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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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A Queer Story (Cantonese)

By Golu
This film was surprisingly a very pleasant watch. I wasn't sure what to expect. Even though at time the film felt a bit stretched, but wonderful performances by its two lead actors made sure as an audience you are never bored. The story is a little all over the place and too many issues have been tried to be dealt with, instead it would have been better to continue to focus on the core couple.

Law, a 40-ish man, and a counsellor is in stable relationship for 8 years with his younger boyfriend Sonny. But due to a very unhappy incident in his childhood, he has deep buried the secret of his sexuality and no one except his boyfriend knows. On the contrast, Sonny is happy and proud to be who he is and is deeply in love with Law. Law has a childhood sweetheart and they are very close but he is even afraid to tell her the truth. His father's pressure to get married is always looming over him. When one of his clients force to go with her to mainland, he is approached by a hustler and Law gives in to the urge. Meanwhile, Sonny, who is a hairdresser, who likes attention by his client goes out with them on dates but never hooks up and always tells Law the truth. as more characters are added, we meet Law's aunt who is now lesbian. The only people who know about law are 2 of his close friends who are a gay couple , who incidentally have to face the wrath of family when one of them dies because of AIDS. In between all this, Law's childhood sweetheart, who has always believed that they were a couple, wants more of a commitment from him but deep down secretly she knows that he is probably gay. When Sonny finds out about Law's cheating with a hustler, he is heart broken and he leaves home. Law is sad too but he gives in to his father's demands and proposes to his girlfriend for marriage but on the wedding day she makes him realize how important it is to love and be true to it and reminds him that he loves only Sonny. The lovers ultimately reunite and Law also comes out to his parents.

Some of the emotional scenes in the movie are handled very intelligently and with also some comic relief. The two scenes when Sonny meets Law's girlfriend are both funny. Similarly when she make s a graceful exit on the wedding day, it speaks volumes of her love for Law but also not forcing herself on him. There are a lot of characters jammed in a single film and the film feels dragged at some points. Acting and direction is superb throughout. The star is undoubtedly Sonny, who is clearly madly in love with law and possessive about him but at the same time is also very confident about his own sexuality and doesn't hide it at all. He lovingly called Law as Moustachio because he has a think for men with hair. Law plays the role of a man torn between family, traditions and being his true self very well and you can empathize with him. Personally I don't understand why he would randomly propose to a girl just because he has been caught of cheating.

The film probably was way ahead of its time in 1997 when it was released and it still relevant. Be patient, and this film could make you feel good. (6.5/10)
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