre-Election Day introduction written by news editor Shawn Mulcahy, while marketing associate Mike Thompson takes care of the rest. Have a good weekend! 📰 LATEST ISSUE: OCTOBER 31, 2024 📰 [READ ONLINE]( | [COVER]( | [DOWNLOAD PDF]( [Facebook icon]( [Instagram icon]( [X icon]( [LinkedIn icon]( [Threads icon]( [YouTube icon]( [logo] You received this email because you signed up for newsletters from the Chicago Reader. Want fewer emails from us? [Click here to choose what you want us to send you](. Or, [unsubscribe from all Reader emails](. We’ll miss you! [Sign up for emails from the Chicago Reader]( | [Forward this e-mail to a friend]( © 2024 Chicago Reader. All rights reserved. Chicago Reader, 2930 S. Michigan Ave., Suite 102, Chicago, IL 60616