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...
Opting to explore the darker side of love, this collection of short films alternates between dark desires and sweet affection. Some of the works arrive with a twist in their tale, whilst others are somewhat low in gay visibility, if high in humanity.Curious Thing (USA)
This film sets out to examine the lives of gay men in NYC in this opening part. Exploring the growing bond between two men, both straight to the world, but equally aware of their burgeoning feelings for each other, emotions are set to test the boundaries of their friendship when one realizes he is gay and other is not. I think this short was beautiful.
Cake And Sand (Germany)
Tim and Julian’s relationship would seem to be the envy of many. Yet behind all the smiles, lies the reality that their relationship spark is no more. Knowing such, both are determined to re-light the romantic flame, only are their loving efforts to be in vain? This poignant piece raises the question of when exactly does love die? Beautiful.
Watch Over Me (Israel)
Close to completing his final training, Eitan, a soldier enlisted in an elite army unit, is taken out by his team mates, only for their drinking session to be cut short upon the arrival of Shahar; an openly gay man. It is a situation that Eitan’s superior turns to his advantage, challenging Eitan to queer bash Shahar. Only has Eitan got what it takes to earn his stripes?
The New Tenants (Denmark/US)
This dark humoured piece tells the story of lovers Frank and Peter and their first hours in their new apartment together. Down on their luck, things are about to get a lot worse, when their welcome committee consists of a noisy neighbour, a crazed husband, not to mention the local drug dealer. Having just moved in, can they make it out alive?
Just Friends? (Korea)
Read Here Just Friends?
Mirrors (Canada)
Julien, a melancholic teenager who alongside his brother Antoine, arrive with their parents at the family lakeside holiday home. Only far from being at ease, Julien is soon rejecting offers to get up close and personal with the local girls, preferring instead the company of his musical neighbour Hervé and in turn his close friend / pianist. It is a friendship that is set to see Julien realise his path in life.
Communication (New Zealand)
Told from the reflective mindset of Jacob, we encounter this young man as he finds himself bequeath the estate of his former university lecturer Andrew. Taking a tour of a property once visited, memories come flooding back as objects on display vividly recall times past spent with a man only too happy to court the affections of a youth, struggling to reconcile his religious and sexual callings in life.
The Traitor (Israel)
What happens when love turns cold? Well in this dramatic, intimate, short showcases your seemingly everyday loving couple Tomer and Shmulik. Yet not everything is what it appears to be, as over dinner Tomer announces his intent to move out. Only is Shmulik prepared to let his lover go, without putting up a fight?
The Strange Ones (USA)
A man and a boy walk a lonely highway, until the boy chances upon a free swim courtesy of the outdoor amenities of a roadside motel, unaware that a female member of staff is watching them. Making her acquaintance, a faulty drinks machine takes up most of the time of the man, leaving the boy alone with the girl to tell her his alarming take of life on the road; a tale that differs to that told by the man. Weirdly funny.
Cappuccino (Switzerland)
Read Here Cappuccino
Another brilliant collection in the series. (6.5/10)
Comments
I for sure very much remember "The Strange Ones," which I thought was intensely enigmatic, even though many I know who saw this film simply believed that the story the boy told was the correct one and that it was the whole point of the movie (but, if so, then not much of a story, not really). I am convinced that it was all much more complicated than something like that. In fact, it may very well be that the older guy was the one in thrall and that the young one had the power. At any rate, none of us, and by that I mean the film's viewers and the fictitious motel manager (owner?) will ever actually know "the truth" of it except for however our own fantasies want to fill in the story based on whatever we need it to be.
Now that I think about it, the motel woman may very well be the main character of the story (she certainly is a fill-in for "us" watching this)...I think of all the strange and peculiar people who must travel through and spend a night in that motel that the woman will see but never ever really know anything about. Her own life must be horrendously boring, just making beds and vacuuming vacant rooms, so she fills it up with fantasies of who the travelers really are based on the tiny little dramas she witnesses and her own boundless imagination.
I also tend to forget what movies I have seen and what I haven't and that is precisely the reason I started this blog in the first place.