Halfway Through It

We're halfway there gang. Six months down in 2026 and we've managed to stumble our way into July. Your prize? Nightly explosions in the sky! I absolutely hate fireworks. Especially when they're being launched by people in the surrounding neighborhood. Close enough my dog goes into a panic. It's been this way for a week and a half already. Is one night not enough?

The Fourth of July is probably my least favorite holiday if I think about it. There is no charm or whimsy involved. It's just dorky patriotism shoved in your face. There will also be grilling and beer. Maybe some boat rides. To be fair I do enjoy a good cookout and cold beer as much as the next guy but not in the name of Uncle Sam. You have the entire summer for that. Let me enjoy my veggie dogs in peace.

Besides grilling and drinking we Americans are also champions at consuming media. Trust me I'm one of the best. I bet you didn't even know you're reading a newsletter written by an AMC Stubs A-Lister right now. I'm sharing popcorn with Nicole Kidman every week baby. You simply can't deny your boy's credentials.

So since we're halfway through it I wanted to highlight a few of my favorite pieces of media of the year so far. Music, movies, TV. Whatever. Let's do that.

MOVIES

28 Years Later: The Bone Temple

Ralph Fiennes, the camerawork, the music, the blood. My Pibb tasted so good watching this.

Bone Temple is a zombie movie but it is also a movie about the human condition. Scattered in the fog of fear are beautiful moments of empathy and understanding. There is a yearning for something better beyond the hand currently dealt. Who will be brave enough to find a new way? Bone Temple makes you feel alive in weird and striking ways.

It's also incredibly gorgeous to look at. You get hit with some of the craziest scenes and landscapes. There is one scene in particular in this movie that is potentially the coolest thing I've ever fucking seen. I won't say more beyond that as to avoid spoilers but the movie is worth it for that part alone.

The performances are great, too. Fiennes kills this beyond words. This is his movie. Jack O'Connell is excellent and imposing and sad. He plays someone warped by the way of the world who is too far gone and too far disturbed to come back. Alfie Williams is going to have a great career ahead of him. While no one can be pure in the 28 Years universe he is doing his best to water any seeds of goodness left.

Send Help

Let me just start this one off by saying hell yeah. That's a strong hell yeah mind you. This movie was so fun. A goofy Sam Raimi directed horror-thriller with a dressing of gore.

We get blessed by an absolute masterclass from Rachel McAdams here. She leans all the way in and unloads the clip. You see her run the gamut of emotions on screen as she begins to ascend her way from rock bottom to power wielder. Her comedic timing and delivery is off the charts. Not only can you visually see the moments inside her when things break but you can feel them through the screen. The highs and lows of someone pushed beyond the brink. Get her the Oscar ASAP.

McAdams portrays zany Survivor fanatic cat lady Linda Liddle. Linda is great at her job and an overly hard worker. Unfortunately she gets passed up for a promotion she deserves by her former boss' son Bradley Preston. Preston is played by dreamy Teen Wolf heartthrob Dylan O'Brien. Yeah I said it. Linda and Bradley do not vibe well. So when they end up crash landed on an island in the middle of nowhere and have to rely on each other, shit gets pretty whacky.

There are multiple big laugh out loud moments in Send Help that feel so organic and unforced. This is because O'Brien and McAdams have such a great chemistry together on screen. It's like a buddy comedy on an island that happens to also be a little bit stressful and scary.

Project Hail Mary

Yeah yeah. Basic ass movie choice blahblahblah. It was really good!!! Sure it was definitely a bit more Disney-fied than the book was (which is also really good probably even better) but this shit hit me right in the heart. Some of the scenes looked exactly like I pictured while reading the book so I think they did a good job of translating it to film for the most part.

Even beyond the whole emotional bond between Dr. Ryland Grace and Rocky the alien, the movie is so visually stunning that it will move you. Ryan Gosling is funny and annoyingly cool even when he's not playing a stereotypically cool guy, which is like, totally unfair. Wearing some weird ass fits up in space still being a 10. Sure man. Good for you Eva Mendes.

It's corny to say this is the kind of movie the people need right now or whatever but it is at the very least kind of true. Hope is a good thing to have. Living beings need each other and this will always be the case. When you boil it down most people are just trying to live their lives. Some on our planet are trying much harder to do so and just hoping to make it to the next day alive. It's good to stick your neck out for people who need it. The world is so small 'til it ain't.

...

OKAY I went a little longer than intended on these and to make room for more overall highlights lets do some rapid fire movie shit quick:

• Obsession
  Absolutely ripped. Horrifying and disgusting and uncomfortable and funny. Inde Navarrette delivers a magical performance that should get her nominated. Homeboy was a coward.
• Hokum
  Another win for horror movies in 2026. This was genuinely strange and creepy. The way the camera moved at times was so neat and unsettling. Adam Scott is a scream king don't you forget it.
• I Love Boosters
  If you hate capitalism like myself then have I got the movie for you!!! Boots Riley always delivers. It's whacky and not perfect but it is super interesting to look at and watch the story play out. The use of color is so good. Plus, KEKE PALMER!
• The Drama
  Loved this one. Incredibly funny and cool. Rob Pat and Zendaya were a great combo. The tension building is wonderfully done. Don't look up anything about it before you watch.

