Jeanskynebu the audience applauded

Spoonatects Am i the only one who thinks........Average?

RipDelight This is a tender, generous movie that likes its characters and presents them as real people, full of flaws and strengths.

Marva It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

andrewjeff This is a very quirky film; whether you like it or not, really depends on the mood you are in. In my view it's worth seeing twice before you make up your mind.It did very badly at the box office, which is (in my opinion) more to do with the sophistication and open-mindedness of the British audience, rather than the film itself. It would have been more suited to perhaps a French or Italian audience - as the British audience is not so much into Arty Niche films as Hard Reality or Fantasy.The lead role is superbly played by Con O' Neill, who portrays this unbalanced and complex genius with great skill and imagination.Despite the criticism of his Gloucester accent (one critic described it as Welsh like Rob Bryden), I can tell you that it is very authentic. I spend a lot of time in Gloucester and he sounds spot on. It's a subtle accent to emulate and it is a great achievement to hold onto it throughout the film. The manic scenes are funny, and the tragic scenes are very moving. The final scenes are as good a tragic end as I have ever seen.Perhaps one day this film will get the cult following it deserves - but there will need to be some major expansion of the average cinema-goer's mind to make this happen.

chun li Picked this up on whim in 2015, as it has Kevin Spacey on the DVD cover, and as you probably know, he is usually excellent. Telstar tells the story of Joe Meek (played by Con O'Neill, who is excellent by the way) the world's first independent record producer. As comical as the on screen action is at times, it's also rather tragic. Personally, I wasn't around during the 1960's, I have to assume the film portrays London accurately during that era. Either way, the backdrop to the film is interesting. It's also interesting to see the conditions under which Meek's hit songs were created, recorded, in a grubby flat above a handbag shop in London. Entertaining from start to finish. One of the best films I've seen in ages. Totally recommended.

jotix100 Joe Meek, a figure of the the English pop scene in the early 1960s is the subject of this biopic which we caught recently on a cable channel. It is based on a play by James Hicks and adapted for the screen by the playwright and director Nick Moran. The film tries to make sense on the life of a man that was an enigma, even to his own contemporaries.The portrait of this troubled man who tried to give his country and the rest of the music world the sounds he had in his mind, does not completely clarify for someone not acquainted with that era of what Joe Meek was able to accomplish. His life went from highs to periods where he could not even pay the rent of the space he used atop a leather goods store on Holloway Road.Adding complexity to the story is Meek's own homosexuality and his infatuation with Heinz Burt, a blond aspiring singer who showed no talent. The groups he sponsored ended up breaking away from him and the royalties of his one smash hit ended in a battle with his own backer, Major Wilfred Banks. The irony being that Joe Meek did not live long to enjoy some of the money the French court awarded him.The film is worth a look because of Con O'Neill's performance as Joe Meek. Having only seen him on stage during his "Blood Brothers" success, we were curious to see him on the screen. He does not disappoint. Kevin Spacey appears as Major Banks. The excellent Pam Ferris is Violet, the landlady of the property where Joe Meek set up as his primitive studio. J. J. Feild is Heinz, Joe's first protégé.The film has been given that faded look to take the viewers back to the early 60s and the rock scene in Britain with the good camera work by Peter Wignall. The audience will probably have trouble recognizing some of he hits from those years that pop on in the movie.

technojazzbrother British films made by people like Richard Curtis (The Boat that Rocked et al) tend to look at the swinging 60's of London with heavily rose tinted spectacles. All pimms, waistcoats, flower power and crazy shenanigans. All very well but not much to do with reality - I thought Austin Powers would have killed that off in the 90's....which is why Nick Moran's directorial debut is such a breath of fresh air.For those that don't know the Joe Meek at the centre of this film - control freak, gay in the wrong decade, tone deaf drug addicted musical pioneer - get ready for a roller-coaster of a ride. Without wishing to spoil the arc of the story, this is a classic tale of a man with a vision breaking new ground...with disastrous consequences.Con O'Neil dominates this film with a superb manic performance which captures the claustrophobic and chaotic feel of the centre of Joe's universe, his recording studio above a handbag shop in central London in the early 60's. Ably supported by a host of good actors - in particular Kevin Spacey, Pam Ferris, and (even) James Cordon are all spot on. What looks like a cod-60's Curtis-esquire disaster for the first 20 minutes heads somewhere altogether darker once the action cranks up as Joe starts to get some no.1 hits in the charts.A must watch cautionary tale about fame, love, jealously, paranoia and music, this is a fine carachter piece with some excellent nuanced comedy amidst the darker elements, it's a really well executed debut from Mr Moran...enjoy.