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Dallas Buyers Club
(directed by Jean-Marc Vallée, 2013)
I went to the Angelika Mosiac Film Center & Cafe last night to see Dallas Buyers Club. Oh me, oh my. Pretentious film snob heaven. Or hell, if you're so much a film snob that not even the Angelika Mosiac can impress you. Me and a friend went into the theater room to look at the seats before we adjorned to the bathroom, and as we exited (while following a Fruit Stripe carpet trail right out of a bad Alice in Wonderland remake - or maybe The Wizard of Oz) we passed by a hissy older gay man entering the theater who hissed at us, "Oh? Leaving already, are we? Already disgusted?" It was like Movie Forums: The Theater and I had found wintertriangles.
They had beautiful computerized movie posters on poster sized computer screens outside each theater room/screening room, whatever you call 'em. The screens counted down how long it was until the movie started -- "26 minutes until the next showing of Dallas Buyers Club" -- that kind of thing. AND YOU EVEN GOT TO PICK YOUR OWN SEATS. When you buy your tickets, they make you use a touch screen computer to select which seat will be yours -- so you pre-order and arrange your own seating! I'm not sure how well this gets enforced, though. I imagine the hissy older gay man I encountered has probably been in many fights over his stolen seat, or he's been the seat stealer. "You stole my seat!" This kind of thing can lead to blood on the movie screen. Or hot popcorn being thrown into your face.
Oh, and did I mention that the drinking fountains offered various flavors of Mello Yello? I had GRAPE Mello Yello. A big one. With a decent amount of ice. It was so beautiful - that big cup of icey grape Mello Yello. I will return again for another big cup.
Now, let's get serious -- the movie. Dallas Buyers Club.
My biggest complaint about Dallas Buyers Club is that I did not enjoy the way it was filmed at times. It felt... choppy and thinly sliced.
Let me give you an example: There was a beautifully photographed moment in Dallas Buyers Club -- perhaps the most beautiful imagery in the movie (besides, I'm sorry to say, skinny ass, AIDS ridden Matthew McConaughey's hairy bare behind in a hospital gown as he strolled through a hospital in one scene -- you know they put that imagery in there for us gays). Anyway, there was a beautifully photographed scene where Matthew McConaughey went into a "butterfly room" -- where all these butterflies are flying around and eventually they all fly onto your body. Or most of them, do, at least -- some butterflies might have been frightened by HIV+ Matthew McConaughey and decided to keep to themselves. Anyway, a beautiful moment -- and it ends TOO SOON. It ended abruptly. If that was supposed to be intended to end too quickly (like, maybe as a metaphorical thing -- "AIDS ends life too quickly, thus the beautiful butterfly scene ends too quickly!") I did not appreciate it. Why couldn't we have had a moment longer just to absorb Matthew McConaughey, standing there with his AIDS ridden body, in a beautiful room full of butterflies? I was having a moment and it was ruined. However, I'm sure a still picture of Matthew McConaughey in that butterfly room exists somewhere and it looks amazing, but in the movie? The butterfly room in the movie is a disappointing quickie. And that's my greatest trouble with Dallas Buyers Club -- it feels too much like a quickie.
Here's Matthew McConaughey's Ron Woodroof character with a Japanese man -- so you fans of Asian movies can rest well knowing your people were represented in Dallas Buyers Club.
Now for the good: I really did love Dallas Buyers Club. I don't think it was perfect but it was a spirit enriching story. It is about a dirty old nasty redneck cowboy who's basically trash (Matthew McConaughey) who learns that he has HIV in the 1980's, is told that he has only 30 days to live, is given the drug AZT to help his disease (but it doesn't work -- it kills you) but then he decides -- "F this. I ain't dying. I'm living." And there's a road to living longer -- he's gotta go to countries where different AIDS drugs are available. Drugs that are illegal to sell in the United States. They're not FDA approved. The drugs that are -- such as AZT -- are being given out in trials in the United States -- for study and for scientific research, they say. But those drugs kill you and the drugs available in other countries helped Matthew McConaughey's character, Ron Woodroof, live for seven more years instead of just 30 days, as his American doctors predicted.
