H D - S E N S E I

A view on Blu-ray by Gary W. Tooze

Dallas Buyers Club [Blu-ray]

(Jean-Marc Vallée, 2013)

Also available, on Blu-ray, in Region 'A' (North America) for a very reasonable price:

Review by Gary Tooze

Production:

Theatrical: Truth Entertainment

Video: Koch Media (Italy)

Disc:

Region: 'B'-locked (as verified by the Oppo Blu-ray player)

Runtime: 1:56:48.583

Disc Size: 41,568,820,996 bytes

Feature Size: 37,023,125,952 bytes

Video Bitrate: 33.36 Mbps

Chapters: 13

Case: Standard Blu-ray case

Release date: February 6th, 2015

Video:

Aspect ratio: 2.40:1

Resolution: 1080p / 24 fps

Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video

Audio:

DTS-HD Master Audio English 3129 kbps 5.1 / 48 kHz / 3129 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 5.1 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit)

DUB: DTS-HD Master Audio Italian 3287 kbps 5.1 / 48 kHz / 3287 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 5.1 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit)

Subtitles:

Italian, none

Extras:

• Interview with Matthew McConaughey (13:00 - English with Italian subtitles)
• Backstage (14:53 - Italian subtitles)
• Deleted Scene (4:46 - Italian subtitles)
• Italian Trailer (1:38)
• Aids Today (9:31 - Featurette in Italian)
• Blu-ray Credits

Bitrate:

Description: In mid-1980s Texas, electrician Ron Woodroof (Matthew McConaughey) is stunned to learn that he has AIDS. Though told that he has just 30 days left to live, Woodroof refuses to give in to despair. He seeks out alternative therapies and smuggles unapproved drugs into the U.S. from wherever he can find them. Woodroof joins forces with a fellow AIDS patient (Jared Leto) and begins selling the treatments to the growing number of people who can't wait for the medical establishment to save them.

The Film:

Terrific performances by Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto elevate this socio-medical drama out of the realms of the ordinary into something quietly remarkable. While McConaughey's dramatic weight loss may make attention-grabbing headlines, there's much more to his performance than the mere shedding of 30-odd pounds. Continuing the reinvention (dubbed the "McConaissance") which has seen him lay the ghost of grizzly romcoms such as Failure to Launch with harder-edged roles in Magic Mike and Killer Joe, McConaughey is utterly convincing as the ravaged rodeo redneck who is given 30 days to live after being diagnosed with Aids, but who stubbornly refuses to lie down and die. Despite very strong competition from Chiwetel Ejiofor in 12 Years a Slave, odds are that McConaughey will take the Oscar for best actor next month, with Leto similarly triumphing with best supporting actor. Both wins would be thoroughly deserved.

Excerpt from The Guardian located HERE

This is a film that embodies a lot of anger but never comes across as hectoring - it's far too gleefully subversive for that. For all the ugliness, it's also a tremendous amount of fun. Yves Bélanger's cinematography somehow keeps us focused through a riot of colour and motion. Jean-Marc Vallée's direction effortlessly carries us through changes of perception brought on by illness, violence, drugs and thinking. It's one of the smartest films of the year and should not be missed.

Excerpt from EyeForFilm located HERE

Image : NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc.

Dallas Buyers Club appears true to the source on Blu-ray from Koch out of Italy. It is neither glossy nor pristinely sharp (shot with the Arri Alexa) but shows some depth and I would guess the 2.4:1 aspect ratio 1080P transfer is a strong replication of the theatrical appearance. I recall it being a little green in some of the indoor scenes when I saw it theatrically. It's on a dual-layered disc with a very high bitrate - colors look true, without embellishment, and the visuals look excellent in-motion. This Blu-ray is competently transferred and gives a worthy presentation.

CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION

Audio :

Koch use a DTS-HD Master 5.1 surround track (24-bit) in the original English with an equally robust Italian DUB. There is minimal depth because the film doesn't require an abundance of floor rattling. That is, aside from some of the music - a cornucopia variety of songs - many country-western themes - with a few pieces performed by Shuggie Otis, Stephen Edwards, plus Kenny Rogers's Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town, Animotion's Obsession, After The Scripture by Manchester Orchestra etc. There are optional Italian subtitles and my Oppo has identified it as being a region 'B'-locked.

NOTE: The text screens at the end and the credits are in Italian in this edition.

Extras :

There is a 13-minute interview with Matthew McConaughey in English with Italian subtitles - talking about the character and his portrayal of Ron Woodroof. There is some behind the scenes footage and a 5-minute deleted scene (both English with Italian subs). There is also an Italian trailer and a 10-minute piece entitled Aids Today running for less than 10-minutes and it is solely in Italian!

BOTTOM LINE:
Dallas Buyers Club has some of the best performances in the past many years of Hollywood production. McConaughey and Leto give career-changing portrayals. McConaughey especially was circling the perimeter of an essential role and his efforts here as Ron Woodroof, and the following year in the first season of True Detective, really altered many of the public's view of his talent and finally gave him the respect he deserved. Many also believed Dallas Buyers Club should have won best picture. Koch out of Italy sent me a handful of Blu-rays and this was one. I had seen the film theatrically (one of the few I ventured to) and seeing this 1080P reminded me of how blown-away. I'm friends with a lesser-known director and, although we disagree a lot, we both have very positive feeling towards Dallas Buyers Club. Don't be deterred by the topic - on the performances alone this is a must-see. Strongly recommended!

Gary Tooze

October 17th, 2016

Also available, on Blu-ray, in Region 'A' (North America) for a very reasonable price: