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Stop! That! Train!

By Golu
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...
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Another Country (UK)

By Golu
Having read good reviews about his fim, I was quite keen on watching this one. But I guess these are the kind of films which I personally dont like. In some way, shape or form, I have been unable to identify myself with these films. And considering the fact that the film is set in 30's and talks about Communism and Marxism, It all goes above my head. 

Films is set in a London boarding school. Among other things, the film focuses on 2 main characters who happen to be friend and room mates. Tommy sticks to his ideals and believes in Marx and Stalin. Guy is gay, in love with a younger pal who is forever ready to rebel against the rigid rules of the institution. The film shows the rigid, archaically proper British schools for young men where class is paramount in importance, rank reigns, and medieval views of sexuality and out of line thought are treated with public corporal punishment and (worst of all!) the inability to rise in the ranks of the 'important' lads. Throughout the film there is a powerful parallel between Guy's striving to become the head of the class being thwarted by his pursuing is passion for his love of men, and the 'religious zeal' approach of Tommy's absorption in Marxism. Many incidents keep happening which never got my interest until when Guy's sexual tryst with James Harcourt is 'discovered', Guy is beaten in front of his compatriots, prompting him to see (with Tommy in agreement) the dead-end of British society and leave the remnants of a once glorious empire behind. 

The acting was very well but like I mentioned before I personally could not relate to the film. The surroundings were beautiful and visuals striking but thats it. Dont go on my review. Take your on call. The ratings are my personal view. (2.5/10)
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Anonymous said…
Maybe because I dont understand the time period this film to me was just very strange and confusing. It would have been much better if it showed the two love birds sneaking away from school and falling for each other instead you get politics of school clubs and social classes. I did not care for this film nor do I think I would tell others to check it out. What a waste of time. However at my store we do sell this from time to time. I think its because everyone rates it so high but I dont see what all the hype is about.
September 9, 2010 at 6:56 AM
Golu said…
You said exactly what I felt. I just couldn't relate to the film in any aspect.
September 9, 2010 at 8:18 AM
Golu said…
You said exactly what I felt. I just couldn't relate to the film in any aspect.
September 9, 2010 at 8:18 AM
Pitbullshark said…
It was a shock to me that you rated this one so low, but then you explained yourself quite well. I very much loved this movie and because of it, I was a huge Cary Elwes fan for a while (even, gasp, sent him a few letters via his agent but, of course, he ignored them), strictly because of his immense beauty and grace and how I would have loved so much to have him waiting for me in a rowboat so that I could cuddle with him, or to have his beautiful face looking at me from across an intimate dining table. To me that was what this whole movie was about, all the Marxism, blah blah blah, well, I went to UC Berkeley at a time where everyone but me carried around "The Little Red Book, the Sayings of Chairman Mao" and thought wearing t-shirts with the face of Che was cool, so I learned to turn all that stuff off quite early. So the relationship with the boring roommate was just filler to me, the empty spaces between scenes with "James Harcourt".

Then Cary Elwes got the lead in "The Princess Bride", which was a wonderful and funny film and he, of course, was still beautiful, but then, like so many guys who are that beautiful, they begin to hate it and to think that they are being loved only for their looks so they begin to ruin their appearance and, in his case, he began to play nothing but despicable characters in films, so he died pretty quickly in my mind. But I still do have fond feelings for those early memories; he looked so hot in that cricket uniform (a sport I have absolutely no understanding of at all), but there is something so gracefully appealing about how they move when they "bowl" which I think is their word for "pitch".

Okay, I'm weird.
July 17, 2011 at 7:40 AM
Golu said…
I am so loving reading your comments. It is interesting because reading other people's thoughts gives a different perspective of the film.

Regarding 'cricket', I completely agree though I know much more about cricket than I would ever know about baseball. I am originally from one the cricket playing countries :)
July 17, 2011 at 9:57 PM
Pitbullshark said…
Thank you so much! Ah, "one of the cricket-playing countries". That could be only be some place where the sun doesn't set (as in "the sun never sets on the British Empire")! I always thought it was so much fun to travel and hear the cricket scores on the radio or see them in a newspaper, the sometimes unexpected combinations were so cool! "Barbados trounces Ghana!" "India slaughters Fiji!" "Honduras and the Virgin Islands go head to head, but in the end, the Virgin Islands prevail." "The Caymans win against The Gambia." "Kenya fights the Falklands, and in a heated match, loses." "Guyana still can't win against Pitcairn." Well, you get the idea.

I don't know all that much about baseball, either!
July 18, 2011 at 2:59 AM
Golu said…
Being gay gives us the privilege to be ok not know anything about baseball or any other sports for that matter. Only sport I enjoy and dont mind watching is Tennis.
July 18, 2011 at 10:23 AM
Pitbullshark said…
You're so right about that! I realize that my gayness does, or would, make me enjoy watching certain sports, such as skateboarding, gymnastics, and diving, all of which involve beautiful body movements (and very few clothes!). I do think I would probably enjoy watching ice hockey, too, because of the ice skating...although hockey players do of necessity wear way too many clothes.
July 18, 2011 at 12:05 PM
Gerald from France said…
And again thank you, I will pass this one as well
June 9, 2020 at 4:15 PM
Golu said…
lol.. Although, a lot of people like this film, if you read some other comments and general reviews of the film online. Something about it was off that I didn't connect with it.
June 10, 2020 at 10:11 AM
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