Jeffrey Malloch is The Watchlist’s tireless editor. His days are spent meticulously combing over every frame of the show. Here are his most anticipated films at Hot Docs this year:
SHOW ME THE FUNNY: Lorne Michaels couldn’t have guessed that his little sketch comedy experiment would become America’s highest temple of comedy. Saturday Night Live alumni Chase, Curtain, Newman, Samberg, Poehler and countless more, reflect on 40 years of television magic. Directed by Bao Nguyen.
Who wouldn’t be excited to see what happens in the inner workings of Lorne Michaels’ mind? He’s celebrating the 40th season of SNL, discovered some of the biggest comedy stars and he doesn’t seem to be slowing down.
NEXT: When Colorado legalized marijuana, the Denver Post hired the world’s first marijuana editor. Sit back as he and his pot reviewers, “high” mommy bloggers and grass-preneurs roll establishment and counter-cultures into a strange new canni-business. Directed by Mitch Dickman.
When Colorado became the first state to legalize marijuana it went under the microscope. The film chronicles the political, social and economic impact the change has had on Colorado.
SCREEN ON SCREEN: Six bright teenage brothers have spent their entire lives locked away from society in a Manhattan housing project. All they know of the outisde is gleaned from the movies they watch obsessively (and recreate meticulously). Yet as adolescence looms, they dream of escape, ever more urgently, into the beckoning world. Directed by Crystal Moselle.
The Wolfpack seems like the true story version of Netflix’s The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. It focuses on a group of young brothers who are locked away in a Manhattan apartment and rely on movies to form their understanding of what the outside world is like. I’m excited to see how their years of imagination fair against the real world when they walk out the front door for a Coney Island excursion in the doc.
SPECIAL PRESENTATION: Calgary home town boy turned Hollywood comedy guru Rob Cohen (The Simpsons, The Big Bang Theory) returns to Canada on an epic quest to rediscover our national identity. Meeting up with Canadian funny men Mike Myers, Seth Rogen and Will Arnett along the way, it’s a comic maple syrup-filled odyssey. Directed by Robert Cohen.
What does Being Canadian really mean? Rob Cohen journeys across Canada, from coast to coast to find out if our national identity is more than “not American”.
VIDEO: Toronto Star baseball columnist Mike Wilner joined host Bubba O'Neil on this Sportsline Podcast. In addition to tracing his career path and giving his...
