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

[DonnyL]

I find it impossible to believe that this hasn't been mentioned anywhere yet, so i feel i must have either missed it (although, if this were the case, the discussion would be far from over by now) or i must be missing something, probably something really obvious that i'm overlooking. Maybe i was deceived, fell for some trick. Did i imagine it? Was my own mind playing tricks on me? Did i fill in the blanks somehow and convince myself i heard it? Or did it really happen, and it's just that i missed a big, prior news announcement at some point? Could this possibly be old news? Am i that out of the loop? Are there not snippets of isolated Good Vibrations vocals in the movie?! I am certain i heard a little of Carl's lead and portions of the chorus. Isolated. No backing track. No aural signs of digital extraction. What the hell is up with this? I demand an explanation.

I heard that too, and it sure sounded like isolated GV vocals. Also, I'm pretty sure we got some serious up-close in-depth looks at the real tape archives of the Smile multis at one point (these had to be the real tapes in my opinion).

I noticed a few track snippets, etc. that I had never heard before. There's a cool mix of "Til I Die" with the snare drum way up, then Mike's isolated vocal later on. Definitely some new stuff in this movie.

The Wrecking Crew in-studio scenes were so real, not even like "Hollywood" at all ... almost like really being there (I would assume). Kind of small, no reverb in the 'room' scenes, hanging out outside in a dingy parking lot, etc. Not hyped up and glorified, just real working players in a room. I caught a scene with TWO Fender Electric XIIs!

I'm not one for drawn-out reviews, but seeing this movie caught me at a moment in my life when I really needed it. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I think that as a film, it is beyond criticism because it was really an intense EMOTIONAL EXPERIENCE for the entire duration. The tears began falling right from the panic attack in the plane scene, and came went for the entire movie.

Anyway, I didn't expect the full blown TRIP I took seeing this movie in downtown Portland this afternoon (with only about 8 other people), all by myself. I'm not sure if non-BB fans would have this kind of emotional reaction or not ... but two thumbs up from me, and I'm a hard sell.

[sea of tunes]

One little nugget that I keep thinking about and forgetting but it made me smile.  As Dano sits down to play the piano, while sitting in the sandbox, he 'clears himself' with a few bars of "Be My Baby", before breaking into the melody for "Good Vibrations".  Fans know and have probably heard Brian mention doing this that it's almost like him hitting the 'reset' button to clear his mind.  I thought it was a nice touch.

[Komera]

Out of curiosity, I went to see what the people of IMDb thought of Love & Mercy.  Currently has a 7.5 rating.  Also took a look at the trivia, one of which reads "Many scenes were shot at their original real life locations, including the Studio 3 room of United Western Recorders and the site of the Wilson family's childhood home in Hawthorne, California."  Wait, how does that work?  Does part of the movie take place on the freeway?

[Bittersweet-Sanity]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brN2wGpnr9s
John Cusack on Opie and Jim Norton radio show

[Misterlou]

Just got back from seeing it for the first time. A few thoughts:

Mindblowing. But I'll get to that in a minute. The theater was about half full, maybe a little more, mostly people in their fifties on up (I live in Sacramento, California, but saw it in El Dorado Hills, a suburb, due to the superior sound and visuals that theater offers - it was worth the drive). I like an older crowd because they tend to be quieter, but I think even young folks would have sat in quiet awe through this film (and the young ones who were there did).

The performances, set design, sound design, costumes... everything, was amazing. I had read some critics stated they favored the 1960s scenes but I found both halves of the film equally compelling and powerful. The editing, along with the picture, directing and performances, score, etc., all deserve to be considered come awards season. Pohlad showed a self-assurance with a difficult subject matter that is amazing to behold, especially since he's only been in the director's chair on one occasion, many years ago. Without spoiling anything, I appreciated how he knew when to be understated, and when to pull out all the stops, musically and visually. The drug-taking scenes and overall 60s vibe could have easily been reduced to tropes we've experienced a thousand times before in a thousand other films, but instead they seemed very organic, very Brian-like, and not over the top. The devil is in the details and they got them all right, or mostly right (the only exceptions I noticed were the already mentioned ad nauseam beach scene, in which the incorrect truck was used in the background, and Mike questioning Brian about the lyrics of Heroes and Villains instead of Cabin Essence, but who cares, really?). The score from Atticus Ross went from beautiful to scary and all points in-between and was perfect for this film. Both Dano and Cusack channeled Brian beautifully in their own ways, befitting the Brian of the 60s and the Brian of the 80s.

