Dennis Wilson Movie News

[Runaways]

it's a hollywood movie, not a documentary. 

[Emdeeh]

Howie, you've just described why I'm not a fan of biopics. They take a real person, fictionalize his or her life, and try to cram the whole thing into some narrative -- and never really show you who the person was. It's just entertainment, rarely with any substance.

[rab2591]

Let the music speak for itself.

A movie about any famous person will always have things/situations/elements dramatized, crammed in, and overblown. Many people have been drawn to The Beach Boys by shitty/shoddy Beach Boys biopics/tv-movies.....and that in itself is worth the movies IMO.

Dennis Wilson is batting 1000 among us fans, but he is relatively unknown to average Joe (or rather, his music is relatively unknown). I think a movie like this would shed a lot of light onto the the genius of Dennis, and allow many non-fans a window into the world of his music.

The project may suck. We fans may hate the movie, but many people, after watching, will probably look on Amazon and they'll order their very first copy of POB....a lot of people will be introduced to his music, and there's nothing wrong with that.

[Myk Luhv]

If it were more realistic it would have been called Requiem for a Dennis! wakka wakka wakka

[Pinder's Gone To Kokomo And Back Again]

I could not agree more, rab2591, however it's the music I'm worried about.

I really dislike music biopics where the actors do the singing (aside from Buddy Holly Story) because the actors never have that THING that the real person had so, ala Beyond The Sea or I Walk The Line: the average Joe might easily walk away from those films thinking "That Bobby Darin and Johnny Cash really weren't anything special were they"?

I'd hate for anyone to walk away from a Dennis flick thinking the same.

[Jon Stebbins]

The project may suck. We fans may hate the movie, but many people, after watching, will probably look on Amazon and they'll order their very first copy of POB....a lot of people will be introduced to his music, and there's nothing wrong with that.

The film should be at least as good as the music.  Dennis represents one of the greatest rock-and-roll tragedies ever, and one of the most intriguing characters in its history. The substance within his music/soul/art is exactly why a DW film should be an incredible, horrific, and deeply moving experience. You'd have to purposely avoid his reality to miss that potential.

[Andrew G. Doe]

I don't like the idea of re-recordings done by actors. Didn't work in "Walk the line", probably (!) won't work in The Drummer. An exception is Great Balls Of Fire but only because Jerry Lee re-recorded the songs himself (there was talk that Dennis Quaid would record them before) and out-did his originals if I might say so

Val Kilmer in The Doors wasn't too shabby.

[Pinder's Gone To Kokomo And Back Again]

Very true!

Though, Kilmer did make Morrison look a bit ridiculous, but that might be more Oliver Stone's fault.

[18thofMay]

Your telling me that Jim did not dance trough a crowd with a microphone (chord still attached) singing not to touch the Earth?

[Pinder's Gone To Kokomo And Back Again]

Yes, he did, but he didn't do it with Kilmer's silly expression on his face or a bald Indian ghost gyrating shirtless in the audience, nor with the more traditionally garbed Indian ghost  standing on-stage.

[Jay]

I don't like the idea of re-recordings done by actors. Didn't work in "Walk the line", probably (!) won't work in The Drummer. An exception is Great Balls Of Fire but only because Jerry Lee re-recorded the songs himself (there was talk that Dennis Quaid would record them before) and out-did his originals if I might say so

Val Kilmer in The Doors wasn't too shabby.

But for the most part, original recordings of The Doors were used. Val did some concert sequences, but most of the time it was Jim Morrison singing. Val was amazing playing the part of Jim the person though. Oliver Stone made the movie pretty much a trainwreck, but Val Kilmer made the most of what he had to work with.

[18thofMay]

Yes, he did, but he didn't do it with Kilmer's silly expression on his face or a bald Indian ghost gyrating shirtless in the audience, nor with the more traditionally garbed Indian ghost  standing on-stage.

I was actually taking the piss!!

[Amanda Hart]

This morning I saw the headline about Eckhart from The Beach Boys on my facebook newsfeed. I was excited because a talented major actor is attached to the project, but the more I read the more apprehensive I become. Rerecording POB - yikes! What makes POB such a good album is how deeply personal it is. In fact, some of the songs are so personal they are hard to digest at first listen. I honestly believe another person singing those songs in the same arrangements would be an absolute disaster. It's a shame if the story gets too stretched too. Dennis' story is already so interesting and he was such a complicated and fascinating person that it doesn't need any extra dramatic treatment and at the same time not too much should be swept under the rug, because the warts and all story is pretty much already out there and has been for nearly 30 years. The film makers have a great opportunity here and the film itself could turn many people on to Dennis' music. This story has the potential to pull a lot of people in, so I hope it is done in a respectful and truthful way to both the man and his music.

[Mike's Beard]

I don't like the idea of re-recordings done by actors. Didn't work in "Walk the line", probably (!) won't work in The Drummer. An exception is Great Balls Of Fire but only because Jerry Lee re-recorded the songs himself (there was talk that Dennis Quaid would record them before) and out-did his originals if I might say so

Val Kilmer in The Doors wasn't too shabby.

Wait a second..... did I just blink or were you giving some form of praise to your all time favourite movie Andrew?

