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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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NY84

By Golu
We have seen some really good films in the past that tell us stories about AIDS in the 80s worldwide and especially in US. So between all those amazing dramas, a film like this, doesn't really add much value. Made as an ode to the artists in New York in the 80s, I feel that this film doesn't do justice to either those artists or to the generation of New Yorkers whose world was turned upside down because of HIV/AIDS in the 80s.

in 1980 in downtown New York, we meet the trio of Kate, a budding singer; photographer Anton and a painter/graffiti artist Keith. The three of them spend time sharing bed, drugs, partying. all night clubbing and sometimes also working towards their art. The three are joined to the hip but are also allowed to play around outside. Things change when gay men mysteriously start getting sick around 1984 and both Keith and Anton are not spared. We also see a little bit of wealthy art patron Harold who gives Anton an opportunity to become famous, but he is also sick now. The film oscillates between these 2 time zones with the mean dealing with their sickness and the audience getting to see the colorful life of these individuals just a few years back.

To be honest, there really wasn't much point to the film. I would have loved to see how the trio met, what their inside dynamics is like. Instead we see them already together, very sorted, not jealous of each other, fully supportive, living together. A little too good. We see all kinds of pleasure seeking activities between these men, which I guess was to show the stark contrast to the times when they struggle even to breathe because of AIDS. We also see some mocumentary like interviews with a couple of folks while Keith is bedridden in hospital and Anton is struggling to enjoy his fame. Thankfully, the three actors do a pretty convincing job portraying their roles, but the screenplay is a huge let down. Maybe the budget was limited for filming but at least more effort could have been out otherwise in story details.

Not bad but easily forgettable. (4/10)
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