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Rating: Summary: Disappointing Review: First off, I want to say that I love Brian and his music. I think it's great that he's back doing what he does best, making music, doing it well, and seemingly having a great time. But this DVD really was a letdown. First, the whole thing just seems like a commercial for brian's ability. Everyone in the video is like "WOW HE'S A GENIOUS", "Brian is incredible" and the like. It goes on and on through the whole video, and its aggrevating. (Bruce Johnston in particular is the biggest butt-kisser on this video, but of course he would have been an unemployed nobody for the past 30 years without Brian's music.) Its like they're trying to brainwash you into believing Brian is some sort of deity or something. He could drop a tissue on the ground in this video and Sean Lennon would be there googling and going "wow, look how you dropped that tissue...man, you're incredible." He is indeed a genious, anyone buying this DVD knows that already. He certainly deserves praise, but we dont need it crammed down our throats for the entire hour. The live performaces were a mixed blessing. It's cool to see Brian perform live, provided he's actually singing. Almost all of the live performances are lip-synched to pre-recorded tape. Ive seen him live and the guy still can sing pretty darn good, why they felt the need to have him fake singing on this video I have no clue. If they would have included more video from the studio sessions (eg- seeing Brian lay down all the harmonies himself would have been awesome), more actual live performances, and stop saying "genious" and "amazing" every 3 seconds it would have been an awesome DVD. And for the last time, PLEASE keep Sean Lennon and Bruce Johnston away from Beach Boy/Brian Wilson documentaries!!!! They are on all of Brian's videos and have no right to be there, they contributed NOTHING to Brian's music (ESPECIALLY Sean Lennon...who does this kid think he is anyway?!?!)
Rating: Summary: Great Performance with lackluster interviews Review: If you want an indepth understadning of Brian Wilson look elsewhere, the reason to buy this DVD is the concert, his first concert after a very long break was shot in front of a live audiance at the Norris Cultural Arts Center in St. Charles, IL. The only issue I had with the DVD was that many of the songs her performed were not easy to access from the menu and you have to spend time fastforwarding to get to see the song you want. More songs perfomred would have been nice, uping the meager playtime of under an hour, but that said this is still a great addition to the DVD collection for any Brain Wilson fan.
Rating: Summary: (a lack of)imagination Review: Not really a good representitive of the body of his work. This film meanders aimlessly for what seems like hours without accomplishing anything.While the concert footage is well shot, the rest of the production value is poor along with lousy pacing/editing. Save your money from this abomination,,,,
Rating: Summary: APOLITICAL ECSTASY! Review: So much that has been written and produced about Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys over the last ten years has been soured by the divisive strife of the band's internal politics and the partisanship of cloth-eared journalists that it is a mighty, warm wave of relief to find John Anderson and Maggie Magee's apolitical celebratory film, centered on Brian Wilson's concert touring reemergence to promote his second solo album, "Imagination". "Imagination" itself is confident, exuberant work, here presented favorably alongside stage versions of the landmark anthem Americana of "California Girls" and "Don't Worry Baby" (aided exquisitely in performance by Tim B Schmit, Joe Thomas, Bruce Johnston et al). The skills of superior filmmaking are a joy - smart editing, sensible (non-TV) pacing, sensitive sound mix - but the great value of "Imagination" is as a marker of Wilson's renewed health and energy. In 1964 Wilson stopped touring with the Beach Boys and apart from brief forays in the middle 70s and 80s has largely avoided the road. Now with a new wife, (the inspirational Melinda), new management and new optimism, a dramatic upward surge is evident: for 2000 he is preparing a touring symphonic revival of "Pet Sounds", a suite easily equal to the best of Bernstein. Wilson may never achieve the chameleonic resilience of a David Bowie - the prerequirement for rock "cool" - but the film of "Imagination" stands as testament of unprecedented personal and creative reinvention. This, and a smile too.
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