My advice? If there is any way you can see this on the big screen, with that big sound, do so. You won't be disappointed. And stay through the credits. I'm seeing it again tomorrow.

[Mr. Tiger]

It's interesting to read all the reactions to the two Brian performances in the film. Many seem to be pleasantly surprised by Cusack.

My wife thought Dano looked more like Brian but considered his performance to be rather one note and less compelling than Cusack's.

The younger Brian is harder to pin down in a lot of ways... although he would seem to be a less taxing version of Brian to play, there isn't much interview footage of him and there is definitely still some mystique and challenge in really capturing him. I don't necessarily agree with my wife and I feel that I owe Dano more viewing(s)....

[Larry Franz]

My advice? If there is any way you can see this on the big screen, with that big sound, do so. You won't be disappointed. And stay through the credits. I'm seeing it again tomorrow.

I second that. The sound in the theater was extraordinary. Not just the musical parts, but at least two other scenes you should hear for yourself.

Here's another rave review, which also goes into the awards and economic prospects of the movie, since it's a business magazine:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/markhughes/2015/06/05/review-love-and-mercy-is-an-oscar-caliber-beach-boys-biopic/

[the professor]

Yes. Go see it. The professor comments on that scene in the newer thread on the topic of this film.

Out of curiosity, I went to see what the people of IMDb thought of Love & Mercy.  Currently has a 7.5 rating.  Also took a look at the trivia, one of which reads "Many scenes were shot at their original real life locations, including the Studio 3 room of United Western Recorders and the site of the Wilson family's childhood home in Hawthorne, California."  Wait, how does that work?  Does part of the movie take place on the freeway?

[rab2591]

I find it impossible to believe that this hasn't been mentioned anywhere yet, so i feel i must have either missed it (although, if this were the case, the discussion would be far from over by now) or i must be missing something, probably something really obvious that i'm overlooking. Maybe i was deceived, fell for some trick. Did i imagine it? Was my own mind playing tricks on me? Did i fill in the blanks somehow and convince myself i heard it? Or did it really happen, and it's just that i missed a big, prior news announcement at some point? Could this possibly be old news? Am i that out of the loop? Are there not snippets of isolated Good Vibrations vocals in the movie?! I am certain i heard a little of Carl's lead and portions of the chorus. Isolated. No backing track. No aural signs of digital extraction. What the hell is up with this? I demand an explanation.

I heard that too, and it sure sounded like isolated GV vocals. Also, I'm pretty sure we got some serious up-close in-depth looks at the real tape archives of the Smile multis at one point (these had to be the real tapes in my opinion).

I noticed a few track snippets, etc. that I had never heard before. There's a cool mix of "Til I Die" with the snare drum way up, then Mike's isolated vocal later on. Definitely some new stuff in this movie.

I completely forgot about the Good Vibrations isolated vocals - I was floored at the time and almost didn't believe what I was hearing. The isolated harmonies during the chorus blew me away...there were beautiful harmony layers I had never ever picked up on before.

Also forgot about that Til I Die sequence - Mike's isolated vocal is amazing "These things I'll be until I die" people who aren't familiar with the 70s work will be blown away by that song I think.

[CoolWater]

I was overwhelmed coming out of the theatre last night, like I'd been hit by an emotional wrecking ball. It felt at times like we'd been watching found footage. I stopped seeing Paul Dano and could only see Brian Wilson. That's as big a compliment as I can think to give. Talking about awards is a tricky thing, because IMO so much politics goes into it, but if this film doesn't win an Oscar for best sound editing then why present the award at all? Wow!

 If I had to come up with one complaint it would be that I wish there had been more scenes with the Mike Love character. Only because I felt that I actually got some real insight into his perspective throughout the film. While Brian's story is treated with great love and (well) mercy it does not pull any punches either. In the film we see Brian come apart and we see Mike have to watch. We see his frustration, as he tell's Brian he's letting the band down. Selfishly, I wish there was more time given to that dynamic, as I thought it shed a lot of light.

[Seaside Woman]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brN2wGpnr9s
John Cusack on Opie and Jim Norton radio show

Who listening to that is not going to go and see the film, those guys really sold it.

[Howie Edelson]

SRO last night at the Upper West Side showing in Manhattan.
The row ahead of us had a cross-section of teens, young adults, and (very) elderly.

All left breathless by the film.

[drbeachboy]

SRO last night at the Upper West Side showing in Manhattan.
The row ahead of us had a cross-section of teens, young adults, and (very) elderly.

