Entertainment
Netflix’s Extremely Violent, R-Rated Buddy Comedy Slays Vampires With Reckless Abandon
By Robert Scucci
| Published
Normally, I’m not one to gush over vampire movies, but I’m a “never say never” kind of guy when it comes to my media consumption. While I admit that I had my reservations about checking out 2022’s Day Shift after punishing myself with 2005’s infamously terrible BloodRayne, I’m a fan of Jamie Foxx in most applications, having thoroughly enjoyed White House Down (2013) and They Cloned Tyrone (2023). Both films technically function in the buddy comedy wheelhouse, and the humor lands exceptionally well thanks to Foxx’s ability to play the straight man in increasingly ridiculous situations.
Day Shift brings that energy into the world of vampire hunting, where there’s payroll, union rules, and a code of conduct that needs to be followed for the whole machine to work in the shadows without too much collateral damage. With that dynamic in mind, Day Shift gets its laughs from constantly breaking those rules as an ancient, undead evil threatens the world as we know it.
Stuck On The Day Shift
When we’re introduced to Jamie Foxx’s unfortunately named Bud Jablonski, we quickly learn just how unfortunate every other aspect of his life is. Separated from his wife Jocelyn (Meagan Good), he does everything he can to provide for his daughter Paige (Zion Broadnax). Posing as a contract pool cleaner, Bud moonlights as a rogue vampire killer, collecting their teeth so he can pawn them off for extra cash. Facing mounting financial pressure because Jocelyn is threatening to sell the house and move out of town, Bud realizes what he has to do: rejoin the vampire hunting union.
There’s just one problem. Union boss Ralph Seeger (Eric Lange) doesn’t want him back because he has a long history of violating protocol. Don’t worry though, because we need Bud to rejoin the union for his movie to work, so Snoop Dogg’s Big John Elliott, a well-respected veteran vampire hunter, helps convince Seeger to allow him to work in an official capacity again.
Seeger, not exactly thrilled to let Bud back into the mix, forces him to work with Seth (Dave Franco), the most by-the-books union supervisor to ever walk on God’s green earth. Seth eats gluten-free muffins, speaks fluently in policy, and is tasked with clocking every single one of Bud’s infractions during his probationary trial before he can be fully welcomed back as a full-time member.
Right off the bat, Bud and Seth butt heads, but Seth warms up to his unconventional approach to vampire hunting when he sees the results. As their friendship forms throughout Day Shift, we learn what’s really at stake in the form of our antagonist, Audrey San Fernando (Karla Souza). Audrey has it out for Bud, who in the film’s opening sequence murdered an elderly vampire woman in her home who just so happens to be her daughter.
Stuck trying to do things his own way without getting the book thrown at him, Bud now has to worry about Audrey hunting down his family, who have no idea about his extracurricular vampire activities, for revenge.
Bloody, Buddy Cops
Not only does Day Shift offer an emotional throughline through Bud’s family dynamic, the buddy cop aspect of the film is what really sells its premise. Seth constantly getting sick to his stomach and soiling himself every time Bud and his vampire hunting friends rack up a body count becomes a recurring gag, and much of his character’s evolution comes from realizing that rules are sometimes meant to be broken when there’s a greater good at stake.
Fortunately for Bud, who’s racking up countless infractions while on probation, Seth’s knowledge of the employee handbook is so comprehensive that he knows all the loopholes they can lean on when things get dicey. Seth also learns that there are more important things in life than following protocol, like family, which is why Bud is so hellbent on getting his job back in the first place.
Bud’s heart and chaotic charm are perfectly foiled by Seth every step of the way, and as they become fast friends while facing their immortal enemies, they turn into an unstoppable force of nature, exactly what you need when an ancient evil posing as a real estate agent is trying to wipe out humanity one pre-fab housing development at a time.
While my mileage varies on most Netflix Originals, Day Shift holds its own by taking an inherently absurd premise and matching it with a tried-and-true buddy cop formula. It’s not high art, but it’s a wildly entertaining trip through a San Fernando suburb plagued with vampires and daywalkers alike.
Day Shift is a Netflix Original and can be streamed with an active subscription.
Entertainment
Using Claude Fable 5 means your data will be collected. It’s not optional.
Anthropic just released its most powerful public model yet — Claude Fable 5. However, along with the model’s release, the AI giant also made a significant update to its data retention policies.
Fable 5 was released to the public on Tuesday. Fable 5 is a “safe for general use” version of Anthropic’s most powerful model, Mythos, which has been restricted from public use due to its potentially dangerous cybersecurity capabilities. Anthropic created a set of safety guardrails for Fable 5, and its benchmarks blow away much of the competition, per Anthropic.
But it looks like Anthropic has also blown away its data retention policies for Fable 5.
“To ensure we’re responsibly deploying Mythos-class models, we are requiring limited data retention and review as part of our safety work,” reads an update on Anthropic’s official Claude support page. “Prompts submitted to, and outputs generated by, Mythos-class models are retained for 30 days for trust and safety purposes, on every platform where these models are offered.”
The update was first noticed by Jun Park, the CEO of AI training company hillclimb.
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“New policy from Anthropic: if you use Fable/Mythos, they collect your data. No exceptions. Not even for enterprise partners,” Park posted on X.
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This change is significant for Anthropic’s enterprise and API customers, says Jessica Eaves Mathews, a lawyer who specializes in copyright, trademark, and AI law.
In a post on Mathews’ Substack (as highlighted by CyberNews), the lawyer explains how Anthropic already retains user data for 30 days under its free and paid consumer plans. However, Matthews says this change nullifies part of any agreement Anthropic has with its enterprise and API partners.
