Love & Mercy

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Love & Mercy (2015)

The Music and Mystery of Brian Wilson

Brian and Melinda Wilson with Biopic Cast

This movie “is a loving tribute to the Beach Boys and the man responsible for their distinctive sound, but it goes to deeper and stranger places than most movies of its kind.”

There’s a theory of negative alchemy that posits that adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) can turn gold into lead.  In Brian Wilson’s case perhaps it was turning platinum into gold.  What we know about Wilson is that his verbally and physically abusive father (and perhaps an alcoholic mother) may have set the stage for his later mental deterioration that was also related to his substance abuse as a young adult.

Love & Mercy is an engrossing look at mental illness, creativity and amazing music.

NY Times Review of Love & Mercy.

Alive Inside

ALIVE INSIDE is an absolutely amazing, moving and memorable documentary.  It features such key "players" as Bobby McFerrin, Bill Thomas and Oliver Sacks (as well as others). 

It is a joyous cinematic exploration of music’s capacity to reawaken our souls and uncover the deepest parts of our humanity. The camera reveals the uniquely human connection we find in music and how its healing power can triumph where prescription medication falls short.

This stirring documentary follows social worker Dan Cohen, founder of the nonprofit organization Music and Memory, as he fights against a broken healthcare system to demonstrate music’s ability to combat memory loss and restore a deep sense of self to those suffering from it.

Alive Inside Website.

A Late Quartet (2012)

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A Late Quartet is a 2012 American drama film co-written (with Seth Grossman), produced, and directed by Yaron Zilberman.[3][4] The film uses chamber music played by the Brentano String Quartet and especially, Beethoven's Op. 131.[5] The film was released in Australia as Performance.

As the Fugue String quartet approaches its 25th anniversary, the onset of a debilitating illness to cellist, Peter Mitchell (Christopher Walken), forces its members to reevaluate their relationships. After being diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, Peter announces his decision to play one final concert before he retires. Meanwhile the second violinist, Robert (Philip Seymour Hoffman), voices his desire to alternate the first violinist role, long held by Daniel (Mark Ivanir). Robert is married to Juliette (Catherine Keener), the viola player of the group. Upon discovering Juliette does not support him in this matter, Robert has a one-night stand. Further complicating matters, their daughter, Alexandra (Imogen Poots), begins an affair with Daniel, whom her mother once pined for. Yet bound together by their years of collaboration, the quartet will search for a fitting farewell to their shared passion of music and perhaps even a new beginning.

Definitely high-brow.  Beautifully done and ethereal music!!

The Music Never Stopped (2011)

Nearly 20 years after their son ran away from home, his estranged parents learn he has a brain tumor that prevents him from forming new memories. Desperate to reconnect, the father realizes the best way is through the classic rock music he despises.  2011  105 minutes

This is a very moving film.  It speaks to the power of music to heal and to music and memory.  It's based on a story written by Oliver Sacks:  "The Last Hippie."

The Visitor (2007)

From NetFlix: Widowed professor Walter Vale (Richard Jenkins, in an Oscar-nominated role) finds himself drawn to a different rhythm when he discovers an immigrant couple, Tarek (Haaz Sleiman) and Zainab (Danai Gurira), squatting in his Manhattan flat and becomes wrapped up in their lives. Hiam Abbass co-stars as Tarek's mother, who forges an unlikely connection with Walter when Tarek is thrown into a detention center. 2007 103 minutes Official Web Site and Trailer

Wonderful film about the healing properties of music on a depressed isolated man. Well worth viewing.

The Soloist (2009)

This movie opened in April 2009. Won't be out on DVD for a number of months. Based on the book by Steve Lopez.
Official Web Site.

When reporter Steve Lopez (Robert Downey Jr.) spies the musically gifted but mentally ill Nathaniel Ayers (Jamie Foxx) playing his violin inside Los Angeles's 2nd Street Tunnel, he never imagines he'll be helping him land a gig at the Walt Disney Concert Hall. But the pair's unlikely friendship takes both of their lives in new directions. Joe Wright directs this drama based on a series of columns that originally ran in the Los Angeles Times. 2009, 109 minutes

Fairly faithful to the book. This is a fine movie that engages the viewers. Highly recommended. A "must-see."

Glad to be Mad

Nick van Bloss possesses astonishing musical talent. He is also afflicted with Tourette’s Syndrome. As this BBC program illustrates, the two are often linked, leading those born with the disorder to view it as both a curse and a gift. Nick’s journey—taking him from the humiliating loss of his career as a concert pianist toward a more self-assured acceptance of his condition—is not only inspiring; it is also a highly informative look into the diagnosis, treatment, and day-to-day realities of Tourette’s, Parkinson’s, autism, schizophrenia, and other disorders. Among Nick’s many notable interactions are those with autistic jazz composer Matt Savage and with neurologist Dr. Oliver Sacks, author of Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain and other books. Original BBCW broadcast title: Glad to Be Mad. (50 minutes)

Also see: Nick's book Busy Body: My Life with Tourette's Syndrome (Paperback)

Young at Heart

Coldplay, the Clash and Jimi Hendrix will never sound the same once you've heard the Young@Heart chorus, a group of Northampton, Massachusetts senior citizens who thrill audiences worldwide with their unusual -- and unusually poignant -- covers of rock songs. Stephen Walker's humane and heartwarming documentary, which premiered at Sundance in 2008, follows the elderly ensemble as they prepare their new show. Comments on geriatrics, music and healing and much more. 107 minutes