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

[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)

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

Oh ok, I don't really understand the whole process of that type of situation, I love movies, but how they're produced and the distribution and what not will always be a mystery to me. 😉

[JohnMill]

I've stayed away from these threads generally because I'm not a fan of biopics as they rarely do their subject justice in my opinion (The Beatles have had some horrendous ones).  The main problem with them is they tend to skew towards one side of the story instead of giving the viewer a bird's eye view of a lot of the events in question.  That being said, I think this film will do much in terms of elevating Brian Wilson's public profile and making people aware of his struggles and plights which can only be a good thing in my opinion for circumstances that extend far beyond Brian.  As guitarfool mentioned, Brian Wilson is a survivor and his story should be shared with the general public. 

Again though the qualms I have regarding this film are in line with my problems with biopics in general.  From reading comments and reviews, it seems that once again in mapping out the plot, Hollywood has decided to cast people in roles of heroes and villains where as it pertains to the story of The Beach Boys (or life in general) the roles are far more fluid.  It has been said that Mike Love for example has been cast in a negative light in this film and while I don't consider myself to be a Mike Love apologist, casting him in that role is patently unfair.  What is worse that since this film has the potential to reach many eyes, it could be taken/written into history that Mike Love was as he appeared in this film which against is not only grossly unfair but in many ways inaccurate as well. 

[Loaf]

That being said, I think this film will do much in terms of elevating Brian Wilson's public profile and making people aware of his struggles and plights which can only be a good thing in my opinion for circumstances that extend far beyond Brian.  As guitarfool mentioned, Brian Wilson is a survivor and his story should be shared with the general public. 

The irony is that the "Brian as a survivor" narrative has been used to sell Brian's work probably starting with 1976 (Brian's Back), but even in the Landy era. I don't think i've read an article on Brian's solo work that hasn't made mention of the backstory, which let's face it, is gold for journalists

[Sheriff John Stone]

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.

This^, and especially regarding Carl Wilson, who from what we have read, took it very, very hard with what HE had to do in reference to Brian's conservatorship. And, maybe they did address the Carl angle significantly; if so I stand to be corrected. Admittedly, I haven't been following this film very closely for reasons that John Mill eloquently addressed above.

[Emdeeh]

Sherriff, you're right about Carl -- I witnessed some of the toll the whole Landy affair took on him.  

Here's a somewhat different take on the film from MacLeans:
http://www.macleans.ca/culture/tiff-2014-diary-getting-good-vibrations-with-brian-wilson/

"Monday was a six-interview day, which left precious little time for anything but fretting over how I would embarrass myself in front of someone famous. Yet somehow I squeezed in a screening of Love & Mercy between all the neuroses, and was mostly glad for the distraction. The drama by first-time director (and long-time producer) Bill Pohlad chronicles two halves of Brian Wilson’s life: his early days with the Beach Boys, where he’s played with twitchy glee by Paul Dano, and his mid-fifties, in the form of John Cusack. (Let’s put aside the fact that Dano and Cusack look nothing like each other.)

"Naturally, the soundtrack is unimpeachable, and Pohlad offers a riveting look at how Wilson crafted such aural wonders as 'God Only Knows' and 'Good Vibrations.' Cusack, too, is captivating, and offers one of his best performances in years as the sheltered and lonely Wilson, stuck under the watchful eye of a shady Dr. Eugene Landy (Paul Giamatti, practically twirling an evil moustache). Still, the film goes to painful lengths to paint Wilson as a music god, turning the biography into hagiography. The closing credits emphasizing that Wilson is 'one of the greatest musical minds ever' push the film into an insultingly didactic territory."

[Rocket]

^ Well, Brian is a music god, why hide it? 

[Mr. Cohen]

Exactly, dude wrote Pet Sounds. 'Til I Die.  Too Much Sugar.

He's a God, though it sounds like the movie was designed to make Mike Love projectile vomit uncontrollably.

[Chocolate Shake Man]

I've stayed away from these threads generally because I'm not a fan of biopics as they rarely do their subject justice in my opinion

I agree. I am a firm believer that if you really want to learn about Brian Wilson, listen to his discography. Same as any good artist.

The main problem with them is they tend to skew towards one side of the story instead of giving the viewer a bird's eye view of a lot of the events in question. 

Interesting, but I'm curious (genuinely) how that would work as a movie.

[Lowbacca]

Regarding the waiting period for a theatrical trailer: I guess they've been waiting to incoporate possible 'hype' after the festival premiere to create one of those 'critics trailers'. I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure.


Something like this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGeFqn6hGS0 *





* Brian's movie is bound to have less talking racoons, though. Probably. Who knows.

[Emdeeh]

He's a God, though it sounds like the movie was designed to make Mike Love projectile vomit uncontrollably.

Not in my book -- Brian's a man, blessed with extraordinary God-given talent.

[Mr. Cohen]

Which page in your book? I don't think anyone made it past the first chapter!

[Mike's Beard]

Encouraging to see positive reviews for the film. Looking forward to seeing it but I am miffed to hear that the other guys barely factor into the story.

[Wirestone]

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.

Aren't we forgetting the "anonymous former Landy employee" on Prime Time Live?

[Smilin Ed H]

So how is Mike portrayed in the film? Anybody who's actually seen it care to respond?

[Disney Boy (1985)]

Review from Guardian newspaper:

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

[Chocolate Shake Man]

Review from Guardian newspaper:

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

"Bill Pohlad's biopic of the Beach Boys mastermind is immaculate and respectful, but the arc of growth and redemption is too neat"

Hey - that sounds familiar!

[schiaffino]

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 brings up a big point and that's the accuracy of the movie's telling of the story. Its true Melinda comes out as being the heroine in Brian's liberation from Landy. Carl and Audree are not acknowledged, besides a quick phone call she makes to them when she gets Brian's modified will.

