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...
This film is an escape to a time lost forever. A film about life, misery, love, happiness, achievement, sex and about understanding. This film takes you into the lives of young teenage kids in a boarding school and their everyday lives and mischiefs and their daily dealings with their situations. It is wrong to put this film as a gay cinema because although it does explore homosexuality in growing teens with sensitivity, it is just another aspect of the film. That itself does not make the film.Bo is a 15 year-old boy who finds himself smitten with Kim, who is younger and extremely handsome. Bo lives in boarding school with some other friends who all have some or the other individual stories going for them. Kim more than reciprocates Bo's interest and they eventually end up becoming good friends. Kim is the son of school principal. Aske puts the educational system in the limelight and leads the rest to discover why young people can think and do. Bo is a good friend who will always standup for his friends and their well-being. Kin enjoys small thing in life an dis generally a very happy boy. And finally we have Ole, who with his bully ways, he mends his life and comes to terms with the world.
The film portrays the boarding school atmosphere nicely. I felt that there were too many simultaneous stories going around in the film and it was very hard to focus on any one of them in particular. It was never explained why the town farmer boys did not like Bo and why were they always after harassing him. In the finale, as part of the class project to film 'Love thy neighbor', it is a beautifully wrought scene of Bo and Kim embracing and kissing in one of the more honest and sensitive moments on film. It is this scene that tells the viewers that you are not alone. The film was strictly ok for me. and by the way, what's up with all the weird hair that boys had in the film. Was late 70's so bad in fashion? It all looked like girls hairs. lol..
Although the characters were joy and natural, the fact that the story did not have anything concrete and comprehensive to offer slides its rating down. (4/10)
Comments
One scene in the film I will never forget, and that was when the precious beautiful blond boy was playing the piano and the older boy came in and stood there listening to and watching him. When the blond boy realized that someone was there, he turned and looked at him with such a huge, enthusiastic, loving smile. I had NEVER seen anything like that in a film before, a boy's obvious love for and attraction to another boy. I hoped that someday somebody would look at ME with that same kind of love. Alas, it never happened, and now I don't expect it ever will.