Last Updated: June 18th

Along with its slate of Emmy-nominated TV series, Netflix continues to churn out high-quality feature-length content as of late. The streaming platform has been building a deep well when it comes to film, filling it with everything from period dramas and millennial romcoms to quirky biopics, sci-fi love stories, and enthralling deep-dive documentaries. Plus, more Breaking Bad. In other words, if you thought TV was the only thing the binge-heavy subscription service had to offer, think again.

We’ve sifted through a slew of titles to pick the cream of the crop when it comes to Netflix’s original lineup so make sure you have some space in your queue. These films deserve to be there.

Related: The Best Netflix Original Series Right Now, Ranked

Da 5 Bloods (2020)

Run Time: 154 min | IMDb: 6.9/10

Any Spike Lee joint is worth a watch, but this genre-bending thriller about a group of black Vietnam War vets returning to the battlefield decades later feels especially timely. That’s because Lee manages to shed light on a little-known part of our shared history: the way our country treated Black soldiers returning from the war, but he also raises the stakes with a subplot that includes a buried treasure hunt and a heartwrenching mission to retrieve the remains of a fallen comrade. The cast, which includes Black Panther’s Chadwick Boseman, is brilliant, the story is gripping, and you’ll probably be seeing more talk of it come awards season, so go ahead and watch it now.

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High Flying Bird (2019)

Run Time: 90 min | IMDb: 6.2/10

If you want to get a sense of the sheer volume of quality movies Netflix has been delivering recently, this sports drama is the perfect case study. It’s a film directed by an Oscar-winning filmmaker (Steven Soderbergh), written by another Oscar-winner (Moonlight’s Tarell Alvin McCraney), and starring a cast that includes Andre Holland, Zazie Beetz, and Zachary Quinto, and it’s one of the more underrated flicks on the streaming site. Well, no more. This movie — which follows a sports agent (Holland) as he tries to pull off a daring plan during an NBA lockout — has finally jumped onto everyone’s radar. At least, everyone who checks out this list.

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The King (2019)

Run Time: 140 min | IMDb: 7.3/10

Timothee Chalamet is everywhere right now so really, are you that surprised he’s playing a boyish, rebellious King Henry V in this big-budget Shakespeare adaptation from Joel Edgerton? Chalamet and his bowl-cut bring Hal to life, the wayward prince forced to assume the throne after his father’s death. Hal has to grow up quickly to lead his men into battle against a bloodthirsty French foe (Robert Pattinson having too much fun with his overdramatic accent) and preserve England’s reign. It’s all medieval warfare and political intrigue and it’s held up by Chalamet who stands out — even amongst a stellar supporting cast.

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The Irishman (2019)

Run Time: 209 min | IMDb: 8.6/10

Martin Scorsese delivers another cinematic triumph, this time for Netflix and with the help of some familiar faces. Robert De Niro and Al Pacino team up (again) for this crime drama based on actual events. De Niro plays Frank Sheeran a World War II vet who finds work as a hitman for the mob. Pacino plays notorious Teamster Jimmy Hoffa, a man who frequently found himself on the wrong side of the law and the criminals he worked with. The film charts the pair’s partnership over the years while injecting some historical milestones for context. It’s heavy and impressively cast and everything you’d expect a Scorsese passion-project to be.

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Roma (2018)

Run Time: 135 min | IMDb: 7.8/10

Oscar-winning writer/director Alfonso Cuaron delivers what may be his most personal film to date. The stunningly-shot black-and-white film is an ode to Cuaron’s childhood and a love letter to the women who raised him. Following the journey of a domestic worker in Mexico City named Cleo, the movie interweaves tales of personal tragedy and triumph amidst a backdrop of political upheaval and unrest.

Mudbound (2017)

Run Time: 134 min | IMDb: 7.4/10

Netflix spent much of 2017 trying to establish itself as an alternative to movie theaters as a place to find quality new films. The results were mostly strong, and none stronger than Mudbound, Dee Rees’ story of two families — one white and one black — sharing the same Mississippi land in the years before and after World War II. Rees combines stunning images, compelling storytelling, and the work of a fine cast (that includes Jason Mitchell, Carey Mulligan, Garett Hedlund, Jason Clarke, and Mary J. Blige) to unspool a complex tale about the forces the connect black and white Americans and the slow-to-die injustices that keep them apart.

Beasts of No Nation (2015)

Run Time: 134 min | IMDb: 7.8/10

It’s hard not to like a guy as talented and charismatic as Idris Elba but the actor plays a morally-corrupt psychopath to perfection in Beasts of No Nation. As the Commandant, Elba recruits young boys to his rebel army fighting the government of Ghana by forcing them to undergo a brutal initiation process. Agu, a young boy who saw his father and older brother murdered at the hands of the government, is captured and indoctrinated into the Commandant’s army, suffering through terrible torture, both physical and psychological, before he eventually escapes.

