Admirable film.
Absolutely Fantastic
It isn't all that great, actually. Really cheesy and very predicable of how certain scenes are gonna turn play out. However, I guess that's the charm of it all, because I would consider this one of my guilty pleasures.
View MoreGreat example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.
View MoreI have watched this film twice and would probably watch it again if it was on the tele or my friend had it on video. I definitely say that you should watch it once especially if you like punk and noisy new wave music ,which I do, because there is lots of it in this film. There is also a great bit when a girl explains sex to someone in a very frank way. It's more a film about growing up and friendship than about sex and punk music but it is quite gritty and real feeling which is good because it is like watching real life only much more exciting. There is also some drugs use in it and several lovely babes but it is really more of a serious film than a babefest and would appeal to women as well.
View MoreThis movie was made when I was two. I reckon i would have liked it then as well. the lead character, Sam, barely says two words the whole movie and walks about a meter, otherwise crawling like an animal. I thought it was so cool, and I really felt like I was breathing the air of 1987 as well. Being in a band in Sydney at the moment feels really commercial and this movie inspired my friends and I to tap into that trashy rock lifestyle once again. I think that this is a good indication of the movies artistic integrity- it is thought provoking and interesting. Just remember to accept it for what it is though. There are twists in the plot but this is not it's strength. The real art in the telling of this story is the cinematography and priceless characters. There is also a bit of insight in this film. You feel as if you have survived the episode and are wiser for it.
View MoreThis is one of my favorite movies, but for personal - not cinematic - reasons.During high school I lived without parents, and frequently my house resembled the house in the pic. It was filled with teens and early twenty-somethings who were trying to either get the hang of standing alone as adults or ignoring the fact that they'd passed childhood up altogether.Most people may not realize that the movie gives a fairly accurate description of that (sur)reality. It may seem shallow or pretentious, and it may lack in "deep" plot twists and turns. The thing is, at that age, and in that type of life you live without worrying about the next day because it's just too big a concern to deal with. Most will never live, or think/feel this way.On the cinematic side: the movie is not for someone sitting down to "view a good book." It's more a chance to turn off higher functions and experience another side of the world (not just Australia, but the time period and lifestyle). It's also important to note that this is not a Hollywood "teen" or "young adult" comedy - it's a drama with a lot of nonsense included, because that's what life is like.It really is a shame that the movie isn't more widely available. I still own it from the original release, and only one of the rental stores (family owned) in my area has a copy. I'm sure it would more than meet the price to release to DVD. (I'm certain that a double disk including the original soundtrack would actually sell quite well!)If you find it, watch it.
View MoreI had fond memories of this movie for years, but on a recent re-viewing I was put off by the obnoxiousness of many of the characters here. They all seem shallow and self-obsessed, but that is probably an accurate portrayal of this period in Melbourne music history, and my reaction most likely has a lot to do with getting older, and being less sympathetic to the follies of youth.'Dogs In Space' documents a fairly obscure but important period of Australian music history - the "little bands" scene, when punk turned weirder, artier, and generally more electronic. No other music scene in the world was EXACTLY the same, but the New York 'No Wave' era is the closest equivalent. Out of this melee came cult heroes The Birthday Party, but also many other acts that were hardly recorded, if recorded at all. This movie attempts to redress that. Director Richard Lowenstein lived in the house that inspired this story and hung out with the real band that is fictionalized here.While not perfect, this movie has a lot of energy, some great music on the soundtrack (Iggy, Boys Next Door, Eno, Gang Of Four, Marching Girls), and there's enough of interest going on to make it highly recommended to anyone curious about late 70s/early 80s music. The late Michael Hutchence (INXS) may have rough acting chops, but he exudes enough charisma to make you wonder what might have been movie-wise for him.By the way, keep an eye open for an early appearance of Noah Taylor now seen in more mainstream Hollywood fare like Tomb Raider!
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