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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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Winter Is Not The Death Of Summer But The Birth Of Spring (Thai Series)

By Golu
Full marks for novelty to set a BL romance in a Thai prison. This gritty environment allows the series to explore meaningful themes. Sadly the screenplay and the execution is so jarring and random and sudden that half the time it doesn't make any sense. Apparently this was released as a 20 episode series , but the version I saw was 5 episodes where first 4 were 30-40 minutes each and the last one was 80 minutes.

Jed owes a lot of money to people (we are later told he borrowed money for making a film), so he gets arrested. Even though he spends just one night in jail, it's his first time in such an environment. He's crammed into a tiny cell with numerous other inmates. Bible, a young prisoner on volunteer duty, is tasked with guiding new inmates. He somehow takes a liking for Jed and protects that first night from getting bullied. Jed gets bail next morning and Bible asks him to never come back again. Three months later his cheque fraud eventually lands him in a longer prison sentence. Jed reunites with Bible, who initially seems cold and distant. Bible plays several pranks on Jed, pushing him to toughen up and adapt to the harsh environment. When Jed falls sick, Bible takes him to prison hospital where the doctor turns out to be his ex-boyfriend. Over time, Jed adjusts to his new routine in prison and also starts to fall for Bible and soon enough the two start a romance. Towards the end the prison gives some funding to Jed to make some video and he becomes popular. The romance goes through ups and downs and the show has a very abrupt ending.

It requires research and imagination to create a tender love story in the gritty realities of prison life. Sadly it also takes a proper execution team to deliver results and here there are so many faults. The series doesn't flow properly and it feels disjointed. Even the way love grows between Jed and Bible is a bit awkward. Sometimes they are happy and smiling, other times then completely ignore each other. We are never told whey Jed's name catches Bible's attention when he sees it for the first time in the list? What actually made Bible fall for Jed? Did he knew him from before? I am not convinced that they ‘loved’ each other but merely wanted the craven companionship as both were lonely, misfits, and in a sense so close to depression it would not have taken much for either one to have it becomes full-blown. The last episode went totally weird. Jed wants to arrange a singing contest and film a music video with the inmates. So random!! The lighthearted plots feel out of place, undermining the gravity of imprisonment. There is a feminine boy who is like the muse of a 'scary' inmate who makes Bible have sex with him, it is weird!! It is a bit frustrating because it misses the chance to address more mature and meaningful topics, given the setting that was chosen for this show. The series should have taken a more mature, realistic approach, exploring deeper emotions and complexities in their bond, rather than trying to incorporate ideas from high school romance. As actors Bible has charisma and stands out. Jed just looks out of place and out of character most times. The awful finale destroys much of my goodwill. While I still appreciate its unique setting, this BL drama underachieves in many ways. It doesn't deliver what I'd expect from a compelling prison romance. (3/10)
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