Grew up listening to Rudi, The Outcasts, SLF etc and Terri was a great character. Delighted when I heard they were to make a film of his attempts to bring music to the people of Belfast and wasn't let down by the result This really is a great bio, deals tremendously with the troubles in a humorous almost flippant way, shows Terri as the maverick and enthusiastic man he is. I once advertised in the NME for a copy of Bigtime by Rudi and Terri himself called me sending a parcel of singles to me in England, no wonder he never made money but that was him Loved every second of this, great performance by Dylan Moran,in fact is unfair to single anyone out but watch for Terri himself in the recording studio scene.Great stuff

Good Vibrations (GV) came highly recommended from my local liquor store attendant, an equally avid film buff. What began showing so much promise petered out by act three. I was stoked from the onset, jazzed, amped up, I mean with lines like "one of those special bonds, part pharmaceutical, part philosophical" and "a proper record collection should have track for every moment", how could I not? So act one had me all in, hook-line-and-sinker, fully ensconced in the message, meaning, and mayhem plaguing Belfast, Ireland. However, instead of gaining momentum, it slowed considerably and this once promising "true" story became slightly stale and insipid. In reflection, understanding the genesis of my disinterest was utterly perplexing and a sizable feat. I was unaware of any one point or instance where I could ascribe fault or blame, no aha light bulb moment. Taken individually on their own merit the components or factors which led to my disappointment are paltry and would otherwise go unnoticed, but as a collective they create a wet canvas snuffing out any chance for redemption or a grand crescendo. You know what, scratch that...there is one glaring omission, deliberate or not, is that no characters aside from Terri Hooley (I know it's his semi-biographic story) were permitted to develop, banished to forgettable cursory roles. It was all him to the exclusion of others. So the few remote opportunities to develop the pompous Terri possibly ingratiating him enough to grow endearing to us and welcome him in with respect to his laurels was assuaged if not totally lost. And lastly, to butcher and borrow from the Samuel Clemens stratum of brilliant quips: to say the movie score was better than it sounded is putting it mildly. I think he said of this after a German Opera and he was quoted as saying the music was better than it sounded. At any rate, terrible selection of music and I know they had to be true to the time and place, but shoot, they were lifeless songs and listless lyrics. In the end, it was rather unremarkable and for every Terri Hooley, they were hundreds scattered and mooching about. I would like to tip my hat to his bravado, courage, resourcefulness, and unwavering dedication to getting the vinyl in the right hands and played…kudos to the man.Rate: 52 / 100

I visited Belfast a few years ago and was horrified to see the Wall still standing between Protestant and Catholic parts of the city. A cafe owner told me that until recent years the CBD had to be closed down at night because it was unsafe. I welcomed a movie focusing on the Troubles. I need to know more about it. I love this film. I don't think the film even says what religion or politics Terri Hooley, the record store owner, hails from, because it's irrelevant. He treats people as he finds them. He simply hates violence. As Hooley, Richard Dormer gives a perfect portrayal of a man who is almost aggressively determined to be a peace lover and to follow his passion for music and community. Even though he doesn't get on with his crotchety old father, a communist would-be politician, the father oddly showed Terri a great example in following his own path, being true to himself and standing up to ridicule. Just watching the senseless gang and police violence and explosions, most of it shown to us from actual file news footage, is enough to make Terri realise that music is the way to escape, and to rise above it all, and he brings others along for the ride. Punk is an unlikely vehicle for his vision, but he realises that all these downtrodden youths around him are just like him -- sick of the stupid tit for tat going on and looking for a way to express themselves, socialise and even experience joy. It's a gritty film. In every frame someone is drinking and smoking heavily and committing crimes against fashion. Terri is hopeless with money, and not so great to his wife, but in the final scenes, you realise what heroic things he did achieve. This is even better than The Commitments in that it's more rooted in reality and it rings true in a lot of ways.

I saw Good Vibrations today and I absolutely loved it. Perhaps the heavy accents will hinder its travel arrangements but I think it will win a few awards; it certainly deserves to! The music is mainly Punk and documents the early career of The Undertones. Any comparison between the young bands portrayed in this film and the top Showbands of the day would be very stark; they roughed it while premier league Showbands were treated like royalty. Nevertheless, it gives a very real account of the Belfast music scene during "The Troubles". I know, I was in the thick of it. The only dodgy thing about the film is Adrian Dunbar's wig……. Perhaps I'm biased because I know Terri but, if you see only one music movie this year, it should be Good Vibrations.