Vinyl

Vinyl
Released by: Shout! Factory
Released on: July 1st, 2014.
Director: Sara Sugarman
Cast: Phil Daniels, Jamie Blackley
Year: 2012
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The Movie:

Sara Sugerman's Vinyl follows Johnny Jones (Phil Daniels), a middle aged man who used to front a band from Wales called The Weapons Of Happiness. Though they never quite got huge, in their prime they opened for U2 and did well enough that they had a following. That was the past. In the present, Johnny spends most of his time smoking pot bought from a local teenager and sometimes with his landlady. His longtime lady friend Jules (Julia Ford) wants kids but he's not so sure about that and she's honestly not sure that he's father material these days anyway.

So yeah, Johnny has seen better days but when he reconnects with his former bandmates after attending a funeral for a mutual friend, a night of drinking sees them put past grudges behind them and they wind up recording a very drunken impromptu jam, their first in two decades. The song, called 'Free Rock N Roll', actually turns out quite well and Johnny, a glimmer of optimism in his eyes, figures this one might do it for them. This won't be easy, however, as their old record label doesn't really want anything to do with them at this point and so what they do is put together a cooler, hipper and more importantly younger group of guys to go ahead and lip synch to their new song in a music video. Dubbed The Single Shots, their frontman, Drainpipe (Jamie Blackley), soon decides he and his band don't want to just lip synch Johnny's stuff but actually go out and do their own thing.

Not quite the uproarious comedy that the marketing materials might have you believe it is, Vinyl is a charming enough movie, the kind that just might make you nostalgic for your more rebellious youth. Old age catches up with all of us sooner or later, and for those of us who no longer feel like the spry kids we once were, it's easy enough to relate to Johnny's plight. As such, it's also easy enough to understand his desire to succeed in the band's comeback and so too to see the humor in the situation.

The movie goes at a good pace and is nicely shot, mixing in plenty of catchy music along the way to help keep the mood light. It never goes for straight parody, staying clear of Spinal Tap style insanity and instead staying fairly grounded. Reportedly inspired by a real life incident in which Mike Peters from The Alarm who in 2004 released a single called '45 RPM' under the fake band name The Poppy Fields. When it did well, he had a Welsh band called The Wayriders lip synch it in a video and it actually charted in the top 30. Mike Peters has a small cameo in the film and The Alarm are featured on the soundtrack.

Leading man Daniels, who appeared in Quadrophenia, works well here. He has the right look and given that he did have a recording career in the late seventies, probably the right life experience too. The rest of the cast are also pretty solid but it's primarily Daniels' show and the movie would have failed had his work not been up to par. Thankfully it is and while the movie does deal in the power of nostalgia it never gets too sappy or melodramatic and instead hits the right balance of humor and character development. It's a fun watch.

Video/Audio/Extras:

Shout! Factory brings Vinyl to Blu-ray in AVC encoded 1080p high definition framed at 1.85.1 widescreen and generally speaking this transfer is a very strong one. Shot on high end high definition video, there's obviously no issues with print damage. Colors are reproduced very nicely and black levels are rock solid. Skin tones look lifelike and natural and there are no obvious issues with heavy compression artifacts or edge enhancement. This is a strong picture.

English language options are provided in DTS-HD 5.1 and 2.0 Master Audio options with removable subtitles offered in English only. The 5.1 mix is the way to go if you've got the hardware to handle it as the rear channels come to life when the music starts up but also offer up some nice background effects and what not. Regardless, both tracks are clean and clear and nicely balanced.

Extras are slim, limited to a quick five minute behind the scenes featurette, a trailer, a still gallery and a music video for the song 'Free Rock N Roll' heard in the movie. Menus and chapter selection are provided.

The Final Word:

Vinyl is a genuinely funny film but it's also somewhat touching in spots too, a comedy with good characters and some interesting ideas and situations set to a catchy soundtrack and featuring some nice cinematography. The Blu-ray from Shout! Factory is unfortunately light on extras but looks and sounds quite good. This one is worth tracking down.

Click on the images below for full sized Blu-ray screen caps!