crocolm

I first discovered the Pet Sounds album sometime in the mid 90's. I don't think any album before or since then has had quite the same effect on me. I have always listened to a lot of music but there was something about this that immediately told you it was an album apart. When it was released in 1966 it marked a massively ambitious departure with its orchestral approach and heartfelt lyricism combined with an introspective tone and undercurrents of despondency running throughout the record. (The departure from the previous Beach Boys template meant that mostly fans were alienated and it was not a commercial success at the time).

So with my biased unalloyed devotion declared, what then of Love and Mercy the Brian Wilson biopic? This seems to me to be a very faithful telling of the Brian Wilson story. There is no glaring artistic license taken with any of the salient facts of Wilson's life from what I have previously understood, to which I should say- thankfully.

The movies approach is unusual in that the narrative moves back and forth between two different periods of Wilson's life. The first is the period around the mid-sixties leading up to and during the recording of Pet Sounds and then Brian's gradual descent into drug- misuse and mental illness. The second begins in the mid-eighties period at the time that Brian started to emerge from his reclusive state and the malign influence of Dr Eugene Landy his discredited psychotherapist.

While this method of telling Wilson's story may not be to everyone's liking I think it works. By concentrating on these two periods the film makers can delve a little deeper into the subject matter than if say they were to attempt to encompass a wider time-span in his life. An example of this (and probably a highpoint for fans) is the extended time accorded in the movie to the process of Pet Sounds coming together in Studio with Brian in complete control of a large cast of seasoned session musicians.

The performances all round are superb. Of the main players Paul Dano who plays Brian Past lends a brilliant performance to the part of the obsessive and highly sensitive and gifted perfectionist. It helps as well that he bears a striking resemblance to the younger Brian. John Cusack plays the role of Brian Future and he perfectly embodies the damaged and vulnerable elder Brian. Elizabeth Banks imbues the part of Melinda Ledbetter (later Wilson) with strength and instinctive intelligence. Arguably the performance that eclipses them all is the ever superb Paul Giamatti who is near-demonic in his portrayal of Dr Eugene Landy.

Unlike many premature iconic Rock n' Roll star deaths which are greeted with shock, the news of Amy Winehouse's demise in July 2011 came with a grim sense of inevitability. That the daily tabloid fodder of her problems with drink and drugs had long since replaced her extraordinary vocal talent and recording success as the prime generator of all those column inches only added to the sadness felt at that time.

'Amy' is directed by Asif Kapadia previously lauded for Senna the documentary of Ayrton Senna. It provides a fascinating and balanced portrayal of Amy the flawed person and the gifted musician from North London beyond the two dimensional tabloid portrayal which hitherto many casual followers of her life story may only be familiar with. Thankfully it eschews the oft-used "talking heads" approach to documentary making. While numerous insightful interviews were undertaken with childhood friends of Amy, her Manager's, band members, collaborators as well as producers she worked with such as Mark Ronson and Salaam Remi, their contributions appear as voice- overs on the actual footage being shown.

The footage itself consists of archive material including interviews and concert material and more home-produced video recorded by friends of Amy, her first Manager- Nick Shymansky and so on than I had expected. The first scene in 'Amy' is one such home recording showing Amy age 14 in normal enough teenage mode hanging out with her friends when she launches into a stunning rendition of Happy Birthday.

Early on the impression of an endearing personality is created as much of the footage shows her being effortlessly funny and clever, mouthy but vulnerable too. It's also clear that many of her problems that became so manifest later stem from her childhood. Her father's breakup with her Mother clearly had a big effect on her. She suffered from depression for a time and also became bulimic but this appears to have gone unnoticed at the time.

Her talent ensures that success comes quite early but it's clear that Amy was completely ill-suited to fame even prophetically saying in an early interview "I don't think I could handle it, I would probably go mad". One interview also shows a reluctance by her to play the game as she visibly becomes incredulous in the face of an interviewers inane questions.

Hand in hand with the growing fame and her uncertainty around how to handle it comes an increasing reliance on drink and then harder drugs to which she is introduced to by Blake Fielder-Civil her on- again off again boyfriend who she eventually marries in 2007. From there its uncomfortable viewing at times but fascinating also as her every move and mis-step becomes fodder for a vile paparazzi and voracious media who come over as somewhat complicit in her downfall.

I like the fact that the documentary makes plenty of room to show her performances of many of her popular songs such as 'Love is a Losing game' and 'Back to Black'. While these are shown her lyrics are also displayed on screen. These lyrics go a long way to revealing the sadness in Amy's heart and 'Amy' does go a long way towards giving background context to those heartfelt words.

Filmed in Dublin, Get up and Go is a low budget affair boasting two of Love/Hate's leading lights in the main roles. Peter Coonan (Alex) and Killian Scott (Coilin) are twenty-something housemates who although seemingly friends for years are two polar opposites. Alex is a wannabe musician who is brash, impulsive and selfish. Coilin is an introverted and awkward romantic type who incongruously is trying to catch a break as a Comedian.

The down-at-heel, impoverished nature of their lives is laid out early on. A depressed looking Coilin waking up in a grimy Dublin flat, goes to the Kitchen to make himself some tea in a pint glass while covered head to toe in his duvet. Meanwhile Alex lies in bed next to his girlfriend over at her place. She announces she is pregnant; he tells her he does not want to be a Daddy at this time but instead wants to proceed with a shared dream he and her had to move to London- with or without her (but definitely not including baby).

Alex's burning need to leave for London that very same day is the narrative device employed here as Coilin, while also declining the offer of going to London with Alex drives him around downtown Dublin as they chase some debts owed and otherwise attempt to borrow the moolah required to meet the fare. Cue many, mostly unfunny encounters with former colleagues, disgruntled employers, detached friends and assorted acquaintances as they go from one place to another.

Unfortunately Get up and Go while striving to be funny doesn't raise enough laughter to be successful in that endeavour. Sure enough, Alex likes to joke around but because he is essentially unlikeable the most I could muster was the occasional titter. On the other hand lovelorn Coilin is played for pathos but because he comes across as plain weird I didn't feel much of an emotional connection with him either. In Coilin's case I think his character may have come to life more with a better back story. As for Alex, right to the end there isn't anything redeemable enough about him that makes me want to root for him.

The most enjoyable part of the movie is in recognising so many of the locations in and around the city of Dublin. It also features music from the likes of Adrian Crowley and Villagers.