Brian Wilson Movies

Ed "Big Daddy" Roth was a genius of outlaw art who took America's obsession with all that is fast, loud and streamlined and built it into an empire. In the 1950's, Roth was a hot-rodder who moved from body work and helping guys fine-tune the look of their jalopies to building unique custom machines. Roth threw out the rule book of conventional automotive design and created fantastic visions of chrome, fiberglass and supercharged engines which took one of America's most conventional consumer items and turned it into a freaked-out vision of post-adolescent cool. Roth was also a gifted cartoonist, and along with his cars he also created freaked-out automotive cartoons which made the artwork in Mad Magazine look sedate; his trademark character was Rat Fink, a maniacal, grinning rodent who was usually seen popping the clutch behind the wheel of one of Roth outlandish cars. Between Roth's crazed automobiles which drew thousands of fans to auto shows, the reproductions of them (in the form of model kits) which sold in the millions, and the Rat Fink and Monster T-shirts (which are still on the market today), Roth was one of the most influential figures in popular culture in the 1960's, and Tales Of The Rat Fink is a documentary by Ron Mann which features interviews with Roth's friends and fans as well as animated sequences that bring his cars and creatures to life on screen. John Goodman, Tom Wolfe, Brian Wilson, Matt Groening, Jay Leno and Ann-Margaret are among those who contributed their voices to the project; acclaimed indie-rockers the Sadies composed and performed the musical score. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

As the primary songwriter and producer for the Beach Boys, Brian Wilson had already developed a reputation as one of the true visionaries of American pop music when, in 1966, he created Pet Sounds, a song cycle of love, growing up, and heartbreak that despite modest sales was acclaimed as a masterpiece (and was cited by Paul McCartney as an inspiration for the Beatles when they made Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band). That year, Wilson planned an even more ambitious follow-up, a "teenage symphony" called Smile. However, for a number of reasons, Smile was scrapped at the last moment (though jackets had already been printed for the LP), and it developed a reputation as one of the great "lost albums" of American rock. In 2004, Wilson and collaborator Van Dyke Parks belatedly revisited the Smile material, first with a series of concerts in which they presented the songs in their proper sequenced form for the first time, and then by re-recording the tunes for a Grammy-winning album. Brian Wilson Presents Smile features Wilson and Parks performing the Smile album in concert (with Wilson's band joined by an orchestra). ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

A series within a series, Firehouse was a five-part component of the weekly network newsmagazine Dateline. Like many another post-September 11th documentary series, this one paid tribute to those hitherto unsung heroes, the firefighters of America. The episodes were filmed in Queens, NY; Camden, NJ; Miami, FL; and San Francisco, CA. Although Brian Wilson was the series' official host and narrator, for the most part the producers allowed the vivid and sometimes heartbreaking images to speak for themselves. Dateline NBC: Firehouse was originally broadcast from July 19 to August 9, 2002. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This edition of Biography chronicles the life of one of America's foremost boys of summer, Brian WIlson. Brian Wilson was the leader of the singing/instrumental group the Beach Boys, formed in California in 1961. The group consisted originally of the Wilson brothers Brian, Carl and Dennis with cousin Mike Love and Alan (Al) Jardine. They found fame in the 1960s with Brian's cheerful songs and falsetto vocals of teenage West Coast life, surfing, fast cars and motorcycles, and all-American girls, including I Get Around, California Girls, and Good Vibrations. Ironically, the only Beach Boy who actually lived the surfing lifestyle they sang about was Dennis.

In 1966, with the technically innovative album Pet Sounds Brian Wilson emulated the Beatles' imaginative use of recording techniques, and produced a masterpiece of popular music. Brian became increasing reclusive as the Beach Boys fame grew and stopped touring with the group all together while they were reaching the height of their popularity. Addicted to drugs, Brian remained in seclusion for over a decade coming out to reunite with the Beach Boys during the 1980s. Brian is still recognized as one of the best pop songwriters for his unique use of complex vocal harmonies and catchy melodies.