TELEVISION

Widow's Bay

Okay so this is one of the best shows I've watched in quite a while. The quick synopsis from IMDB reads: "A skeptical mayor leads the superstitious residents of a cursed New England island." That's pretty much all you need to know because the twists and turns are well worth it.

Widow's Bay really nails the balance of horror and comedy in a pretty unique way. There are some of the best laugh out loud moments I've had on TV in a long time on this show and it's also creepy and weird as hell. Perfect for a dude like me. This is just another reason why I think Apple TV is one of the best streamers. Their original content is a lot better than just about every other service. This is about as good of a first season as you would hope to have and the writers set up the show to be in such a good place moving into season 2. I was never bored.

INVINCIBLE

Season 4 was new this year but I watched the whole damn show for the first time. It was awesome. One thing Invincible does better than say a lot of Marvel stuff is showing how much of life rides in a grey area. Super heroes aren't perfect and the bad guys aren't fully bad necessarily. Things are imperfect and the system is flawed. If you're into animation I would highly recommend it. It's fun, shocking, bloody and emotionally heavy. The voice acting in the series is some of the best you'll get and the cast is STACKED.

I don't want to give away too much plot here and I would advise not to look too much into it if you're new to the series. But the basics are that Mark is the son of Omni Man. Omni Man is a badass super hero. Very powerful. Mark is a teenager who just gets his powers. There are other super heroes in the world. And bad guys. So it goes. I'm very invested and can't wait for the next season.

Jury Duty: Company Retreat

Season one of Jury Duty was bonkers. I didn't know if they could do it again at that level and here we are. It's equally as funny as the first. This season's mark, Anthony Norman, is going to inspire the shit out of you to be kind. He faces many absurdities and whacky co-workers during a company retreat for a TEMP job at a fake hot sauce company, but still Norman shines. It's truly admirable the lengths he goes to for the people he just met.

Rapid fire:

• The Pitt Season 2
  Yeah okay I eat this shit up when it's on. Season 2 was good. They keep sending off characters I like though so season 3 will be interesting. Robbie needs some help man.
• Abbott Elementary
  Season 5 started last year but ran until spring this year. This show continues to rise in the ranks of mockumentary comedies for me. The humor is modern and fresh and each cast member brings something good to the table.
• The World Cup
  No seriously. The games have been bangers so far in the knockouts. Give it a chance! It really is the beautiful game.

Music

I don't think I'm gonna be able to fit albums in this one as we're already approaching 2,000 words and you've already heard enough from me. So here are 5 tracks from 2026 that I've really enjoyed:

"Better Man" - Slow Pulp

Some anthemic and catchy indie rock for the summer never fails. Slow Pulp is a Midwest gem of a band. They started out in Madison, WI, and now make their home base in Chicago. "Better Man" is the first single for their upcoming album Melodie set to release September 18th. This track is an easy listening earworm about taking back control of your situation. Grab that fuckin' wheel and steer your ship. Make sure to check out Slow Pulp's excellent 2023 album, Yard. It's one of Lacey's favorites.

"BOUNCE WIT ME" - Kenny Mason

Kenny Mason's BULLDAWG album from this year is pretty damn good. "BOUNCE WIT ME" was the lead single and for good reason. With darting hi-hats and claps layered over guitar, Mason sounds right at home on the FearDorian-produced beat. "Don't hit me on no bullshit, I mean that." Kenny only wants to keep it real.

"Good" - Choker

Heaven Ain't Sold marked Choker's first album in 7 years and I'm glad they're back. "Good" is one of my favorites here. A bouncy and self-reflective track that points out the flaws in seeking external approval and weighing your decisions on the validation of others. For an artist once touted as a torchbearer for Frank Ocean, you can still hear the brilliance he offers.

"TRICERATOPS" - Action Bronson feat. Lil Yachty, Paul Wall

Hearing Paul Wall rap over a Daringer beat does something to me, man. Just the concept of these three guys being one song together is weird as hell. Three different eras of rappers. And it really works! They're all just talking their shit and I'm here for it. Wall's verse is my favorite though: "I'm in the codeine deluge, headed to Baton Rouge / Psilocybin-induced, DMT infused / To be fake, I refuse, never fall for the rules." Sheeeeeesh brother.

"The Coward Forgets His Nightmares" - Chanel Beads

So this technically came out as a single last fall, but the album just released at the end of June and I've been playing it a lot. Chanel Beads is the musical project of Shane Lavers. They've put out two albums now, both titled Your Day Will Come which is ominous enough on its own but the music gives you that same eerie feeling. Lavers' music is not a straightforward thing. There are layers on layers of guitar, synths, vocal effects, drums and samples. It mashes together analog and digital into a dreamlike state. On "The Coward Forgets His Nightmares" Lavers is reminiscing even though it hurts to find what will be revealed. Will the music be worth it? Was anything worth it? Were you really happy? If you like Alex G or Mk.Gee you'll probably be into this.

I thought I saw you smiling In all my memories