Seven more years is a lot longer than thirty days.
Along the way, Ron meets Rayon (Jared Leto) a pre-op transsexual (meaning he hasn't had it cut off) who becomes his business partner. THIS was the hook that grabbed me and threw me into Dallas Buyers Club in the first place. I love Jared Leto and his amazing transformations. He became the fat, heavy killer of John Lennon in Chapter 27 and now he is a feminine, AIDS ridden twig in a dress with sunglasses and a wig and massage friendly womanly hands. A deity of cinematic razzle dazzle rock and roll transsexual power. Unfortunately, Rayon doesn't really do much in Dallas Buyers Club, but what he does do is memorable. He even appears to be a motherly figure (and perhaps maybe a lover) to another character with AIDS (not Matthew) whom he shares medicine with.
Anyway, so Ron figures out how to sell these drugs that have been saving his life to other gay people (and some straight people -- because you don't have to be gay to have AIDS) by selling MEMBERSHIPS to a club -- the Dallas Buyers Club. Buy a membership to the Dallas Buyers Club -- get the drugs free as part of the membership. Essentially, he's selling the drugs, but under the guise of a membership. He does this from a motel room and he's got lines of people forming around the block and all the over place, all seeking his "memberships."
There is also a wonderful performance from Jennifer Garner as a tough doctor who sides with Ron and Griffin Dunne (Madonna's leading man in Who's That Girl) as a man in another country who provides drugs for Ron and becomes a friend.
Ultimately, Matthew McConaughey runs the whole show. This is the most loveable character I've ever seen him play. All I heard people ask me since I saw it was, "Does he deserve the Oscar?! Will he be nominated?!"
All I can say is -- HOW THE HELL WOULD I KNOW?!
It's not like I decide these things.
But I would be very happy for Matthew McConaughey if he did get nominated for something and he won. I feel the same way about Jared Leto as Rayon and Jennifer Garner and hell, even Griffin Dunne. I won't leave you out, Sir.
(directed by Jean-Marc Vallée, 2013)
I went to the Angelika Mosiac Film Center & Cafe last night to see Dallas Buyers Club. Oh me, oh my. Pretentious film snob heaven. Or hell, if you're so much a film snob that not even the Angelika Mosiac can impress you. Me and a friend went into the theater room to look at the seats before we adjorned to the bathroom, and as we exited (while following a Fruit Stripe carpet trail right out of a bad Alice in Wonderland remake - or maybe The Wizard of Oz) we passed by a hissy older gay man entering the theater who hissed at us, "Oh? Leaving already, are we? Already disgusted?" It was like Movie Forums: The Theater and I had found wintertriangles.
They had beautiful computerized movie posters on poster sized computer screens outside each theater room/screening room, whatever you call 'em. The screens counted down how long it was until the movie started -- "26 minutes until the next showing of Dallas Buyers Club" -- that kind of thing. AND YOU EVEN GOT TO PICK YOUR OWN SEATS. When you buy your tickets, they make you use a touch screen computer to select which seat will be yours -- so you pre-order and arrange your own seating! I'm not sure how well this gets enforced, though. I imagine the hissy older gay man I encountered has probably been in many fights over his stolen seat, or he's been the seat stealer. "You stole my seat!" This kind of thing can lead to blood on the movie screen. Or hot popcorn being thrown into your face.
Oh, and did I mention that the drinking fountains offered various flavors of Mello Yello? I had GRAPE Mello Yello. A big one. With a decent amount of ice. It was so beautiful - that big cup of icey grape Mello Yello. I will return again for another big cup.
Now, let's get serious -- the movie. Dallas Buyers Club.
My biggest complaint about Dallas Buyers Club is that I did not enjoy the way it was filmed at times. It felt... choppy and thinly sliced.
