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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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Virados do avesso (Portuguese)

By Golu
How I wanted to like this film. The poster of the film looks nice and the premise seemed interesting as well but unfortunately the film went from being stupid to getting stupider as time went by. It was just so odd with everything that was happening. Some people (read film makers), may term this as dark comedy or something, but I for a change did not get any laughs on any scene.

João & Carlos have been together for 5 years. One morning João wakes up not remembering he is gay and freaks out seeing Carlos in bed naked with him. He is disoriented and thinks that everyone around him(his sister, his parents, his publisher) have all gone crazy and they are trying to make him gay. João is a celebrated writer and is soon supposed to finish his first gay-themed book but is not stuck in last chapter which becomes difficult to finish now, since he can’t even remember that he is gay. His competitor Isabella on the other hand has announced the launch of her book. One drunk night when they both meet, she confides that she hasn’t even started her book. They hook up that night and Isabella steals his book to complete. meanwhile Carlos meets Pierre, an artist courtesy João’s sister and sparks fly. The two paint the town red like 2 new lovers. When João goes to a doctor after passing out one night, he finds out that he had temporary amnesia and he therefore forgot he is gay and his memory should come back, which it does. Now all his well-wishers come together to get his book back from Isabella by hook or by crook. All’s well that ends well ultimately.

Story as you read above is simple and uncomplicated but acting by everyone was so over the top. Even if we ignore the stupid idea of João waking up forgetting he is gay, there are way too many cinematic liberties. How can Carlos let go of the fact that João has forgotten or is pretending and happily start an affair with Pierre to the extent of even considering moving to Paris with him. And then equally easily he forgets him when João’s memory is back. The less said the better about João’s amnesia. He is suddenly straight and even sleeps with Isabella but still has his traits of fashion etc. My favourite though were João’s sister Catarina and her husband. He was the only one who brought a slight smile to my face. I don’t think it was a problem with actors, I blame the writers and the director completely for this fiasco.

Yes, I have seen much much worse films but I would recommend this film when you are in mood for a brain dead film and won’t mind a silly entertainer. (3.5/10)
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