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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...

Checkered Shirt: Season 2 (Korean Mini-Series)

I remember being so annoyed at how abruptly the first season ended, so I was actually glad to see they made a sequel. But honestly? They could have just tacked on two more episodes to the original and called it a day. Dragging this out into a second season felt totally unnecessary, and the excuses they use to keep the plot moving are so weak they barely make sense in the modern world. Just like before, this season is eight episodes long, with each one only lasting about eight to ten minutes.

If you remember, the last season wrapped up with Jeong U and Han being a happy couple right until Han’s ex showed up out of nowhere. The ex wanted a second chance despite their messy past, but Han shut him down fast. The ex didn't take it well, though, and warned him there’d be trouble. He even called Jeong U to talk trash about Han, but Jeong U stayed loyal, and the two planned a getaway trip to escape the drama. But on the day of the trip, Jeong U never showed up. Han was devastated when his calls and texts went unanswered, and the story jumps ahead five years. The two end up crossing paths again at a work event and are forced to team up. Han is still super bitter about being ghosted, but then we finally get the explanation: on the day they were supposed to leave, Jeong U overheard the ex talking more trash, got into a fight with him, and his phone ended up smashed. He actually got sent to prison for the brawl, and his friend—who clearly had a crush on him—hid all of Han's messages. By the time Jeong U tried to find Han before starting his military service, Han had already moved out of the country. Once they finally clear up all these messy misunderstandings in the present day, they get back together.

It's such a cliché trope—the ex who vanishes for years and then pops back up to stir up all those old feelings. But seriously, the excuses here are just pathetic. In this day and age, how does someone just disappear for five years without finding a single way to reach their partner? It makes no sense, and I’m not buying it for a second. The constant melodrama just sucked all the fun out of the show, and watching the characters mope around being miserable for most of the screen time was incredibly boring. Sure, the leads are easy on the eyes, but the production feels cheap and the whole season felt like it only existed to fill a quota. Even though it ends happily, the middle is just a slog of angst and pain that couldn't keep me interested at all. At least it was short, but honestly, you’re better off skipping this one.

It’s a totally unnecessary sequel that relies on a nonsensical plot and endless pouting to stretch out a story that should have been finished ages ago. (2.5/10)

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