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Stop! That! Train!

Coming out of the same studio that gave us RuPaul's Drag Race, and stacked with a whole crew of former contestants, Stop! That! Train! plays like RuPaul basically taking a bow for the entire franchise she's built. It's not really a gay film in the traditional sense, but with so many drag stars from Ru's shows popping up alongside a few cameos from well known out gay actors, I figured it earns a spot on this blog anyway. The whole thing is completely over the top, packed with GenZ slang, loud flashy visuals, and humor that's constantly winking at you knowing how ridiculous it is. Going in you'd assume it's meant to be a laugh riot, and a lot of critics online seem to be eating it up, but I just couldn't get into it at all. I've never really been someone who vibes with campy silly stuff like this, so honestly my reaction doesn't surprise me one bit. The setup follows Tess and DeeDee, two low level stewardesses who sneak onto the fancy Glamazonian E...

Mulligans (Canada)

My first film in the Philadelphia GL film festival and I am so glad I started the festival with this film. There are always expectations when one watches a film and it definitely turns out to be a pleasant experience sometimes. For records, Mulligans is a term in golf when a second chance is given. And the film is based around this statement.

One summer Tyler brings home his best buddy Chase for the summer. He has his parents Nathan and Stacey and a very young sister Birdy. Both Nathan and Stacey are young. We are told that Tyler was from a teen pregnancy. Chase and Tyler are best of buddies and love hanging out. They are here to work for summers in the golf course and Chase gets a warm reception at Tyler's house. We feel that there is some sort of tension going on between Stacey and Nathan but never know exactly what because they are always in the process of depicting a perfect family portrayal. This is till the time Chase comes out to Tyler. After the initial shock that Tyler has, he tries to reason it and still agrees to be the best friend of Chase after he discusses with his dad Nathan. One weekend Stacey, Birdy and Tyler go to their grandma's house. Nathan invites Chase for dinner and he looks very upset. He starts crying and just says 'I think'. Chase stops him and says 'I know'. They have a short affair. Affair is wrong word since they genuinely felt for each other. But soon things come out in open. STacey finds out and confronts Nathan. Turns out that she always suspected he was gay. Nathan reasons that this is the first time that he has ever been with a man and the reason he is with their is because he genuinely loves his wife and kids. Eventually Tyler also finds ou. After lots of tribulations, Chase leaves for college after Tyler forgives him and Nathan decided to take sometime off from his family, to sort his own issues and then see what can comes up.

I have not mentioned Birdy a lot in the film but she was the best. She was so damn funny. Her scenes were the best. The portrayal of Nathan was very believable and so was Chase's and Tyler's. The confusions that Tyler goes through, first for his friend and then for his father were acted beautifully. All the main characters were superb. The location was fantastic and beautiful. A very very high quality product.

I loved the film and I am sure you too will. (8/10)

Comments

Anonymous said…
Caught it on LOGO I dont know if I just felt odd over his best friend falling in love with his Dad or what but that just sorta odded me out a little. I did enjoy the movie it was very nice and would not mind owning this one but since I have seen it I will wait for it to be on sale or clearance LOL! Save some money to waste on the other crap I buy and then end up hating! LOL!
timofieusz said…
mediocre tv drama. nothing more.
Golu said…
U think so? I would be interested in knowing some of your fav gay cinema
GC from France said…
Can't say it was bad but I'm pretty sure I won't ever Watch this one again. It was so slow I had to fast forward sometimes, and Tyler's friend, though quite handsome, is such a bad actor. Had it not been for Birdy and Tyler's father, or even Tyler himself, this movie would have seemed completely flat. I ever considered quitting before the end...To me, this but avery average TV drama.
ILHiker said…
I've seen this one many times, so I'm not sure I'd call tonight a rewatch. It's a comforting movie, pleasant, low-key. I think of movies that are so dramatic, or so ridiculous, or over the top, and this is none of them. It doesn't get too funny, too dramatic, too intense. It falls into that sweet spot. I think we all have movies we keep going back to from time to time, and this is certainly one of many for me. Tonight was the first time I found myself wishing for a sequel, a little more time with the characters and an inkling of how things have gone for them. I rarely wish for sequels, as they can sometimes be so bad they partially ruin the original movie.
Golu said…
I haven't seen this film ever since the only time I watch dit on big screen. I wonder if I will still feel the same, but who knows!!

and of course you know my besets goto film ever is Big Eden.

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