Dogs in Space
The release of this film owes much to the popularity of Not Quite Hollywood, which made many of us a tad nostalgic the history of the Australian film industry.
Although not an "ozploitation" film, there is a gritty, slightly amateurish feel to the film that is similar to other Australian films made in the eighties, such as Dead-End Drive-In.
They're interesting, often fun, but somewhat of a shambles.
In the case of Dogs In Space, it lends a certain authenticity to this dramatic depiction of inner-city suburban Melbourne, the band scene, and student share houses.
In that regard, this film is akin to an historical document: the band scene in Melbourne is being decimated, and tertiary students seem more worried about finding money to buy the latest designer must-haves than paying rent. Many more students are opting to stay at home, often until they're much older than their eighties counterparts, for whom the chaos, grunge and sagas of shared housing were considered a rite of passage.
For many, this film is tinged with sadness due to the death of Michael Hutchence, lead singer of INXS, who stars in this film. Not for this viewer. He is, for the most part, incoherent and uninteresting.
What is sad, is that his co-star, Saskia Post, hasn't had the film career that she deserves. Hers is the stand-out performance in this film.
An interesting extra in this release, is the inclusion of We're Living On Dog Food, a documentary which, for all intents and purposes, makes this release a double-feature.