Love and Mercy - News and Reviews - First clip is out.

[Shady]

Hey Shady, you got one of Brian takin' a wiz?

You wish.

Seriously though, I'll have a look if I can find one.

[JohnMill]

But yah, sitting right there in the audience. What'a trip that must've been.

How about it? I think it says a lot about the man to be able to watch those incredibly tough scenes of his life play out on screen, and to be in the middle of the whole thing ending in a standing ovation from those around him, taking it all in graciously and with a smile. My takeaway is that he is a survivor, and at many times in the past 45 years or so the odds would have been against Brian Wilson, yet he is still creating music for his fans and putting smiles on their faces. Inspiring.

Well put.  My sincerest hope is that one day either during this lifetime or in the great beyond, he realizes that in spite of the pain he has endured, how many lives his music has saved.

[Mikie]

Poor guy can't even watch a movie in peace......

[Awesoman]

Brian watching the movie



Brian leaving the movie




I'd love to know what he really thought of it and what it was like for him to see his life on screen. Guess we'll never know.

Probably didn't care for it as much as Norbit. 

[punkinhead]

Maybe I missed it scanning through the thread, but does anyone know when or if this will be in general release in theaters?  Wonder if it will be a limited or broad release......

From the reviews I anticipate it will be difficult to watch the whole thing with both eyes open.  But I will watch for sure first chance I get.  And yeah, I'll no doubt buy the video to add to my already ridiculous collection of beachboys product.

Per the LA Times this morning, the film does not yet have a distributor, hence no release date...

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/filmfestivals/la-et-mn-toronto-assess-20140908-story.html#page=1

Just read on wiki that the distributor is Lions Gate Entertainment, I hope that's true!!!

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Love_and_Mercy_(film)

[rab2591]

Maybe I missed it scanning through the thread, but does anyone know when or if this will be in general release in theaters?  Wonder if it will be a limited or broad release......

From the reviews I anticipate it will be difficult to watch the whole thing with both eyes open.  But I will watch for sure first chance I get.  And yeah, I'll no doubt buy the video to add to my already ridiculous collection of beachboys product.

Per the LA Times this morning, the film does not yet have a distributor, hence no release date...

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/filmfestivals/la-et-mn-toronto-assess-20140908-story.html#page=1

Just read on wiki that the distributor is Lions Gate Entertainment, I hope that's true!!!

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Love_and_Mercy_(film)

Lion's Gate will distribute the film internationally. They've yet to find a distributor for the US.

[guitarfool2002]

Poor guy can't even watch a movie in peace......

  That's funny!

I wonder if there were any reports of hooligans, street toughs, and various ne'er-do-wells talking loudly and throwing popcorn and Sno-Caps in that theater. 

[guitarfool2002]

But yah, sitting right there in the audience. What'a trip that must've been.

How about it? I think it says a lot about the man to be able to watch those incredibly tough scenes of his life play out on screen, and to be in the middle of the whole thing ending in a standing ovation from those around him, taking it all in graciously and with a smile. My takeaway is that he is a survivor, and at many times in the past 45 years or so the odds would have been against Brian Wilson, yet he is still creating music for his fans and putting smiles on their faces. Inspiring.

Well put.  My sincerest hope is that one day either during this lifetime or in the great beyond, he realizes that in spite of the pain he has endured, how many lives his music has saved.

I share that hope. Count me among the many helped and inspired by that music.

[Mikie]

Poor guy can't even watch a movie in peace......

  That's funny!

I wonder if there were any reports of hooligans, street toughs, and various ne'er-do-wells talking loudly and throwing popcorn and Sno-Caps in that theater. 

Yeah! Slide into the row behind him and crinkle candy wrappers, smack your lips eating popcorn, and shake the cup of ice to see if there's any Coke left to slurp up the straw.

No, seriously. I'd like to see some close-up shots of Brian's face watching "Seconds".

[sea of tunes]

Thanks to everyone that posted links to reviews and first hand accounts from the screening.  One lingering question that I can't say has been conclusively answered: is there a mixture of newly recorded BB/BW music with original music?  I gather that at least Dano does perform some songs?

