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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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Mood Indigo (Japanese Series)

By Golu
This 6 part Japanese series was a very pleasant surprise. To be honest, I was expecting anything, but something about it was good. Very good. Just when all the teenage BL series were starting to get repetitive with there story arcs and setting, this series brings to us a very mature love story, that is more practical and real in the story and treatment both in a very novel and interesting setting. 

Kijima is an award winning novelist, who has lost his mojo an dis now struggling for money. He gets reacquainted with his college classmate Kido, who is now an editor in publishing company. Kido was recently kicked out by his girlfriend, so Kijima invites him as roommate in return for expenses. At his work, Kido deals with erotica novels that Kijima looks down upon. Kido suggests that Kijima start writing erotica too to make money. Initially very reluctant, the growing debt on Kijima makes him accept this and hid stories to be published under a fake name. Meanwhile, Kido's company also publishes erotic novels by Gamoda, a very old, almost dying man, who is a heavyweight in this industry. Kido's company wants to buy rights of his posthumous novel, for which Ido recommends him that he take Kijima under his wing. For some reason Gamoda makes Kijima give blowjob to Kido to see how serious is he about apprenticeship. This leads to a very unexpected love story between the two men. Kijima also starts to faithfully take care of Gamoda as well. But Kido is not sure of where he falls in all this. He loves Kido, but is also very much a straight guy who wants to have a family and a wife. The two men go through a few ups and downs, while Gamoda is struggling with his health. The ending is not a happy one, but to be honest, it is one of the most real and practical ending, that can happen in such a situation.

This series surprisingly has some very erotic and sensual sexual scenes between its two leading men. But at no point they become steamy. They are needed for the story, and that combined with the very poignant emotions going through both the men make the whole journey very novel and very interesting. The physical intimacy and the chemistry between the two lead actors is just too good. The entire mood of the series is very mellow, calm and stable. No over the top shouting or anything. Kijima is allowed to show a lot more vulnerability, while Kido is a fantastic screen partner with an equally compelling characterization. Are they in love, is this physical need or is it just merely a way for them to not be lonely? The beauty of this series is that  despite everything that happened between the two men, they never lost touch of intimacy and connection with each other. This is a feeling that very few people get to experience. The actors are good looking, acted well, the screenplay is tight and overall the pacing and the melancholic mood of the series makes this an absolute must watch to your list. (8/10)
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Golu said…
Yeah I have been hearing about the prequel a lot since I saw this and I am waiting to watch that one too at some point. These days I hav been a bit busy as you can tell from the reduced number of reviews I have been doing of late
November 15, 2021 at 7:19 AM
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