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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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La Cage aux Folles II (French)

By Golu

It’s no shocker that when a movie does well, a sequel usually follows, so I wasn't surprised at all to see this campy comedy get a second chapter. It’s a fun new addition to the adventures of Albin and Renato. Even though turning a character-driven comedy into a spy spoof felt like a bit of a weird pivot from the original vibe, you eventually just roll with it. One big difference is that this one moves out of the nightclub and takes the characters from France all the way to Italy.

The story kicks off with Albin having a bit of a mid-life crisis about whether he’s still got his "mojo," so he heads to an outdoor cafe to see if he can still turn heads while Renato watches from a distance. Suddenly, a guy running for his life grabs Albin, drags him to a hotel, and hides a microfilm capsule in Albin's dress right before he’s killed. This obviously sparks a huge mess, forcing Albin and Renato to go on the run. The secret service shows up at their place wanting them to help catch the bad guys who are after the film—which contains a list of every French agent—but the couple just wants to stay alive. They come up with a plan to sneak across the border into Italy to hide out with Renato’s mother. Some of the funniest parts of the movie happen here, as Albin is forced to live like a local village woman and do chores, which really tests his patience. Of course, the spies and the villains eventually catch up, and everything gets settled in the end.

The movie is definitely campy, but I honestly had a blast watching it. There were a few moments where I was laughing out loud pretty hard. It really stays afloat thanks to the actor playing Albin; he’s totally perfected the role and plays it with so much flamboyant energy. Interestingly, Renato feels like he’s a bit more in the background this time around. We still get to see their scantily-clad housekeeper and even the son's conservative father-in-law makes an appearance because of his political job. There are so many great individual gags, like Albin constantly switching between trying to act like a "manly" guy and then going right back to being a total diva. His over-the-top reactions and the funny noises he makes always landed for me. The secret service characters add to the silliness too—there’s one great scene where the gay couple makes the agents dress up in drag just so they can "blend in." Look, if you’re searching for deep logic, you’re definitely watching the wrong movie. From a pure entertainment standpoint, it’s a little bit of a step down from the first one, but it still has plenty of laughs to keep you hooked. Seeing this funny, genuinely-in-love couple handle another chaotic chapter in their lives was really good fun. It’s a very easy, watchable sequel.

While it's a bit of a goofy departure from the original's style, the lead's incredible comedic timing makes it a worthy follow-up. (6/10)

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