Garage Days

 

ÒÉan infectious, toe-tapping, smile-inducing blast of a can-they-make-the-big-time rock band comedyÉÓ

 

PRINCIPAL CAST & CREDITS

 

CAST

Freddy Ð Kick Gurry

Kate Ð Maya Stange

Tanya Ð Pia Miranda

Lucy Ð Chris Sandrinna

Joe Ð Brett Stiller

Shad Kern Ð Marton Csokas

Kevin Ð Andy Anderson

Bruno Ð Russell Dykstra

 

CREDITS

Director Ð Alex Proyas

Producers Ð Alex Proyas & Tohper Dow

Co Producer Ð Adrienne Read

Screenwriters Ð Alex Proyas, Dave Warner & Michael Udesky

Cinematographer/DOP Ð Simon Duggan ACS

Editor Ð Richard Learoyd

Choreographer Ð Paul Mercurio

Casting - Greg Apps

Peter Grace Ð Sound

 

GENRE

Comedy/Musical

 

PRODUCTION COMPANY  

Mystery Clock Cinema

 

RELEASE DATES

Australia Ð October 3, 2002

USA Ð July 18, 2003

 

DISTRIBUTOR  

Fox Searchlight

 

AT THE BOX OFFICE Ð Australia

 

INTERVIEWS WITH FILMMAKERS

(http://www.sbs.com.au/movieshow/interviews.php3?id=127

 

http://www.urbancinefile.com.au/home/view.asp?a=6605&s=Interviews

 

http://sunday.ninemsn.com.au/sunday/film_reviews/article_1150.asp

 

 

PRESENCE IN ONLINE LITERATURE

At first glance I thought there were heaps of Garage Days reviews on the net. The majority of these turned out to be simple cast lists or just random opinions. A selection of the more ÒreputableÓ reviews follows.

 

Favourable

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/click/movie-10000882/reviews.php?critic=all&sortby=default&page=1&rid=851081

 

http://www.aufs.org/reviews/film/garagedays.html

 

http://www.abc.net.au/hobart/stories/s710914.htm

 

http://www.efilmcritic.com/review.php?movie=6044

 

http://www.urbancinefile.com.au/home/view.asp?a=6586&s=Reviews

 

Not favourable

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/click/movie-10000882/reviews.php?critic=all&sortby=default&page=1&rid=799411

 

http://www.abc.net.au/triplej/review/film/s696323.htm

 

CRITICAL REVIEW

 

Synopsis

So you wanna be a rock star? So does Freddy. Garage Days (Alex Proyas, 2002) follows the trials and tribulations of an up-and-coming rock band in SydneyÕs inner suburbs. Desperate for his band to make it to the top, Freddy takes it upon himself to track down AustraliaÕs Rock Manager of the Year and get his band signed. In their quest for fame, the band members and their entourage face many of lifeÕs problems and have to deal with issues of their own, as well as each others. On a rocky road to the top, they learn about the things that can ultimately tear a band, and a group of friends, apart. Take one egotistical lead singer and his confused but crazy, bass playing girlfriend, add one mohawked, drug-f*#*@d drummer and a depressed, suicidal guitarist. Now thatÕs a recipe for success!

 

Plot

The narrative of Garage Days primarily follows Freddy (Kick Gurry). Freddy is the lead singer of a band trying to break into the world of rock ÔnÕ roll. Nothing is really going right for the band and after their glorified first gig flops, they put their problems down to their manager, Bruno (Russell Dykstra). Freddy sets out to get the band a new manager while the others, Lucy, Joe, Kate and Tanya try to sort out their own lives. Joe (Brett Stiller) and Kate (Maya Stange) are involved in a very complex relationship, confused by KateÕs feelings for Freddy and JoeÕs bizarre connection with another woman (Yvette Duncan). Tanya (Pia Miranda) is trying to have a fulfilling relationship with Freddy, until she finds out about Kate and seeks comfort in the arms, nay the bed, of Lucy (Chris Sandrinna). Lucy is on a mission from God to find Ôthe perfect tenÕ of drugs, but he may be just what Tanya needs. After battling through all this and more, Bruno comes through for them, and the band is given the chance to live out their ultimate rock dream, to play at the Homebake festival.

 

 

Criticism 

It was one giant leap from the dark, gothic styles of Dark City, and The Crow that we have come to expect from director Alex Proyas. Garage Days followed a much more light-hearted approach. Definitely not a serious movie, Garage Days was simply and at most, a couple of hours of fun.

I found several Ð but not all- of the characters to be fairly badly developed and annoyingly stereotypical, particularly ÒAustraliaÕs Manager of the YearÓ, Shad Kern (Marton Csokas). He was predictably sleazy, slimy and nasty, and although he did this well, there was very little else one learnt about him. Generally, the acting was fairly impressive, despite what the actors had to work with. In my opinion, the standout actor was Brett Stiller and his portrayal of the brooding, depressed and a little crazy, guitarist, Joe. A severe twist in the story disrupts the logic that seems to surround Joe and the things he does. Stiller pulls this off without a hitch and depicts a powerful portrayal of the charming, sweet boyfriend Joe and crazy, psychotic sex fiend Joe.

The stunning visual effects bring the movie up a notch and make it exciting and hilarious to watch at times. In particular, the two scenes entitled ÒFun with Drugs-Part 1 & 2Ó. Proyas and his designers used both live action and cartoon animation to craft several visually stimulating sequences.

            Both the high and the low point of the film came within seconds of each other. You have to admire Proyas and his team for the way they were able to create and shoot a believable concert scene at a live concert. At the conclusion of the film the band are onstage at Homebake, one of AustraliaÕs largest music festivals, playing to a massive, but real crowd and somehow, the entire Garage Days crew managed to pull it off, now that is impressive! The letdown comes a few seconds later, in what I believe was a major plot fault, when the band totally sucks (for want a better word!) onstage. The crowd was quiet and obviously unimpressed and the band realises they are failures. The End. This tragic ending is neatly tied up with a nice little slogan of ÒYou donÕt have to BE a rock star to feel like one.Ó Aaww how sweet!

 

Critical Uptake 

At its Australian release, Garage Days took $0.48million on the opening weekend. Throughout the duration of its screening here, it took a total gross of $1.3million at the box office. Garage Days was then nominated for 3 AFI Awards for Best Production Design, Best Sound and Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Maya Stange). Unfortunately, it did not win any awards, pipped at the post by Rabbit Proof Fence, Walking on Water and Dirty Deeds. The fact though, that Garage Days was nominated for three prestigious awards in Australia is proof enough of its success in its home country. It is harder to gauge the success of Garage Days overseas and in the U.S. especially because it has not been released yet. Garage Days was shown in the ÒPremiereÓ category of the Sundance Film Festival in January this year, so if that is any indication of what is to come, Garage Days looks set for a good showing in the U.S.

 

FILMOGRAPHY

 

Kick Gurry

 

Maya Stange

 

Alex Proyas  

Director; in pre-production

Executive Producer

Director; Producer; Writer

Director; Writer; Cinematographer

Director

Cinematographer

Director; Producer; Writer

 

Topher Dow

Executive Producer

First Assistant Director

Second Unit Director

 

GARAGE DAYS & AUSTRALIAN CINEMA

The Australian cinema industry is known throughout the world as a medium-sized, English-language cinema. It is labelled as medium-sized because of the small amount of films produced compared to Hollywood, per year. A ratio of one to ten would not be unlikely. In the year that Garage Days was produced (2002), 22 Australian films were released, 19 feature films and 3 documentaries. Last year (2002) there was a total 258 films released into Australian cinemas, so the Aussie flicks made up 8.5% of all movies released worldwide. What makes this even sadder is that in that same year, Aussie films only grossed 4.9% of the total box office takings, a total of $41million.

Source: http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/01/29/1043804405298.html

 

The reason Australian films are pitched against the dominating force in cinema that is Hollywood, is because of the ÒEnglish-languageÓ classification both industries have. This means that Australian movies are constantly competing against American movies, and very rarely coming out of top, even at the Australian Box Office. In the week of its release in Australia, Garage Days came in at number 8 at the Box Office. Behind in at 9 & 10 were the American films Eight Legged Freaks and Insomnia. Ahead of Garage Days were 6 Hollywood films, including Austin Powers 3 and Lilo & Stitch. The Australian film, Crocodile Hunter came in just ahead of Garage Days at number 7.

 

Source: http://www.movieguide.com.au/07102002.htm

 

COLLECTING INFORMATION

I began my quest for information about Garage Days on the Internet, using several search engines, but predominantly Google. This proved to be a very efficient way to gather information and I discovered that I could find almost everything I needed this way. Occasionally I ran into trouble whilst trying to access secured sites such as Urban Cinefile, but on the whole information was readily accessible.  I did attempt to locate Garage Days information in print sources by using the library catalogue database, but my numerous searches proved fruitless and it seemed there was nothing to be found.