Good Vibrations

Mark Kermode had been raving about this for some time, citing it as his favourite film of the year thus far so I was expecting something special. I wasn't disappointed. It tells the story of Terri Hooley, a record store owner in 1970's Belfast who became one of the most important figures in the brief rise of punk music in N. Ireland. It's a commendable comedy drama which cleverly intertwines the story of Hooley's life with archive footage of the troubles affecting the city.

There are some wonderful scenes, most notably when Hooley first discovers the anarchic, pulsating sound of punk in a Belfast club - his face transforming from impassive to bewilderment to absolute joy in the space of a few seconds. There are genuine laugh out loud lines and it is a film which despite the times it lives in is full of warmth and heart. It's not perfect, it slowly drifts into an overly sentimentalised story and some plot turns are annoyingly predictable. That said it never stops being an intriguing and funny film with a brilliant central performance by Richard Dormer as Terri.

Heart warming tale of Terri Hoolet who opened a record shop in Belfast during the troubles and became the driver and father to the Belfast punk rock scene.

Dormer is quite excellent and wholly believable as the cheeky, passionate impressario, well supported by a great cast, particularly Whittaker as his loving, long suffering wife. The film never becomes depressing, but the difficulties Hooley faces to reach his goals against a background of political turmoil and violence so close to whom is often funny and moving. A film to life the spirits.

A good film to go and see. The protagonist, Terri Hooley, is a self obsessed music lover who stumbles across punk while running his independent record shop in Belfast in the late 70's early 80's and goes about promoting and recording punk bands from Northern Ireland.

The acting is great, great script and unlike the Commitments this is a true story.

Positives: Filmed in colour and atmosphere that portrays the era. The subtle humour and the last line of the movie which I will not give away but will stand as a great movie quote.

Negatives: Adrian Dunbar's wig - Cheap is not the word for it.

No matter what anyone says, this is utterly fantastic. Good Vibrations was well-received in its American premiere. A chronicle of Terri Hooley's life, a record-store owner instrumental in developing Belfast's punk-rock scene. I found the film a little too dark and a little too slow as it moves to what seems like an inevitable bitter end. The plot is not as well thought out as the original, but it still does the cast well. I would suggest renting it, or perhaps buying it if the price is right. My final rating for this movie is 7 out of 10, and it deserves it in every way. This film is worthy of all the hopes you have.

Although I was born in Belfast, this occurred in the mid-70's so I really knew very little of the people and events in this film, even if I knew the music. I'm not really a punk fan either, but it was the country connection that made me interested in watching the film. The story is sort of based on reality, although of course I think a lot of it is rather simplified for the sake of telling a good story. Terri Hooley (so spelt as he only has one eye) loves his music and at a time when Northern Ireland is splitting down the middle along religious lines, he opens a record store selling reggae and the like. Through this he is put in contact with the punk scene and becomes an unexpected leader to bring it to greater attention.

The main thing the film does very well is capture the sense of place and time; the bits of the film I recognise are instantly so and the rest it delivers so convincingly that one goes along with it and really feels it. The sets, costumes and locations are a big part of it as they capture the 70's real well, but the use of music is the real impact. I'm not a big punk fan but the music throughout the film worked very well and I liked that it even held back its biggest track until that famous moment that Peel played it twice. The story around the music is engaging and it touches on quite a few things but really it is about the energy and passion for it and in this regard Dormer is strong in the lead.

One of several Game of Thrones cast in the film, Dormer's energy is infectious even if his flawed character is evident, he leads the viewer into the passion really well. He is well supported by many unknown faces who do great jobs while also having plenty of recognizable faces kicking around – although Moran, Cunningham and others have not too much to do. The direction of the film is really good and the film has a great look – even when it is in dark, chaotic bars, it still looks clear and crisp.

It isn't a perfect film but it does tell an engaging personal story with energy and passion. The music and sense of place drive the film while the infectious and engaging performances add a lot. Very enjoyable film for what it does well.