“Every other Claude model available through the API, including Opus 4.8, Sonnet 4.6, and Haiku 4.5, can operate under Zero Data Retention (ZDR) agreements,” Mathews writes. “Fable 5 cannot. If your organization previously had a ZDR agreement with Anthropic, that agreement does not apply to Fable 5 traffic. This is a policy change that overrides existing enterprise commitments for this specific model class.”
Mathews says that any organization that believed that their data would not be stored by Anthropic should know that there is now a “mandatory exception” for Fable 5 and all future Mythos models.
While Mythos-class models seem to be quite powerful, companies should know about the change in Anthropic’s data retention policies and make adjustments where necessary.
Entertainment
Tons of Fitbits are on sale ahead of Prime Day
Best early Prime Day Fitbit deals at a glance:
Amazon’s Prime Day sales event is right around the corner (I can’t believe it’s that time of year again!), and I’m genuinely shocked by the deals we’re seeing this early in the game.
Usually, Amazon doesn’t put Fitbits on sale until the very last minute, and then they’re gone. (And some years, they don’t go on sale at all.) But right now, we’re seeing all-time lows on select Fitbit models, including the Charge 6.
Here are the best early Prime Day Fitbit deals you can shop right now:
Best deal overall
$99.95
at Amazon
$159.95
Save $60.00
Why we like it
The Fitbit Charge 6 isn’t the newest Fitbit on the market, but it still has (almost) everything you’d need in a smart wearable. (I say almost because the Fitbit Charge 6 doesn’t have an altimeter, but if you’re not a trail runner, this probably isn’t a deal breaker.)
The Charge 6 tracks your calories, steps, sleep, heart rate, and more. It also has built-in GPS, 40+ exercise modes, a seven-day battery life, and includes a three-month Google Health Premium (formerly Fitbit Premium) membership. Once the three months are up, you’ll need to either cancel or renew for $9.99 per month or $99.99 annually.
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Right now, you can get the Fitbit Charge 6 for $99.95 at Amazon. This is the lowest price we’ve tracked on this model since its release in 2023.
Best runner-up deal
Why we like it
If you’re willing to spend a little bit more, the Fitbit Versa 4 is on sale for $149.95. This isn’t the lowest price we’ve seen (it was $104.96 in April 2024), but it’s still a pretty good deal.
Unlike the Charge 6, the Versa 4 has an altimeter and Bluetooth wrist calling. So, if you’re looking for a wearable that acts more like a smartwatch, the Versa 4 might be the better buy. That said, it doesn’t have the more “serious” health sensor that the Charge 6 does (e.g., ECG and EDA).
The Versa 4 also comes with three months of Google Health Premium.
Best budget deal
$79.95
at Walmart
$89.95
Save $10
Why we like it
If you’re just looking for something that’s affordable and efficient, the Fitbit Inspire 3 is your best option at $79.95.
It’s a no-frills fitness tracker that’ll give you the basic features you need to stay on top of your health. It can track your heart rate, steps, and stress levels. (It also offers menstrual health tracking, which is nice.)
You’ll also get 10 full days of battery life and, like the other models mentioned above, three free months of Google Health Premium.
Entertainment
20+ book deals Im sending to the group chat before Prime Day even begins
Table of Contents
The best early Prime Day book deals at a glance:
It’s nearly Amazon Prime Day, which officially runs from June 23 through 26, but if you don’t feel like waiting, there’s already plenty of live deals to shop.
Besides offering three free months of both Kindle Unlimited and Audible to new subscribers, Amazon also has some pretty great discounts on books themselves. I’m not usually one to recommend purchasing physical books via Amazon (support local book stores!), but it’s pretty hard to pass up a 50% price drop on a book you’ve had on your TBR.
Amazon Editors just dropped the 20 best books of 2026 (so far) — find out what made the list
I’m tracking some of the best deals on physical books and e-books at Amazon ahead of the official Prime Day kick off, but remember to check back for more once things start ramping up.
Best early Prime Day hardcover book deal
$14.67
at Amazon
$30
Save $15.33
with on-page coupon
Why we like it
Named one of the best books of 2026 so far by Amazon Book Editors, Crux is an “exhilarating, tender novel about an unlikely friendship forged through a shared love of rock climbing,” according to Amazon Editor Abby Abell. Thanks to an on-page coupon at Amazon, you can add the hardcover version to your home library for less than half its usual cost.
More hardcover book deals
Best early Prime Day paperback book deal
$7.50
at Amazon
$19.95
Save $12.45
Why we like it
A classic trope of two abducted girls, only one returns and one doesn’t, The Girl Who Was Taken is a psychological thriller by Charlie Donlea where nothing is as it seems. Typically around $20, you can pick up the paperback version for only $7.50 at Amazon ahead of Prime Day. That’s just a few cents away from its lowest price ever.
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More paperback book deals
Best early Prime Day Kindle book deal
$2.99
at Amazon
$18.99
Save $16.00
Why we like it
I highly recommend grabbing this twisty psychological thriller from internationally best-selling author Steve Cavanagh while the Kindle version is only $2.99. Kill For Me Kill For You follows two women seeking revenge against the men who killed their daughters. Over drinks one night, they decide to swap murders, but things don’t go exactly as planned.
More Kindle book deals
Alec Burleson, Cards look to extend streaks vs. Mets
Best MLB Bets Today: Two Plays for Phillies-Blue Jays and Brewers-Athletics
