Dr. Black, Mr. Hyde (1976)

What’s set up to be a pretty good social satire, sadly, Dr. Black, Mr. Hyde (1976) quickly falls apart after the opening act introduces Dr. Pride as the inventor of a new anti-cirrhosis drug that, when ingested, drains away skin pigmentation and ratchets up strength and aggression to superhuman levels.

Now, I think when Pride (Casey) falls under the influence and transforms into his bestial alter-ego and goes on a rampage, he's supposed to be mistaken for a Caucasian by all the witnesses and the authorities.

And here lies the main problem with the film as the makeup doesn't sell this assumption at all (-- by Stan Winston, no less), as Brother Hyde looks like an albino at best and one of the viral vampire mutants from The Omega Man (1971) at worst.

But again, this plot point doesn't really matter as the whole movie switches gears as the Hyde persona comes to the forefront and becomes fixated on a prostitute named Linda (O'Henry), which brings some internal mental strife as Dr. Pride has a thing for his co-worker, Dr. Billie Worth (Cash).

Meanwhile, Brother Hyde goes on a hooker killing spree over some repressed mommy issues because of course he does. 

And as we race to the climax, Brother Hyde throws some pimps around and busts some heads most righteously before pulling a King Kong, climbing the Watts Towers, where he kinda unceremoniously meets his end.

The film was directed by William Crain and shot by Tak Fujimoto, who tried valiantly to bring the same kind of dignity and flare to elevate this latter day Blaxploitation venture, like they had managed to pull off so well a few years earlier with Blacula (1972), but this proved to be a futile gesture. 

All the ingredients were there. And Bernie Casey, always a welcome sight, does the best he can; as do Ji-Tu Cumbuka and Milt Kogan, who played the befuddled cops charged with finding whom they refer to as “Black the Ripper," which resolved a decades long search of trying to find a non-existent film with that title. So, at least there's that.

In fact, all the characters in Doctor Black, Mr. Hyde were all pretty great, but the plot they’re all plugged into is not only threadbare but it also kinda stinks. 

Take out the nudity and what you got is a fairly inane Made for TV Movie or an episode of Kolchak: The Night Stalker (1974), where Darren McGavin took the week off. Entertaining enough, but there's too many nuggets of “if they only did this” or "if they'd only tried that instead" lying around to needle this one, with a title and cast like that, firmly into the “Expectations Be a Bitch” file.

Originally posted on February 1, 2014, at Micro-Brewed Reviews.

Dr. Black, Mr. Hyde (1976) Dimension Pictures / EP: Manfred Bernhard / P: Charles Walker / AP: William Crain / D: William Crain / W: Larry LeBron / C: Tak Fujimoto / E: Jack Horger / M: Johnny Pate / S: Bernie Casey, Rosalind Cash, Marie O'Henry, Ji-Tu Cumbuka, Milt Kogan, Stu Gilliam, Elizabeth Robinson

Love and Mercy (2014)

As the old cliche goes, there is a fine line between genius and madness. Now, somewhere along the way that line was obliterated for Brian Wilson, lead songwriter for the Beach Boys, due to a combination of mental illness, years of physical and emotional abuse from his father (-- and his surrogate father), and narcotic addiction.

Ergo, Bill Pohlad's excellent docudrama Love and Mercy (2014) splits time to tell this tale by showing us when things fell apart during the recording of Pet Sounds and the two decades later aftermath, where a chance encounter with a woman at a car dealership uncovers a whole new layer of use and abuse of Wilson; this time courtesy of a malignant relationship with his therapist, who manipulated his way into controlling everything and keeping his patient isolated and over-medicated.

And as a connection is made and romance blooms in the 1980s between Wilson (Cusack) and Maria Ledbetter (Banks), things continue to crumble in the 1960s, making it no surprise as to why the younger Wilson (Dano) spent nearly three years without getting out of bed.

Here, as the film progresses, Pohlad does an amazing job of using one era to reflect on the other to keep the story moving forward, striking a balance between the descent into madness and the road to recovery.

Also, major kudos for the most perfect musical cue of all time at the climax. Also, also, the montage sequence where they try to get the right sound for "Good Vibrations" had me tapping my foot through the theater floor. I've listened to it a dozen times since, and all I can hear now is the sawing, stand-up bass that drives the song like a voracious machine.

I'd been itching to see this ever since the trailer broke. I'll admit, I didn't buy John Cusack as the older Brian in the trailer at first, but he was fine. Elizabeth Banks was even better as Melinda, who essentially rescued him from himself. (And she looks absolutely smashing in those '80s fashions as well.)

And Paul Giamiti once more proves how awesome he is as the lecherous Eugene Landy. Sorry, I just can't bring myself to call him a doctor -- but I'm happy to report that he no longer is one. At least in California.

Back in the past, Paul Dano is ah-mazing as the younger Brian, making one believe he really is hearing all those voices and melodies that no one else can hear, and the frustration this causes when he tries and fails to share it with the others. And Jack Abel is a downright eerie dead-ringer for Mike Love.

All told and heard, this movie is great, the music is incredible, and Brian Wilson is, was, and ever shall be a bona fide genius that was once nearly lost but then found. Highly recommended.

Now, while we're on the subject, after catching Love and Mercy at the theater, it stirred up a few sketchy memories of an old Made-for-TV movie on the Beach Boys that focused not on Brian but Dennis Wilson, who had his own share of problems, including his own battle with drugs and getting tangled up with Charles Manson and his homicidal brood.

And after some digging around on YouTube, I found it: Summer Dreams: The Story of the Beach Boys (1990). Turns out I remembered the film rather vividly as those memories solidified -- but I had completely forgotten that Bruce Greenwood played Dennis.

It was based on Steve Gaines' Heroes and Villains: The True Story of the Beach Boys, a sensationalistic and tabloid style take on the subject matter; written by a man who was fascinated by the Wilsons, but openly despised their music.

Despite the opening disclaimer and being officially tagged as an "unauthorized" biopic, most of the events presented echoed the newer release; and it does make a nice companion piece for Pohlad's film, filling in some of the blanks on the Wilson's stormy relationship and expanding the story quite a bit.

Last check it's still streaming on YouTube for those interested in such things.

Originally posted on July 21, 2015, at Micro-Brewed Reviews.

Love and Mercy (2014) River Road Entertainment :: Battle Mountain Films :: Roadside Attractions / EP: Jim Lefkowitz, Oren Moverman, Ann Ruark / P: Bill Pohlad, Claire Rudnick Polstein, John Wells / D: Bill Pohlad / W: Oren Moverman, Michael A. Lerner / C: Robert D. Yeoman / E: Dino Jonsäter / M: Atticus Ross / S: John Cusack, Paul Dano, Elizabeth Banks, Paul Giamatti, Joanna Going, Jake Abel