Hey, everyone. "Moriarty" here with some Rumblings From The Lab.
CallerFromLA dropped by chat tonight right after seeing this, and he seemed to be in a mighty good mood overall. A good film will do that for you. I'm glad to hear Proyas is actually able to do other things besides dark and moody. He's a talented guy, and I have every confidence he's going to make a classic someday. In the meantime, sounds like he's out to entertain.
Here's beermaker CALLER FROM LA with the details:
A non-spoiler review of 'Garage Days'. The basic summary: I recommend it as an enjoyable comedy.
AICN primarily focuses on 'cool movies', like Matrix, Star Wars, Memento, and Fight Club. But it also highlights superior filmmaking that wouldn't necessarily be called 'cool', but they are certainly enjoyable and recommended. 'Garage Days' falls into the enjoyable, recommended category, although the director would certainly be considered 'cool' for his visionary worlds.
Where it is easy to follow Jeunet's journey from the dark 'Delicatessen' and 'City of Lost Children' to his delightfully bright and hyper 'Amelie', it is a bit harder to follow Alex Proyas' journey from 'Dark City' and 'The Crow' to 'Garage Days'. This comedy does not exist in an envisioned Proyas universe; instead, it is set in modern day Australia, which really seems like 1980's America. And whereas Proyas' previous works have had a heavy hand on the stylistic directing, this comedy deserves and receives a much lighter touch. His style comes out most notably during a section that was titled 'Fun With Drugs Part 2'.
Plot: A rock band tries to make it big. Really, that's about it. It allows the characters to screw (and screw with) each other here and there, all while fighting slot machines and giving tender loving care to melons. The plot is a tentpole that allows the characters to move about and have fun.
The pace went well for the comedy. Most films start out strong for the first 10 minutes, then die out, and then you're at the resolution of the story. With 'Garage Days', Proyas uses character monologues every 15 minutes or so to kick you in the ass and break up the story a bit.
Characters: One of the two strong points of the film. Very, very likable characters. I want to see 'Garage Days' as an episodic comedy on HBO because I want to get to know the characters more.
Ending: The other strong point in the film. I thought it would end up like the Commitments or like Rock Star or maybe even like Still Crazy. Either the band breaks up tragically or they make it big. The ending walked the line perfectly, and I'd like to shake the writers' hands. And, finally, during the credits, they showed how much fun the actors actually had in the making of the film.
A shout out to 'Iggy' and 'Zamora', two other AICNers who we got into the film as well.
Cheers,
--Caller From L.A.
Harry here... Can't let Moriarty corner the market on this sort of thing. Besides his taste in music begins and ends with Yanni. Sad really. Really sad. But he is over 200 years old... Anyway, here's a couple of other spies' looks at Proya's GARAGE DAYS... We first reported on this film over a year ago, its nice to see it taking form. Can't wait to see it for me own self. Hehehe... Here's a Quick Brown Fox
Dark City came out in the beginning of 1998 with a poor box-office performance only to be devoured by numerous geeks once it was released on video. Since then, I, along with my fellow nerds, have been wondering what that Australian auteur, Alex Proyas, would be up to next. Ebert's DVD commentary mentioned something about it being a comedy, which I found hard to believe, but now that I've seen the final product, all I can say is: MAN!!!
Garage Days can best be described as an Australian version of Rock Star with lots and lots of drugs. But while the Mark Wahlberg vehicle, released last year, was a pile of cinematic cow dung, Garage Days is a constant joy. I laughed a lot during this movie, yet there's more than just laughter. Proyas along with co-writers Michael Udesky and Dave Warner aren't content with a by the numbers formula. They go against cliché every chance they get and never settle for easy answers. Yes, a few of those dreaded clichés do slip in towards the middle, but they're so small and insignificant that I only state them for the record and not as a criticism.
And although this is a rock comedy, Proyas doesn't let the visuals suffer. This is easily one of the coolest looking movies I've seen in a very long time. The special effects weren't finished yet (and there were a lot of them), but even without being complete, I was blown away with the imagination involved in some of the sequences. I cannot even begin to describe some of Proyas' images that are brought to screen, but rest assured, the look of the movie is distinctly Proyas in a way completely unlike Dark City. Even if they screened Garage Days without sound, it would still be more than worth watching.
All this being said, I think Dark City is a better movie than Garage Days (I haven't seen The Crow). However, comparing this movie to Proyas' two earlier works is a waste of time. Garage Days is something completely different in tone, going for something less surrealistic, yet still not completely realistic. The tone of this movie is a nearly impossible balancing act that is beyond my writing ability to describe. It is at times heartfelt, others gut bustingly funny and sometimes mind bendingly cool. This is some weird kind of masterpiece.
I'm not sure if much of the audience appreciated it as much as I did. The movie got a polite applause at the end, though my friends and I were enthusiastically slamming our hands together to show our appreciation of the movie. I think perhaps the tone might be too bizarre for mainstream audiences, but for those who appreciate something a little off-center, this movie more than delivers. If this is any indication of what's to come, 2002 is going to be a very good year for movies.
The Quick Brown Fox
Here's AKASoze (he's the guy that wrote about FOUR FEATHERS and you heathens said he was a plant.... well this must be a plant that writes about all types of films, both big and small, studio and non-studio as he's been writing around these parts for going on 3 years if memory recalls.
Hey Harry - AKASoze again with a little review of "Garage Days" - Alex
Proyas' new film ("The Crow" - "Dark City"). The film is completely
different
than his last two features. This movie (which will be out out by
fox searchlight)
is an Australian comedy with no well-known actors about a
small band trying
to make it big. But don't let that fool you - Proyas'
unique visionary
style is just as present in this film as it is in his more
dark projects.
It's his direction that stops this film from being "The Dish"
meets "Empire
Records." There is a really clever mix of 35mm and digital and
plenty
of visual effects that need to be finished, but you could get the
basic
idea behind all of them even though they weren't done yet. There are
some
killer musical numbers, the soundtrack rocked, and all the acting was
pretty
damn great. In the type of film that lends itself to cliches, there
were
only a couple minor ones here. There are some hysterical moments - and
moments that are more bizarre than anything found in a Jeunet film. Proyas
has proved himself to be a man capable of any genre - and he is a true
auteur.
AKASoze
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