Community, Interrupted: A New Column
I have lots of opinions. Lots of them. It’s embedded in my gay genes. That is why I love critiquing and analyzing film, TV, media, and all that informs culture. Culture is a shared system of customs, arts, and beliefs of an era of time, a physical geographical...
‘The Simp’: A Delightful and Painfully Accurate Depiction of Identity Politics, Absurdity, and Caucasity in Hollywood
There was a cathartic validation while reading Roshan Sethi’s debut novel, The Simp, a searingly realistic tale about the absurdity of Hollywood in all its white splendor. The Simp follows the aforementioned Raj, an unemployed actor who lands a job as an assistant to...
The Spectacular and Sensitive Silliness of ‘Maddie’s Secret’
In 1986, a movie titled Kate’s Secret was released on NBC. It was an era t ripe with primetime lineups that included movie-of-the-week programming and specific networks promoting a “very special episode” of the latest hit TV show. There are scenes from Kate’s...
CLASSICS: ‘The Craft’
Talking to younger folks should make me feel old, but it just makes me feel wiser and more experienced. By default, older people have more life experience than younger folks and therefore...
‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ Makes Valiant Effort To Cure Superhero Fatigue With Peter Parker’s Existential Crisis
SPOILER ALERT: This article contains very specific details about Spider-Man: Brand New Day. f the Spider-Man franchise didn’t star Tom Holland and Zendaya, I wouldn’t care as much. Besides...
EVENTS
DIASPORA Calendar: August 3 – August 9, 2026
FILM Can’t Hardly Wait – 7 PM, August 9: Vidiots can't wait to party with Writer/Directors Deborah Kaplan and Harry Elfont at a special screening of their quintessential 90s teen classic Can't Hardly Wait! Vidiots, 4884 Eagle Rock Blvd., Los Angeles. Mysterious...
DIASPORA Calendar: July 27 – August 2, 2026
FILM Sorry to Bother You – 7:30 PM, July 30: Gardena Cinema’s schedule also includes Boots Riley’s wildly inventive satire, a fierce, funny, and unmistakably political film from one of the most distinctive Black artists working in American cinema. For DIASPORA...
DIASPORA Calendar: July 20 – July 26, 2026
FILM Zoot Suit with director Luis Valdez – 7:30 PM, July 23: Vidiots is thrilled to welcome the legendary Luis Valdez for a special screening of Zoot Suit, his memorable musical rendition of LA Chicano history starring Edward James Olmos. Plus! A Live DJ set from DJ...
DIASPORA Calendar: July 13 – July 19, 2026
FILM Juice with Ernest Dickerson – 7:30 PM, July 16: The directorial debut of Ernest R. Dickerson, who previously lensed Spike Lee’s Do The Right Thing (1989) and Malcolm X (1992), trains its sights on four Black teenagers in Harlem. While Q (Omar Epps) is obsessed...
COMMENTARY
‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ Makes Valiant Effort To Cure Superhero Fatigue With Peter Parker’s Existential Crisis
SPOILER ALERT: This article contains very specific details about Spider-Man: Brand New Day. f the Spider-Man franchise didn’t star Tom Holland and Zendaya, I wouldn’t care as much. Besides the two...
‘The Odyssey’: A Glorious Epic With Spectacular Stunt Casting, an Insufferable Hero, and a Colonialism Problem
SPOILER ALERT: This article includes details about The Odyssey. There is a specific moment in Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey that made me realize that the film’s hero, Odysseus, is an asshole. When...
DOSSIER
CLASSICS: ‘The Craft’
Talking to younger folks should make me feel old, but it just makes me feel wiser and more experienced. By default, older people have more life experience than younger folks and therefore makes us...
MUSIC: Toshi
During the late '90s and early '00s, I was very much into the neo-soul scene. I was obsessed with artists featured on Okayplayer and beyond. I loved vibing to music from D'Angelo, Floetry, Les...
THE DIASPORA LIBRARY
‘In Cold Blood’ by Truman Capote
I recently re-read Truman Capote's In Cold Blood and realized: "OMG. This is basically procedural... a true crime podcast, even." In Cold Blood shook the literary world. Capote brought literary...
‘In Defense of Our America: The Fight for Civil Liberties in the Age of Terror’ by Anthony D. Romero and Dina Temple-Raston
Since the world is less-than-desirable when it comes to civil rights as of late, I recommend the book In Defense of Our America: The Fight for Civil Liberties in the Age of Terror by ACLU Executive...