The Garage

I came away from this film with a warm feeling of nostalgia. A longing for those long summers of youth. In the evocative way of movies like Stand by me I was transported to a time before the realization that all people are flawed and that it's just the human way. The complications of adulthood loom and start to encroach on the childhood idyll. I loved this film. I loved it's slow grace as we moved through the days, bonded with characters over shared memories and grew. The cinematography is not contrived but frames the story in a non intrusive warm hand that allows the viewer to gently travel the story with the characters who develop before us but don't overwhelm. This movie is not for everyone. But it was for me and anyone else who appreciates reminders of our own personal journeys. Loved it...loved it...loved it.

Just caught this movie at the San Fernando Valley Film Festival and was really taken aback by its quiet power. Very much in the "Stand By Me"/"Last Picture Show"/"Summer of '42" mode, it will hopefully find a wider audience outside the fest circuit. Very well-acted by a mix of newcomers and veteran talent, "The Garage" has a great, evocative look, and subtly brings back its late 1970s, pre-MTV time period. It's one of those universal stories about small town life that anyone who's ever left home--or thought about it, will definitely be moved by. The music and cinematography were impressive, too. Check it out if it lands at a festival or theatre near you.

My husband has a 1967 Chevy SS convertible and a 1968 Chevy Impala, and has built a garage as an appropriate temple to his icons. I have never understood why until I saw this film. Skirting devilishly close to cliché, this coming-of-age-movie never succumbs. Instead, every time you think you know what's coming, something a bit different shows up. The characters are real, their agony shared, and their interactions cause laughter and tears. The 35 mm film and natural lighting provide an appropriate texture to this real-life, grease-on-you-face experience. Watching this movie was like flipping through a scrapbook of everytown USA and spending a day in your past. Even those of us who did not grow up in a small town have small towns inside us. The music was original (nice guitar work; some really good rock) and the acting brilliant for such young actors. I wanted my husband, father and son to see it immediately.

'The Garage' is great viewing. If you are past your youth, this will remind you of your younger time, when you had choices to make that would shape your destiny. If you are at that youthful 'turning point' time in your life, you will definitely relate and if you aren't at that place yet, you will learn about the turning points of decision that are soon to be headed your way. 'The Garage' succeeds in evoking many feelings from it's viewer. There are moments of warmth, humor and sadness as well as hopeful expectation and the audience is privy to feel them all. Remember your first love?...your first great loss?...the camaraderie of your best friend?...'The Garage' will bring them all to mind again.

It was so refreshing to see a movie containing real life experiences. No offense to the sci-fi or action heroes of today. We have just become so busy, and fast paced, we forgot the quieter days of yesteryear. When, what you had was just right, and family and friends were most important. The story was something so many can relate to including myself. There were no cell phones, mp3's, DVD's or cars that have the directions right in them. It was a story of trials and triumphs that was very well told. Two thumbs up to the writer. He has a story that is told all unto often today. The acting and the directing were terrific.They put me back to a time of my youth that has been long since forgotten.