BeachBoys.com: The Complete Guide

PLOT: The girls of Alpha Beta need to raise $10,000 in two weeks to save the sorority house. (Their heart-of-gold landlady gave their nest-egg away to needy charities without telling anyone!) Among their schemes to raise the funds are a beauty contest, (with a featured bellydance!) a newspaper puzzle, and a baking contest (with predictably disastrous results). But when three guys hit the beach with love on their minds, bragging that they know the Beatles, the girls plan a fundraiser concert with the Fab Four as the main attraction.

REVIEW: A completely campy "B" movie, The Girls On The Beach is so frighteningly retro and naive that I can't help but like it. Promising that "It takes off where the others leave off" this movie is actually so tame that you expect Gidget to pop up any moment. Strangely, everyone gets hot and bothered over the possiblity of having the Beatles arrive, yet are completely blase' about having Leslie Gore and the Beach Boys hanging around! There's Leslie, singing her cupid heart out in the sorority (to polite applause), and the Beach Boys slumming at the local hangout. Denny doesn't even bother to hit on any of the bikinied 'honeys' hanging around! Verrrrry surreal. The Beach Boys songs are canned and their performances are, uh... well, they're well lit. Leslie Gore, with her natural spunky charm, comes off better, and the whole movie is perfect for a good groan, and chuckle.

PLOT: In this sequel to the 1964 film The Misadventures of Merlin Jones College whiz-kid Merlin Jones (Tommy Kirk) concocts a method for teaching an advanced sleep-learning method to a chimpanzee, and then (on a completely unrelated note) creates a human-powered flying machine of his own design, ultimately causing more wacky misadventures on the school campus.

REVIEW: Ahh, that old, familiar Disney movie-making magic. They really knew how to churn 'em out. Slick, by-the-book scripts, stock characters, improbable plots and Annette Funicello -- all in dazzling technicolor. And hey! Let's throw in the Beach Boys to bring in the teen-set! They sure don't make them like this anymore. Too bad, because in my opinion, when you find something that works, stick with it. I find movies of this type completely disarming, even if they are predictable, and even forgetable. Having grown up on a steady diet of Gilligan's Island, The Monkees and the Brady Bunch primed me for a lifetime of enjoyment from simple pleasures like this movie. The Beach Boys show up in the opening credites to join Annette in singing the anthropomorphic (increase your word power!) and catchy title song. The Monkey's Uncle is charming in it's own way, utterly devoid of anything offensive (how many recent movies can you say that about?) and for most fans, ultimately inconsequential.

PLOT: The Driver and The Mechanic are two car freaks driving a 1955 Chevy throughout the southwestern U.S. looking for other cars to race. They are totally dedicated to The Car and converse with each other only when necessary. At a gas station, The Driver and The Mechanic, along with a girl who has ingratiated herself into their world, meet G.T.O., a middle-aged man who fabricates stories about his exploits. It is decided to have a race to Washington, D.C., where the winner will get the loser's car. Along the way, the race and the highway metaphorically depict the lives of these contestants as they struggle to their destination.

REVIEW: Dennis Wilson joined James Taylor to play in this art-house film about two men and a race: "The Mechanic" [Dennis] and "The Driver" [James] -- (no one in this movie has a proper name) live their lives through a primer-grey '55 Chevy which they decide to race to Washington DC. Along the way, they pick up "The Girl" [Laurie Bird] and meet an old grease-monkey named "G.T.O" [Warren Oates] who likes to relate colorful tall-tales about his past (mmm...this actually sounds like a typical Grateful Dead tour).
Whether you will like this film or not is dependent on whether or not you enjoy this particular film genre. Two-Lane Blacktop is an high-minded allegory about life. The race and the highway are symbolic, subject to personal interpretation and meaning. Watching can be reminiscent of reading "The Old Man and the Sea" for your high-school literature class. "TLB" strikes some critics as slow, pretentious, and unfocused, and others as a worthy, serious-minded movie about chasing after fulfillment in life. I find that I can enjoy it on a certain level, but I need to be in the right frame of mind, and it won't ever make MY list of top ten favorite films.
Dennis and James purposely don't have many lines... these men are loners, able to relate more to the car and it's workings than to people. Dennis certainly has charisma, and it shows in his bearing and expression, but unfortunately, the script doesn't call for him to use many expressions. Images of the road and the pensive faces of the car's occupants take up a good chunk of the running time. In fact, Dennis's natural charm and good-humor are completely buried in this heavy dramatic exercise, which for fans of the Beach Boys hoping to see one of their dearest icons, is probably the film's greatest fault.

