February 5, 2014 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • Page 23 McConaughey plays cowboy who becomes AIDS activist by Dennis Seuling “Dallas Buyers Club” (Universal), based on actual events, is the story of rodeo cowboy Ron Woodroof (Matthew McCo- naughey) who, after an on-the-job accident, wakes up in the hospital and is told that routine blood work has revealed he is HIV positive and has a month to live. He discov- ers that there are medicines that have had positive effects on HIV and AIDS patients, but these drugs have not been approved by the FDA and are not available in the United States. Determined to get what it takes to stay alive, Ron travels to countries where the medicines can be bought and brings the drugs back to the United States. This draws the attention of customs, the FDA, the med- ical bureaucracy, and eventually the IRS. To defray his travel costs, he begins selling the drugs to other desperate AIDS patients. Ron ultimately drops his previ- ously homophobic attitude while retaining an edgy disposition directed more now to the establishment than to the many who crave hope. McConaughey’s physical appearance is startling. He has made himself frighten- ingly thin to be believable as a man infected with the AIDS virus. The role is the best of McConaughey’s career. He has already won several acting awards, including a Golden Globe, and been nominated for an Academy Award for this performance. Jared Leto, an Oscar nominee for best Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto have both received Academy Award nominations for ‘Dallas Buyers Club.’ supporting actor, makes quite an impression as the transgender Rayon, who becomes a partner of sorts with Ron when she is able to find HIV-infected individuals who also are desperate to obtain the drugs no one else can provide. Leto’s characterization avoids cliché and caricature. Director Jean-Marc Vallee ably captures the era and its sense of helplessness, hope- lessness, and despair in light of the emerg- ing AIDS epidemic. A significant theme is the conflict between medical protocols and the ability to get around them to secure unapproved drugs. Bonuses on the Blu- ray/DVD combo pack include a behind- the-scenes featurette, deleted scenes, and a digital HD version. “A Case of You” (IFC) is a roman- tic comedy about a shy guy who goes to extremes to impress the girl of his dreams. Young Brooklyn writer Sam (Justin Long) works for publisher Alan (Vince Vaughn), cranking out novelizations of junk movies. His real creative challenge comes when he falls for Birdie (Evan Rachel Wood), the cute, quirky barista at his local coffee shop. When his traditional attempts to woo Birdie fail, Sam takes his efforts online, creating an Internet profile embellished with all the details that would make him Birdie’s ideal man. When this scheme is a surprise suc- cess and Birdie falls for his exaggerated alter ego, Sam must keep up the act or lose his dream girl forever. Long doubles as screenwriter and cre- ates a pleasant, if not particularly distinc- tive, story that is plausible in the age of social networking. The cast includes many familiar faces, including Peter Dinklage, Brendan Fraser, Sam Rockwell, Siena Miller, and Priscilla Lopez, whose strong performances give the film distinction and set it apart from romantic comedies that depend solely on their two leads. The chem- istry between the two leads is believable and keeps viewers involved because their characters are likeable. Special features on both the Blu-ray and DVD versions include interviews and a theatrical trailer. Warner Home Video has just released three older titles on Blu-ray. “Million Dollar Baby,” a Best Picture Oscar winner directed by Clint Eastwood, stars East- wood as boxing trainer Frankie Dunn, who reluctantly agrees to train a young woman, Maggie Fitzgerald (Hilary Swank). Her lifelong dream is to achieve success in the ring. Morgan Freeman stars as Scrap, the gym’s caretaker and Dunn’s right hand man/conscience. Extras include featurettes, interviews, audio commentary, and a James Lipton Actors Studio segment. “Two Weeks Notice” stars Hugh Grant and Sandra Bullock in an office comedy. Lucy Kelton (Bullock) is a successful attor- ney who has become chief legal counsel for (continued on Crossword page)