Okja (2017)

Run Time: 120 min | IMDb: 7.4/10

Bong Joon-Ho’s send-up of corporate farming and environmental abuses isn’t subtle. Tilda Swinton goes all-out as the CEO of an evil corporation, only to be outdone by Jake Gyllenhaal’s broad turn as an unstable TV host. But its tale of an endearing, genetically modified “super pig” and the girl who loves him is effective and contains both some terrific action set pieces and the most affecting child/strange beast relationship this side of E.T.

El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie (2019)

Run Time: 122 min | IMDb: 7.8/10

The basic gist of this follow-up to Vince Gilligan’s beloved TV show is that it picks up right after the events of the series finale, with Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul) on the run and looking a bit worse for wear. He seeks shelter with Skinny Pete and Badger, long enough for a shower and a shave, before heading off to confront the people who destroyed his life. To give anything more away would be to spoil the excellent work that Gilligan and Paul put into this thing.

The Ballad Of Buster Scruggs (2018)

Run Time: 133 min | IMDb: 7.3/10

The Coen brothers are back with a slick new Western romp, one that serves as an ode to all of the tropes present in Hollywood’s best Wild West adaptations. Split into six parts, each story is loosely connected although thematically and tonally different. Tim Blake Nelson stars as the titular hero, a sharpshooting songster who takes part in the film’s opening musical portion. From there, we get stories of outlaws getting their due, prospectors mining for gold, ghostly hauntings, and wagon trails. Forget trying to follow the thread and simply enjoy the ride with this one.

The Fundamentals Of Caring (2016)

Run Time: 97 min | IMDb: 7.3/10

Paul Rudd is at his most charming and charismatic here. He plays a newly trained caregiver to a distant teenager with muscular dystrophy named Trevor. After some ice breaking, the two set out on a trip to see some of the most boring roadside attractions middle America has to offer. If you’re feeling down, this one will pick you up.

Plus… it’s Paul Rudd. That dude is always a ray of sunshine.

Marriage Story (2019)

Run Time: 137 min, IMDb: 8.2/10

Noah Baumbach’s star-studded divorce drama takes a look at messy breakups with Scarlett Johansson playing an actress and mother named Nicole, who is intent on separating from her stage director husband Charlie (Adam Driver). Laura Dern and Ray Liotta play their hard-hitting lawyers, who don’t help in diffusing the tension and resentment building between the pair when Nicole moves herself and their son across the country. It’s an intimate look at the emotional wreckage of a divorce and the struggle to put a family back together again, and it’s carried by some brilliant performances by Driver and Johansson.

To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before (2018)

Run Time: 99 mins | IMDb: 7.3/10

Netflix’s original flick is being hailed as the best teen rom-com of the decade and for good reason. The story stars Lana Condor as Lara Jean Covey, a junior in high school who tends to write her crushes love letters but never actually send them. After those same letters are anonymously sent, she’s forced to do damage control by carrying on a fake relationship with one of her former love interests. It’s a sweet, oddly empowering twist on the classic rom-com trope, and you won’t be able to scroll through Twitter without coming across a Peter Kavinsky stan account, thanks to this one.

Always Be My Maybe (2019)

Run Time: 101 min | IMDb: 6.8/10

Ali Wong and Randall Park star in the latest rom-com from Netflix. This time around, the plot follows two childhood sweethearts who’ve spent the last 15 years apart and try to reconnect when one moves back home. Wong plays a successful chef opening a new restaurant in San Francisco while Park plays her former best friend still living at home and working for his dad. Both have some growing up to do, but the film eschews classic romcom tropes for bits that are funnier and more poignant than your average lighthearted fare.

Bird Box (2018)

Run Time: 124 min | IMDb: 6.6/10

Sandra Bullock’s apocalyptic sci-fi saga has spawned more than just a ridiculous internet challenge, it’s also renewed our love for monster-driven thrillers. Sure, we never actually see the otherworldly beings that cause people to commit suicide if they open their eyes, but the danger they pose and the fear they instill is still viscerally real. Bullock plays a mother trying to protect her two young children and survive amidst a group of strangers with their own agendas and issues. The supporting cast in this one — Trevante Rhodes, John Malkovich, Sarah Paulson, and Tom Hollander — are fantastic, which distracts from some of the more questionable story choices.

The Incredible Jessica James (2017)

Run Time: 83 min | IMDb: 6.5/10

Anyone who caught Jessica Williams during her tenure on The Daily Show knows that she’s destined for greatness. Despite being so young, she had a confidence, a voice, and a commanding presence that you just can’t fake. The Incredible Jessica James is her first starring vehicle since her time as a correspondent, and it is a true testament to where she’s headed. In a clever look at the life of a struggling playwright who is getting over a breakup, The Incredible Jessica James allows Williams to unleash her fire in the most charming way possible, and she and Chris O’Dowd have an easy chemistry that makes you root for them to make it despite not having a thing in common. Having just come out last year, The Incredible Jessica James is still one of the best comedy movies Netflix has delivered.

