Dallas Buyers Club

I saw the film "Dallas Buyers Club" last night and I have to add my own positive review to those of the official critics. It is very good - not brilliant, but well above average - and very positive despite its tragic situation. The lead actors' performances are second to none. I don't want to write at length as I'd prefer merely to draw your attention to it.

My curiosity to see the film was aroused by the prominence of a transgender character, Rayon, played by Jared Leto, but the fact that Rayon is trans is really neither here nor there as far as the plot goes. The film stands on its own merits.

Set in the late '80s, a straight guy is told he is dying of AIDS and sets about getting various products which are not approved by the FDA into the USA, much to the annoyance of the authorities and the hospital trialling a drug. It's much more in-depth and subtle than that, of course, but I don't want to spoil it. There's a human warmth to it and a few giggles but what carries it is the outstanding acting by the scarily thin Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto. The handheld camera and the closeups add well to the sense of sickliness and character motivation.

Go see.

Sue x

PS Talking of scarily thin, that's not happening yet! No change in weight since last time. Boo!

It's back with a vengeance

I’ve said before that the femme force in your typical TGirl ebbs and flows. For the last couple of months I’ve just been concentrating on the stuff of everyday life and barely been out until ten days ago I suddenly decided that I was tired of feeling cooped up indoors and had to stretch my legs, especially if they had a high heel on each foot. So I took the weekend off and had a much more successful shopping trip in Oxford Street than I had had for the sales a few weeks ago. Tranny purists will be shocked that I bought leggings and jeans rather than frilly frocks, but I have always preferred a contemporary smart casual look to overly feminine stuff on the whole. I like to blend in. I was just happy browsing the shops and trying stuff on and being “Madamed”. I was out of practice on the makeup front, though – I didn’t get out of the house till nearly three in the afternoon. I dress every day but don’t usually bother with full, careful makeup and stuff as who’s going to see me? The purists will faint at this point. But so what, I live this thing my way and, let’s face it, it’s the attitude most women have when alone indoors. Since the last time I put my face on fully was in early December for Pink Punters it took a while to remember what to do!

That Sunday I met friends for lunch. The weather here in Southern England has been the wettest and windiest on record and the area round me is sodden and flooded, the rivers are swollen and angry. I wouldn’t have believed the usual “trees on the line” British railway excuse for delayed trains had I not seen it for myself!

Trouble on the branch line

Anyway, I got to London and enjoyed Sunday lunch at the Cambridge pub in the West End with my friends Ange and Irene and it was good to have a chance to natter and catch up. A bit of shopping in Charles Fox for makeup but it has got so expensive there that I am going to have to think of some alternatives now. And then I met up with Joanne, our waitress at the Cambridge, after she had finished work. We enjoyed a drink at the Pillars of Hercules pub, which I have never managed to get into before as it’s always packed with office workers during the week. And then dinner at our favourite Italian, Melanie’s.

It’s good to have a proper weekend doing something different.

Yesterday I decided to drop the needs of work and go out to Brick Lane, where I haven’t managed to get to for months. There’s a newish Thai restaurant there, Kinkao, which is lovely: our waitress was very sweet, the food was excellent and we had a great time having a chat. The brilliant Rachel Cole is our organiser lady in that part of the world and I was glad to see Kay Stevens again, whom I hadn’t seen since Sparkle, Susan Matthews of the TGirl bar, Irene of course, Linda looking amazing with her own hair done beautifully, and Helen Louise who is so pretty, and to meet Jen Paltrow who was visiting all the way from Scotland.

Thai dinner in Brick Lane: l-r: Sue (me), Jen, Kay, Susan, Irene, Linda, Rachel, Helen. Tasty!

We popped into Monty’s further up Brick Lane for a nightcap - they do good cocktails - before heading back home as best we could since the Underground was settling into a strike. It’s always good to have an evening out, especially with such good company. I’m sad I’ve missed a few of these Brick Lane jaunts recently, but you can’t be everywhere.

I’m hoping there’ll be another West End Sunday lunch towards the end of February.

Sue x