From Philadelphia To Dallas Buyers Club: 20 Years

It happened in Philadelphia.
I was sitting in my office at the Philadelphia Bar Association when I got a call from Hollywood. No, it wasn't the call from some Big Hollywood Agent that I had been waiting for. I'm still waiting for that call.
This was a call from someone representing a major Hollywood studio. He told me about a movie that the studio wanted to film in Philadelphia. They were looking for locations and they had a storefront law office or a law office on top of a storefront in mind - preferably something in or near center city.
They couldn't tell me much more except that this would be a Jonathan Demme film with major stars in the key roles. This was a Big Deal.
The movie turned out to be Philadelphia with Tom Hanks and Danzel Washington. Hanks won the Oscar for his role in the film which was one of the first mainstream Hollywood flicks to tackle the AIDS epidemic. And yes, we did cooperate with the filmmakers and managed to get a small plug for the bar association in the movie.
That was two decades ago.
Philadelphia is a landmark film and has justifiably been deemed one of the 20 most inspiring movies of the 20th century by the American Film Institute.
Now, along comes Dallas Buyers Club, the newest take on the early days of the AIDS epidemic, this time starring Matthew McConaughey, Jennifer Garner and Jared Leto.
Both films tackle AIDS with an anti-establishment attitude but there the similarity ends. Because Dallas Buyers Club is more graphic, more searing, more angry, more bloody and more gritty than Philadelphia. In fact, Dallas Buyers Club is as different from Philadelphia as a bronco buster is from a Philadelphia lawyer. Where Philadelphia's battle lines were drawn in the courtroom, Dallas Buyers Club takes on the medical establishment, the federal government and big pharma.
Dallas Buyers Club is a raw, in-your-face depiction of the scourge of AIDS and the rampant prejudices that faced AIDS victims in the 1980s.
Inspired by a true story, McConaughey portrays Texas electrician/cowboy Ron Woodroof, whose free-living lifestyle was shattered when he was diagnosed as HIV-positive and given 30 days to live. Shunned and ostracized by many of his old friends, Woodruff found it hard to get help. But he was determined to live well beyond his 30 days even if it took drastic action on his part.
Doctors at his local medical center had pretty much given up on him.
So, he quickly learned everything he could about AIDS and took matters into his own hands, tracking down alternative treatments (both legal and illegal) from all over the world. Woodroof joined forces with an unlikely band of renegades and created a "buyers' club" for the drugs and additives that local AIDS victims needed to survive. Their shared struggle for dignity and acceptance lies at the core of this remarkable story. We won't tell you how long Woodruff survived beyond his 30 days but we will tell you this: You will be astounded.

Director Jean-Marc Vallee moves the story along briskly with quick cuts, fast-moving camera techniques and convincing documentary-style footage where appropriate. 

The screenplay by Craig Borton and Melissa Wallack crackles with great dialogue and a keen awareness of the time, the characters and the subject matter.

But this movie really belongs to McConaughey who embodies his character to such a remarkable degree that you cannot help but be engrossed in Woodruff's journey. If you ask us, McConaughey has almost always been underrated and here he's truly at the top of his game. Count on it: He will be nominated for the Academy Award for this performance.

Another nomination will surely go to Jared Leto for his deft handling of the role of Rayon, a drug-addicted transsexual who's hoping to undergo a sex change. It's an incredible performance.

And Jennifer Garner deserves major kudos for her depiction of Dr. Eve Saks who puts her whole career on the line to help Woodruff and his friends.

We've travelled a long and enlightening road from Philadelphia (1993) to Dallas (2013) but that's as it should be. And this is what great movies (and great actors) do: They help us to connect, to understand, to learn, to grow.

Dallas Buyers club meets that criteria, and then some.

Romney: More Must Be Done To Conquer AIDS

Mitt Romney today made the following statement on the opening of the 19th annual International AIDS Conference in Washington, DC:

“AIDS is an indiscriminate killer. It takes our young and our old. It leaves behind widows and orphans. And in many parts of the world, it affects those least able to help themselves. Significant progress has been made in research, education, and delivery of medication, but more needs to be done. America is a compassionate nation. It has been – and must continue to be – a beacon of hope for innovative research and support as we seek to overcome the global challenge of AIDS.”

AIDS Efforts: Bushes Honored

From the Houston Business Journal:
Baylor International Pediatric AIDS Initiative honored former President George W. Bush and former First Lady Laura Bush with the 2009 Leadership Award. The award was presented at a dinner in Houston held as part of BIPAI’s annual network meeting of program officials. Each year, BIPAI, honors leadership in promoting awareness and advancing care and treatment for HIV-infected children and families globally. President Bush was cited for creating the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, while Laura Bush was acknowledged for her role as an advocate for mothers and children suffering from HIV/AIDS. Since its creation in 2003, PEPFAR has saved more than 1.1 million lives and reduced AIDS-related deaths by more than 10 percent in countries across sub-Saharan Africa.

Obama: Less $$$ For AIDS

From Timothy C. Morgan at Christianity Today:

More news about the fiscal 2010 Federal Budget is trickling out this week. Less than expected funding for treatment and prevention of HIV/AIDS, malaria, and TB is not what many public health professionals were hoping for.

In fact, some are saying President Obama has broken a campaign promise he made last year to increase by $1 billion the total amount allocated to fighting HIV/AIDS, TB, and malaria.

The Center for Global Health Policy said:

Leading disease experts said President Barack Obama’s 2010 budget proposal for global health falls far short of what is needed to combat the deadly twin epidemics of HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis. Details on global health spending were released by the White House today, and a preliminary analysis indicates the President is proposing only $165 million in additional funding for bilateral AIDS as well as the US contribution to the Global Fund. “This proposal is even worse than we had feared. With this spending request, Obama has broken his campaign promise to provide $1 billion a year in new money for global AIDS, and he has overlooked the growing threat of tuberculosis,” said the Center for Global Health Policy’s Director, Christine Lubinski. While malaria receives a significant boost, Obama’s call for a meager increase in the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) budget is no match for the scope of the AIDS crisis, which killed 2 million people in 2007, nearly 5,500 a day. Obama’s detailed budget blueprint comes as developing countries are struggling to preserve their fragile health systems. In several countries, drug shortages and treatment program cutbacks now threaten the lives of millions of HIV/AIDS and TB patients. This unfolding health crisis could quickly spread, as people who stop treatment become far more infectious. Treatment disruption can also lead to drug-resistance, an extremely expensive and potentially deadly development.