#SetTheVCR: April 20 – 26, 2026

Monday, April 20

4X20: Quick Hits (Anytime / Hulu & Disney+ Canada)

Comprised of four, twenty-minute films: Highly Unlikely directed by Brent Hodge recounts how Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle ended up on the big screen. With two unknown Asian American lead actors, this unexpected stoner classic has become synonymous with weed since its release in 2004. High Times directed by Kyle Thrash tells the story of High Times Magazine and its founder, Tom Forcade. Motivated by the Free Press movement, Forcade smuggled cannabis to pay for a magazine that impacted Marijuana culture forever. Plus The Legend of Ganjasaurus Rex directed by Alex Ross Perry and Bong Voyage directed by Todd Kapostasy.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: CHEECH & CHONG’S LAST MOVIE (ANYTIME / PARAMOUNT+)

Told through a mix of roadtrip footage, animation and archival clips, the film follows the pair as they recall their lives from childhood to joining forces in the 1960s, all the way until their breakup in the 1980s.
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Cannabis culture meets cult comedy: a throwback to My Pal Sammy from 4-20 which explores Cheech Marin & Tommy Chong’s wild ride, from stand-up trenches to cinematic legends. The format of Cheech & Chong’s Last Movie is fantastic. As you can see from the trailer Cheech & Chong now older…the facial hair is all white are driving through the desert. They’re high yet driving slowly enough to see…signs. And along their journey there are cutbacks to their comedy career. When it goes back to the current duo driving they pick up hitchhikers. Like Lou Adler who directed their first movie but also signed them to his own record label Ode Records. I have a great deal of affection for Cheech & Chong. They made me laugh. They pushed back at the establishment. And maybe I didn’t get all the jokes. But honestly? It’s still all…dope.

Tuesday, April 21

Watching You: Limited Series (Anytime / Crave)

Are secrets ever safe – in a world where anyone could be watching? After a passionate one-night stand in a friend’s rental property, Lina is horrified to discover her affair has been captured by cameras hidden in the apartment. Amid mounting threats and paranoia, she sets out to unmask an insidious voyeur, only to realise the threat is closer and more dangerous than she could have imagined. Fighting for her life, and those around her, Lina vows to bring down her tormentor no matter the cost. This Australian Stan Original series premiered on October 3, 2025 and was added to Hulu back in February. Now Canadians can watch Watching You.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: ZODIAC KILLER PROJECT (ANYTIME / PRIME VIDEO-CANADA)

Against the backdrop of deserted spaces, a filmmaker explores his abandoned Zodiac Killer documentary, delving into the true crime genre’s inner workings at a saturation point.
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Speculation and Facts are not synonymous. It doesn’t matter who the Zodiac killer suspects are or what the text in some out of context letter says. It doesn’t matter what you think or believe: again feelings are not admissible evidence. Is this Geraldo Rivera’s Al Capone’s vault 2.0. “A film about a film that was never made, this boldly original essay begins as an exploration of one man’s obsession with catching the Zodiac Killer but quickly unfolds into an anti-true crime investigation into our cultural obsession with the genre.” New Day, New Zodiac doc. He’s still killing it in pop culture decades later. Programming Note: For Americans this’ll stream on AMC+ on May 15.

Wednesday, April 22

This Is A Gardening Show: Season 1 (Anytime / Netflix)

This Is A Gardening Show is a refreshing and whimsical take on gardening, hosted by Zach Galifianakis. Rather than positioning himself as an expert, Galifianakis approaches the subject with curiosity and self-effacing humor, aiming to learn alongside his audience and provide viewers with valuable, accessible, and educational tools for their own gardens.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: HULK HOGAN: REAL AMERICAN (ANYTIME / NETFLIX)

Before he was Hulk Hogan, he was Terry Bollea. Uncover the man behind the legend in this unfiltered documentary featuring his very last interview.
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We lost Hulk Hogan on July 24, 2025. Though I’m not a wrestling fan, I fully grasp the cultural impact Terry Gene Bollea had on our popular culture. Hulk Hogan’s Rocky III cameo remains a delight. But really, Hulk Hogan’s best win? Thank you Peter Thiel! You tagged team with Hulk Hogan and bankrupted Gawker, a notable pop culture contribution. Buzzfeed, Gawker etc. these sites are unredeemable trash with wet garbage “writing.” Havens for hacks. I’m so thankful to both for your service. So yeah…I’m cool with Hulk Hogan scoring a Last Dance. Wrestling may be fake but he was a Real American.

Thursday, April 23

Margo’s Got Money Troubles: Season 1 (Anytime / Apple TV)

Margo’s Got Money Troubles is a bold, heartwarming and comedic family drama following recent college dropout and aspiring writer, Margo, the daughter of an ex-Hooters waitress and ex-pro wrestler, as she’s forced to make her way with a new baby, a mounting pile of bills and a dwindling amount of ways to pay them.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: SPEECHLESS (ANYTIME / CBC GEM)

