Garage Days (2002)

if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.

The biggest problem with this movie is it’s a little better than you think it might be, which somehow makes it worse. As in, it takes itself a bit too seriously, which makes most of the movie feel kind of dull.

The movie is wonderful and true, an act of love in all its contradictions and complexity

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

Do yourself a favour and see "The Wannabees" (about a gang of foul-mouthed thugs who become the country's most successful children's show), "Razzle Dazzle" (about a failing dance instructor and a bunch of fellow losers trying to coach a bunch of pre-teen girls to victory) and "Garage Days" about... as best as I can summarize... a rock'n'roll soap opera that plays out like a Hunter S. Thompson nightmare (Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas)."Garage Days" is exactly what a quirky, offbeat, rock'n'roll Aussie comedy should be: quirky, offbeat & full of rock'n'roll. Before I even get to my review, I'll mention some of the tunes on the soundtrack: AC/DC "It's a Long Way to the Top" & "High Voltage", The Cure "Boys Don't Cry", Violent Femmes "Blister in the Sun", Roxy Music "Love Is the Drug", and a particularly hilarious choreographed psychedelic scene set to Rick James "Superfreak". As in Proyas's masterpiece "The Crow", the music really sets the stage for the whole experience."Garage Days" follows a month in the life of a struggling punk-metal-grunge-pop band trying to get their one big shot. Along the way we get roped into the common themes of sex, drugs, love & friendship... and the not-so-common themes of creepy goth girlfriends, soul-sucking slot machines and talking cantaloupes. The whole movie comes at you hard & fast, like "Amelie" on crack. Quite surprising for director Alex Proyas, master of the cinematic shadows ("The Crow", "Dark City")--it's very bright and lively. If you're a fan of Proyas, you must see this side of him. Much like Tim Buton who did "Batman" as well as "Peewee's Big Adventure", Proyas proves that there's a fine line between darkness & light, and he's able to cross it seamlessly.A note for us Yanks, it helps to watch it with the subtitles because the Aussie accent can run over you like a rabid kangaroo. And some of the quips are priceless, you don't want to miss a beat. I found the script to be hilarious, the acting charming, the story suspenseful and the presentation memorable.Tastes may vary, but I found each character to be instantly likable, from "Freddie" (an odd mix of Peewee Herman and a young Christopher Walken) to "Tanya" (a punk rich girl who sports the perfect blend of hot, cute & badass), "Lucy" (Henry Rollins meets Billy Idol meets Mongo from Blazing Saddles), "Joe" (a puzzler who is best left for you to decipher), "Joe's dad" (an aging rocker who himself is more childish & clueless than his son), all the peripheral characters who did a stellar job, and then there's the guy who steals the show "Bruno" their loser manager (played by Russell Dykstra from the aforementioned "Wannabees").There aren't many well-known movies I can compare this to because it's so unusual, but if you've seen the hilarious Japanese flicks "Kamikaze Girls", "Swing Girls" or "Otakus in Love" I'd say this fits right alongside them. It also reminded me a bit of the funny Rainn Wilson flick "The Rocker", only pumped up with twice the adrenaline and totally Aussified. If you like rock'n'roll comedies, do not miss this!

My first reaction was that I need a widescreen copy of Looking For Alibrandi (2000) and that I need it real bad. * Then I was noticing how Lindsay Lohan's Freaky Friday (2003) and Just My Luck (2006) seem to be influenced by Garage Days. They are massively different, some who love Garage Days might consider them to be over-sanitised junk but I interpret them as being geared to a no age restriction audience. In that, the only problem I have with the two Linds is the characterisation. For me, Garage days is difficult but the characterisation is nicer. Just My Luck has a very magical portrayal of luck, someone gaining by way of someone else losing. I occasionally get the impression that every day reality includes some of that sort of magic. Just My Luck mixing that with a warm charm that leads to totally the wrong solution. On the surface it is a happy solution, on the surface. Garage Days manages to get the ending to be a bit better. Its luck also takes different paths. Gloom, reality can be way too like this too? * Around then I was also noticing the music they play. In my user comments I occasionally mention the music in features as if I am not totally inept re views on music. The commentary differs with me on that, according to that I am inept. That song filmed in front of a large live Homebake audience. The feature explains that Homebake is one of Sidney's music institutions. According to the DVD commentary, never a source to place 100% of one's faith in, these four were mostly totally new to playing this sort of music or most other sorts of music. They were a band of beginners with a bit of training who were playing to an audience who were there to listen to top line groups. Me, I found them to have an aliveness of sound that some more experienced 'grass roots' bands do not have. I really honestly believe that if Pia and Kick and Chris and maybe Brett had continued in part time music then they would have been developing something in which they showed a bit of potential. As beginners they show that they can Rattle and Roll, in time and with appropriate tuition these might easily do better.

I thoroughly enjoyed this film, it is a good fun comedy and doesn't try to be something it's not. I would highly recommend this film, it has some great laughs in it and is a feel good movie. Not another cheesy comedy, but something a bit different. Nor is it another Hollywood cliché where everything always works out in the end. The end feature during the credits is a good finish to the film. One of those movies that you will probably enjoy more the second time around because of its light hearted nature, much like Zoolander in some ways the jokes although they aren't always the best written out there are delivered particularly well by the characters. So what are you waiting for?

I caught this movie on HBO. I was intrigued because I kept thinking the movie would find it's footing and somehow entertain me other than with it's "clever dialogue ". It was completely awful with a predictable ending , pointless hots, horrible directing, sub-par acting, and hideous sets. I can't believe they were given money to make this movie. The movie centers around a group of friends trying to make it. It dabbles in trying to show the same stereotypes of bands trying to make it and the struggle of it as well as the friendships that are made and change throughout the experience. The movie tries to evolve beyond the one trick pony of "are they going to make it?" and it fails...terribly.