Let me give you an example: There was a beautifully photographed moment in Dallas Buyers Club -- perhaps the most beautiful imagery in the movie (besides, I'm sorry to say, skinny ass, AIDS ridden Matthew McConaughey's hairy bare behind in a hospital gown as he strolled through a hospital in one scene -- you know they put that imagery in there for us gays). Anyway, there was a beautifully photographed scene where Matthew McConaughey went into a "butterfly room" -- where all these butterflies are flying around and eventually they all fly onto your body. Or most of them, do, at least -- some butterflies might have been frightened by HIV+ Matthew McConaughey and decided to keep to themselves. Anyway, a beautiful moment -- and it ends TOO SOON. It ended abruptly. If that was supposed to be intended to end too quickly (like, maybe as a metaphorical thing -- "AIDS ends life too quickly, thus the beautiful butterfly scene ends too quickly!") I did not appreciate it. Why couldn't we have had a moment longer just to absorb Matthew McConaughey, standing there with his AIDS ridden body, in a beautiful room full of butterflies? I was having a moment and it was ruined. However, I'm sure a still picture of Matthew McConaughey in that butterfly room exists somewhere and it looks amazing, but in the movie? The butterfly room in the movie is a disappointing quickie. And that's my greatest trouble with Dallas Buyers Club -- it feels too much like a quickie.
Here's Matthew McConaughey's Ron Woodroof character with a Japanese man -- so you fans of Asian movies can rest well knowing your people were represented in Dallas Buyers Club.
Now for the good: I really did love Dallas Buyers Club. I don't think it was perfect but it was a spirit enriching story. It is about a dirty old nasty redneck cowboy who's basically trash (Matthew McConaughey) who learns that he has HIV in the 1980's, is told that he has only 30 days to live, is given the drug AZT to help his disease (but it doesn't work -- it kills you) but then he decides -- "F this. I ain't dying. I'm living." And there's a road to living longer -- he's gotta go to countries where different AIDS drugs are available. Drugs that are illegal to sell in the United States. They're not FDA approved. The drugs that are -- such as AZT -- are being given out in trials in the United States -- for study and for scientific research, they say. But those drugs kill you and the drugs available in other countries helped Matthew McConaughey's character, Ron Woodroof, live for seven more years instead of just 30 days, as his American doctors predicted.
Seven more years is a lot longer than thirty days.
Along the way, Ron meets Rayon (Jared Leto) a pre-op transsexual (meaning he hasn't had it cut off) who becomes his business partner. THIS was the hook that grabbed me and threw me into Dallas Buyers Club in the first place. I love Jared Leto and his amazing transformations. He became the fat, heavy killer of John Lennon in Chapter 27 and now he is a feminine, AIDS ridden twig in a dress with sunglasses and a wig and massage friendly womanly hands. A deity of cinematic razzle dazzle rock and roll transsexual power. Unfortunately, Rayon doesn't really do much in Dallas Buyers Club, but what he does do is memorable. He even appears to be a motherly figure (and perhaps maybe a lover) to another character with AIDS (not Matthew) whom he shares medicine with.
Anyway, so Ron figures out how to sell these drugs that have been saving his life to other gay people (and some straight people -- because you don't have to be gay to have AIDS) by selling MEMBERSHIPS to a club -- the Dallas Buyers Club. Buy a membership to the Dallas Buyers Club -- get the drugs free as part of the membership. Essentially, he's selling the drugs, but under the guise of a membership. He does this from a motel room and he's got lines of people forming around the block and all the over place, all seeking his "memberships."
There is also a wonderful performance from Jennifer Garner as a tough doctor who sides with Ron and Griffin Dunne (Madonna's leading man in Who's That Girl) as a man in another country who provides drugs for Ron and becomes a friend.
Ultimately, Matthew McConaughey runs the whole show. This is the most loveable character I've ever seen him play. All I heard people ask me since I saw it was, "Does he deserve the Oscar?! Will he be nominated?!"
All I can say is -- HOW THE HELL WOULD I KNOW?!
It's not like I decide these things.
But I would be very happy for Matthew McConaughey if he did get nominated for something and he won. I feel the same way about Jared Leto as Rayon and Jennifer Garner and hell, even Griffin Dunne. I won't leave you out, Sir.