Two-Lane Blacktop (1971)
Criterion Collection CC1729D [2-DVD]; Released December 1, 2007
REVIEW PENDING

Special Features

- DIRECTOR-APPROVED DOUBLE-DISC SET

- New, restored high-definition digital transfer supervised and approved by director Monte Hellman

- Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack

- Two audio commentaries; one by Hellman and filmmaker Allison Anders, and one by screenwriter Rudy Wurlitzer and author David Meyer

- New interviews with Hellman, star James Taylor, musician Kris Kristofferson, producer Michael Laughlin, and production manager Walter Coblenz

- Rare, never-before-seen screen-test outtakes

- Performance and Image: a look at the restoration of a '55 Chevy from the movie and the film's locations today

- Color Me Gone: photos and publicity from Two-Lane Blacktop

- Original theatrical trailer

- PLUS: Rudy Wurlitzer's screenplay, reprinted specially for this release; new essays by Kent Jones, appreciations by Richard Linklater and Tom Waits; and a reprint of the 1970 Rolling Stone article "On Route 66, Filming Two-Lane Blacktop."

REVIEW: If Looking Back With Love is your idea of a good Beach Boys album, then have I got the movie for you. Summer Dreams has so many bad elements it's hard to know where to begin. For one thing, where else can you find a movie that has achieved a degree of infamy for it's facial hair? The fake beards here look like they were swiped from the Planet of the Apes. Then there's the fact-impared script; derived from Steven Gaines' book Heroes and Villains, this should tip any curious viewer right off the bat that this is not going to be Masterpiece Theatre. The film takes the point of view that Dennis was the most interesting Beach Boy, and is told from his point of view. We see the young, 35-year-old 'teenage' Wilsons cavorting about on the beach, at home with Father (the perfectly-cast Arlen Dean Snyder as Murray) and starting their own band. We see Sensitive Brian, the Chubby, Quiet Carl, the Hunky Wildboy Dennis (played with aplomb by Bruce Greenwood), the Balding Mike and that Other Guy all shuffling around making great music. Then... Brian gets psychedelic! Mike gets a beard! Then they all get beards! Dennis sings a song that he never wrote! Then it's 1985 and everyone joins in for the 4th of July at the Nation's Capitol. Inspiring! Ugh. A couple of the actors manage to capture some of the essence of the characters they portray, but on the whole, this is is Grade-C government process cheeze-whiz, and a poor introduction to a complex band.

REVIEW: There are two versions of this DVD floating around, and you want to make sure you get the most recent one (pictured here) as it contains a few extra minutes of footage, and has more features (it's also a few dollars more expensive). No matter how you might feel about the Stars & Stripes album, this promotional film/documentary is worthwhile viewing for any fan. For one thing, it has Brian Wilson reunited with the Beach Boys, which is a rare occurance, and second, it shows the band having a wonderful time recreating some of their classic harmonies and interacting together. Containing both in the studio film and live concert footage, the Beach Boys are front and center in this event, (unlike the album) and it shows each member to their best advantage. It's especially touching to see Carl Wilson, ever the consumate professional, working his harmonies to perfection, or Mike and Brian bantering and joking about each others ages, and disagreeing amiably about differently-remembered shared experiences. A relaxed and worthwhile film.

REVIEW: Although the packaging might make you pause in purchasing this video, there's really no reason not to. Essentially this is a 30-minute concert that the Beach Boys gave as part of a "Super Star" Concert series that was filmed and shown in theaters in the mid-sixties. Also included in the concert were Leslie Gore and the Beatles, but for this release, only the Beach Boys are featured. The boys are relaxed and having a good time playing up in front of an appreciative audience of screaming girls, and they go through a typical set for this era, containing some originals, and a few covers, much like you'll find on the 1964 concert album. As such, it offers few suprises, although if you never saw the BB's in concert in their early years, it provides a nice time-capsule view of their performance, (which is very raw and probably interesting only to fans). Highlights: Mike Love dancing the same steps over an over in his socks, and Brian smiling at his soon-to-be-wife Marilyn, who's in the audience.