Private Life (2018)

Run Time: 123 min | IMDb: 7.3/10

Kathryn Hahn and Paul Giamatti star in this dramedy about a middle-aged couple trying desperately to have a baby. Hahn plays Rachel, Giamatti her husband, Richard. The two undergo all kind of in vitro treatments in order to get pregnant but quickly realize the process is draining on their marriage and their intimacy as a couple. When their 25-year-old niece comes to stay with them, they’re forced to re-think the idea of having children of their own and dig into what’s really fueling their desire for offspring. Hahn is brilliant as usual, but she finally gets the starring vehicle she deserves, and Giamatti is her capable screen partner. What’s really refreshing about this film, though, is its refusal to treat a subject that’s been overdramatized so much on screen with kid gloves, instead giving us a funny, heartbreaking look at infertility that feels much more real than any sappy tearjerker.

Dolemite Is My Name (2019)

Run Time: 117 min | IMDb: 7.3/10

Eddie Murphy stages a bit of a comeback in this biopic about famed comedian, actor, showman Rudy Ray Moore, better known as Dolemite to fans of his raunchy comedy albums, stand-up tours, and blaxploitation films. Murphy plays Moore at the beginning of his career when he was just a record store clerk looking to break out in the business. He’s joined by a cast that includes Keegan-Michael Key, Ron Cephas Jones, Tituss Burgess, and others, but it’s Murphy who shines here, giving possibly the best performance of his career as a man who will stop at nothing to pursue his dream.

A few days ago Noname tweeted that felt like rapping. Well, she does just that on her latest release, the minute-long, Madlib-produced “Song 33.” And in case you’re wondering, yes, she does address the J. Cole controversy, after setting up some needed context by addressing the many, many elephants in the room.

“One girl missin’, another go missin’ / One girl missin’, another,” she raps, commenting lyrically on the lack of noteworthy entertainers stepping up on behalf of Breonna Taylor, Oluwatoyin Salau, and all the other young, Black women who have been killed or abused in recent weeks. “But n****s act quiet as a church mouse,” she accuses, “In the studio when duty calls to get the verse / I guess the ego hurt now.”

Then, while she never says his name, she makes it crystal clear who she’s talking about and why. “He really ’bout to write about me when the world is in smokes / There’s people in trees when George was beggin’ for his mother / Saying he couldn’t breathe, you thought to write about me?”

Fans speculated that Noname was the subject of J. Cole’s recent song “Snow On Tha Bluff,” in which he details his complicated feelings about being a movement leader while insinuating that revolutionaries’ messages would get better reception if they adjusted the tone. Cole then all but confirmed that the song was about Noname after fans called him out, but stopped just short of apologizing.

With “Song 33,” Noname makes clear why the backlash against Cole was intense: There’s a war going on outside. Cole’s track, while well-intentioned and perfectly understandable with a healthy dose of empathy on the listener’s part, was also ill-timed and unnecessary in context. “Song 33” responds and puts the focus firmly back where it needs to be: On the victims of racist and sexist violence, and making sure that they are among the last we ever need to memorialize in song or in protests.

Listen to “Song 33” above.

The best new hip-hop albums coming out this week include projects from A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie, Black Eyed Peas, Blu & Exile, Smokepurpp, Tee Grizzley, Teyana Taylor, and Wale. It’s a busy week as the industry settles back into rhythm after a tumultuous few Fridays of protests and reflection, which resulted in plenty of resolutions to change the business for the better. Not the least of which is a push to remove the term “urban” from common use as a catch-all for Black music. We’ll see if anything more comes of the recording industry’s newfound motivation to reform the institution, but for now, there are plenty of new albums to check out — and hip-hop, as usual, has plenty to say about the times. Happy Juneteenth!

Here are all the best new hip-hop albums coming out this week.

A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie — Artist 2.0

The new tradition of dropping a slew of new songs shortly after your album holds strong as A Boogie follows up his latest album with a bulked-up version full of unheard tracks. A Boogie diverges from common practice a bit by releasing the deluxe version several months rather than several weeks later, but he sticks to the usual script of dropping enough new tracks to form a whole new album. He shared the sparse tracklist on his socials a couple of days before the release and from the looks of things, he’s going mostly solo, with only one feature. He also appears to have cut an anticipated track due to sample clearance issues.

Black Eyed Peas — Translation

The semi-revolutionary ’90s holdovers returned to form after their EDM experimentation era with 2018’s Masters of the Sun Vol. 1, dropping back to the original three members and once again speaking on politically conscious material. Their new album looks to continue that trend with an international flair, incorporating more Latin sounds and collaborators, including Becky G, El Alfa, J Balvin, Nicky Jam, Ozuna, and Shakira.

