I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.

Fresh and Exciting

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

It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

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.

Yes its Proyas, yes it's definitely brighter than his two big films constantly referenced on this page of reviews. look, i don't even really write reviews for films but i had to mention something about the trashtalking. this movie appears as fluff, it has some derivative leanings to other "rock dream" themes, but i still find it entirely original and engaging. the soundtrack pushes it towards a near musical status, and not a single song played in the background lacks reference to a scene. it's silly but i think it clearly communicates its existence as a work of love; i'm thinking that Proyas chose to be involved to maybe put a little more of his music video background on his shirtsleeve and to discard the goth chic shoebox and i applaud him for it. i mean, the snazzy closeups and slowdowns are here, but its not all special fx glitz. there's a lot of attention payed to the camera-work, the colors, the clothing - this is a labor of love, people. dark city was an excellent film, i've probably seen it fifty times, but it had a campy timelessness that many excused, choosing to see past what it lacked for its other merits...an existential sensibility, a patient sci-fi atmosphere that taught viewers new to the genre how to watch it. i won't go on about the crow but i was a pre-teen when it came out, a fact that should speak for itself. o'barr's comic could have been ruined by most any other directors, as these comic-to-films tend to turn out horrid(but look out with all eyes for SIN CITY-hotdamn).garage days is many things, but it's never really dull. i feel like most rock dream films seem to either saturate themselves in cynical failure or syrupy success, and this film decided to process both angles and consistently keep them fencing till the end credits. i'm using more words than other reviewers, but its fun if you give it a patient stab and really is brutally clever at times. don't sell it out too quick (i hear a lot of people who state that they: "couldn't stand the first fifteen minutes"), and it'll be kind in return. and sheesh, everyone's talking about the "drug abuse" in this film...it's NOT DRUG ABUSE. it's plain, good-old, post D.A.R.E. DRUG USE. it's not a huge point, no one gets killed, no O.D.'s or sweeping life assessments construed at the end of a needle. that in and of itself almost made me appreciate this film, that the drugs in it are just there as dressing, they don't represent some deep tragic lesson that Lucy or the rest need to learn. the characters are flawed, sometimes goofy or tormented or earnest or selfish...i'm cutting the rant short. i gather some people can't appreciate something like this, but it's fantastic and i'ma go watch it on cable, right now, again.10/10: open a window,put down your issue of Squee, and let the sun in.

GARAGE DAYS (2 outta 5 stars) I suppose every rock music fan who doesn't actually join a band wants to write about how cool it *would* be to join one. Thankfully, not all of them succumb to the temptation. Unfortunately, all too many of these paeans to this imagined "coolness" are foisted off on unsuspecting movie-goers (or book readers). Practically every one of these "tributes to the spirit of rock and roll" is exactly the same story. The hero is a nice guy who devotes his whole life to the band (most likely the alter ego of the author). There is a wild and crazy drummer (most likely patterned after "Animal" from "The Muppet Show") who likes to drink and/or take drugs. There is the band's second-in-command who gets jealous, thinking that the hero is taking advantage of him (though of course the hero would *never* be that despicable). There is a chick in the band, too... every fictional rock band has to have a token chick in it... who sleeps with at least one male member before the story ends. Then there has to be the slightly inept manager who keeps making funny mistakes (like sending the band to the wrong gig) and gets the major blame for the band's lack of success... but, when all is said and done, gosh darn it, he was there from the beginning and he's as much a part of the band as anyone so they can't just boot him out. Find all these clichés and MORE in this by-the-numbers effort by talented director Alex ("The Crow", "Dark City")Proyas. About the only thing this movie has going for it is a nice selection of songs on the soundtrack. There are lots of wild, flashy camera tricks and needless SFX... but all they signify is that Proyas saw "Trainspotting", too. The most annoying thing about this movie is that it's big punchline (when the band finally does get its big break we find out that the band really *does* suck) is given away in the advertising taglines on the posters and the DVD covers: "What if you finally got your big break and you just plain sucked?" The one original moment in the movie and they give it away in the advertising. No wonder this movie never got a theatrical release to speak of.

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.