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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...

Apariencias (Argentina) [Appearances]

This movie was supposed to be funny or at least thats what the film makers claimed. Trust me it could have been funny but it in no way tickled any of my funny bone. On the contrary I wanted the film to finish fast because it was just too obvious of what's going to happen next. Calling it a comedy film is itself a wrong thing to say.

Carmello, who is 30-years old and extremely shy, finds it difficult to reveal his innermost feelings to Verónica, his coworker. He has loved her ever since he has seen her but he doesn't have that outgoing personality. When Verónica returns from a work trip from USA, she brings her boyfriend along with her which completely shatters Carmelo's world. Things are worse when she announces her intention to get married soon. Accidentally, she spots him demonstrating in a gay rally where he becomes a leader of that cause. Of course, Verónica assumes that Carmelo is gay and asks him to help her out in the project that she is working on. Hoping to win her love Carmello plays along with the game. He wants to use this opportunity to overcome his shyness and maybe at one point be able to tell Verónica how much he loves her. When the friendship between them grows a lot, one fine moment, days before her wedding, he tells her the truth but as expected she feels cheated. After a little cat and mouse game, the wedding is called off and they both kiss and make up.

Like I said before, humor is pretty outdated (whatever little that existed). I thought principal characters were a little over the top specially Carmello. There was just no chemistry between them. At no point it was said why would Verónica leave her boyfriend and why was she falling in love with Carmello. There was no such single moment that could explain this. The parents of both these characters were other annoying characters in this film. Worse is that whenever gay comes, it has to be the stereotypical gay cliches.

Maybe its worth within Argentinean context but for a wider audience, it leaves a lot to be desired. (4/10)

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