Blu & Exile — Miles: From An Interlude Called Life

Reuniting eight years after their last collaborative effort, Give Me My Flowers While I Can Still Smell Them, LA rapper-producer team Blu & Exile recapture their team-weathered chemistry on this new project, which smartly utilizes Exile’s usual arsenal of jazz and soul samples to update listeners on what’s been going on in Blu’s world. Slice of life stories over soul-warming comfort music; it’s a match made “below the heavens.”

Smokepurpp — Florida Jit

Smokepurpp pushed his heavily anticipated second studio album in response to protests, but the added time was apparently also put to good use, resulting in updated cover art and likely a few musical tweaks to ensure the project sounds its best. Thanks to producer Ronny J and guest rappers Denzel Curry, Jack Harlow, Rick Ross, and Young Nudy, it’s off to a good start already.

Tee Grizzley — The Smartest

The Detroit rapper’s first project since 2019’s Scriptures — and the murder of his aunt/manager — is loaded with features. Big Sean, Lil Baby, Lil Keed, Meek Mill, and Queen Naija all appear to help him carry the load, but the tracklist he recently shared shows he’ll being doing most of the heavy lifting.

Teyana Taylor — The Album

Teyana Taylor has had one of the more winding careers in hip-hop, bouncing from Pharrell’s Star Trak to Kanye West’s GOOD Music and becoming a remarkably self-sufficient artist in the process. Her self-contained, do-it-all approach has led to her mastering multiple disciplines in the course of dropping just three albums in the last decade, but all her experiences are about to culminate in the first project she crafted herself from the ground up, with no restrictions forced on her by her collaborators. It’s already paying dividends; the genre-bending lead single “We Got Love” and its follow-ups “Bare Wit Me” and “Wake Up Love” have all had innovative, eclectic sounds and striking videos. All signs point to this being her best project yet.

Wale — The Imperfect Storm

A late entry after Wale sprung the album cover on fans just days before the project’s release date, The Imperfect Storm‘s cover suggests a politically activated Wale weighing in on current events with his usual crystalline insight and ambidextrous wordplay.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

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Last night’s episodes of AEW Dynamite and WWE NXT drew both programs’ largest live cable audiences of the month, along with ratings bumps.

As usual, All Elite Wrestling came out on top. The show, which featured Ricky Starks challenging Cody for the TNT title and Best Friends vs. Le Sex Gods, had a viewership of 772,000, according to Showbuzz Daily. The show’s second-largest audience this month was on June 5, which had an audience of 730,000.

Dynamite was also the eighth ranked show on cable this Wednesday, drawing a 0.28 rating. Dynamite was beaten by MTV’s The Challenge, the Property Brothers, and news programs on Fox and CNN. It was most popular, also as usual, with men ages 18-49, with whom it drew and 0.36.

WWE’s NXT, which featured the return of Sasha Banks and Bayley, had a slightly smaller audience of 746,000. However, that’s an increase from 715,000 on June 5 and 673,000 last week.

NXT was the 25th ranked show on cable with an 0.20 rating among viewers aged 18-49, the same rating as Forged In Fire: Beat the Judges and Investigation Discovery’s See No Evil. NXT scored a lower rating than AEW with every demographic except for viewers over the age of 50, with whom it drew an 0.36 in comparison to AEW’s 0.31.

So many streaming services, so many of these “new to” lists to keep things organized.

We’re not complaining — not when we get more Star Wars content and a Hamilton viewing — but we are saying that maybe you should be bookmarking these guides for future reference. Because the shows, they’re a comin.’ Here’s everything new on Disney+ this month, including a bunch of family-friendly fare to keep the tiny humans entertained during quarantimes.

Hamilton (streaming 7/3)

Probably one of the biggest releases since Disney launched its streaming service, this live-recording of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Broadway musical was set to drop much later, but the corporate overlords smiled down upon us mere peasants and gave us a gift during this quarantine. Hamilton has become a cultural phenomenon, a creative benchmark, and whether you managed to score tickets to the live version or not, this is a must-watch.

Solo: A Star Wars Story (streaming 7/10)

Look, this film got a bad rap when it came out. It suffered a lot of setbacks and definitely has some tonal issues, but it also took a risk with a Star Wars property, and that’s a rare thing so we’ll overlook the negatives and focus on what works here. And a lot works. Solo answers the question: What if Star Wars did a heist film set in space? The answer: It’d be a pretty darn good time. The film follows a young Han Solo (Alden Ehrenreich) as he joins with a group of intergalactic smugglers in order to pay off a debt to a notorious gangster. He meets Chewie, Lando Calrissian, and a few other notable characters along the way. Not the best origin story, but it’s a hell of a ride.

