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Alex Proyas, director of sci-fi dramas Dark City and I, Robot, took a detour toward a modified retro-'60s, upbeat rock & roll comedy with 2002's lightly engaging Garage Days. Set in a Sydney, Australia suburb, the film is a quirky variation on the story of a misfit band trying to get a break with successful managers, clubs, recording studios, lovers, etc. Singer-guitarist Freddy (Kick Gurry) desperately maneuvers his group toward stardom, but his bandmates' internal struggles and the capriciousness of a powerful record executive (Marton Csokas) prove major stumbling blocks. So, too, is Freddy's deepening attraction to Kate (Maya Stange), girlfriend of his lead guitarist Joe (Brett Stiller), who in turn may be having a nervous breakdown via a dangerous side romance with a suicidal beauty (Yvette Duncan). Proyas enjoys his patches of darkness in Garage Days, but for the most part he's making his own, devil-may-care A Hard Day's Night. --Tom Keogh
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