For a laugh, I went back and read something I wrote two summers ago.  It was a treatment for a movie about Brian Wilson.  Silly and self-indulgent is all I'll say.  But I can't help but compare what the structure wound up as and what I wrote.  Needless to say, juxtaposing 80's Brian and 60's Brian is the most inspired way to do this story.  And there had to be a through line I guess, that would be Melinda "saving" Brian.

If your interested in reading what I'm referring to...don't laugh too hard:

http://smileysmile.net/board/index.php?topic=13419.0

I can't wait to see "Love & Mercy" myself.

[Shady]

Thanks to everyone that posted links to reviews and first hand accounts from the screening.  One lingering question that I can't say has been conclusively answered: is there a mixture of newly recorded BB/BW music with original music?  I gather that at least Dano does perform some songs?

For a laugh, I went back and read something I wrote two summers ago.  It was a treatment for a movie about Brian Wilson.  Silly and self-indulgent is all I'll say.  But I can't help but compare what the structure wound up as and what I wrote.  Needless to say, juxtaposing 80's Brian and 60's Brian is the most inspired way to do this story.  And there had to be a through line I guess, that would be Melinda "saving" Brian.

If your interested in reading what I'm referring to...don't laugh too hard:

http://smileysmile.net/board/index.php?topic=13419.0

I can't wait to see "Love & Mercy" myself.

The music in the film has been covered by schiaffino. Paul Dano does sing.

Yes, they did an amazing job. Only a few songs were performed in their entirety, I remember Sloop John B (the pool video recreation), Love and Mercy in the closing credits and Surfs Up (Brian/Dano solo performance). But if you dont mind some spoilers, here's a quick list of the best musical moments in the movie:

• My fav, Brian (Dano) sitting next to his house pool alone and sad after the failure of Smile - this to the sound of 'Cool Cool Water'
• A dream sequence after Brian (Cusack) leaves Landy, where he sees himself in bed at different ages in his life, while visited in his dreams by Murray, Landy, Melinda - this to a mix of different songs, but ending with a beautifully haunting 'Till I die'
• When Brian (Dano) was recording Good Vibrations and he spends days and days on the cellos; at one moment Mike's cries out of desperation and Brian (Dano) says 'if you dont want to be here, Mike, you can wait outside the studio'
• Brian (Dano) recording Caroline No, I think Dano did the singing here and it was really, really moving; later in the scene Murray comes in to play the Boys the new single from the other band he tried to produced The Sunrays' or sth like that (?)
• Brian (Dano) playing God Only Knows to Murray as a preview and they getting into an argument after about the lyrics and the production. Cool thing is how Dano starts of singing and playing in a shy way and then gets into it as Brian surely did with his dad (I can imagine Brian really nervous whenever he sought Murray's feedback)
• The Wrecking Crew playing Fire, all wearing firemen hats, and Brian (Dano) taking some burning wood ( I think) and running around with it in the studio. Everyone in the control booth was looking at Brian as if he'd gone mad, cool scene

• And a cheesy scene where Brian (Cusack) plays an early riff of Love and Mercy to Melinda when she visits his house the first time. He said he thought of it the moment he met her, not sure if thats accurate...

[sea of tunes]

The music in the film has been covered by schiaffino. Paul Dano does sing.

Thanks!  Hopefully we'll get an official soundtrack release!

[Shady]

That would be fantastic!

[Bittersweet-Sanity]

http://variety.com/2014/film/reviews/toronto-film-review-love-mercy-1201301472/
Paul Dano and John Cusack bring the Beach Boys' Brian Wilson to life in Bill Pohlad's vibrant cure for the common musical biopic.

[Rocky Raccoon]

This keeps sounding better and better.  I am so excited for this.

[Pretty Funky]

I guess with these positive reviews marketing people will start looking at link-ups such as a soundtrack album.

Well done to those involved with the movie BTW. Sounds like a winner!

[joshferrell]

well he's got that autobiography that's supposed to come out next yr. Maybe he'll give his thoughts on it in there.