Here’s everything new on Disney+ in July:

Avail. 7/3
Animal ER (S1-2)
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules
Ice Age: Collision Course
Ice Road Rescue (S1-4)
Race to Witch Mountain (2009)
The Big Green
The Mighty Ducks
Hamilton
Pixar in Real Life: Episode 109
Disney Family Sundays: Episode 135
One Day at Disney: Episode 131
It’s a Dog’s Life with Bill Farmer: Episode 108

Avail. 7/10
Critter Fixers: Country Vets
Gigantosaurus
Secrets of the Zoo
Solo: A Star Wars Story
Disney Family Sundays: Episode 136
One Day at Disney: Episode 132
It’s a Dog’s Life with Bill Farmer: Episode 109

Avail. 7/17
A Pre-Opening Report from Disneyland
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul
Disney Junior Music Lullabies
Lost City of Machu Picchu
Super Robot Monkey Team Hyperforce Go!
The Mousketeers at Walt Disney World
Wild Chile
Secret Society of Second-Born Royals
Disney Family Sundays: Episode 137
One Day at Disney: Episode 133
It’s a Dog’s Life with Bill Farmer: Episode 110

Avail. 7/24
Wild Congo
Wild Sri Lanka
Disney Family Sundays: Episode 138
One Day at Disney: Episode 134

Avail. 7/31
Alaska Animal Rescue
Animal Showdown
Best Job Ever
Big Cat Games
Cradle of the Gods
Destination World
Dr. Oakley, Yukon Vet
Fearless Adventures with Jack Randall
Hidden Kingdoms of China
Hunt for the Abominable Snowman
India’s Wild Leopards
Jungle Animal Rescue
King Fishers
Lost Temple of the Inca
Marvel Funko
Surviving the Mount St. Helens Disaster
Weirdest, Bestest, Truest
What Sam Sees
Muppets Now: Episode 101
Disney Family Sundays: Episode 139
One Day at Disney: Episode 135

Eight months after the release of his sixth studio album, Wow… That’s Crazy, Wale has announced a new EP designed to tide fans over until his next full-length release — and address the current political climate. The DMV area rapper shared cover art of the new EP, titled The Imperfect Storm, on Instagram Wednesday, following up by teasing the blurred-out tracklist today. Wale’s close friend Kaz Famuyide confirmed the release date: This Friday, June 19.

When video of a Minnesota police officer kneeling on Houston activist and rapper George Floyd’s neck and suffocating him to death emerged online, the public outcry sparked a wave of protests across the nation. Online discussion turned to the concept of defunding police in favor of funding social programs designed to benefit communities and Wale’s rap peers such as Denzel Curry, Lil Baby, and YG spoke out with protest songs addressing the somber mood of the moment.

It’s no surprise that Wale has thoughts on the current protests, which have only grown larger in recent weeks. He’s been politically outspoken on his albums in the past, addressing systemic racism in politics, sports, and entertainment, so it’s sure that he’ll have plenty to say on The Imperfect Storm, as well.

Check out the cover of The Imperfect Storm, which releases 6/19 on Warner Records, above.

Wale is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

The New York Jets, like the rest of the NFL, remain in a holding pattern while still hoping to be able to play the 2020 NFL season as scheduled. As they look ahead to bringing players back for training camp, the Jets still needed to figure out the situation with All-Pro safety Jamal Adams, who has voiced his displeasure with a lack of a long-term extension.

There had previously been reports earlier in the year that Adams had requested a trade from the Jets, but the two sides had both denied that was the case. Now, however, the official trade request has come from Adams, per numerous reports, as the Jets have clearly not come close enough to his contract demands to make him feel a deal will be able to get worked out and would like to have permission to find a team elsewhere that would.

As Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News notes, the Jets have not given him that permission and have said all along they still plan on keeping him long-term, but the relationship between the young star safety and the Jets seems to have reached a breaking point. There would be plenty of teams that would be interested in Adams services, as he’s one of the top safeties in the game and is versatile in his abilities as a ball-hawk against the pass and being a willing, physical presence against the run.

Now it’s on the Jets to make one last gasp effort to mend fences with Adams and give him the contract he wants, or grant him permission to seek a trade with a team that’s willing to give him the money and years he’s looking for.

Previously on the Ins and Outs of All Elite Wrestling Dynamite: FTR made their in-ring debut, Cody Rhodes agreed to face Jake Hager at Fyter Fest, and the Inner Circle beat the pulp out of Orange Cassidy.

If you’d like to keep up with this column and its thinly veiled Best and Worst format, you can keep tabs on the Ins and Outs of AEW Dynamite tag page. You can keep track of all things All Elite here.

Follow With Spandex on Twitter and Facebook. You can also follow me on Twitter, where everything and everyone is terrible.

And now, the Ins and Outs of All Elite Wrestling Dynamite for June 17, 2020.

