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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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Rabioso Sol, Rabioso Cielo (Spanish) [Raging Sun, Raging Sky]

By Golu
I am not sure why this film got such great reviews and press at the time when it came out. Agreed that it is an interesting mix of poetic and erotic cinema at the same time but with hardly any spoken dialogues, you really have to focus hard to understand what's actually going on, what the storyline is and what is it the are trying to actually say. Shot in black and white, I want to say that cinematography is excellent and there are plenty dreamlike sequences, but with a duration of over 3 hours, it tests your patience like no one has ever done it before. And I am not ashamed to say that I am definitely not one of those who was willing to venture into this 3 hour of sensory world. I have better things to do and I just had to fast forward at many places just to make sense of this film.

The official synopsis says this about the film "Youthful Kieri and Ryo share a deep and passionate love for each other. Kieri sets off in search of his soul mate after Ryo is kidnapped. A female spirit is with Kieri as he searches for Ryo. Ryo escapes and the pair will have to work hard to prove their love for each other as obstacles are placed in their path along the way". But I can guarantee you that while watching the film there is absolutely no way for you tell what is unfolding in front of you. No character is ever addressed by their name, so I don't know how the synopsis came into being. I was expecting at least a bit of sensual homo-erotic thriller. There is only so much that random nudity can take you in a film. Sure, one can appreciate naked male body and guys walking around, sitting around, but unless it all leads to something, what are you watching it for? It all went down the same pretentious and tedious drain. Sitting this one out felt like dragging myself through a muddy marsh. I would avoid this. Don't watch even if you think you will make it through with ample use of fast forward button. I cannot fathom how films like this end up getting all sorts of awards at International film festivals. (1/10)
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