Derek Malcolm has been covering the worlds of tech and entertainment for more than two decades.<\/p>\n
Before coming to How-To Geek in 2025, Derek was a contributing editor and writer for the A\/V and Home Theater section at Digital Trends, where he wrangled and wrote everything from what to watch on Netflix to reviews, explainers, and guides on the latest Bluetooth speakers, turntables, projectors, and other A\/V gear.<\/p>\n
Based in Toronto, Derek graduated from Humber College's Journalism program in 1999, after which he started covering the worlds of music, movies, TV, and celebrity for publications such as TV Guide, Hello! magazine, and Inside Entertainment. He then got the bug for covering tech and gadgets in 2006, when he served as editor-in-chief of Canadian tech magazine Connected for more than a decade.<\/p>\n
An avid skier, when all the snow's gone Derek can be found at home spinning vinyl with his daughter or cheering on his favorite F1 team, McLaren.<\/p>\n
August just might be the hottest month on the calendar for HBO Max. House of the Dragon wraps one of its best seasons ever this coming weekend, Lanterns finally lights up mid-month with Kyle Chandler and Aaron Pierre, Anne Hathaway does something decidedly non-Devil Wears Prada-ish in Mother Mary, and Bob Odenkirk keeps his ass-kicking movie career going with Normal.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, though, HBO Max has also refreshed its movie catalog for the month, too, including the three below\u2014a music doc that will wreck you, a drug cartel thriller with a stacked cast, and my top pick this week, a classic coming-of-age journey named after a famous song.<\/p>\n
Fair warning: Amy is a tough watch. Not in the kind of shocking, turn-your-head kind of way that, for example, true-crime documentaries can be. But almost worse, because it has the impact of watching a gorgeous, colorful flower slowly wither and wilt under the weight of its environment. You wish you could do something about it, but it\u2019s too late.<\/p>\n
From Woodstock to Walk the Line \u2014 how well do you know the films behind the
\n\t\t\t\t\t\tmusic legends?<\/p>\n
The 2015 documentary Amy, about Amy Winehouse, was directed by which filmmaker?<\/p>\n
In Walk the Line, which actor portrayed Johnny Cash and won a Golden Globe for the
\n\t\t\t\t\trole?<\/p>\n
In the 2004 film Ray, Jamie Foxx portrayed Ray Charles. Which major award did Foxx
\n\t\t\t\t\twin for this performance?<\/p>\n
Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck was released in 2015 and directed by Brett Morgen. What
\n\t\t\t\t\tmade it particularly unique among Cobain documentaries?<\/p>\n
Taylor Swift's documentary Miss Americana, released on Netflix in 2020, covers a
\n\t\t\t\t\tpivotal period in her life. Which major personal decision is a central theme of the film?<\/p>\n
Summer of Soul (2021), directed by Questlove, focuses on a legendary 1969 music
\n\t\t\t\t\tfestival. What is the festival's official name?<\/p>\n
In the biopic Walk the Line, which legendary musician and close friend of Johnny
\n\t\t\t\t\tCash is portrayed as a major influence on his early career?<\/p>\n
Which of these music documentaries won the Academy Award for Best Documentary
\n\t\t\t\t\tFeature?<\/p>\n
Winner of the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature, Asif Kapadia's masterpiece is the definitive account of singer Amy Winehouse's meteoric rise from wickedly funny North London teenager with a once-in-a-generation jazz voice, through her mega-stardom that came too fast and too intensely, to her heartbreaking fall and death from alcohol poisoning in 2011 at the age of 27. Built from home videos, archival footage, and voice-only interviews with Winehouse herself, the doc is a ride through her turbulent life.<\/p>\n
Amy delves into the making of her albums Frank and the Grammy-sweeping Back to Black, playing out alongside her struggles with bulimia and addiction, her turbulent marriage, and pressure from all sides, including father Mitch Winehouse. It\u2019s a must-watch for Winehouse fans, and has a 96% critics\u2019 score on Rotten Tomatoes.<\/p>\n