All left breathless by the film.

That is very good to hear. Hopefully, all of the evening showings will do well across the country. I went to a 4:30 matinee and just before the lights went down there were 50+ people seated. Saw a few more come in during previews, so I'm guessing around 60 people mostly my age 57 and older. I did see a few 20 something's seated as well.

[FatherOfTheMan Sr101]

Not looking at anyone's comments yet- seeing it tonight. Just wanted to let everyone here know not only am I seeing it tonight, but thanks to the amazing marketing and early reviews MY WHOLE FAMILY is going. This is awesome guys, really excited!

[chrs_mrgn]

Here is a little junket for Love and Mercy.

One with John and Elizabeth

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fh5UH8bnA7A

And another with Paul Dano

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_TchYS7LCE

[Michael Edward Osbourne]

I saw Love & Mercy last night at the Avon Cinema in Providence Rhode Island. The movie is absolutely incredible. The emotional effect it had on the audience was amazing. People were laughing and crying in their seats. And the music was great the whole time through, I'm glad it was actual BB/BW music. Hats off to Cusack and Dano! DVD please!

[harrisonjon]

One of the greatest films about music ever made, or about genius. The recording studio scenes are a religious experience for any true fan, definitely, and will mesmerize anyone who's interested in how great music was made back then. The 80s scenes with Cusack and Banks belonged to a different movie, albeit a good one, about a woman rescuing a sensitive, vulnerable person from an abuser; I just didn't feel that those 80s scenes were as authentic, in the sense that they could have been taken from any generic work of fiction about that scenario, which is not unique to Brian.

[Shark]

Can someone expand on what the "homage to 2001" is?  Going to see it on Tuesday night after work and can't wait.  Was going to go this morning and my girlfriend is making me wait til Tuesday because she wants to go too. 

[sea of tunes]

Can someone expand on what the "homage to 2001" is?  Going to see it on Tuesday night after work and can't wait.  Was going to go this morning and my girlfriend is making me wait til Tuesday because she wants to go too. 

I don't want to completely spoil that sequence for you but it's a collage of images and moments that are used to convey Brian essentially 'traveling through a wormhole' not literally, of course but of memories instead of a kaleidoscope of technicolor.  And he winds up seeing himself in bed at three stages all dressed in a white robe.  The screen is used to unify both Brian - Past (Dano) and Brian - Future (Cusack).   I hope that helps, without giving away too much.  And above all, I hope it knocks you out too!

[wilsonart1]

Today,  I might of very well saw God!  early morning show ,20 or so in attendance, half of them in tears. I'm home puttin' the pieces back together.  So glad this film cam

[adamghost]

A lot of people missed what I think is the best line in the movie (it's sort of a throwaway) -- what Dennis says/does after Brian says "real surfers don't like our music anyway!"

[Larry Franz]

Some of this is interesting: interview with screenwriter Oren Moverman.

http://collider.com/love-and-mercy-oren-moverman-on-making-a-cinematic-brian-williams-biopic/

[sea of tunes]

A lot of people missed what I think is the best line in the movie (it's sort of a throwaway) -- what Dennis says/does after Brian says "real surfers don't like our music anyway!"

Puffs on a joint and says "they don't".

Great line and moment, agree.

[sea of tunes]

Some of this is interesting: interview with screenwriter Oren Moverman.

http://collider.com/love-and-mercy-oren-moverman-on-making-a-cinematic-brian-williams-biopic/

Thanks for the link, Larry.  Great interview.  This and the Consequence of Sound interview with Bill Pohlad are some of the most illuminating about the film, creatively.

 

[Misterlou]

I was thinking about songs that were featured in the film and songs that weren't, that I wish were included. The only two songs I wish had been in the film that weren't featured are the MIC mix of Sail Plane Song and Cabin Essence (Smile Sessions version). Sail Plane Song because it's such a trippy song, and would have made great background music in one of the more psychedelic scenes, and Cabin Essence because it's a personal favorite, and I would have loved to see it re-created in the studio. Nonetheless, it was a fantastic film, worth seeing multiple times in the theater if you have the inclination (and income).

After seeing it, my wife, who has only ever been a casual fan, mainly of the pre-Pet Sounds period, commented that she is now converted. I also thought Dano did great work with the vocals, and the blend between his vocals and the actual recordings was done seamlessly, so well in fact that my wife couldn't tell when Dano stopped singing and Brian started... she thought all the vocals were the original recordings.