Michael Miller

Ok so, now I get the hate for HBO Max's Velma series. I've been a long time defender of staying true to source material. I have ZERO interest in changing existing characters for no reason other than inclusion. Whether it's making Iceman from the X-Men gay, or in this case, making Shaggy BLACK, Daphne an ASIAN LESBIAN, or the titular Velma INDIAN. I'm all for diversity, but I've always felt that it was far more sensible to create NEW characters that covered those demographics rather than to reboot EXISTING characters with a fresh coat of PANDER PAINT. If what they did with Cleopatra and the "Indian" guy in the original Short Circuit was wrong, then SO IS THIS. What's next? A reboot of Boondocks with Puerto Rican Huey and gay Riley? It's stupid. Me being a black male does not make the new Shaggy in any way appealing. It's stupid and ignorant. The most concerning part of this, is the people, some of whom I know, who are so thirsty for representation in popular media that rather than to demand new, interesting and innovative characters, they are perfectly willing to accept repainted properties simply because they look like them! I call this the Eminem problem. People, for instance, who NEVER liked hip hop at all, but immediately after seeing Eminem think they are now authorities on good hip hop, and feel qualified to crown him the greatest of all time. It's not only ignorant, it's insulting to people who have actually done their homework on the culture, and in some ways, even minimizes the legitimate talent and skill Eminem does have. Pandering is harmful. Examples of the right way to do this exist all around. In X-Men, Northstar already is an existing gay character, and ironically, had FEELINGS FOR ICEMAN, who not only was not interested, but was attracted to another woman and was more than a little homophobic, making the decision to rebrand him as a gay character more than a little bizarre. We need to do better.

I have been a long time advocate for black cinema. I have two long standing favorite films, and one of them is the brilliantly performed "Love Jones". The original Why Did I Get Married was a solid film, but this sequel? Well it's certainly no Love Jones. My biggest problem with this movie is honestly the ham fisted delivery of it's message, and THE ENDING!!!! There were all these toxic and borderline abusive behaviors in each couple, from Tyler Perry's character being a perpetual "nice guy done wrong" AGAIN(a perpetual weakness in his acting), Jill Scott sneaking behind her new husband's back, wounding his pride in a very emasculating fashion, Angela's controlling nature and falling back off the wagon from the first movie,in a thinly veiled attempt to cover alcoholism with comedy, and Janet Jackson's Patricia, who is literally the worst character in the film. Unless she was a wealthy author prior to the marriage, or had Gavin sign a prenuptial agreement, she was not entitled to withhold any money during the divorce proceedings. Then, she proceeds to create a scene at his place of business, and subsequently causes Gavin's death, and then immediately all the evils committed by the cast are conveniently forgotten to end the plot with Janet Jackson being rewarded for her disgusting, entitled behavior by being hit on by The Rock. The lesson? In Tyler Perry's films he can never be the bad guy, and despicable women get forgiven and get happy endings.

Listen, I found this show as a refreshing, satisfying, realistic, honest dramady. That is... in season ONE. The later episodes, while masterfully directed, were a dreadful stretching, plodding affair, DEVoid(see what I did there?) of any of season one's charm and humor. The narrative shifting focus from an actor trying to make it in love, life, and career is a strong relatable story. The latter half of season two and all of season three is essentially a weak pander fest, featuring a side character turned protagonist, who's niche perspective as a lesbian, African American, AND a writer, subtly narrows the view of the story that, while at times intimate, ultimately alienates the broader audience who saw relatability in the first season's narrative. Unironically, the later half of this series had me, like the new main characters, crying over fingers.

Like Salt and Sanctuary before it, this charming slice of software offers a massive Souls-esque experience at a reasonable budget price, with a charming, beautiful-yet-decidedly retro aesthetic. This game was lovingly crafted by true fans of the style and genre, FOR true fans of the style and genre. If indie titles were able to be recommended for game of the year contendership, I would offer this purely on merit of the care that was put into the details. This is definitely going to be my sole entertainment until Salt and Sacrifice releases in a few short days. Those who value substance over flashy style, this one is not to be missed. You can quote me on that.