Dallas Buyers Club Empowers and Inspires

I walked into the theater with no knowledge of this film except of its oscar buzz. I had only heard something about Jared Leto and Matthew McConaughey delivering excellent performances. Anyways, it was one of the few times in my life where I had no idea what to expect from a film.

Based on a true story, homophobic electrician and bull rider Ron Woodroof (McConaughey) is diagnosed with HIV/AIDS in Texas amidst the epidemic in the 1980s. During this time when the virus was still associated with the gay community, Woodroof is quickly ostracized by his peers and offered only experimental treatment from the hospital. Given only 30 days to live - according to his doctors - he takes matter into his own hands by befriending a transgender woman and finding and distributing alternative medicines, not approved by the FDA, to other patients.  

The first thing I had to process was McConaughey's weight loss for this role. According to IMDB, he lost 47lbs, and the results are shocking. But it really does make his performance much more powerful because you truly believe this man is fighting for his life.

McConaughey's and Leto's performances were phenomenal. At first, I scoffed at Woodroof for being so intolerant of others. But then he changes from a homophobic drug-addicted cowboy to a god samaritan drug dealer.  He learns to love, tolerate, and stick it to the man (in this case, the FDA). I was won over by the performance and was rooting for Woodroof by the end of the film. Leto was just as amazing with his sass and vulnerability. Both definitely deserve their Oscar nomination this year.

For the film buffs, there are some creative shots in this film, but otherwise I found nothing very innovative. But the story and the acting over compensate for the simplistic style.

Anyone looking for a film to inspire or empower them, Dallas Buyers Club is just the movie to kick your butt into gear.

Not Your Average RomCom: Her

Want more than just the cheesy RomCom/Chick Flick? Her has been receiving some well-deserved acclaim lately, especially during awards season. It was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture Comedy or Musical, Oscar for Best Picture, Oscar for Best Original Screenplay, Oscar for Best Music, Oscar for best Production Design, and won the Golden Globe for Best Screenplay of a Motion Picture.

Her, written and directed by Spike Jonze, takes place in the not-so-distant future where people hire someone else to write their heartfelt letters to each other rather than writing it themselves or people are more attached to their technology rather than each other. It follows Theodore Twombly (Joaquin Phoenix), a lonely man who yearns for company. It’s seen through his letters since he is one of those who is hired to write beautiful letters for couples. He finds it through his new artificial intelligent Operational System (OS) named Samantha, voiced by Scarlett Johansson. They start dating and this relationship is the most legitimate and fulfilling he’s had in a while after his divorce from Catherine, played by Rooney Mara. They go through stereotypical phases in their relationship from the honeymoon phase to arguing to falling deeply in love. They even have sex. (I promise it’s possible in this movie, just think of it as phone sex).

This is a thought a provoking story that is weaved into a love story. It criticizes us as a society as relying on our technology for contact and communication rather than real human contact. People in this time even hire people to write these beautiful written letters with so much emotion and love for their loved ones rather than writing their own emotions. When you see Theodore walking around the city, all the people around are talking to their own OS’s rather than each other. This movie satirizes how our society is leading towards a society deprived of human contact.

On the other hand, it does make one other point that I found quite interesting. Theodore fell in love with Samantha, without her body. I guess it sort of desexualizes women in a way because he truly falls in love with her through their conversation. He loves her for her appetite for learning and just loving life. Their relationship is truly built upon a real connection rather than something carnal. It shows it is possible to love somebody for their personality or her brain rather than her measurements.

My recommendation: YES WATCH THIS MOVIE! It’s thought provoking! It’s loving! It’s sad! It’s funny! It’s a great time! Go watch this movie if you want more than just the love story. Bring a date! You’ll have plenty to talk about afterwards. J