Pubdate: Fri, 19 Feb 2016
Source: Seattle Times (WA)
Copyright: 2016 The Seattle Times Company
Contact:  http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/409
Author: Evan Bush

COLORADO LEGAL-POT DOCUMENTARY IS FUN, JUST NOT VERY FILLING

It's easy to forget Washington was the first state to legalize 
marijuana, because Colorado was quicker to actually open pot shops.

Media hordes descended on the story in the summer of 2014, with 
hometown paper The Denver Post leading the way.

Now, Colorado gets more special attention on the silver screen. The 
documentary "Rolling Papers" looks at the state's legalization 
experience through the eyes and ears of Denver Post reporters and editors.

The film barrels through about a year of the newspaper's marijuana 
coverage and wonders: Could covering pot save the failing newspaper business?

Despite that somewhat absurd frame, "Rolling Papers" is an 
instructive and fun film that will keep you giggling - high or straight.

The documentary sits on the shoulders of Ricardo Baca, the Post's 
charming marijuana editor, famous for appearances on "The Colbert 
Report" and "The View" that billed him as the nation's first marijuana editor.

Baca runs the Post's pot blog, The Cannabist, and organizes a motley 
crew of both seasoned investigative reporters and pot aficionados 
trying journalism for the first time.

Baca's novice scribes, well-marinated in pot culture, give inside 
perspectives on the weed world's pageantry and provide humor. 
Traveling to interview a black-market marijuana dealer, pot reviewer 
Jake Browne admits, "I should Google investigative reporting."

The straight-laced veteran reporters, meanwhile, give viewers an 
overview of weighty pot policy issues, such as concerns over testing 
and safety.

But don't mistake "Rolling Papers" for "Spotlight," the 
Oscar-nominated journalism procedural film. The filmmakers skate over 
ethical issues like pot and parenting, for example. Instead, they 
favor comical High Times-esque pot pornography shots, meandering 
through a marijuana festival and monging on edibles during a 
reporting trip to Uruguay.

By the end, the fate of the struggling newspaper business feels 
distant and "Rolling Papers" merely a pleasant distraction, not 
unlike the substance of its focus. Cannabist pot critic Jake Browne 
is featured in "Rolling Papers."

'Rolling Papers,' a documentary directed by Mitch Dickman. 79 
minutes. Not rated; for mature audiences. Sundance Cinemas (21+).
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom