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Author Topic: Love & Mercy biopic reassessed  (Read 13379 times)
B.E.
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« Reply #25 on: April 17, 2018, 11:46:48 AM »

Why is this thread now titled "/"?

I'm not sure why even the original post title has changed, but all the rest are a result of using double quotation marks in the title. Single quotation marks don't cause the same problem.
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Gettin Hungry
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« Reply #26 on: April 17, 2018, 12:29:45 PM »

Why is this thread now titled "/"?

I've been wondering why it's just a slash too.
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« Reply #27 on: April 17, 2018, 01:09:00 PM »

I was wondering, too, so now I've added a new heading
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Lee Marshall
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« Reply #28 on: April 17, 2018, 01:26:08 PM »

Love and Mercy and Ray are both excellent.  There was some debate about Brian in the 60s as portrayed by Paul.  I stopped reading shortly after that as life is short...and so is my spare time today.  Ever see Brian [and the lads] on the TV show they did with Jack Benny and Bob Hope?  THAT's more like what Brian was like than the guy we have all heard and occasionally seen 'in the studio'.  Brian can communicate fully when speaking the language of music.  As just a guy?  I think Dano pretty much nailed it.

My only complaint with the movie?  The legal crap which by and large kept the music out.  They also underplayed Carl, Dennis and Al but they had to or the movie would have been 4 hours long.  I would say too that they cut 'love' a break by toning his 'way' down.  Shocked

Anyway my opinion works for me.  If others don't enjoy it, hear it, see it the way I do...it matters not and I am not here to change their minds.  Brian and Melinda liked it.  Those are the only 2 opinions which really matter after all is said and done.  Brian felt that a huge load had been lifted from his 'back' by this specific 'telling' of his story.  That's the best 'review' Love and Mercy could ever aspire to.
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"Add Some...Music...To Your Day.  I do.  It's the only way to fly.  Well...what was I gonna put here?  An apple a day keeps the doctor away?  Hum me a few bars."   Lee Marshall [2014]

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« Reply #29 on: April 17, 2018, 04:09:39 PM »

Dennis, Carl and Al are a little bit forgotten but it's Brian's story, not the Beach Boys story. I find Love & Mercy wonderful and the small inaccuracies really don't bother me too much. Dano is amazing and Cusack is the best he's been in years! (He's done a lot of direct to dvd crap these last few years...) Musical biopics are a strange beast : most of them are just an actor's showcase. But few of them are actually really good.

My favorite performances in the genre : James Stewart in The Glenn Miller Story, David Carradine as Woody Guthrie in Bound for Glory, Gary Busey in The Buddy Holy Story, Kurt Russell in Elvis : The Movie, Gary Oldman as Sid Vicious in Sid & Nancy, Forest Whitaker as Charlie Parker in Bird, Dennis Quaid as Jerry Lee Lewis in Great Balls of Fire (terrible movie, amazing performance), Eric Elmosnino as Serge Gainsbourg in Gainsbourg (Vie Héroïque), Michael Douglas as Liberace in Behind the Candelabra and Chadwick Boseman as James Brown in Get On Up.

The worst : 44 year-old Kevin Spacey (with fake nose and heavy make-up) as the much younger Bobby Darin in Beyond the Sea and Demetrius Shipp, Jr. as Tupac Shakur in the risible All Eyez On Me.

A Dennis Wilson biopic called The Drummer with Aaron Eckhart playing him and Randall Miller directing was supposed to happen a few years ago. I can't remember why it didn't happen.
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« Reply #30 on: April 17, 2018, 10:07:23 PM »

Quote
Dennis Quaid as Jerry Lee Lewis
Dennis Quaid is talented. Maybe will check the film.
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« Reply #31 on: April 18, 2018, 06:36:15 AM »

Dennis, Carl and Al are a little bit forgotten but it's Brian's story, not the Beach Boys story. I find Love & Mercy wonderful and the small inaccuracies really don't bother me too much. Dano is amazing and Cusack is the best he's been in years! (He's done a lot of direct to dvd crap these last few years...) Musical biopics are a strange beast : most of them are just an actor's showcase. But few of them are actually really good.

My favorite performances in the genre : James Stewart in The Glenn Miller Story, David Carradine as Woody Guthrie in Bound for Glory, Gary Busey in The Buddy Holy Story, Kurt Russell in Elvis : The Movie, Gary Oldman as Sid Vicious in Sid & Nancy, Forest Whitaker as Charlie Parker in Bird, Dennis Quaid as Jerry Lee Lewis in Great Balls of Fire (terrible movie, amazing performance), Eric Elmosnino as Serge Gainsbourg in Gainsbourg (Vie Héroïque), Michael Douglas as Liberace in Behind the Candelabra and Chadwick Boseman as James Brown in Get On Up.

The worst : 44 year-old Kevin Spacey (with fake nose and heavy make-up) as the much younger Bobby Darin in Beyond the Sea and Demetrius Shipp, Jr. as Tupac Shakur in the risible All Eyez On Me.

A Dennis Wilson biopic called The Drummer with Aaron Eckhart playing him and Randall Miller directing was supposed to happen a few years ago. I can't remember why it didn't happen.

I think it would've been cool to see some of Carl's character in the 1980s scenes.   There are some parts when Melinda is talking to him on the phone about Landy, but we don't see him or hear what's he's saying.   His point of view of the whole Landy thing could've added a little more to the 80s portion of the movie IMO. 
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« Reply #32 on: April 18, 2018, 06:42:03 AM »

Ultimately, the thing is Brian's story, so that explains why other band members were not prominently featured. I also think that, just logistically, they did the right thing by largely avoiding a potential political minefield by prominently characterizing the other members. They obviously had to feature them, especially key points concerning Mike. (And the film's brevity in that regard led to Mike getting probably a fairer depiction than he deserved).

Ironically, they would have had more leeway in depictions of Dennis and Carl, as one can't be sued for defaming/slandering/libeling deceased individuals. Obviously, I would imagine Brian had no interest in any depiction that would raise the ire of his family members anyway.

I think how the rest of the band played into the Landy saga in the 80s and early 90s is a *very* interesting topic, but it's probably true that to even begin to adequately address that aspect to the story would require another hour of screen time. It would be the *perfect* solution to address it in a long-form documentary on the group.
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« Reply #33 on: April 18, 2018, 06:54:21 AM »

I've spoken here before about my general apathy towards biopics - particularly what is, by now, the conventional 21st century American biopic. I normally don't really see the point of them as films. I do think that I'm Not There is a remarkable movie, mostly for its interrogation of the genre. Love & Mercy sort of walks the line (get it?) between the unconventional and conventional. I do think it's enjoyable and as a fan, it's just good to see a representation of The Beach Boys that isn't done on the cheap for a change. As a film, I don't think it's necessarily something I'd purchase but I do like it as just pure entertainment.
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« Reply #34 on: April 18, 2018, 08:40:10 AM »

I 'get' that they didn't have time to go into any in depth anything with Carl and Dennis...but they could have represented them as they were rather than just with 2 random guys who bore almost no resemblance personality or character wise to either brother.

And that 'biop' with Gary Busey as Buddy Holly is generally considered to be so far off the mark that it qualifies as one of the worst 'pictures' of its kind ever.
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"Add Some...Music...To Your Day.  I do.  It's the only way to fly.  Well...what was I gonna put here?  An apple a day keeps the doctor away?  Hum me a few bars."   Lee Marshall [2014]

Donald  TRUMP!  ...  Is TOAST.  "What a disaster."  "Overrated?"... ... ..."BIG LEAGUE."  "Lots of people are saying it"  "I will tell you that."   Collusion, Money Laundering, Treason.   B'Bye Dirty Donnie!!!  Adios!!!  Bon Voyage!!!  Toodles!!!  Move yourself...SPANKY!!!  Jail awaits.  It's NO "Witch Hunt". There IS Collusion...and worse.  The Russian Mafia!!  Conspiracies!!  Fraud!!  This racist is goin' down...and soon.  Good Riddance.  And take the kids.
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« Reply #35 on: April 18, 2018, 09:08:30 AM »

I 'get' that they didn't have time to go into any in depth anything with Carl and Dennis...but they could have represented them as they were rather than just with 2 random guys who bore almost no resemblance personality or character wise to either brother.

And that 'biop' with Gary Busey as Buddy Holly is generally considered to be so far off the mark that it qualifies as one of the worst 'pictures' of its kind ever.

Along those lines, "La Bamba" is one of the greatest biopics!
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« Reply #36 on: April 18, 2018, 09:20:24 AM »

I 'get' that they didn't have time to go into any in depth anything with Carl and Dennis...but they could have represented them as they were rather than just with 2 random guys who bore almost no resemblance personality or character wise to either brother.

Part of the problem is that The Beach Boys in the 1960s didn't look like conventional 2015 movie stars, which is what they essentially hired to play the band. Had this been the 1970s, I'm sure they could have found lots of good performers who were lookalikes.
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« Reply #37 on: April 18, 2018, 01:36:47 PM »

Lookalikes?  Not necessary.  A waste of time and talent.  I wanted BE-alikes.  Even if only for the brief interactions contained there-in.
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"Add Some...Music...To Your Day.  I do.  It's the only way to fly.  Well...what was I gonna put here?  An apple a day keeps the doctor away?  Hum me a few bars."   Lee Marshall [2014]

Donald  TRUMP!  ...  Is TOAST.  "What a disaster."  "Overrated?"... ... ..."BIG LEAGUE."  "Lots of people are saying it"  "I will tell you that."   Collusion, Money Laundering, Treason.   B'Bye Dirty Donnie!!!  Adios!!!  Bon Voyage!!!  Toodles!!!  Move yourself...SPANKY!!!  Jail awaits.  It's NO "Witch Hunt". There IS Collusion...and worse.  The Russian Mafia!!  Conspiracies!!  Fraud!!  This racist is goin' down...and soon.  Good Riddance.  And take the kids.
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« Reply #38 on: April 18, 2018, 06:34:00 PM »

Lookalikes?  Not necessary.  A waste of time and talent.  I wanted BE-alikes.  Even if only for the brief interactions contained there-in.

Mostly I meant that it was a bit absurd that the band looked like they could be cast in a reboot of Melrose Place. Or maybe "California Dreams" would be a better example.

Meanwhile a Clint Howard-type wouldn't have been terrible for some of the members but I guess they just don't have many of those on hand anymore or people just don't expect that sort of look for a rock band.
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« Reply #39 on: April 18, 2018, 07:34:20 PM »

I thought it was a very good movie, largely because of Giamatti and Cusack. I thought some of the 60’s stuff was a little cheesy, and I wish they had focused more on the period form 67-81, but then again I would enjoy a 10 hour beach boy movie. I think this was great for the casual fan or newcomer. I think it did a good job of conveying what a tough life Brian has lived. I think it leaves many new fans wanting to learn more about his story and his music. Giamatti does such a great job as Landy, I wish we could’ve seen more of him as well. The Burger scene where he is bragging about his subculture book was a favorite of mine, as was the ‘Til I die montage.
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« Reply #40 on: April 18, 2018, 10:58:39 PM »

To this day the hamburger scene makes me cry
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« Reply #41 on: April 19, 2018, 04:58:22 AM »

To this day the hamburger scene makes me cry

Really!!!  When I saw THAT Billy...I had 2 words for Landy...and they weren't "Happy motoring."
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"Add Some...Music...To Your Day.  I do.  It's the only way to fly.  Well...what was I gonna put here?  An apple a day keeps the doctor away?  Hum me a few bars."   Lee Marshall [2014]

Donald  TRUMP!  ...  Is TOAST.  "What a disaster."  "Overrated?"... ... ..."BIG LEAGUE."  "Lots of people are saying it"  "I will tell you that."   Collusion, Money Laundering, Treason.   B'Bye Dirty Donnie!!!  Adios!!!  Bon Voyage!!!  Toodles!!!  Move yourself...SPANKY!!!  Jail awaits.  It's NO "Witch Hunt". There IS Collusion...and worse.  The Russian Mafia!!  Conspiracies!!  Fraud!!  This racist is goin' down...and soon.  Good Riddance.  And take the kids.
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« Reply #42 on: April 19, 2018, 05:07:02 AM »

Paul Giamatti's performance is imo the best acting in the 80s scenes.
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« Reply #43 on: April 19, 2018, 05:43:01 AM »

To this day the hamburger scene makes me cry

This is a serious gripe.    Who grills one burger at a time?   I know this was one of Landy's sick games, but seriously, if I'm Melinda, watching this guy grill one burger at a time would make me question how he got a medical license. 
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« Reply #44 on: April 19, 2018, 05:43:59 AM »

Paul Giamatti's performance is imo the best acting in the 80s scenes.

Paul Giamatti has a knack for stealing the show in biopics. 

Check out his roles in Private Parts (Howard Stern) and Man on the Moon (Andy Kaufman).
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« Reply #45 on: April 19, 2018, 05:49:45 AM »

Paul Giamatti's performance is imo the best acting in the 80s scenes.

Paul Giamatti has a knack for stealing the show in biopics. 

Check out his roles in Private Parts (Howard Stern) and Man on the Moon (Andy Kaufman).

He's also great as the star of a biopic. Check out American Splendor (Harvey Pekar).
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« Reply #46 on: April 19, 2018, 05:59:00 AM »

Paul Giamatti's performance is imo the best acting in the 80s scenes.

Paul Giamatti has a knack for stealing the show in biopics. 

Check out his roles in Private Parts (Howard Stern) and Man on the Moon (Andy Kaufman).

He's also great as the star of a biopic. Check out American Splendor (Harvey Pekar).

I'd also put American Splendor on my list for great biopics.
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« Reply #47 on: April 19, 2018, 09:25:34 AM »

I'm grateful (and surprised!) that such a quality film about Brian even got made.  It's quite an accomplishment.

That being said, I would have preferred that they covered '66 to '71 with Dano playing the entire roll, or something along those lines.  I think there is a cohesive enough character arc in that time period, and you could have still ended the film with that amazing Til I Die montage, maybe as Brian hears the final mix through the floor as he lies in bed.  Dano just did something so special with the role.  Plus, you would have gotten to hear Atticus Ross remix the '68 - '71 material!
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« Reply #48 on: April 19, 2018, 10:17:18 AM »

I'm grateful (and surprised!) that such a quality film about Brian even got made.  It's quite an accomplishment.

That being said, I would have preferred that they covered '66 to '71 with Dano playing the entire roll, or something along those lines.  I think there is a cohesive enough character arc in that time period, and you could have still ended the film with that amazing Til I Die montage, maybe as Brian hears the final mix through the floor as he lies in bed.  Dano just did something so special with the role.  Plus, you would have gotten to hear Atticus Ross remix the '68 - '71 material!

But the whole point of the movie was how Brian's life moved towards Landy and (more importantly) how he moved away from Landy.
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« Reply #49 on: April 19, 2018, 12:34:15 PM »

Most of the negative comments about the film largely centered on the use of Dano and Cusack to play Brian's character.  It probably would have been more effective to have had Dano carry it all the way through.  The movie would have done better with a less confusing title.
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