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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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Almost Love

By Golu
You know, there is nothing out of this world extraordinary about this film if you look from a story perspective. But having said that there is something very warm, very real and something that you can instantly connect to as an audience with this film, and I think this itself gives the movie an added advantage. There are no silly trying to be funny moments. There are characters, a group of 30 and 40 something individuals trying to live through their life in New York city in search of love and belonging.

The film is centered by this gay coupe Adam and Marklin coming up on their fifth anniversary. Marklin is a very successful social media influencer, documenting most moments of his life to make a living. Adam on the other hand is a ghost painter, who paints on behalf of a renowned painter, except she is the one who makes money out of it. The couple is going through an itch and neither can pin point to where the problem is. Is it their love, is it their career, is it marriage or something else. We also meet their gal pals and delve a little bit into their lives. Haley  is a tutor for an underachieving teenager who’s in love with her and she is trying her best to not cross the line with him, and her friend Cammy is dating an itinerant homeless man because she has low self-esteem. We also meet Adam's best friend Elizabeth who has been with her boyfriend for 15 years and discusses pros and cons with Adam. In all this we find that Marklin is still the caretaker of his ex-bf, who is suffering through a terminal illness. This forces the couple to tackle their issues head on and with maturity.

I am sure, we all know someone out there who are in a situation like our main actors. A couple who has been together for a while, questioning their life, their choices, are they with the right person and what's next. They want security but not the one that comes with marriage or children. So what does that mean? The film doesn't give answers but it manages to connect with so many of us. Sure they have intimacy issues after having been together this long and they talk openly about this with their friends individually, but none of them give an answer. And that's ok, because there is no right answer. We all deal with our issues as individuals. Whats right for me maybe totally wrong for someone else. How can we judge? As actors, everyone does a good job. Haley and Cammy are hilarious and al their scenes are magical. The one liners that Haley comes up are the best. Similarly, I am glad Elizabeth's character was shown with some maturity. A close confidant and a forever friend for Adam, she brings calmness in his life. Adam and Marklin make a good couple. It's refreshing to see they both acknowledging issues but then never going over the top to come to solutions. Talking like mature adults is the only way out.

As mentioned before, This film is no great shakes by any means. it's a simple warm comedy but something in that connected with me. It may or may not do the same for you, but I think it deserves a watch. (6.5/10)
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