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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...

Tide Of Love (Korean Series)

Most Korean BL shows usually have a decent story to tell, even if they aren't always filmed perfectly. But this one is just cringey. None of the things the characters do make any sense at all. The writing is terrible, the "romance" is actually pretty creepy, and the main guy is a total controlling jerk. A lot of scenes make abuse and power trips look like they're okay, and the show tries to pretend this messy relationship is actually romantic. Instead of being sexy, the intimate scenes feel more like a scary hostage situation. From start to finish, the whole thing just made me feel really uncomfortable. It’s a short series with 10 episodes that are only about 12 minutes each.

The plot is about Kim, a broke art student who is desperate for money because his mom needs a surgery he can't afford. As a last resort, he gives up his pride and becomes an escort for a rich businessman named Han. Han is a very closed-off guy who is heavily into the BDSM lifestyle. He wants total control and expects Kim to be completely submissive, even making him sign a contract that says he can't see anyone else. Han always shows he’s the boss by dominating Kim in bed and telling him he can't make any friends. He forces himself on Kim whenever he wants using different BDSM moves, clearly loving the power trip. For some reason, Kim seems to stay into it and even signs on for more time. When they aren't in the bedroom, they eat together and talk. Kim starts to see that Han is actually pretty lonely and feels sorry for him, and somehow that turns into love.

Watching this was just really weird. The characters don't get any time to actually grow. Instead, they spend most of their time on screen just staring into space, like they’re waiting for a personality or a good line to show up—but it never happens. This could have easily just been a short movie. The story is written so badly and the "romance" is honestly disturbing. I get that Kim needs the cash, but Han’s behavior makes him look like a total psycho. His power trip is just ridiculous! It’s hard to understand why a drama would make a love interest so gross, and why Kim would ever fall for someone like that. You really have to wonder about his head space because the show doesn't explain it at all. I know he needs the money, but falling in love? No way. The relationship here is just toxic and totally unhealthy. Both actors are good-looking guys, but neither of them gets a real chance to actually act. I can't believe a production company tried to make such a problematic story look like a sweet romance. It’s a total mess, and my best advice is to just stay far away from this one.

It's a disturbing and poorly made series that tries to make a toxic, abusive relationship look like a love story. (1/10)

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