REVIEW: Released on video almost a year after it had been broadcast, Endless Harmony is yet another fine example of modern video biographies that intersperse new interview segments and archival film in a fairly unbiased, even-handed look at the Beach Boys. In fact, this video is arguably the best of the bunch, since it takes the widest view of the Beach Boys career, from their very beginnings as brothers and schoolmates, to the present, and manage to do it without feeling like it's cramming too much into its two-hour running time. I got a real sense of how the Beach Boys stand out as individuals from watching this; Brian's simple joy in the music, Mike's revisionist spins on history, Al's even-handedness, Carl's deep spirituality, and Bruce's congeniality. Bonuses include never-before available footage of home movies, especially rare outakes from their 70's down time when Ricky Fataar and Blondie Chaplin were part of the band, and, of course, the music. The soundtrack for this video was culled from rare, unreleased and remixed tracks from the Beach Boys vaults, and the sound is stunning. (Especially in the DVD version which has 5:1 dolby sound). If you're just getting into the Beach Boys, or want to interest a friend in their lives, I can easily recommend this video as the place to begin.

REVIEW: The second fictionalized re-telling of the Beach Boys story (after the reprehensible Summer Dreams fiasco), this highly-produced two-part miniseries is miles above the previous film, although not without its share of glaring, and puzzling faults. The good? Excellent casting, with nary a weak link in the bunch, strong production values, with excellent on-site location work, use of the original Beach Boys music incorporated (mostly), and a strong first half gave me high hopes that this film would be less exploitative and more celebratory in its scope. It uses actual dialogue of the Beach Boys and their father Murry which was caught on tape, and the first half captures the vibe of the early 1960s very well. But by the second night, the narrative falls apart, as the usual cliches raise their ugly heads. The film goes out of its way to depict Brian's emotional downfall, ostensibly shown here as increasingly bizarre behavior in the studio, and the character's increasingly paranoid, whining displays. Not the fault of the actor portraying Brian, but more at fault in the writing, which unfortunately leaned on the reminisences of Mike Love and co-producer John Stamos. Van Dyke Parks is portrayed as a stoned flower-child, and due to his non-participation in the film, new lyrics had to be composed which approximated his writings for Smile. The film even uses a segment of Brian's actual voice (from 2000) while he's portrayed sitting at the piano composing a piece of music, and the difference is noticable, and jarring. The "feel-good" moment at the end of the film is supposed to be when Mike Love convinces the executives at Capitol Records to release what will eventually become the Beach Boys comback: the greatest-hits compilation Endless Summer, but by then, the obvious biases in the narrative left me with a bad taste in my mouth. Never available to the public, this film shows up occasionally on cable TV.

REVIEW: The main problem with running a site like this is occasionally I have to purchase completely worthless garbage to review in order to keep the site current. (sigh) Oh, well. This "special edition EP" which deceptively pictures an early line-up of the Beach Boys on the cover is simply not worth your money. It contains four abbrieviated "performances" by the Beach Boys ("Do It Again," "California Girls," Breakaway," and "Surfin' USA") that were recorded for German television in 1969. The video quality is fair to poor, and entirely in black and white; the production values are intrusive, with several annoying video overlays that sometimes completely obscure the band; and there's something creepy about having Mike Love in full 1969 'Maharishi' mode (long beard and flowing white robe) sing the original lp version of "Surfin' USA" with the band forming an impromptu kick-line during the song. The canned lip-synching is obvious: Brian Wilson is not participating, even though his voice is heard loudly; Denny even rolls his eyes on camera after realizing he can't match the drum pattern on "Breakaway," and eventually he gives up. The rest of the band fares little better. The so-called "extras" are nothing to shout about either: on the "pop-up" menu, you simply get the same four songs with the addition of well-known facts about the band that any neophyte would know, and the rest of the DVD is filled up with shameless promos of other, similar DVD's. Radio Bremen, who produced this should be sucked out of existence for releasing this deceptive piece of junk. I guess if you want a little time-capsule of this period, it's nice to see Carl and Dennis again, but otherwise don't waste your hard-earned cash.

REVIEW: I can say the same about the DVD release as I did about the CD version; that it's a well-played, fairly sterile overview of the Beach Boys career, with a few high points that make it a must-buy for the rabid fan. (Of course, most rabid fans don't need any prodding to buy new product, but hey...) The best part is seeing all of the players present and accounted for: Brian Wilson, looking like a whipped dog for most of the performance (but strangely coming to life for "Keepin' The Summer Alive"); Mike Love, who rarely cracks a smile but manages to keep things rolling along nicely (I just wish he'd give up the lame hand motions during songs); Dennis Wilson, pounding the drums with an almost desperate fierceness, and providing genuine emotion throughout the show; Al Jardine almost fading into the background (even during his solo numbers); Carl Wilson giving it everything he's got, both in his playing and singing; and Bruce Johnston just happy to be there. What struck me most during the show was the sheer amount of harmony the Beach Boys add to almost every number. The singing during this show is gorgeous, with a few obvious vocal flubs here and there. But certainly it's a revelation to hear again how dense and intricate the Beach Boys' harmony could be in a live setting. No other band comes close. The picture and sound are very good for a recording that's over twenty years old, and the concert should provide most fans with a once-in-a-lifetime memento of this singular event.

