Boobirt Stylish but barely mediocre overall

Tetrady not as good as all the hype

Phonearl Good start, but then it gets ruined

Philippa All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

michelle-halloway I lived in Melbourne in this time frame. In share houses and went to lots of parties. Very much catches the ambiance, feel, human desires and dilemmas of being a youth in this era. Unless you lived there and know it you can't really appreciate the truth of this life. So many perished from overdoses. Many went on to live happy lives. But if you have been to these times for me they were the most free and some of the happiest times of my life because no one judged you, people encouraged individuality and a freedom of mind. There was a loyalty. Qualities in humanity that are not around today. People are emotionless now and do not discern right from wrong. The world is too dangerous. This was a cherished time.

Christopher Shookla I witnessed this atrocity sometime in the late 1980's and It Remains to this day to be the worst film I ever seen, Running a Close Second is the film Sky Captain and The World of Tomorrow, Both Stinkers..And this surprises me that Richard Lowenstein Directed, he If I am not mistaken did some fine videos for the band, Guess Michael owed him a favor and hence, Dogs..... But... Michael K Hutchence remains to this day one of the most prolific and sincere front-men of our time.Love The Man, Hated The Film..See Ya

LewisJForce 'Dogs in Space' pretty much seems to have disappeared over the years. My widescreen copy was taped off Channel 4 in the early 90's, and I'm pretty sure this was the last British terrestrial screening. Which is a real shame, because its a fantastic film. Written and directed by Richard Lowenstein, maker of the excellent 'Strikebound' and promos for INXS and U2, its an apparently semi-autobiographical piece about the various dwellers of, and visitors to, a rather decrepit squat in late 70's Melbourne.For those who might be put off by Lowenstein's corporate rock pedigree, fear not. The film avoids modish stylisation in favour of a rather free-wheeling, Altmanesque approach to construction and character development. The viewer is left to decipher dialogue and make connections for themselves. The piece is beautifully photographed and edited, and makes wonderful use of the 'steadicam' camera mount. Only at the very end does Lowenstein indulge himself in promo-style picture-making to sell the tie-in single 'Rooms for the memory'. And presumably give his otherwise pretty uncompromising vision some commercial lustre.As with Altman's best work, the guiding hand is detached but compassionate. The characters are all fiercely idiosyncratic individuals, often infuriating and shallow. But they are never mocked. Instead we see that their silliness is often merely a result of an attempt to either forge uniqueness or merely belong, and as such it often attains a strange nobility.At the films heart, though, lies a discernible disillusionment with, and subtle but pointed criticism of, the reality of the 'punk revolution'. Its most voluble proponents are shown to be either mouthpiece middle class drop-outs or confused, neglected teenagers. And its socio-political effect negligible.Michael Hutchence's presence (again, presumably largely a commercial consideration) is rather subversively integrated into this schema. He is cast as a pretty but vain, self-obsessed and generally unlikeable singer Sam, whose outwardly anarchistic stance barely conceals a ruthless careerism. Sam is also witty illustration of the fact that punk inevitably existed off the graces of the bourgeois. He has his mother turn up at the squat with a freshly cooked meal and clean clothes while all the other residents are out. Again, though, the effect is wry rather than bile-drenched. 'Dogs' is well-acted by a cast of mostly never-heard-from-agains. The ubiquitous but brilliant Chris Haywood appears briefly to deliver a heartfelt eulogy to a chainsaw. It employs an excellent soundtrack, and special note should be made of the remarkable sound-mix.It's an evocative, atmospheric snapshot of a sub-culture founded on both vainglorious naivete and admirable, rebellious individuality. Deserves a deluxe, restored, fully stereophonic, all-bells-and-whistles DVD at the very least.

filmship It's unfortunate this film is so unavailable in the US. I live in LA and know of only one video store that carries it, and the copy they have is old and worn-out. Which is a shame, since the film really is enjoyable. Though alot depends on your taste for the reckless hedonism the characters in it participate in. It's hard to believe these kids are all technically college students! This film is not exactly on the level of "SLC Punk" or other punk art-films due to it's general lack of story. I wholly support films made about everyday life, but if one goes to far for accuracy, you can lose the audience due to lack of anything compelling. It's a tricky edge to walk on, and only the greatest of filmmakers can pull off an honest, accurate but compelling story on a regular basis. Mr. Lowenstein, though he lived much of the life that was being portrayed, is no storyteller. I wonder if a more experienced writer and director had been used how much more of a film would have resulted. On the whole, however, a good snapshot of a bygone era, especially in a land very few of us yanks know anything about.