A Different Perspective

First things first, Elle Collins here. I’m giving Brandon a break by covering the column this week, and plus it gives me something to do. With NXT UK on Indefinite Pandemic Hiatus and Impact still veering between Nigh Unwatchable and Merely Quite Bad (despite some excellent additions to the Knockouts Division) I don’t have as many recaps to write at the moment as I’d like to. So this week, you get me in this space, but Brandon should be back next week.

So I’ll be up front and say that I liked this episode a lot, and the reason I didn’t use the “All In/All Out” format on the section headers is that they were honestly all going to be “All In.” The only thing I thought about objecting to is that all we got this week to build the Mox/Cage story is dueling promos. But then I realized they just destroyed a whole car with each other’s bodies last week, and their actual match is coming up in another couple of weeks, so just doing promos makes sense this time around. And of course Mox and Taz are great talkers. They even let Brian Cage get a few words in this week, which went fine, even though he’s a little bit “Yeah, I can’t wait to beat him, yeah!” Cage is kinda like Chester the Terrier’s brain in Spike the Bulldog’s body.

Tag Team Tensions

First up this week: Two tag teams plagued by interpersonal issues. Actually, Kenny Omega and Hangman Page seem to be getting along better since they shared a toast of milk and whiskey during the Stadium Stampede, and they’re certainly more than capable of holding on to the AEW Tag Team Championship for a while yet.

Then there’s the Natural Nightmares. QT Marshall has fallen under the seductive sway of Allie, to the chagrin of Dustin and Brandi Rhodes. I find all of this a bit confusing, to be honest. Allie’s not the Bunny anymore, and doesn’t seem to have anything to do with the Butcher and the Blade, but I can’t figure out if Dustin and Brandi and even QT remember that she used to be a fetishy masked steampunk mercenary, or if this is like a whole new Allie. For that matter, does anyone remember when Brandi Rhodes briefly led a hair-cutting cult? Mel is still sitting in the crowd with her hair barely starting to grow out, but I guess as long as they don’t mention her or put her in the ring, we don’t have to talk about who shaved her head and why.

To be clear, I like that AEW is willing to let people change directions when their characters aren’t panning out. I just don’t always understand exactly what level of reality we’re living in from week to week. I was ready to believe that Allie worked in a butcher shop even though she’s a devout vegan in real life. And even though I know she’s married to the Blade in real life, I’m now willing to believe that they were never married in kayfabe because he’s spending his time beefing with the Bucks and FTR and doesn’t care what she does with QT Marshall. UNLESS this is all some kind of plan by the Butcher, Blade, and Bunny to mess with the Natural Nightmares for some reason. It’s probably either that or they don’t remember each other at all, I just can’t figure out which.

Anyway, the match itself was good, even if the Natural and the Apple were clearly never going to beat Omega and Page. Allie was banned from ringside by Dustin, but showed up anyway, but then didn’t contribute too directly to their loss. It’s the right way to play that for now. Presumably this all leads to another Brandi versus Allie match, which I’m not wildly excited about, but I wouldn’t mind if QT and Dustin are involved in that too.

Between A Zombie And A Dark Place

I thought this was a fun swerve! We got a whole little video package introducing Anna Jay, the newest member of the women’s roster (or so we thought). We didn’t know who her opponent was going to be, so when it turned out to be Abadon the obvious thing was to assume the new full-time wrestler would prove herself by beating the guest jobber. Except then Abadon won, easily and viciously, because actually she’s the newest member of the women’s roster!

And let’s talk about Abadon! If you read my Impact recaps, you know that I love a monster girl, but Abadon takes it to a whole other level. Abadon is like somebody watched Su Yung do her Undead Bride thing and said, “I feel like this could be scarier, grosser, and more J-horror.” And honestly, that’s true. Su’s great, but she has plans and goals, and these days a whole other human-looking alter-ego. Abadon’s just a demonic zombie who wants your soul and never seems to be having anything we might recognize as human thoughts. If they’re careful and find the best ways to use a monster like her, she could bring a lot to the women’s division.

After Abadon buried Anna Jay under the ground, Mister Brodie Lee and his Dark Order came out to dig her up (and also bring some paperwork to Colt Cabana in the audience). I’m excited for the Dark Order to have a female member, and curious whether they’ll put her under a mask. Whether they do or not, the Anna we met in that video package is probably gone already. Also, and I’m just thinking out loud here, but what if Abadon works for the Dark Order too? They were ready to come out and help Anna up pretty quickly. What if Brodie sends the Living Dead Girl out to destroy people, specifically so that the Dark Order can then offer to help build them back up? Just a thought.

Old Guys Putting Over Young Guys

Honestly, I don’t care very much about Billy Gunn or his sons. MJF is great, though. And beyond that, I like that pretty much every time we see an older guy in AEW, they’re around to help the younger guys look better, whether by losing to them or in a managerial role. That’s how wrestling should work, and it’s great that at least one televised company remembers that.