REVIEW: Ugh. Once more I'm stuck reviewing product that makes my I.Q. tumble just watching it. Koch International, purveyor of loads of dung just like this, has defiled the Beach Boys name with "Surfing USA." Less a video about the Beach Boys than a hopeless mish-mash of intent and budget, this 50-minute long video has a couple of small items for people who absolutely have to have everything put out about the Beach Boys, along with a bunch of clips they already own, as well as nearly a half-hour of filler not even related to America's band. Beginning with the aforementioned 30-minute "documentary" on the art of surfing, viewers hoping for glimpses of the Beach Boys will be drumming their fingers impatiently until the video suddenly shifts to movies that have featured the band, from The Girls on the Beach and The Monkey's Uncle (see above) to the surfing documentary Endless Summer. So you'll see extended clips of Annette Funicello and Frankie Avalon doing the "clam" and other various trailers and clips. Then, for no apparent reason other than to avoid truth-in-advertizing lawsuits, the video shifts suddenly to performances by the Beach Boys, four of which are taken from the previously released Lost Concert (see above), which is still readily available, as well as two television clips from early, black and white appearances of the band. Overall a deceptive, no-budget DVD release that can be readily avoided by most fans. But if you just have to have it...

REVIEW: Originally broadcast as "It's OK" on NBC television in 1976 to celebrate the release of The Beach Boys' 15 Big Ones, this surreal special was produced and written by Lorne Michaels, James Belushi, and Dan Ackroyd of "Saturday Night Live" fame - and boy, does it show. Intercut into the by-the-numbers concert by the band filmed in Anaheim are various interview snippets: the well-known interview with Brian in bed; "slice-of-life" portraits of each band member: Al Jardine wrestling with goats while discussing the hardships of living in the 'wild,' Mike Love riding shotgun in a stunt plane, and Dennis Wilson getting overheated while judging a beauty contest (I couldn't help thinking it was like a shark at a feeding frenzy.) Also included are some completely unrelated moments, like a teenage skateboarder talking about the history of the sport, a stoned-looking surfer discussing his bohemian lifestyle, and yes, (somebody shoot me now!) a bevy of high-kicking cheerleaders strutting their stuff during the performance of "Be True To Your School." It's from this special that the infamous "Surf Police" sketch originated; where Mike Love is shown at his mincing, gold-spangled best; where Dennis and Carl are interviewed discussing their father with surprising frankness; and Brian, Dennis and Carl sing a reprise of "I'm Bugged At My Old Man," which still elicits the same giggles from all of them, but to the audience watching at home, must have seemed very strange. But this is still an engaging film: part time-capsule, part concert document, and part comedy sketch, all blended together into something unmistakably of the 1970's . Eagle Vision, which also released the similar Live In Knebworth DVD above, deserves kudos for releasing these programs for the fans.

REVIEW: I have a hard time believing that copyright laws have degraded to the degree that allows rip-offs like this to be peddled to the public legally. As shoddy a release as I've ever seen, this 30-minute long DVD is reprehensible. Essentially a four-song set from the Beach Boys circa 1993 in St. Louis, Missouri, the band, (consisting of Mike, Al, Bruce, Carl and Matt Jardine, plus John Stamos slumming along) is unispired, with lackluster readings of "California Girls" (debauched by the presence of the infamous 'Beach Boys dancers'), then leading into an insipid performance of "Catch A Wave" which is taken at "geezer" tempo (courtesy of John Stamos on drums), then the video cuts to a forgettable performance of Summer In Paradise's "Under The Boardwalk" before completely self-destructing with a cheesy, self-indulgent parody of "Be True To Your School" - with Mike and John Stamos trading limp, pre-rehearsed jokes. Mike is obviously in charge here, and with his dress-code desecration of the United States Flag and sporting multiple gold bracelets and rings, he looks like nothing less than an All-American Pimp, surrounded by his harem of vacuous "cheerleaders." The rest of the Beach Boys get slim camera time, which is probably all to the good, since they look like they're simply going through the motions. In total, the Beach Boys segment lasts a mere seventeen and half minutes, and much of that is smarmy stage banter between Mike and John. The video quality is only so-so, with the footage apparently swiped from a less-than-pristine VHS tape, with LOTS of tracking and flutter problems. The final deception of this DVD is the tacked-on addition of two Jan & Dean lip-syncs, which has the damaged duo mouthing along to "Surf City" and "Sidewalk Surfin" by a pool, frequently interrupted by stock footage of surfers, skateboarders, and ultra-coiffed girls in bikinis. I'm amazed that this product can legally be sold, and warn every Beach Boys fan to avoid, unless you absolutely have to have every scrap of rare concert footage.

