This week Remezcla celebrates Weed Week. In collaboration with Latino USA, we will be discussing all things ganja and its effect on our culture. There’s a lot to dive into – from Martha Stewart to Barack Obama, it seems everyone has a strong opinion on the herb. But, this is the film section of Remezcla, so we’ll stay on topic.
Aside from getting your snacks on lock, having an on-point watch list is key to having a successful 4/20, which is why we’ve come up with a guide to some pot-centric TV shows, movies and documentaries you should be streaming. From mindless classics like Half Baked to high brow documentaries detailing the legalization of pot in Washington State, most of the picks on this list feature Latino talent either in front of or behind the cameras. Bonus: They’ll make you forget all about your W2 forms. Get your piece, get on that UberEats, get your sister’s login and get your binge watch on.
Weed Week is a cross-platform collaboration with our friends at Latino USA. All week long, we’ll be diving into the many ways cannabis culture and policy intersect with Latino communities – leading up to Latino USA’s marijuana-themed episode “Smoked Out,” airing on Friday.
1
Cheech and Chong’s Up in Smoke
Directors: Lou Adler, Tommy Chong
Year: 1978
It’s time to get your vintage on. Forget about instagram filters, this is some serious Sepia entertainment. Listen, it’s 2016 and the trailer for this movie has over four million views. This, my friends, is what we call transcendent entertainment. Two friends end up smuggling a van made of weed (fiberweed) into the states. What follows is mayhem. It includes nuns, a bunch of puns and some questionable fashion choices. Fun fact: this was Cheech and Chong’s first full length feature. I do not know how Paramount greenlit (Greenlit. Get it?) this film, I am, however, jealous of anyone who was at the pitch meeting.
2
Half Baked
Director: Tamra Davis
Year: 1998
The premise is simple enough: three friends sell weed to bail out another friend after he is imprisoned for killing a police horse with junk food. This is your gateway film to all pot films. It’s just good entertainment. It’s also incredibly diverse. Dave Chapelle and Guillermo Diaz star and Tommy Chong makes an appearance. It’s also directed by a woman. Tie-dye, happy faces and eyes in need of Visine drops will turn your frown upside down. Guaranteed.
3
That 70's Show
Year: 1998-2006
Did you hate your high school years? I did, and so do the kids in this show. Set in Wisconsin in the 70s the show follows six friends in high school who come together in a basement to smoke and discuss the troubles of young life. The show features Wilmer Valderrama (pre Yo Mama!) as foreign exchange student, Fez, who manages to get the girl. The girl in this case is Mila Kunis. Bonus: Tommy Chong plays an aging hippie. Also, the theme song is a classic.
4
Weeds
Year: 2005-2012
What do you do when you’re a suburban housewife and your bread winner husband dies suddenly? You become a pot dealer. Duh. Mary Louise Parker kills as a Nancy, an iced coffee slurping mother of two, who is doing the best she can. As the series unfolds we get some nice surprises like Demian Bichir in perfectly tailored suits, Guillermo Diaz as a muscle man with heart, and Kate Del Castillo getting thrown into a pool.
5
Super High Me
Director: Michael Blieden
Year: 2007
Comedian Doug Benson of Getting Doug with High fame, watched Super Size Me and got inspired. He decides it’s a brilliant idea to have cameras follow him as he stops smoking la marijuana for 30 days…in order to smoke ginormous amounts for 30 straight days after. While he’s high as a kite he keeps working as a comic on the road and undergoes IQ tests. Was this a good idea? Probably not, but hey, it’s entertaining.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z08TuIKL24w
6
Reincarnated
Director: Andy Capper
Year: 2012
Do you remember Snoop Lion? I don’t. I remember something about Snoop Dogg pulling a P.Diddy and wanting me to call him by a different name. Well, guess what? Today’s our lucky day! Thanks to Vice we get to witness the well curated and aesthetically pleasing process of how Snoop Dogg transformed into Snoop Lion. It gets deep, yo.
7
Casa de Mi Padre
Director: Matt Piedmont
Year: 2012
Diego Luna, Gael García Bernal and Will Ferrell. I mean, come on, why are you still reading? Casa de Mi Padre is one of my favorite films. It single handedly disrupted the outdated telenovela model. All telenovelas should feature Will Ferrell saying “Yo no hablo Americano.” There’s not that much of a pot plot, but it’s the perfect movie to watch stoned.
8
Evergreen: The Road to Legalization
Director: Riley Morton
Year: 2013
For this one, get in a The West Wing frame of mind. You know, and I know that criminal repercussions for possession of small quantities of weed without intent to distribute are outdated and disproportionate. Evergreen backs us up. This documentary chronicles the lead-up to the legalization of marijuana in Washington State. Interview subjects include ACLU’s lawyer Salvador Mungia.
9
Newlyweeds
Director: Shaka King
Year: 2013
Do you like your pot sprinkled with subtext? Then this is the film for you. A 2013 Sundance selection, Newlyweeds explores the possibility of substance use turning into substance abuse. It does so by examining the romantic relationship between a Brooklynite couple, Lyle and Nina, and marijuana. Adrian Martinez is part of a solid cast.
10
The Culture High
Director: Brett Harvey
Year: 2014
“It’s not rational or logical. It’s financial.” So says Snoop Dogg (billed as Snoop Dogg, not Snoop Lion.) This one attempts to examine both sides of the argument around the legalization of marijuana at the Federal level. The Culture High is broader in spectrum than Evergreen. It also features snazzier subjects, like Snoop Dogg, Ed Burns, Wiz Khalifa and comedian Joe Rogan. Warning: archival footage includes Anne Coulter. We recommend inhaling deeply.
11
High Profits
Year: 2015
This CNN docu-series follows lovebirds Brian Rogers and Caitlin McGuire. The couple owns the Breckenridge Cannabis Club, a recreational marijuana dispensary in Breckenridge, Colorado. Breckenridge is a ski town a bunch of tourists visit. Before the legalization of pot in their state, they could only sell to residents of Breckenridge. After the 2014 law passed, they could sell to tourists. Their customer base grew from 4,500 to 300,000 during peak ski season. This series documents the building of a weed empire. As if ambition wasn’t tantalizing enough, High Profits features behind the lens Latino talent: Marla Quintana.
https://vimeo.com/187191022