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

The Other Two: Season 3 (TV Series)

By Golu
I loved the first two seasons of the show. Satire comedy at its best. But something is different this season. It's either my mental state or the show itself. But I tried to watch this in several sittings because at any given point, the show just did not grab my attention. This season the series goes more into deep dark existential crisis for the family especially the brother-sister duo while keeping the dialogues and situations sharp. Still, not even one single episode made me say Wow. So, I am sorry but the season 3 of this show just did not do for me. This season also has 10 episodes of about 30-35 minutes each.

At the end of season 2 we saw that all the family members are doing well for themselves. Brooke is engaged now to her boyfriend but she has this insecurity of wanting to do good. She leaves the industry but whatever she tries, she doesn't enjoy. She always feel like others are judging her, which also leads to a rift and eventual breakup of engagement. Cary is going through his own motions of doing something successful and then again shooting himself straight in the foot. This time things go too far because first he takes his friends for granted and eventually they have had enough, so they all leave him. And secondly the method actor boyfriend he finds, is always so much into the character that they never have sex. Chase is now 18 and is being forced to be a couple with a famous influencer. He likes a simple girl but when things dont work out, we see the entire PR agency to his rescue. And finally, Pat, the mother,  is having a hard time breaking free from hers and finds much of her existence blocked off as she needs extra security everywhere she goes, even having to plan days in advance for a stroll in Central Park. 

To be honest, even though the themes and subject chosen and the dialogues given were sharp at multiple places, I just didn't find them funny. The characters, especially of Cary and Brooke become so alienable that IMO they take a nosedive. You can only push a character's unlikability so far -- and Brooke and Cary became unwatchable and also somehow became repeatable. They are stuck in the same ridiculous storylines of being miserable people without any sign of development and this just keeps getting repeated.  They are extremely self absorbed and irritating. Also just because it's somewhat self aware, doesn't make it funny. Even the specific gay content of Cary not having sex and his friends was also just meh! The only funny stuff that I found was probably for the teenager singer Chase (closely resembling that of a popular pop singer in every way). To be fair to the show it does take up some very important topics that our relevant to today's generation wrapped up in comedy and satire but they fail to register, at least for me. I was reading online and this season, lie the previous ones, is still received glorious reviews, but this season just did not do it for me. So much so that it took me weeks and months to just finish it. (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