Dogs in Space (1986)

The film is set in a house occupied by a collection of social misfits. The main storyline is that of a strange musician's relationship with a girl, their drug use and his band. These events... See full summary »

Director:

Richard Lowenstein

Writer:

Richard Lowenstein

Stars:

Michael Hutchence, Saskia Post, Nique Needles

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Michael Hutchence	...	Sam
Saskia Post	...	Anna
Nique Needles	...	Tim
Deanna Bond	...	The Girl
Tony Helou	...	Luchio
Chris Haywood	...	Chainsaw man
Peter Walsh	...	Anthony
Laura Swanson	...	Clare
Adam Briscomb	...	Grant
Sharon Jessop	...	Leanne
Edward Clayton-Jones	...	Nick
Martii Coles	...	Mark
Chuck Meo	...	Charles
Caroline Lee	...	Jenny
Fiona Latham	...	Barbara

Storyline

The film is set in a house occupied by a collection of social misfits. The main storyline is that of a strange musician's relationship with a girl, their drug use and his band. These events are surrounded by a chaotic myriad of sub-plots. A homicidal chainsaw maniac's lust for his machine and a T.V station's offer of money in return for a piece of the Skylab satellite that has fallen to earth are just two. The film is composed of small fragments in the lives of its inhabitants, each following onto the next, sometimes overlapping and ending in tragedy.

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Plot Keywords:

punk | melbourne australia | australia | drug abuse | new wave music | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

R

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

Australia

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 January 1987 (USA)

Also Known As:

Cani nello spazio

Filming Locations:

Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Company Credits

Production Co:

Central Park Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

103 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

After her fight with Sam, Anna goes to her mother's house and watches My Man Godfrey (1936) on television with her.

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Goofs

When Anna is buying Sam a microwave brick at the store, an issue of National Lampoon from 1985 is seen on the magazine rack.

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Quotes

Tim: That's TV, Sammy. That's what you watch when you've got no brain -- like you and me.

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Connections

References Star Trek (1966)

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Soundtracks

Golf Course
(uncredited)
Performed by Michael Hutchence

User Reviews

A snap-shot of the moment between youth and reality.

This 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.