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Stop! That! Train!

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...

Wish You Were Queer (Documentary Series)

Like me, if you are stuck to your phone half the time, you have likely seen the videos and reels from comedians Michael Henry & Tim Murray. They have some really hilarious videos out there and in recent times they almost became a phenomenon of sorts in short comedy reels and darling of gay internet. So when I heard about this 6 part (23 minute each) doc-series with these two in the lead , I was naturally looking forward to it. The show follows the performers and friends as they travel across middle America in an attempt to connect with audiences, in parts where being gay is not that 'common'. Sadly this OUTtv series was so badly made and the comedy just fell flat for me in almost very single episode. 

The doc-series starts with Tim and Michael reaching out to drag queen Trixie asking for a standalone show of their own. Trixie informs them that they are not ready yet and they need to understand middle America better. They need to prove that they “can make flyover state gays laugh” and Trixie will “consider” producing their show. As part of this, the duo rent an RV and across 6 episodes, visit 6 different locations including Columbus, Ohio; Louisville, Kentucky; Nashville, Tennessee; Georgia; Pensacola, Florida and finally to New Orleans, Louisiana. The idea is that the duo meet some local gay establishments in each place, educate audiences of the kind of gay life-style people live there and eventually end the episode with a standup comedy show in a local establishment most likely a bar, or a comedy club or whatever else. They’ll need to pound the pavement, immerse themselves in the community, and find out what makes the local queers tick. Easier said than done. 

A show like this might sound good on paper. Hey. Let's take this 2 famous comedians on a road trip, make it unapologetically queer and "funny" and bring in a fresh perspective  to LGBTQ+ lives in unexpected places. Sadly by the end of episode 2, I was so bored, borderline embarrassed to watch how this two wonderful comedians were making a fool of themselves. As the guys meet with real people across the country, they sometimes engaged in authentic, heart-warming conversations about community and learn how queer culture not only survives, but thrives outside of our typical enclaves in the biggest cities. But then trying to make. Joke out of every single thing or word being said made it extremely annoying. It would have been ok, if they were funny, but they were just not. Even the snippets form their standup comedy were just not funny. I am assuming the makers will try to put in the best parts from the actual standup, but you could see no audience was laughing, their jokes and style of comedy and questions they would ask were repetitive in each city. I found the audiences in those comedy specials in each city having the same look as me "Why am I here watching this". What a sad journey from giving us some of the most hilarious short reels on the internet to this awful embarrassing show, which I really cannot understand how anyone would like. (3/10)

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