I also didn’t mind MJF winning with his diamond ring punch. I was behind him winning the competition for that ring, but I thought it would just be something for him to smugly show off during promos to “prove” he’s the best. The fact that it’s big enough to work as a Foreign Object is even better! Young as he is, MJF is such a delightfully old-school heel that I’m fine if he never wins clean. He’s got a big ass ring to hit people with, and a big ass henchman to hand it to him and also beat people up. It’s perfect.

This match also leads into MJF and Wardlow brawling with Jurassic Express, which hopefully leads into that Luchasaurus/Wardlow match that it’s beyond time for. Or maybe it just leads to Wardlow/Marko Stunt. It’s been a few weeks since Marko’s been thrown across the arena by a dude three times his size, and they do seem to love that.

Garbage Wrestling

Doctor Britt Baker continues to be amazing, and thank god they’re keeping her on TV through her injury. Even better, they’re still building her feud with Big Swole, which means 1) More than one women’s storyline, 2) Britt has somebody to be mean to besides Tony and Rebel, and 3) We also get to see Big Swole building her character outside the ring, which is a plus for her and the division as a whole.

The reveal that Swole was driving Britt’s cart instead of Rebel was great. It was some real Steve Austin shit on Swole’s part, and it was only possible because we had a few weeks of setting up how Rebel drives Britt around in the back of this cart while Britt shouts at her, which created expectations that can then be subverted.

Also, it wasn’t just one segment! It was followed up on later in the show! I know that sounds basic, but it’s pretty new for AEW, especially with women’s segments. And even better, we didn’t see Swole dump Britt in the dumpster. The question of where she’d ended up and then the reveal when Rebel went looking for her were perfect. And as a connoisseur of classic comedy, I really appreciated that Britt was dedicated enough to the classic tropes of being dumped in the trash that she actually wore bananas peels on her head. That’s how you know someone’s been dumped in the trash — the banana peels!

By the way, is it just me or is Rebel getting way more shine as Britt Baker’s assistant than she ever did as an Impact Knockout? Despite Britt always calling her by the wrong name (which is also funny), Rebel’s showing off her own comedic abilities here and clearly having a lot of fun. Plus, I feel like the fact that she’s a wrestler is the as-yet-unmentioned secret weapon of these segments. Not that Rebel was ever great in the ring, but if she’s called on to take a bump, or to eventually lose patience and suplex Britt outta nowhere, she can handle that sort of thing.

Special Guest Starks

One of the things I love about AEW is that they’re invested in being part of the larger wrestling community. Unlike WWE, they don’t pretend that the only two things that exist are their own company and “all over the world.” That enables them to honor and memorialize wrestlers who never set foot in their ring, and it gives a lot more weight to surprise debuts like former NWA World Television Champion Ricky Starks, or FTR for that matter. AEW exists in a society, you might say, and doesn’t pretend otherwise.

Ricky Starks rules, by the way. He’s charismatic and handsome as hell, and he knows what he’s doing in that ring. I was thrilled just to see him as a guest challenger for this one match, and now that the word is out he’s officially signed, that’s even better (although I wouldn’t mind seeing some actual one-time guests challenge for Cody’s title either). No disrespect to Jungle Boy Jack Perry and Party Boy Marq Quen, but this was easily my favorite TNT Championship match thus far. I don’t know where Starks is going next, but there’s no shortage of great matches he can have in AEW.

Double The Mayhem

Kip Sabian, Jimmy Havoc, and Penelope Ford are the Superbad Squad now, which is not a wildly original name, but it gives them a sense of being a real team instead of just an engaged couple and their goth third wheel. So that’s a plus in my book. Also, Jimmy’s ability to constantly find new things to hit people with is a great running gag. Of course Penelope’s also no stranger to whacking somebody with a WET FLOOR sign and then quickly assuming an “I’m just standing here being pretty” pose at ringside by the time the ref turns around. Basically, all three of these people are utter dirtbags and it’s great.

Of course, the Young Bucks are kind of dirtbags too, despite being Heroic Company Founders, and I wouldn’t have minded seeing them take a loss here. On the other hand, seeing them somehow trick Kip into hitting a piledriver on his own partner (See? Dirtbags) is great too. And that sets up an attack from the Butcher and the Blade, which in turn leads FTR to come out and defend the Bucks so they can beat the hell out of them later. Is this setting up a multi-team match for Fyter Fest? I first thought they’d go ahead and do Bucks/FTR there, but now it’s starting to feel like they may drag that out to All Out (when they probably still think there might be a crowd). As long as they keep things at least this entertaining, I don’t even mind.

Angry Orange

Last week, Chris Jericho and the Inner Circle beat Orange Cassidy to a blood orange pulp. Adding insult to injury, Jericho used a bag of actual oranges as a weapon. Despite the fruity aspect, the beatdown was sold with such seriousness that I honestly didn’t think we’d see Cassidy again for a few weeks. Clearly, neither did anybody else.