--SPOILERS ALERT---

During the Q&A, the director did say that for them it was a great challenge to squeeze in such a complicated story (with so many areas of discussion) in a 2hr film. He even said, half jokingly, that he would leave up the validation of whats true and false to 'BBs scholars' and the whole theater laughed!

Aside from Melinda's involvement, there's a bunch of other 'implied' interpretations that I'm sure are going to raise heated debates in this board. From what I remember, the movie implied that:

• Brian came up with the idea for Good Vibrations after the release of Pet Sounds and got to work on it only after Mike complained PS was not going gold
• Murray sold the song portfolio rights after the failure to release Smile...there's a scene with Brian (Dano) looking at the Smile tapes in the studio when Murray comes in and tells him the news
• Brian went to bed after the failure of Smile and didnt come out of it until Landy in the 80s and the work on his first solo album
• SmileySmile was the idea of the rest of the boys since Brian was not able to finish Smile; the film implies he had nothing to do with the production
• Brian's inspiration to write PS and Smile was from an acid trip (somehow implied as his first one) he took at his home pool

But the above didnt stop me from enjoying the film, specially the production details (which were fantastic) and Dano's superb acting. As a semi-advanced BB fan I know the gray areas in the story, that's why I bug everyone here in the board so much about heroes and villains' questions  

[schiaffino]

So how is Mike portrayed in the film? Anybody who's actually seen it care to respond?

He was portrayed rather ok in my opinion. He was caring for the band and trying to make Brian focus his work on music that would be succesful with their fan base. Problem is that Van Dyke's character was not elaborated and the Smile period was not explored in depth in terms of what Brian's intentions were. So when Mike dismisses Van Dyke, its actually makes sense.

Now, on a different note, the rest of the band was shown as having no relevance whatsoever. Not even Carl.

[beacharg]

Well, we all have to understand that this is a film about Brian Wilson, not about the Beach Boys per se; and you only have 100-120 minutes to make a coherent and atractive statement, so the directors always take some "creative licences" to adjust the real facts. After all, the movie is not adressed to hardcore BW/BBs fans.

[schiaffino]

Well, we all have to understand that this is a film about Brian Wilson, not about the Beach Boys per se; and you only have 100-120 minutes to make a coherent and atractive statement, so the directors always take some "creative licences" to adjust the real facts. After all, the movie is not adressed to hardcore BW/BBs fans.

Agree, but I'm sure everyone here will love the production details and how they used the music. Its really, really good.

[HeyJude]

Well, we all have to understand that this is a film about Brian Wilson, not about the Beach Boys per se; and you only have 100-120 minutes to make a coherent and atractive statement, so the directors always take some "creative licences" to adjust the real facts. After all, the movie is not adressed to hardcore BW/BBs fans.

The problem is that, even if you view the other BB's as a largely malign influence (I don't of course, it's obviously a much more complicated story), even then they figure prominently into Brian's story.

The Gary Usher episodes from the 80's shows that even as Landy had Brian breaking away and beginning solo stuff, the Beach Boys were a big part of it, in many ways.

Just as Dennis' story, heck even David Marks' story, wove in and out of the Beach Boys even when they didn't want it to. Brian's story in some ways is the same. Even at his lowest points, especially pre-Landy in the 80's, the BB's were a huge part of his life. The story that Jerry Schilling relates in, I believe it's the late 90's A&E Biography, where they have to "fire" Brian in 1982 and Schilling describes Brian's reaction, it's very similar to how Dennis felt in his last years. He still wanted to be a Beach Boy, for whatever reason.

But it's definitely the case that this film is not targeted at hardcore fans. It's kind of weird though, that there are some really interesting, important things that happened that I would think even a non-fan would find interesting (and I'm not even talking about things as scandalous as the Manson connection to the group) that films like this often ignore.

Apart from factual wonkiness, the biggest issue for me may end up being the rather formulaic plotting. The exciting early days, genius peak, then immediately into crazy, laying in bed all day, then a resurgence tempered by Landy, then redemption. It ain't that simple, even when you strip it down to its bare minimum.

It would say it's too bad that the others who took court action to remove Landy aren't noted in the film (based on the reviews so far), not even so much because they deserve "credit", but because the fact that they had to try to step in speaks strongly the seriousness of what was going on with Landy. This is the stuff that they got into in the "Primetime Live" report and things like that.

[HeyJude]

So how is Mike portrayed in the film? Anybody who's actually seen it care to respond?

He was portrayed rather ok in my opinion. He was caring for the band and trying to make Brian focus his work on music that would be succesful with their fan base. Problem is that Van Dyke's character was not elaborated and the Smile period was not explored in depth in terms of what Brian's intentions were. So when Mike dismisses Van Dyke, its actually makes sense.

Now, on a different note, the rest of the band was shown as having no relevance whatsoever. Not even Carl.

That's interesting particularly because they would have more room to depict Carl or Dennis in whatever fashion they wanted without fear of lawsuits, as opposed to the living members.

[HeyJude]

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.

Aren't we forgetting the "anonymous former Landy employee" on Prime Time Live?

Yeah, a lot of the stuff depicted in that report would have made for rather dramatic (and factually accurate) bits in a film. Particularly that bit with Mike's brother holding the press conference, only for Brian to "crash" it and awkwardly read a prepared statement ("out of the ballpark!").

[urbanite]

If he's portrayed negatively, I'm sure Mike Love will have something to say in the public forum.  I am curious to see what he comes up with.

[donald]

He's a God, though it sounds like the movie was designed to make Mike Love projectile vomit uncontrollably.

Not in my book -- Brian's a man, blessed with extraordinary God-given talent.

why bring god into it at all?   Brian is a uniquely talented creator of fine music .