Out There :: Smoking the Good Stuff

"High Maintenance" is a web series that follows the adventures of a pot home-delivery man, unnamed and referred to only as "My Guy," played by series co-creator Ben Sinclair, on his rounds through NYC.

Each episode is named after the different neurotic New Yorker requesting his services, so the through-line is the weed that our guy delivers. But the series isn't really about stoners or stoner humor. In fact, considering the range of race, class, and other social indicators we encounter, HM proves once and for all that pot has gone mainstream. It transcends all social barriers.

Out There's two favorite episodes so far: "Qasim" begins as a young woman looks appraisingly and appreciatively at the butt of a young man in front of her during spinning class. She flirts with him, but he doesn't have time for her; he's on to another gym class. Turns out that this physical specimen is involved in a demanding exercise program related to his "uberman schedule," a so-called "polyphasic sleep regimen" where he is allowed only two hours of sleep a day. In the end, our gal gets high and gets her hunk, only to discover that he's into some kinky shiz.

In "Rachel," the young husband Colin ("Downton Abbey" 's handsome Dan Stevens) cross-dresses at home while his wife is away at work. As the episode reaches its climax, we realize that Rachel is going to come home and find Colin in his glamour wear. She's upset, but only because their young son has seen his dad smoking pot, not because he cross-dresses. In fact, she tells him she's proud of him for daring to receive his dealer while in transvestite mode. It's a surprising and refreshing glance at the new, queer-friendly normal.

TV critic Emily Nussbaum of The New Yorker calls HM a "shoebox that opens into Narnia" full of "meditative, dreamy invasions into the lives of creative-class New Yorkers, with smart dialogue, seams of compassion, and an O. Henry air of surprise." A new round of episodes (creators: Katja Blichfeld and Ben Sinclair) began last week. The three new eps are on Vimeo, the first that aren't free. They cost $2 each, "or $8 for a set that includes three more that will be released in January." The previous 13 episodes are available for free at HighMaintenance.tv.

Hail Britannia

The Mostly British Film Festival has announced a partial roster of seven films that will show during the festival, coming up Feb. 12-19 at the Vogue Theater, from light-hearted rom-coms to political dramas based on real events.

"Jimmy's Hall," a new film from Cannes Festival winner Ken Loach, tells the true story of a controversial social hall built in Ireland in the early 1920s. "Winnie Mandela" stars Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson as Nelson Mandela's wife. Also showing: the erotic thriller "Suspension of Disbelief," from director Mike Figgis ("Leaving Las Vegas"); and "Standby," a romantic romp starring Jessica Pare ("Mad Men"). A special price of $100 for a series pass, allowing access to 25 films and opening/closing-night parties, is available through November exclusively at the Vogue Theater Box Office.

The Jewish Community Center, the Vogue's neighbor, will offer a class on "Jewish Life in American Movies" at 4 p.m. on Jan. 11, March 8, March 29, and April 26. The course takes a kaleidoscopic look at dozens of Hollywood films that speak to the Jewish experience - from stereotypical characters such as the Jewish mother and Jewish American Princess, to depictions of anti-Semitism and interfaith love affairs. Instructors are Ruthe Stein, co-director of the Mostly British Film Festival, and Peter Stein, former director of the Jewish Film Festival. Individual tickets are available as well as for the course. Visit jccsf.org/arts.