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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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Boy Culture: Generation X

By Golu
The 2006 film ‘Boy Culture’ returns for a TV series sequel, and original stars who played X and Andrew are back to reprising their roles all these years later. I had to go back and remind myself what the film was about (blame it on my age), memories came back and then I was excitedly looking for this sequel. This on-again, off-again couple, now both 40, broken up and tensely sharing a home out of financial necessity go through the changing dynamics of the gay world and especially escorting.

X and Andrew are now no longer a couple. So X decided to get back into the escorting business after more than 10 years, but he’s in for a rude awakening. He’s no longer the flavor of the month, and the entire industry has been transformed by changing attitudes, online platforms, gen Z thinks. We meet a young Twink Chayce, who surprisingly became friends with X at one of the tricks house and who takes on upon himself to guide X back into the business. As X keeps his aging body fit, and his unusual roster of kinky clients happy, he’s also dealing with the realities of still living with Andrew, who’s aiming to move on from their former romantic entanglements. The film (combined version of the series, which is what I saw), shows us Chayce guiding X through today's gay world, while also dealing with the realities of still living with Andrew, who’s aiming to move on from their former romantic entanglements.

I actually thought the series/film was done surprisingly well. Sure, the central conflict is of an aging escort and how to stay relevant in the business, it's the sass that Chayce brings which is a game changer. His words sound harsh, but they are so true and applicable for today's world. With reservations, X deals with his guidance (also known as pimp), but sees the benefits of it. He guides him through pearls of social media, branding yourself and making an effort. So these scenes are fin to watch. But what is different and nice here is that with every client that X meets, the makers have tried to deal with various themes including race, age-gap issues, safe sex, bisexuality, gay nerds and social media. The actor playing X continues with the character as grumpy, confused, and with frustratingly deadpan looks; which actually works for the character. On e a flip side, the paper-thin arc of his romance with Andrew is just touched upon. I guess the idea was to not focus on it but rather explore what happens when escorts start aging. It may not be the best thing out there, but with its slightly campiness yet honesty, a great character of Chayce and some well meaning socially relevant topics it tries to address, it is still worth giving a shot. (6/10)
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