What I Watched in July 2026
Nolan brought Homer to IMAX, Disney sent Moana back to the ocean, Evil Dead refused to die, and Spider-Man broke the internet before breaking the box office. July 2026 was the biggest movie month I've ever experienced.
I've been writing these monthly diaries since March. None of them prepared me for July.
Four massive theatrical releases. Two shows hitting their peak. A franchise that refuses to stay buried. And Spider-Man — who broke every trailer record in history before the movie even opened.
Tohle byl ten měsíc.
The Odyssey
Nolan's IMAX epic. Matt Damon as Odysseus. The first film shot entirely on IMAX cameras.
I saw it twice — once opening night, once the following weekend. The Sirens sequence is the most beautiful thing Nolan has ever put on screen, and I'm including the docking scene from Interstellar in that comparison. Anne Hathaway as Penelope carries the emotional weight of the whole film. Tom Holland as Telemachus is surprisingly great — turns out he can act in things that aren't Spider-Man.
The cast is ridiculous: Zendaya as Circe, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong'o, Charlize Theron, Elliot Page, Mia Goth. It's not Oppenheimer — it's not trying to be. It's Homer. It's cinema. $250 million well spent.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day
Opening night IMAX. The theater was electric. Every seat taken. People cheering at the Marvel logo.
Tom Holland is no longer the kid from Civil War. The "physical evolution" plotline is genuinely unsettling — Cretton doesn't shy away from body horror when the story calls for it. Jon Bernthal as Punisher steals every scene he's in. Michael Mando's Scorpion is menacing in a way the MCU rarely achieves with its villains.
Sadie Sink — I won't spoil it. Just... pay attention to the post-credits scene.
The ending sets up something massive. No Way Home made $1.92 billion and that seemed untouchable. Brand New Day might do it. The 1-billion-view trailer wasn't hype. It was a promise.
Moana (Live-Action)
Catherine Laga'aia IS Moana. Thomas Kail's direction is confident — you can feel the Hamilton stage discipline translated to cinema. The Rock is The Rock. The ocean sequences are stunning.
Better than Little Mermaid, not as good as the animated original — but what could be? Disney's live-action machine keeps running, and this time the source material is strong enough to carry it.
Evil Dead Burn
Sébastien Vaniček brought something new to the deadites. The practical effects are nasty in the best way. Not as good as Evil Dead Rise, but solid. Hunter Doohan is a strong lead. Souheila Yacoub has serious final girl energy.
The franchise really does refuse to die. From Sam Raimi's $350K cabin in 1981 to a 2026 theatrical release — Evil Dead keeps finding new filmmakers who understand what makes it work.
House of the Dragon S3
The dragons finally feel dangerous. Not just CGI showpieces — actual threats that change the calculus of every scene they're in. Episode 6 is the best thing HBO has produced since Game of Thrones at its peak. Better than Season 2 by a mile.
The Vampire Lestat
Sam Reid gave the performance of the summer. The Vampire Lestat took everything that worked about Interview with the Vampire and turned the volume up to eleven. The rock star Lestat era is iconic. If this doesn't get Emmy nominations, something is broken in the industry.
Quick Mentions
Cut Off — Jonah Hill's directorial effort is surprisingly funny. Kristen Wiig is the MVP. Not going to change anyone's life, but a solid comedy in a summer dominated by spectacle.
The Dink — Pickleball comedy on Apple TV+. Jake Johnson and Ed Harris together is exactly as weird and wonderful as it sounds. Light fun.
I Want Your Sex — Gregg Araki is back after a decade. Olivia Wilde and Cooper Hoffman in a Sundance erotic thriller. Weird, provocative, unapologetically Araki. Not for everyone. Absolutely for me.
Minions & Monsters — Saw it early July with the kids. Trey Parker as a villain is inspired casting. The Illumination machine keeps printing money.
The Database Side
July was the biggest month for spameri.cz since I rebuilt the site. Spider-Man, The Odyssey, Moana live-action, Evil Dead Burn — all added on release day. The blog passed 70 posts. Nine personas running. Every week, four articles go up like clockwork.
The whole system is running. The database keeps growing. Internal links everywhere. People are actually reading the articles — the Nolan data piece got shared around more than I expected.
Baví mě to. See you next month.
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