Skip to main content

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...
Post a Comment

I’m Not Gay: A Musical

By Golu
This was a weird film. Overly stylish and a very stagey feel, it just felt like a mish-mash of things and unsure of what it really wants to say. The film employs split screen is more than a few scenes, includes several sequences shot with backlighting that more often than not silhouette the characters and obscure their expressions. I felt this film was more like an experiment or a gimmick for a new narration style, but personally for me, it failed. Both story and the execution.

MMA fighter Misha is a black guy who is dealing with his demons (we don't hear about it till much later, on what they are). He likes to dance but somehow never does, because of being perceived as gay. His ex-girlfriend is dropping off his daughter by a one night stand and the duo are not on best terms. After repeated self harm attempts by Misha, his doctor recommends him to see a transgender psychiatrist in Fire Island if he wants his pain prescriptions refilled. Once in the gay mecca, Misha falls in love with the house he is renting. However, the seller, will only let him buy it if Misha is gay. So, in an offensive subplot, Misha pretends to be gay to convince the neighbors so he can buy his dream house. The nieghbpurs are trip of gay men who are trying to win a dance competition. They want Misha to help them. Misha, who was a dancer — until a shameful incident from his past broke his spirit and he became an MMA fighter — is reluctant to help. He even refuses to teach his own daughter. Between ll these scenes, Misha, says at least on 10 different occasions that he is not gay.We all have scenes between Misha with his therapist, which include snippets of psychobabble as Misha comes to terms with his big dark secret from his past, where he comes clean as how he seduced his dancer teacher when he was young for sex. Somehow eventually, he accepts who he is, promises to help the trio for dance competition with the film ending with the four of them dancing their heart out.

The film is a full on musical with song and performances coming every 5-10 minutes that take the story forward. But when the story itself is so random, and unsure; nothing was able to hold my attention. Everyone from the start, including his ex-girlfriend and daughter, ask him or tells him he is gay. Don't ask why! He shouts I am not gay. Over and over. And in between all this, the story keeps moving from Misha's past, t his MMF career, to his teenage trauma to the trip of gays wanting to win a dance competition and Misha shouting I am not gay. The songs all sounded same after a while and the word choice pf color palette and everything that was going around was personally very uninspiring for me. While I’m Not Gay asks many questions, one of the things it refuses to do is give direct answers. With so much talk of queerness in the film, there is never an outright declaration of Misha’s sexuality; which goes back to my initial thought that it is hard to comprehend what is this film even trying to say. (3/10)
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Phor Lae Lukchai (Thai) [Father & Son]

By Golu
I think the budget of this film was probably too small, but for that, the film definitely offers a different and unique storyline without over dramatizing anything. Yes, some scenes were a bit amateurish but in the bigger scheme of things, that can be overlooked. The film is both beautiful and sad in its own unique way. Aek is a gay dad, whose partner died right around the time their son Nueng was born through surrogacy in a road accident. The relationship between father and son is unpleasant and unstable. We are not really told why, but it seems the father has been unsuccessful in caring and loving his son because of his partner's death. Aek continues to hook up wit hookers. Also, Nueng is constantly bullied by everyone around him for having a gay dad. He has no friends, except Nat, a neighborhood boy, who also happens to be Nueng's boyfriend. In a sudden turn of events Nat is found murdered along with another boy naked. Saddened by the events, Nueng jumps from roof and k...
1 comment
Read more

Gaya Sa Pelikula (Filipino Series) [Like In The Movies]

By Golu
Pinoy BL series seem to be catching up to the popularity of the Thai shows. And I must say that they are doing a pretty good job at it. Where Thai series started to get repetitive with so many shows based in a college setting with seemingly similar storylines, Pinoy series are offering the viewers with new and interesting stories and some really good sets and surroundings. This series was 8 episodes of about 25-20 minutes each. Karl, a 19-year old introvert architecture student is in the middle of an identity crisis. Prior to the start of the second semester in college and forced by his parents, he moves into his uncle's condominium unit so that he can learn to be financially independent. Karl takes on odd jobs online to do so. But when one of his major clients suddenly goes MIA, he is left short on funds and without a means to pay for his utilities. An opportunity presents itself when his cocky neighbor Vlad has to hide from his family and proposes to share Karl's space for th...
23 comments
Read more

The Tuxedo (Thai Series)

By Golu
When I saw this series with 8 episodes of about 20-25 minutes each, I thought, good: Finally someone has come to senses and made a show which is not stretched out and they have tried to squeeze in a decent storyline in a good small episode format. But unfortunately, despite a decent premise on hand, the clunky writing, bad screenplay and an extreme tasteless portrayal of mental illness makes this show, not a fun watch. By the time it finishes, you just want to laugh off at the entire absurdity of it all. Aioun is talented tuxedo designer and very much in demand but he has handful of clients and he builds suits only for people who he feels a connection to. One night when his younger brother is about to get mugged, he is helped by a total stranger named Sichol. Since he tears his suit in the fight and has an interview the next day, Aioun gifts him a suit form his design as an expression of thanks. Sichol's interview is for. Personal assistant of a man named Nawee, a wealthy heir to h...
25 comments
Read more