So you wanna watch something…

Don’t Make Me Go: Max (John Cho) is a single father who has just received a diagnosis for terminal brain cancer—and has only a year to live. He decides to spend his last healthy days connecting with his teenage daughter, Wally (Mia Isaac)—and suggests they go on a cross country road trip in the guise of driving lessons. Unbeknownst to Wally, Max plans to introduce her to her mother—who walked out on both of them years ago. Deadline describes it as a “small but moving ‘road movie’ that uses a well-worn genre to tell a memorable story”—praising the performances of Cho and Isaac. New York Times agrees, saying that their “stellar performances expose the gulf between familiarity and intimacy.” We know what we’re going to be watching this weekend. Catch it today on Amazon Prime.

DB Cooper: Where Are You?!: This four-episode docu-series is about the search for DB Cooper. This guy hijacked a flight from Portland to Seattle in 1971, demanded $200,000 and four parachutes—and jumped out of the plane. He still hasn’t been caught 50 years later! Director Marina Zenovich focuses on the people who became obsessed with finding him—and the black hole it led them into. No, you will never know what happened to Cooper. Chicago Sun Times calls the series “expertly crafted” and “endlessly fascinating”—while  Telegraph UK praises it as “full of derring-do and colourful characters.” Stream it on Netflix.

Jaadugar: The town of Neemuch loves football—so much so that its local tournament is described as a ‘second Diwali.’ But Meenu (Jitendra Kumar)—a small-time magician—couldn't care less about the tournament or his neighbourhood team, much to the chagrin of his coach (Javed Jaffery). That is until he falls in love with the local optometrist, Disha (Arushi Sharma)—and is determined to dazzle with his skillz. The only problem: his team hasn’t made it to the finals in years. There aren’t any reviews yet, but this promises to be a light-hearted underdog tale to watch over the weekend. The film drops on Netflix today.

THE GRAY MAN: This film marks Tamil actor Dhanush’s highly anticipated Hollywood debut. Directed by Joe and Anthony Russo (‘Avengers: Infinity War’ and ‘Endgame’), this action-thriller follows CIA agent Court Gentry (Ryan Gosling) on the run from assassins—hired by his ex-colleague (Chris Evans). Apart from Dhanush, the A-list ensemble cast includes Billy Bob Thorton and Alfre Woodard. USA Today says the movie “brings sass to the secret-agent genre,” but Forbes is less impressed: “while the instruments are all in place, the music never comes together, and the notes mostly fall flat.” This movie may not be on par with the James Bond or ‘Mission: Impossible’ franchise, but it offers a high-octane watch for fans of fast-paced flicks. ‘THE GRAY MAN’ releases today in theatres—and July 22 on Netflix.

A list of good reads

• Inc looks at the best way to reboot your exhausted brain—when you can’t take a proper break. 
• Mashable asks an interesting question: Is drunk sex ethical—more so since many of us needed it for dutch courage at one time or another?
• Film Companion has an excellent piece on the challenges of making a documentary film in India.
• Scroll has a lovely piece on everyone’s favourite ingredient: Milkmaid—and how it became the byword for condensed milk in India.
• Indian Express explains why South Africa’s withdrawal from the ODI series with Australia—due to their new T20 franchise—may spell the end of the format.
• Vulture looks at the changing work culture within Netflix—which is not so democratic or open now that those subscriber numbers are falling.
• Ars Technica has an interesting piece on the link between brain vs body size and intelligence.
• This excellent Hari Kunzru essay in Harper’s Magazine made us think about the value of “objectivity”—at a time when both ends of the political spectrum are so hostile toward it.
• Sophie Lucido Johnson in BuzzFeed News writes of her predicament: She was in three polyamorous relationships when she got pregnant.
• WarOnTheRocks offers a thought-provoking view of India as a “global swing state”—much like the purple states that swing red and blue at will in the US. 
• The Guardian has a lovely piece with first-person accounts of people who came out of the closet in their fifties.
• Smithsonian magazine looks at eight climate-resilient superfoods that may soon become an essential part of our diet.