[MBE]

I would just rather see a dvd release with the best footage of him out there presented uncut. It would say so much more about Dennis. The last six years were not a happy time for Dennis as a person and by the middle of 1979 he had really completed his musical journey in any meaningful way save for perhaps the work he did with Brian and McVie. Still his best days were not the his final ones so unless there is a LOT of 1977 in there I cannot see this going too well.

[stack-o-tracks]

I would just rather see a dvd release with the best footage of him out there presented uncut. It would say so much more about Dennis. The last six years were not a happy time for Dennis as a person and by the middle of 1979 he had really completed his musical journey in any meaningful way save for perhaps the work he did with Brian and McVie. Still his best days were not the his final ones so unless there is a LOT of 1977 in there I cannot see this going too well.

A "best of" Dennis movie would be so much better than a biopic. Wouldn't sell as well though I'm afraid.

But if done right, this could get a LOT of impressionable younger folk into the band's music. I'm sure this will be exactly like all the other Beach Boy biopics where the really interesting stuff will be mostly ignored so they can use all the fun in teh sun surfing music to sell more soundtracks.

[c-man]

I would just rather see a dvd release with the best footage of him out there presented uncut. It would say so much more about Dennis. The last six years were not a happy time for Dennis as a person and by the middle of 1979 he had really completed his musical journey in any meaningful way save for perhaps the work he did with Brian and McVie. Still his best days were not the his final ones so unless there is a LOT of 1977 in there I cannot see this going too well.

A "best of" Dennis movie would be so much better than a biopic. Wouldn't sell as well though I'm afraid.

But if done right, this could get a LOT of impressionable younger folk into the band's music. I'm sure this will be exactly like all the other Beach Boy biopics where the really interesting stuff will be mostly ignored so they can use all the fun in teh sun surfing music to sell more soundtracks.

Hmmm, I'm thinking the opposite...this is going to be an indie flick, and those generally tend to be, how should I say, more "downbeat"?

[Runaways]

why would we ever want dennis to finally get the music attention he deserves.  a straight to dvd documentary would be muuch better 

[joe_blow]

For what it's worth I thought La Bamba was donre really well, with Ritchie Valens' vocals done by David Hidalgo of  Los Lobos. I also enjoyed The Doors and Ray. Still Crazy was great too!

[Pinder's Gone To Kokomo And Back Again]

I think the real question is: who will be playing MIKE LOVE??

[SMiLE Brian]

I think the real question is: who will be playing MIKE LOVE??

That dude from the mini-series "an american family" who was scary good as the lovester.

[donald]

Yeah.  Casting of the rest of the Beach Boys and inner circle will be interesting.  But you know, if the focus is on the last 6-8 years, there is a LOT of story to be told.  Relationships, The Harmony, Beachboys, Movie, solo career, not to mention the lows.  I wonder if there will  be a bit of background in the first 10 to 20 minutes, like the yuounger Dennis hanging with Steve McQueen, racing sports cars. 

[Pinder's Gone To Kokomo And Back Again]

I think the real question is: who will be playing MIKE LOVE??

That dude from the mini-series "an american family" who was scary good as the lovester.

1977 Mike would be just about 40, right?

That guy from the mini series might just do.

Though, I dunno: Michale Shannon maybe??

[rab2591]

Yeah.  Casting of the rest of the Beach Boys and inner circle will be interesting.  But you know, if the focus is on the last 6-8 years, there is a LOT of story to be told.  Relationships, The Harmony, Beachboys, Movie, solo career, not to mention the lows.  I wonder if there will  be a bit of background in the first 10 to 20 minutes, like the yuounger Dennis hanging with Steve McQueen, racing sports cars. 

It'd be a great (and somber) ending, if they went the whole movie without explaining who Dennis Wilson was (not explaining he's a Beach Boy (even though it's obvious)), and then as he is passing away play a bunch of flashbacks of recording with the boys, him with Murry, him surfing, him recording Pet Sounds - all in the span of 20 seconds - with the instrumental of Holy Man playing in the background.

It would be fantastic if they solely focused on what Dennis accomplished (and not what his brother accomplished - Brian has a biopic coming out soon, too!). Just sayin.
_______

In response to Jon and Eric;

I do see ya'lls point on this one, however, we do have documentaries like 'The Real Beach Boy' (which is by far the best documentary I've ever seen) to show us the heart and soul of his music. This is a Hollywood movie; and personally, I'd rather not see Eckhart mouth the words to Dennis' songs. Whenever I put on POB I have a face I put to that music, and I'd rather it not get skewed in with Eckhart lol.

[Pinder's Gone To Kokomo And Back Again]

Well, in a way, this movie can avoid the Walk The Line pitfalls because Dennis wasn't out there doing shows as a solo guy. So, they can avoid those stupid, overly worshipful concert re-enactments. Dennis rehearsing/recording, drumming with the Beach Boys (which is about all they have to pull from) would make sense for Eckhart to do his own singing.

I just hope they toss in a good dramatization of the 1979 Lovester/Dennis Universal Amphitheater face-off. Oldsurferdude can be wheeled in down the red carpet at the premiere for this one!