Blue Jasmine and Dallas Buyers Club
Posted by Itheliving 11 years, 10 months ago to Movies
The Fight for the Oscars. Contenders for the trophies are bound to include: Blue Jasmine / Rated PG-13 for sex, drugs, drinking and bad people. Dallas Buyers Club / Rated R for sex, drugs, drinking and sick people with self destructive habits.
The Oscar nominations are coming if not already here by the time you read this. These two films are going to be prominent if for no other reasons than Cate Blanchett in BJ and the performances of Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto in DBC. They may also be a factor in the Best Picture category since the nomination numbers increased to 9 or so beyond the traditional 5.
BJ is written and directed by Woody Allen. WA’s films of the 70’s were among the funniest ever made. He even earned a best picture award for his LaDiDah film Annie Hall (1977). Then he turned serious and ultimately made films that were suicidal. BJ is a suicidal film. Only one role ends up in suicide but just about every other character is a candidate. None more so than the Cate B. title part of Blue Jasmine. Jasmine is her name. Blue is her mood. CB is transformed and at her best in the role of a woman of privilege and wealth who loses it all and is clueless as what to do about it. She takes pills and drinks a lot but this doesn’t resolve her issues.
Once the money is gone she moves from her east coast mansion to San Francisco to live with her polar opposite sister. Both of them were, reportedly, adopted and ended up as opposite as you can be. CB is sophisticated and stuck up. Her sister, played by Sally Hawkins, is low class and trashy. She goes from man to man sometimes between drinks at parties. She has two children but not a clue how to raise them. Once in SF CB’s so called life goes from bad to worse to monumentally disastrous. Not fun to watch but CB is brilliant and will get an Oscar nomination.
In Dallas Buyers Club Matthew McConaughey plays the part of a Texan living as an electrician who hangs out at rodeo’s. He drinks, dopes, and to his detriment seeks out random sex. The opening scene inside a rodeo chute does not turn out well for him. He is introduced to AIDS in the 1980’s and is give 30 days to live. He decides he does want to be dead as he has a lot of partying to do. While in the hospital he meets a gay victim (the MC character is not gay) played by actor/singer Jared Leto. JL also does not want to go but the doctors insist. Time is up.
The rest of the film is about the MC character fighting the disease and helping others to do so by leaving the US and bringing in the drugs that AIDS victims could not get in the US at that time. MC starts the Dallas Buyers Club as a way to deliver the drugs to the victims of the day. He himself is one of them. This film is also very uncomfortable to view due to the subject matter and the fate of the main characters. MC transforms himself physically as well as delivering an incredible and sure to be Oscar nominated performance. Jared Leto may not end up winning a statue but should be at least one of the Supporting Nominees. He deserves the recognition.
Both films are above average but adult in nature. Not recommended for anybody under 36.
Blue Jasmine rated 3.0 out of 4.0 reasons to remember Take the Money and Run
Dallas Buyers Club rated 3.0 out of 4.0 reasons the film could have been called the New Orleans Buyers Club since that’s where it was filmed.
The Oscar nominations are coming if not already here by the time you read this. These two films are going to be prominent if for no other reasons than Cate Blanchett in BJ and the performances of Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto in DBC. They may also be a factor in the Best Picture category since the nomination numbers increased to 9 or so beyond the traditional 5.
BJ is written and directed by Woody Allen. WA’s films of the 70’s were among the funniest ever made. He even earned a best picture award for his LaDiDah film Annie Hall (1977). Then he turned serious and ultimately made films that were suicidal. BJ is a suicidal film. Only one role ends up in suicide but just about every other character is a candidate. None more so than the Cate B. title part of Blue Jasmine. Jasmine is her name. Blue is her mood. CB is transformed and at her best in the role of a woman of privilege and wealth who loses it all and is clueless as what to do about it. She takes pills and drinks a lot but this doesn’t resolve her issues.
Once the money is gone she moves from her east coast mansion to San Francisco to live with her polar opposite sister. Both of them were, reportedly, adopted and ended up as opposite as you can be. CB is sophisticated and stuck up. Her sister, played by Sally Hawkins, is low class and trashy. She goes from man to man sometimes between drinks at parties. She has two children but not a clue how to raise them. Once in SF CB’s so called life goes from bad to worse to monumentally disastrous. Not fun to watch but CB is brilliant and will get an Oscar nomination.
In Dallas Buyers Club Matthew McConaughey plays the part of a Texan living as an electrician who hangs out at rodeo’s. He drinks, dopes, and to his detriment seeks out random sex. The opening scene inside a rodeo chute does not turn out well for him. He is introduced to AIDS in the 1980’s and is give 30 days to live. He decides he does want to be dead as he has a lot of partying to do. While in the hospital he meets a gay victim (the MC character is not gay) played by actor/singer Jared Leto. JL also does not want to go but the doctors insist. Time is up.
The rest of the film is about the MC character fighting the disease and helping others to do so by leaving the US and bringing in the drugs that AIDS victims could not get in the US at that time. MC starts the Dallas Buyers Club as a way to deliver the drugs to the victims of the day. He himself is one of them. This film is also very uncomfortable to view due to the subject matter and the fate of the main characters. MC transforms himself physically as well as delivering an incredible and sure to be Oscar nominated performance. Jared Leto may not end up winning a statue but should be at least one of the Supporting Nominees. He deserves the recognition.
Both films are above average but adult in nature. Not recommended for anybody under 36.
Blue Jasmine rated 3.0 out of 4.0 reasons to remember Take the Money and Run
Dallas Buyers Club rated 3.0 out of 4.0 reasons the film could have been called the New Orleans Buyers Club since that’s where it was filmed.
9.Dallas Buyers Club. There were no cinematic love notes to the intelligence agencies this year. Instead, an AIDS patient takes on the FDA and the pharmaceutical cartel. It is progress when even government-loving Hollywood recognizes that business captures regulation for its own ends, and that bureaucrats are not selfless public servants, but are often tools of the regulated who stifle progress and freedom while pursing power and payola.