(Yes, dear readers, we used to call this Humpday Recs™ – but we’re trying out some new names, bear with us.)
Watch: Veer-Zaara: I recently rewatched this Indian cinema classic from 2004, and immediately remembered why it’s my favorite Indian movie of all. The drama unfolds as an Indian Air Force officer wrongly imprisoned for 22 years in Pakistan is given a chance to fight his case. In his story, we learn of his romance, just before he was arrested, with the betrothed daughter of a Pakistani politician. Two decades after its release, the film’s dialogues are as impeccable and timely as ever – a sensitive portrayal of the fraught relationship between India and Pakistan, two countries once again on the brink of war. - Suhani Lakhotia
Read: The Sparrow blends sci-fi and faith as Jesuits journey to an alien world, echoing real-world missions from centuries past to "undiscovered" lands like Japan and the New World. With the Catholic Church bidding farewell to its first Jesuit pope and now deep in conclave talks to pick a new one, the novel feels newly resonant—grappling with discovery, suffering and belief at civilization’s edge. - Alex Gibson
Listen: “Dr Death.” Not to be confused with the key witness in Errol Morris’ “The Thin Blue Line,” this documentary podcast series tells unsettling stories of untrustworthy doctors. It completed its fourth season earlier this year, but none match the original series, which follows the enthralling and harrowing tale of Dr. Duntsch, an unqualified neurosurgeon who keeps getting new jobs at Texas hospitals despite maiming dozens of his patients. – Zac Weisz
Hot-Take of the Week: Zac says “coffee tables are useless and should be banned.”