Filmed on campuses in the U.S. and the U.K., this evocative two-part documentary brings together years of investigation and on-the-ground filmmaking by director Ric Esther Bienstock to chronicle one of the most polarizing cultural shifts of our time. Speechless features voices across the ideological spectrum, from progressive organizers and critics of campus orthodoxy to conservative activists and institutional challengers. The documentary reveals contradictions, blind spots and unintended consequences on all sides. Blending verité filmmaking with raw protest footage, insider testimony, archival material, viral social media and animation, the documentary poses the urgent question: What happens when a society loses the ability to tolerate disagreement and power decides who gets to speak?
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“The real point is…power.” Excellent quote from the Speechless trailer. Yup. If you’re dictating what can and cannot be said, then nope…I’m not willing to recognize your power. If any (any!) speaker is forced to cancel a university gig because a handful of The Stupid got upset then clearly they’re not promoting inclusivity. Rather they have decided to make the rest of us dumber. Once you deny others access you instantly cease having intellectual value. Nobody is under any obligation to listen to any speaker. As soon as somebody feels comfortable denying others access to ideas, speakers, books etc. they are an intellectual threat. Their voice/feelings should have no presence in ongoing discussions. And clearly, I’m not making any assumptions about the content of the speech (white people, especially jump to bigotry and this’ll harm certain groups!), however the ideas are secondary to access. My focus is solely access…as soon as you deny others access to any idea of any kind you instantly become an intellectual liability and no longer worth listening to. This is how stupidity spreads. I’m surprised with the recent book bans, junk curriculum at schools with deplorable teachers, shouting down campus speakers and all that hot mess junk that divides If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next isn’t a big hit these days.

Friday, April 24

Apex (Anytime / Netflix)

A grieving woman testing her limits in the Australian wilderness is suddenly ensnared in a deadly game with a ruthless predator. When an adrenaline junkie sets out to conquer a menacing river, she discovers that nature isn’t the only thing out for blood.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: MARTY SUPREME (ANYTIME / HBO & PRIME VIDEO-CANADA)

Marty Mauser, a young man with a dream no one respects, goes to hell and back in pursuit of greatness.
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“Check it out. Dustin Hoffman, Rain Man, look retarded, act retarded, not retarded. Counted toothpicks, cheated cards. Autistic, sho’. Not retarded. You know Tom Hanks, Forrest Gump. Slow, yes. Retarded, maybe. Braces on his legs. But he charmed the pants off Nixon and he won a ping-pong competition. That ain’t retarded. He was a goddamn war hero. You know any retarded war heroes? You went full retard, man. Never go full retard. You don’t buy that? Ask Sean Penn, 2001, I Am Sam. Remember? Went full retard, went home empty-handed…” If you wanna see Timothée Chalamet go all Forrest Gump Jr. without the Tom Hanks charm…a-hem:

Saturday, April 25

Stranger Things: Tales from ’85: Season 1 (Anytime / Netflix)

Return to Hawkins with Stranger Things: Tales From ’85, an exciting new animated series from showrunner Eric Robles and executive producers the Duffer Brothers. In the winter of 1985, snow blankets the town and the horrors of the Upside Down are finally fading. Our heroes Eleven, Mike, Will, Dustin, Lucas, and Max have settled back into a normal life of D&D, snowball fights, and quiet days. But beneath the ice, something terrifying has awakened. Could it be from the Upside Down? From the depths of Hawkins Lab? Or from somewhere else entirely? Our heroes must race to solve this mystery and save Hawkins in this new story set in the Stranger Things universe.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: NIKKI GLASER: GOOD GIRL (ANYTIME / HULU & DISNEY+ CANADA)

Nikki Glaser delivers a brutally honest special that takes on aging, beauty, and fame – confronting what it means to stay relevant, desirable, and real in a culture that never looks away.
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Still not sold or even set with Nikki Glaser. She’s been solid on Howard Stern as guest. I didn’t bother with The Roast of Tom Brady. What do I care? She seems one-note…ish. Not as flat or as vapid as Amy Schumer but Chris Rock does polished raw better than Nikki Glaser. So, I dunno. Only way to find out if she’s a Good Girl is to press play.

Sunday, April 26

Alien 3: The Assembly Cut (Anytime / HBO Max)

Happy Alien Day: The Assembly Cut of Alien 3 is an extended version that restores significant subplots and character beats omitted from Fincher’s 1992 theatrical release. After crash-landing on a desolate prison planet and losing the survivors of her previous mission, Ellen Ripley must rally a community of fanatical inmates to hunt a lethal Xenomorph without weapons—all while discovering she is harboring the ultimate threat within herself. Starting on April 1st HBO Max added: Alien, Aliens, Aliens: Director’s Cut, Alien 3, Alien 3: The Assembly Cut plus at least 7 more Alien movies from the OG all the way to Alien: Romulus.
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SAMMY SUGGESTION: GREENLAND 2: MIGRATION (ANYTIME / PRIME VIDEO-CANADA)

In the aftermath of a comet strike that decimated most of the earth, Greenland 2: Migration follows the Garrity family (Gerard Butler, Morena Baccarin, and Roman Griffin Davis) as they’re forced to leave the safety of their bunker in Greenland to traverse a shattered world in search of a new home.
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Morena Baccarin was in Greenland one of the few (and oh so rare) edible Gerard Butler movies. Gerard Butler stars in this ground-level movie about the end of the world: think Deep Impact but as an indie movie. A comet is on a collision course with the Earth, its impact expected to cause an extinction-level event in a day or so. Thus Butler who plays a structural engineer must race against the clock to get himself and his family (including wife Morena Baccarin!) to a secure shelter in Greenland. That was the first disaster movie released on December 18, 2020. And this sequel was released on January 9, 2026. Well, it was released theatrically in America not Canada. In Canada Greenland 2: Migration skipped cinemas, eh? and was strictly offered as a video-on-demand release. A box office strategy that failed as the movie flopped. (To be fair…it may not be a good movie.) So now it’s time for Canadians to ignore the irony of being denied a movie called Greenland (which as another irony didn’t make any green..). Canada is practically a Greenland, so shall we being the Migration to Prime Video to check this out?

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Sammy Younan is the affable host of My Summer Lair: think NPR’s Fresh Air meets Kevin Smith: interviews & impressions on Pop Culture.