Garage Days
Garage Days
| 03 October 2002 (USA)
Garage Days Trailers

The story of a young Sydney band trying to get a foothold in the competitive world of rock n' roll. After the band's first gig is a colossal failure, the lead singer takes it upon himself to go out and pursue the most successful rock manager in the country. Meanwhile, the other members of the band continue to deal with the kind of everyday life issues that can ultimately tear a band apart. It may be the dawn of a new millennium, but it's still a long way to the top if you want to rock n' roll.

Reviews
simtel

Not as bad as I've been led to believe, but it left me wanting more. The jokes were there (and great at times), the script wasn't bad, the plot has some twists you don't see coming, and the music's excellent. But I found it really hard to get into the characters. I'm not sure whether it was that the characters were poorly developed, or if it was just the actors (whose performance seemed under par at a number of points throughout the film). Lucy in particular seemed to need a lot more work. Worth watching to make up you're own mind, but if you're ever in the position where you have to choose between watching the movie and listening to the soundtrack; I say go for the soundtrack.Or just watch Looking for Alibrandi. Same kind of feel, but a better movie in my opinion (and again with a pretty good soundtrack).

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chris x

watch out for Alex Proyas! he is among the first video clip director make an expansion to movie. so no wonder the strong music video execution shown clearly on 'the crow', 'dark city', 'i robot', and 'garage days'.the story is interesting, but i'd flop my eyes out on the cinematography and final execution of this movie... it's like the big collection of music video...the colors, the angle, even the still moments are amazingly captured and exposed by the director. and playing with the musical theme, fits his character and directorial style perfectly.for great pleasurable evening movie, i recommended you this one...-x-

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Patrick Splinter

I liked this movie. The plot is as old as the hills, only it didn't end the way I guessed (and I like that). Also there is a twist that I didn't see coming. The movie tells the story of a band that starts before their first gig. There are the usual inner-band romances going on and the kooky over weight manager/roadie tossed in for fun (see "Rock Star" or "Still Crazy"). The have to raise $1200 at one point (insert usual odd ways they do that here). There is the usual big concert at the end. Blah Blah Blah. BUT I liked this movie. Why? The ending was real, the sound track is great (I'm 41 what can I say), there were some twists to the plot I didn't see coming and the even though it's a tired old plot, it's a tired old plot for a reason: It's a good one. 7/10

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LilyDaleLady

I had to check the DVD box three times to be sure that it was the name ALEXPROYAS as director, because this is just such an unbelievably bad andamateurish film. It would be more believable with its odd tone, jokiness andmusical/fantasy elements if it were a hitherto undiscovered, very, very very early Baz Luhrman project."Garage Days" is a whimsical look at a contemporary Sydney, Australia rockband. For an American viewer, the first obstacle is the slangy, heavily accented Australian dialect. I do understand that is the setting, but for anybody in another English speaking country to understand even half of the plot, they needed totone down the accent and the words that are incomprehensible to the (muchlarger potential) US audience. Like "pokies"...I guess they are slot machines but it certainly was not clear.The story is so aimlessly told that although it's about a rock band -- I did get that -- I have no idea after watching the whole film what the band's NAME was. They don't play a whole song until the very end, and then we are told that they really suck -- although actually they are not that terrible. So all the sturm and drang is for absolutely nothing, because they are talentless and as the tie-ups at the end tell us, all the members went on to other careers or get married.The overall tone of the film is very like an old episode of the Monkees or The Partridge Family -- very jokey and cartoon-like, with lots of stylized action. Of course, because this is the 2000's, we have to get the requisite CGI effects: bullet time, slo mo, CGI monsters and drug trips and other comical moments.None of this really pans out or seems to work. The emotional tone is so sixties and caricaturing, and yet the story is supposed to be very "now" and thecharacters wouldn't have even been born in the 60s.Some of the lamest moments involve "drug trips", portrayed like something out of Reefer Madness.I can only scratch my head wondering why Alex Proyas, who made two of themost stylish, influential and original sci fi fantasy movies of the 90s would have stooped to this embarrassing garbage. It can't have been money, because this is a pretty low budget affair and it can't be fame, because it seems to be aimed mostly at the Aussie film market. Perhaps Mr. Proyas was himself once in aGarage Band and wanted to relive it a bit, although he would have to be at least 20 years older than the characters in the film."Garage Days" suffers quite badly also when compared to rock band films like"Almost Famous" or "The Committments". Although the idea of a bad, untalented band is quite funny -- think "Spinal Tap" -- there is an inherent problem that no one wants to listen to really bad music for 2 hours. Also, "Garage Days" is just plain unfunny, with tired sitcom-like jokes.The sound track has a mixture of oldies and contemporary music, played loudly and over every scene, apparently to compensate for a lack of any original music or even covers played by the band in the film. While some of this music isenjoyable, the loud overwhelming presence of other, more talented rockersmusic only draws attention to the lack of any interesting qualities to thecharacters or the plot, and doesn't allow the action to slow down enough for us to develop any intimacy with the characters or the romance between the twoleads.If shown on MTV as the senior project of an wannabe film director, this would still be lacking in quality, but more understandable and maybe forgivable. As the work of one of most respected sci fi fantasy film directors of the last decade, it is actually disturbing. Since "Dark City", Mr. Proyas has only made two films, this and the dull, derivative "I Robot". WHAT HAPPENED???? I'd give ten dollars to know...but the answer would probably make me very very sad.

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