~ John Patrick Sheehan, All Movie Guide

Imagination is a live performance video interspersed with interviews with music legend Brian Wilson, and other artists who worked with him or were influenced by him. Wilson, the singer/songwriter powerhouse that drove the Beach Boys to fame and fortune, released his new album of the same name in 1998. This groundbreaking effort is a testament to Wilson's continued musical genius, and revitalized career after long years of personal struggle. The closed-captioned video features Wilson singing with a band composed of such rock greats as Timothy B. Schmitt of the Eagles, as well as Bruce Johnson and Joe Thomas of the Beach Boys. Beach Boy classics, penned by Wilson, are in the repertoire : "California Girls", "In My Room", "Don't Worry Baby". Notable selections in the new material are "South America", and "Your Imagination".Guest stars include Christopher Cross, Jimmy Buffett, Stevie Wonder, Eric Claptan, Elvis Costello, and Glen Campbell. Great performances and great film making combine to make Imagination an inspiration. ~ Rose of Sharon Winter, All Movie Guide

Very few people would recognize the name of Leon Theremin (1896-1993) if it weren't for the electronic musical instrument he invented around 1918. Fans of the first Star Trek series will recognize its sounds, but it was used in orchestral compositions and movies quite extensively for many decades, and even played a role in the Brian Wilson's composition of the Beach Boys' hit Good Vibrations. However, this documentary shows that the inventor of the forerunner instrument in electronic music is a person whose life had a lot more to offer than that. He was called "the Soviet Edison," and was honored by Lenin before he went to work in the United States, where he developed the first electronic security system in the world for Sing-Sing Prison in upstate New York. He also was a pioneer in interracial relations, braving the strong disapproval of his peers to marry a black ballerina. He was kidnapped from the U.S. in 1938 on the orders of the vengeful and ever-paranoid Stalin, brought back to the U.S.S.R., charged with treason, and was sentenced to a gulag (forced-labor camp). However, when World War II rolled around, he was brought back into the mainstream and was put to work for the KGB, for whom he invented the first electronic "bug" for eavesdropping, for which he earned the Stalin Prize. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

For his first directorial project in six years, Robert Towne selected a timeworn romantic-triangle yarn, injecting the material with subtlety and conviction. Tequila Sunrise stars Mel Gibson and Kurt Russell as two lifelong friends who, in true James Cagney-Pat O'Brien fashion, grow up on the opposite sides of the law. One is a retired drug dealer (at least he says he is), the other a "celebrity" cop. Both fall in love with gorgeous restaurateur Michelle Pfeiffer. Veteran movie buffs will enjoy spotting director Budd Boetticher as a judge, and will welcome the presence in the production credits of cinematographer Conrad Hall, who earned an Oscar nomination for his richly textured color camerawork. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This documentary was authorized by the Beach Boys (and their lawyers, more than likely), so the film steers clear of the band's already well-publicized internal problems, focusing solely on their music. The band is covered (via live concert footage and clips from TV variety shows and specials) from their early years up until the mid-'80s. Also shown are some clips from the movies they appeared in, such as Girls on the Beach, and some footage that was cut from The T.A.M.I. Show. Brian Wilson is interviewed (in his bed) from a 1976 television special, and there is also some footage from a German and a Czech concert tour. ~ Brian Gusse, All Movie Guide

The Beatles are coming! The Beatles are coming! Or so the members of the Alpha Beta sorority who are trying to raise $10,000 during Spring Break to save their sorority house believe. When the Fab Four do not show, the ingenious girls must create a passable imitation by imitating them themselves. The Beach Boys also appear in this film with an especially choice scene of Brian Wilson singing around a campfire. Songs in this musical comedy include: "Leave Me Alone," "It's Gotta Be You," "I Don't Want to Be a Loser" (sung by Lesley Gore), "Lonely Sea, La Bamba" (performed by the Crickets), "Girls On the Beach," and "Little Honda" (sung by the Beach Boys). ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Part of American-International's "Beach Party" series, Beach Blanket Bingo was directed by William Asher. Frankie (Frankie Avalon) briefly deserts Dee Dee (Annette Funicello) in favor of pop star Sugar Kane (Linda Evans). Also around and about is a mermaid, appropriately named Lorelei (Marta Kristen). Scurrilous cycle gang leader Eric Von Zipper (Harvey Lembeck) finds time to sing a tune, while Paul Lynde sneers a lot, Don Rickles insults a lot, Buster Keaton mimes a lot, and columnist Earl Wilson lets everybody know who he is by exclaiming "That's Earl, brother." The whole cast rushes to the rescue when South Dakota Slim (Timothy Carey) binds the lovely Sugar Kane to a buzzsaw. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide