love-gordon I have been waiting for this movie all my adult life. It is a reaffirmation of my personal history and that of my city, Belfast. Punk made Belfast what it is to-day and the energy of the film reflects this. All aspects of the movie excel, but for me personally it is the first accurate, contemporary celluloid portrayal of my community – aggressive black humour, dogged determination underpinned with old fashioned sentimentality and a lack of respect for the Establishment. Protestants in Northern Ireland are often portrayed as rather dour and unaesthetic. Whilst Catholics tend to be seen as more creative and artistic,indeed Catholics are much more successful in the arts than Protestants. This in no way suggests that Protestants are discriminated against in the arts, we are not, but have simply been lagging behind, until now. So it is no mean feat that that the Good Vibrations movie shows the Protestant community in a refreshingly healthy and artistic light. For the benefit of readers from outside of Northern Ireland the two main bands portrayed in the movie and their fans where Protestant as were the initial wave of local punk bands, punk in Northern Ireland originated in the East Belfast Protestant heartland, Terri Hooley (the owner of Good Vibrations) came from the Protestant community, as did his partners in the record shop and the committee set up by Terry to run the famous Harp Bar were Protestant and of course the writers of the movie were Protestants. So I think that it is true to say that the Protestant ethic and history of rebellion fuelled the Northern Ireland punk scene from the start. Well done to all concerned.

andidektor This is a soundtrack, not a film. It doesn't ask any questions, lay out any arguments, or challenge any taboos. It's got a stonking lead performance and it looks period correct when not depending on stock imagery. It's got loads of minor pop music - a good mixtape, the sort of themed selection you'd find cover mounted on Uncut or Mojo magazine. It could have been a blast. Or, with some genuine insight to the personal relationships only vaguely sketched in the script, it could have been a more substantial drama.But it's a cheap shot to prop up Terri Hooley's self hype with endless stock footage of the troubles - especially the Miami showband material. As if the scene where Terri and his little band of gullible, fame seeking youths being stopped by the Brits and discovered to be the true cross-community ideal was somehow related (what an awkward scene that was).Truth is, punk didn't do much in or for Northern Ireland and after its brief bubble burst, Hooley never found another "wave" to incompetently exploit - except perhaps the trendy "hagiography of failures in popular culture" that passes for biography in too many recent films. (Next: The Gary Glitter Story...?).Where it really struggles to even entertain is in constantly trying to raise the minimal narrative above a basic "let's put on a show in the barn" story, by co-opting historical sectarian division and political oppositions as contextual justification for a bunch of people who were essentially running away, rather than confronting it.The fawning climax, a clumsy collage of wet eyed forgiveness and self-justification during a concert in the Ulster Hall ("It holds 2000 people!") is downright creepy.And if PUNK meant anything, anywhere, then surely Hooley's apocryphal shout "New York has the hair, London has the trousers, but Belfast has the reason." is its betrayal.

lasttimeisaw This film is the 47th Karlovy Vary International film Festival (KVIIF) 's opening film, a chronic biography about Terri Hooley, a key figure in Belfast's punk-rock scene, from Lisa Barros D'Sa and Glenn Leyburn, the director team of CHERRYBOMB (2009), but by and large, the film is just another middle-of-the-road sort from its genre, doesn't quite stand out in any facet. The film introduces a quite vintage palette to emphasize the milieu with footage superimpositions of the dark age (but the mission to evoke any collisions which underline the political scenarios at then has misfired here). A fatal underachievement is the utterly weak narrative arc, jumpy all the time but scarcely touches the chord of convincing compassion of the protagonist. From a global scope, punk music has waned to its worst era since its genesis, we can actually claim that Punk is dead now, so the resonance may be curbed and fail to launch among the generation of Hip-Hop and Electro. The music and songs are copious in the film and has indomitably eclipsed the story itself although Hooley is never an artist himself, he is the owner of the record-store "GOOD VIBRATION" and eventually becomes the godfather of Belfast's punk music. Performance wise, a cipher Richard Dormer is praiseworthy in his breathing through leading role, his one-eyed mimicry is fine-drawn but impressive. Among the supporting group, Jodie Whittaker (from VENUS, 2006), Dylan Moran (from SHAUN OF THE DEAD, 2004), and a deadly talented Liam Cunningham are much bigger names but barely has any potential scenes to manifest themselves. So, all in all as the opening film of a quite eminent international film festival, the film may be entertaining enough for those who has experienced the period of the particular time, but assessed by an outsider like myself, the fractured structure is clearly hampering the general filmic comprehension and the outcome has been a bit underwhelmed.

punkyjoe It's the morning after the night before, and I'm feeling more than a little fragile as I may have overdone the celebrating a bit. I very rarely drink at all, but I got caught up in all the reminiscing and nostalgia last night. My head is splitting and I'm croaking like frog, yeah! As you've probably already guessed it was a killer night. The'Good Vibrations' movie has been a longtime coming - jeez, the film has been in the pipeline for around 13 years and it's been over two years since the excellent 10 minute fund raising pilot film was made and then screened one Sunday afternoon in Feb 2010 at the 'QFT'. Understandably I couldn't wait to see this film. I'm absolutely delighted that the 'Good Vibrations' film is here at last, and not only is the movie making its high profile red carpet debut it's also launching the 'Belfast Film Festival. For the first time ever there's a big screen erected especially for the premiere in the historic Ulster Hall which is celebrating its own 150th birthday this year. There was TV coverage all through the glorious day on the local news bulletins. which is not surprising as this is the true (ish) story of a most unlikely Belfast anti hero & the hottest ticket in town for quite some time. Requests to attend the premiere far out stripped supply so two more screenings were quickly arranged (& sold out) to cope with the overwhelming demand. It was great to catch up again with the ex punks / Harp Bar regulars from that time as we were the kids that lived a confrontational and exciting lifestyle during a very dangerous time. We did hang out in the Good Vibrations shop, we pilfered the posters from the staircase wall, and we did buy our 45's, fanzines etc etc from the man of the moment himself. The writers and producers totally understood from the get-go just how important this movie was going to be to a generation of kids who stood together studded shoulder to shoulder before and alongside 'Terri Hooley' kicking against the pricks, they treated Terri and the punk's tale with empathy, respect and some very dark humour. Certain scenes in the movie were laugh out loud, while others like Gordi Owens visiting the shop for the first-time and then the subsequent 'Rudi' gig in The Pound just lifted my heart, it was so vivid and evocative of that great time. The sinister side was Terri's beating by two skinheads, which was very realistic, vicious and hard to watch gritty film-making. Now the important question everyone is asking "did the 'Good Vibrations' film live up to all the hype & expectation?" Of course it did, and as you'd expect it has an exceptional soundtrack. There was a long and well deserved standing ovation for all the main players who were all brought on stage together and seemed genuinely taken back & moved by the ecstatic reaction to their little independent film which is now set to go global. Richard Dormer is a revelation, he is so realistic and believable. He actually does Terri better than Terri himself does, and if justice is done this will be recognised as an award winning performance by the movie industry movers & shakers. My son Steven ($$) and I can't thank Lisa Barros D'Sa, Glenn Leyburn, David Holmes & Chris Martin enough for giving us the opportunity (even though we weren't actors) to participate in the film, they are four really talented and very nice people, we are very grateful indeed. '$$' and his pal Chris Smith (plus my authentic punk era 'Rudi' logo emblazoned leather jacket) got the chance to reprise their roles from the original pilot film, only this time on the hallowed Ulster Hall stage. '$$' also spent a very long day back in September 2011 down in Dundalk filming his part as the 'Rural Punk Kid', which is in the finished movie. I was more than happy to be in there as my teenage punky self in a 1979 'Something Else' TV clip with the real 'Rudi' and to be included in the end credits vintage punk photo reel.Yeah! I've really only commented on the musical aspects of the film here because of word limits, but Terri's non punk private & personal life during this time period is also featured heavily throughout. Congratulations to everyone involved with 'Good Vibrations', you've delivered a movie we can all be proud of.For anyone who hasn't had the pleasure of meeting 'Mr Hooleygan' he is a real one off character, a storytelling socialist press darling anarchist local legend, and possibly one of the worst business-men ever. But through thick & thin and with eternal optimism he has kept the 'Good Vibrations' name alive as a legendary brand. The actual 'GV' record shop still exists and resides in its current form on Royal Avenue in Belfast City Centre, and rumour has it the record label is set to return. The fact that regardless of the location he's still out there doing it 36 years later is his two fingered salute to the world, because he's never let the bastards grind him down. 31.5.12 was the real celebration. 'God Save Terri Hooley'.