But yah, sitting right there in the audience. What'a trip that must've been.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQUG0ekNaM0 Brian somewhat "collapsing" at the screening. Hopefully he was ok. Looks like he awkwardly tried to stand up and kinda tripped.

yeah I thought maybe he stood up and kind of fell forward, maybe because of his back? I know that he has had back problems it looks like he stood up and lost his balance, the video ends so quickly it's hard to tell, but if he had Collapsed I would think it would have been in the media.

[John Manning]

yeah I thought maybe he stood up and kind of fell forward, maybe because of his back? I know that he has had back problems it looks like he stood up and lost his balance, the video ends so quickly it's hard to tell, but if he had Collapsed I would think it would have been in the media.

Well put. I'm sure that if Brian HAD REALLY collapsed at the screening of his own biopic, someone would, by now, have announced that they were going to make a movie about the 50 years leading up to that moment.

[the professor]

Guardian review confirms my fears: Melinda is inspirational hero; BB are just fools in the way of genius..........
any film that builds toward "love as mercy" aesthetically or conceptually is bound to be a bore.

no thanks

http://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/sep/08/love-and-mercy-review-brian-wilson-biopic

I couldnt agree more with this review.

[Smilin Ed H]

Guardian review confirms my fears: Melinda is inspirational hero; BB are just fools in the way of genius..........
any film that builds toward "love as mercy" aesthetically or conceptually is bound to be a bore.

no thanks

http://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/sep/08/love-and-mercy-review-brian-wilson-biopic

I couldnt agree more with this review.

However you may perceive her as a 'villain', to Brian, she undoubtedly has been inspirational and a saviour as far as Brian is concerned. Perhaps to make it of more interest dramatically, he should have died of an overdose in the early 80s. You know, the downbeat ending = good drama school of thought.

[Andrew G. Doe]

From what I've read, she's portrayed as the sole heroine who liberated Brian, and that's simply not the case. The lawsuit that lead directly to Landy's hold over Brian being broken was instigated May 7th 1991 by the family: Carl, Audree, Wendy & Carnie. As far as anyone's aware, Melinda didn't renew contact with Brian until summer 1993. Not denying she gave Brian somewhere where he could feel secure and productive, nor that she was instrumental in instigating the two major moments in his solo career... but the single person who freed Brian from Landy's malign influence, no. Maybe the reviewer has it wrong. We'll see. Have to say, from all the current reviews, the movie looks set to be way better than pretty much any of us here dared hope.

[Andrew G. Doe]

I'd love to know what he really thought of it and what it was like for him to see his life on screen. Guess we'll never know.

Probably didn't care for it as much as Norbit.  

"Brian, what's your favorite movie ?"

"Love & Mercy"

"What's the last movie you saw ?"

"Love & Mercy"

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

[Lowbacca]

[...] the movie looks set to be way better than pretty much any of us here dared hope.

Not me. I've been psyched since screenwriters/producers/director were announced. Casting Giamatti and Dano is the cherry on top.

[Loaf]

From what I've read, she's portrayed as the sole heroine who liberated Brian, and that's simply not the case. The lawsuit that lead directly to Landy's hold over Brian being broken was instigated May 7th 1991 by the family: Carl, Audree, Wendy & Carnie. As far as anyone's aware, Melinda didn't renew contact with Brian until summer 1993. Not denying she gave Brian somewhere where he could feel secure and productive, nor that she was instrumental in instigating the two major moments in his solo career... but the single person who freed Brian from Landy's malign influence, no. Maybe the reviewer has it wrong. We'll see. Have to say, from all the current reviews, the movie looks set to be way better than pretty much any of us here dared hope.

I'd be surprised if the movie wasn't a little loose with the more complicated truth over the conservatorship. Having Melinda act as the driving force streamlines the narrative, reduces the need for more involved secondary characters and increases the reputation of Melinda for the audience.

I'm not saying Melinda had any influence in the script being written that way, it's just a standard Hollywood story of the saviour and redemption.

But i'm still looking forward to it.