So in his absence, his best friends the Best Friends took on Le Sex Gods, aiming for revenge on Jericho. They even put their Fyter Fest championship match on the line. Naturally the Best Friends are underdogs, especially against Le Formair Champion and his protégé, but they came into this match with a relentless need to see the guys who hurt their friend lose.

Plus, Trent is lowkey a really amazing wrestler. And Chuck Taylor? He’s a very funny guy. (Nah, Young Dustin’s great too, but being a great wrestler isn’t, like, his main thing.) The point is they gave it their all, and it never looked like it was going to be enough. And it almost wasn’t! Sammy was just about to finish off Trent when all of the sudden a cameraman tripped him! On purpose! Why would a cameraman do that?

After Trent took advantage and pinned Sammy, the cameraman revealed that he was Orange Cassidy all along! Just imagine, Orange wanted revenge so much that he took on the role of a working man and did some work! And when he attacked Jericho after the match, he was fired up like we’ve never seen him before. Orange Cassidy is amazing, and his match with Jericho at Fyter Fest is going to be a career highlight. Possibly for both of them!

Top 10 Comments Of The Week

Mr. Bliss
Orange Cassidy needs to beat Jericho with a Fozzy Bear doll tonight

The fine print on Colt’s contract to tag with Dark Order says that if Brodie Lee decides he doesn’t want to wrestle with Colt anymore, Colt can’t tag with anyone else for 90 days.

AddMayne

Sammy going from traveling everywhere with a leg scooter to instantly being able to wrestle a whole match with no issue is pretty funny
Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer

Is it too early to call Chris Jericho vs Orange Cassidy at Fyter Fest The Greatest Wrestling Match Ever ?

JayBone2

Butcher & Blade: yvan eht nioj

The Real Birdman

Like anybody in Dark Order has the guts to talk to somebody that looks like Anna Jayy in person

Baron Von Raschke

Me watching Britt Baker send a note to Tony via clothesline

Endy_Mion

AEW missed an opportunity tonight with Cody vs. Ricky and Schiavone calling it. They have a Tony, a Starks, yet no Ironman match? or Extreme(is) Rules?

PTI_ITOMMY

so, Tony Khan just makes a match for Fyter Fest official, on a whim, in the closing seconds of the show?! So bush league. In the pros, we sign contracts, with in-ring piss tests!

SexCauldron

AEW: Some lady just stole a golf cart with another lady in a wheelchair in the back
911: You’ll have to be more specific, this is Florida

That’s about it for this week. Dynamite continues to be the best Quarantine Content in wrestling, at least in my opinion, and with Fyter Fest coming up in two weeks, things are only going to get more intense from here. Next week Brandon should be back, which among other things will mean the column will be funnier and go up earlier in the day!

Thanks for reading about Dynamite! Leave us a comment below, give the column a share on social media, and make sure you’re here next week!

Rooftop gardens have become popular features of high rise apartments, but a grocery store in Canada has taken the idea a big step further.

According to Canadian Grocer, the 25,000 square foot rooftop garden of IGA Extra Famille Duchemin grocery store, created in 2017 in Montreal, produces about 35 types of produce that the store harvests and sells themselves. The certified organic crops include kale, lettuce, carrots, green beans, eggplant, garlic, tomatoes and spinach, and store co-owner Richard Duchemin says the produce sells “very well.” The garden also includes beehives for honey.

The garden is even designed in the shape of the letters IGA, making quite a striking visual from the air. Duchemin told the Montreal Gazette that he hoped his store’s rooftop would serve as an example for other grocery stores to follow.

“Why don’t supermarkets plant vegetables on their roofs? Some restaurants have little boxes where they grow herbs,” he said. “We pushed it further because we know we’re able to sell what we produce here.”

Check it out:

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IGA – Frais du toit

youtu.be

The garden isn’t just green with plants; it’s also environmentally maintained, getting its irrigation water from the store’s dehumidification system—water which would have been discarded anyway. The lush outdoor space also serves as a habitat for birds and bees.

This hyperlocal approach to farming can also reduce the environmental and economic costs of transporting produce. Though the rooftop garden can’t serve all demand for produce, especially in a region with a limited growing season, it does help. And how fresh would your produce be if it was literally just picked an hour or two ago?

“People are very interested in buying local,” Duchemin told the Gazette. “There’s nothing more local than this.”

Good News Movement shared a photo of the rooftop garden on Instagram, and people are loving it.

The Instagram post quoted Duchemin, saying,”Not only does a green roof help regulate the temperature of the building below it, saving energy, but it also feeds into consumer demand for food with a smaller carbon footprint.”

Wouldn’t it be incredible if every grocery store grew its own produce on site? Is this a glimpse of the future?