Matcollis
This Movie Can Only Be Described With One Word.
Boobirt
Stylish but barely mediocre overall
Numerootno
A story that's too fascinating to pass by...
Tayloriona
Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.
rooprect
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!
dumbchildme
come on people you have to give this movie a shot. and for all the little babies judging it so seriously are doing that, being too serious. its a lovable silly film set in sydney of a band trying to get there name out and live there fantasies of rockin hard. sure its Shakespeare and its not supposed to be. the cinematography fun not really unique but still it has not been done in a while and was not over done. the acting was not excellent and neither was the humor its one of those movies that keeps you smilling but never to often laughing out loud. most of the humor is in the native Aussie format so you have to pay attention to what they say and try to just understand their lingo to get a lot of the jokes. great sound track , good beginning middle and end . what more could you ask for .
Mel Pullen
I've watched the DVD twice this weekend and I think it is an excellent, light comedy. There's a dark subplot to act as counterpoint, and most actors have dark as well as light. Bruno, the manager and Luce, the drummer produce brilliant characterisations; high energy. Garage days shows nicely how, for most people, life doesn't turn out the way they hoped. It also shows, equally nicely, that most people learn to accept the way their life turns out. The director was brave to portray drugs in the way he does. He is also fleetingly and subtly negative about gambling. The commentary on the DVD is tantalising about the possible treatments. It also indicates the lengths the director has gone to for emotional appeal relating to the various actors. The plot is simple, but that's not the point of the film. It doesn't have overt gimmicks or special effects. There's no heart stopping shocks or car chases. It's a subtle, nicely portrayed love story. I'm sure this film will be enjoyed by many of the baby boomers, the people who (vaguely) remember the sixties.
badmovieking
NO spoilers, but a true description of this movie!...This movie is terrible! An extremely disappointing effort from director, cast and everyone else involved. After her wonderful performance in 'Looking for Alibrandi' Pia Miranda returns to the big screen in what could nearly be called a career ending movie. I hope for her sake that she keeps making movies so that this will hopefully for her, be forgotten about. This movie is so bad it's not one of those movies you could describe about as 'Forgettable' because it is so bad it is one that will be instantly recalled every time someone raises the subject of worse movie ever seen! Poor acting, poor storyline and the worst script for any movie, Australian or other, in many years. Do not waste your time watching this movie you will get to the end (maybe!) and say to yourself, 'Well, Thats an hour an a half I'll never have back!' and feel awfully mad at yourself for not turning the movie off earlier, like about 86 minutes earlier!