REVIEW: This UK product is a book/DVD combo, neither of which is essential by any means, but an OK product for novices who are just getting into the band. The book, which is excerpted from Andrew Doe's extensive Guide to The Beach Boys, but here covers only through 1974's In Concert (with 1964's Beach Boys Concert cover mistakenly substituted). The album entries are lengthy, and some have been expanded for this book, but by cutting out solo albums, and even the Beach Boys later discography, the album section is sadly incomplete. The book is also filled with a smattering of color photos, although strangely includes several pics which are clearly from later in the band's career, even though the discography cuts off in the mid-1970s. Still, for a Beach Boys book, you could do far worse than tap the talents of the talented Andrew Doe. The DVD is similarly well-meaning - it's obvious that the producers tried to put together something nice, with the limited resources they had available. The talking heads they've put together here (including such non-luminaries as "influential drummer Rod Gretsinger and producer/guitarist Les Davidson") are far removed from the Beach Boys themselves, and bereft of actual insight, they're left to spout generalities and clichés which reveal their lack of anything meaningful. The producers also have audio interviews with Carl and Brian Wilson, from around 1981, and include video clips of live performances from The Ed Sullivan Show, The Lost Concert, The Steve Allen Show, Knebworth, and NBC's "Brian is Back" television special. All of this is flaccidly narrated by Graham McTavish who is long on rhetoric, but short on facts. The video clips are all accompanied by annoyingly prominent copyright notices, and the clips, which have been reformatted into "widescreen" have a squashed, compressed look. Bonus features include a brief, unremarkable photo slide-show. Made in China, this OK production has minimal interest for Beach Boys fans.

Dennis Wilson Forever: Interviews With The People Who Knew Him Best
MFM Productions, Inc [DVD-R]; Released October, 2007

DVD CREDITS

Written, produced, and directed by Billy Hinsche

Interviews were conducted at various locations in the United States and Canada from 2004-2007

Additional black & white footage filmed on location during the Beach Boys' summer tour of the Midwest in May, 1974

Total running time: 90 minutes (approx.)
Rating: PG
Standard/Region: NTSC Region 1

REVIEW: A loving documentary created by long-time Beach Boys band member Billy Hinche, Dennis Wilson Forever falls short of being a penetrating look at The Beach Boys most troubled, and most endearing member, but works brilliantly as a testimonial from those who knew and loved him. Filled with reminiscences of family, band members, peers and admirers, the number of people who participated is impressive: Desi Arnaz Jr., Dean Torrence, Wendy and Carnie Wilson, Justyn Wilson, Jeff "Skunk" Baxter, Dewey Bunnell, Ed Carter, Alan Boyd, Michael Angeloff, David Cassidy, John Cowsill, Ricky Fataar, Jeff Foskett, Al and Matt Jardine, Bruce Johnston, Mike Kowalski, Elliott Lott and many others. The documentary is broken up into several segments: "Beginning" "Surfing" "Drumming," "Racing," "Stories," "Songwriting," "Final Thoughts" and "What Would You Say?" and closes with an original song by Billy played over vintage footage of Dennis taken during the 1974 tour. Some of the stories are fun to hear, like the one about Dennis and a rather famous film star drag racing on dark city streets, but much of it is trite, like John Stamos's worthless recollection of his one brief meeting with Dennis, and his subsequent exclamations of baseless adoration. Also, the segment where different people are asked which Dennis Wilson song is their favorite brings on an endless litany of "Forever" which doesn't make for compelling viewing, or speak much about Dennis's depth as a songwriter, despite claims to contrary. And any documentary which skirts around Dennis's shortcomings (which were legion) leaves the uninformed viewer with the impression that Dennis had few, if any vices. The absence of any comments at all by Brian Wilson, and the two extremely brief, offhand comments by Mike Love also left me feeling there were huge gaps in the portrait being presented. And technically, this is very much a home-grown production, with less-than-ideal sound, and pressed on a DVD-R, and shipped with minimal packaging (but still costing a mighty thirty bucks!) Still, for those who are devotees of Dennis' life and music, this documentary is a sweet sit-down with family and friends, and should be welcomed by many fans.