|
n. hoop·la fac·tor (h  p lä f kt r)
degree of entertainment attained irrespective of critical worth |
Garage Days
 | Year: 2002 |
| Country: Australia | |
| Writer: Dave Warner, Alex Proyas, Michael Udesky | |
| Director: Alex Proyas | |
| Cast: Kick Gurry, Maya Stange, Pia Miranda |
stuart |
mark |
imdb |
official site |
trailer |
|
| ||||||||||||||
Stuart:This is going to be one of those films where the traditional rating is going to vary wildly from the hoopla factor.When I originally saw this film in the cinema I was in the perfect mood for seeing it. The cinema was almost empty, and I was one of the only people there that laughed at the jokes, but I enjoyed it all the same. I was a bit worried that after purchasing the dvd I might find out that everyone else was right and that it was a shit movie. But, thankfully I still love this film that misses the mark in so many different ways. This is a major departure for Alex Proyas, who was responsible for the boring yet pretty Crow (the soundtrack was one of the better parts of the film), and the awesome Dark City which I think I saw at the cinema four times. His dirty fingerprints are all over this film, and even though it is a lighthearted band movie, it’s still decidedly Proyas’ film. The cinematography is awesome, as are the special effects – although in some cases he seems to try a little too hard – and I challenge you to find the Proyas signature shot in the film.  On a dramatic level, Garage Days fails on a number of points. Some of the intensely emotional moments seem kind of heavy handed, and a number of the subplots seem to comprise merely a couple of vignettes that don’t really fit well into the rest of the film. Kick Gurry (if I were him I would hate my parents for giving me such an awful name) and Pia Miranda almost begin the film as a sequel to Looking For Alibrandi, and the latter’s role unfortunately isn’t as big as she deserves. I could have done with a little more Pia. Maya Stange (why does everyone in this film have weird names?) does a fantastic job, even working with some dodgy direction, and the supporting cast are mostly all good.This film had the funniest film moment I saw in 2002. But it’s a strange mix of incredibly funny moments mixed with some jokes that fall flat on their face and are embarrassingly squirm-enducing (farts are never really that funny…apart from in Blazing Saddles). But when it came down to it, I did feel for the characters and their predicaments, and thus as a romantic comedy the film worked for me. Often Garage Days can’t seem to find the perfect balance between over-the-top and realism. I completely understand all the criticism for this film, and in ninety percent of cases I would actually agree with the criticism thrown at it. But I loved it all the same.
Mark:Well, what can I say that Stuart hasn't? This is a shit film, for a start...There is potential here for a good film, but the basic premise and plot doesn't lend itself to potentially being great, and it doesn't live up to its potential to be just good either. Does that make sense? Basically this could have been ok but ended up mediocre.  A solid cast, but poor scripting and character development left the interesting characters under-utilised, and the less interesting over-exposed. Miranda is reasonable, although her character is one of the underdone, and she could really have had a lot more to do - it seems a shame to have wasted her talent. Her sex scene is exquisitely uncomfortable as well - she clearly didn't enjoy it, and for all I know may never actually have had sex, it was that hard to believe her 'performance'. Stange was also good. Kick Gurry is rubbish, and how this bloke got two films in such short succession is beyond me. Stuart did a better job in Leo9's 'The Importance of Being Earnest', and he was the lesser of the two butlers in the cast.And where did the psychiatric band member come from? This bloke was essentially absent for much of the film, and then suddenly he's doing a Donnie Darko? Give me a break. I also don't get why the drug-fuck scene is so overused nowadays? Is it interesting? Not really. So why does every 'youth culture' film seem to have a drug scene showing us their high imaginings? I'm over it. No more, please. I can't say too much positive about this film. I didn't find it funny, I didn't empathise with the characters, I didn't lose myself in the plot at all. In fact I was watching the clock. Rating:   Hoopla Factor: |
home :: review archive :: coming soon |
|||||||||
| All original site content is copyright © 2004-2010 the authors of hoopla.nu. All rights reserved. Posters/images copyright © their original owners. Privacy | |||||||||
