Paws (film)

Last updated

Paws
Paws (film) poster.jpg
PAL region home video cover
Directed by Karl Zwicky
Written by
Produced by
  • Rebel Penfold-Russell
  • Andrena Finlay
  • Vicki Watson
Starring
CinematographyGeoff Burton
Edited byNicholas Holmes
Music by Mario Millo
Production
companies
Distributed by
Release dates
  • 25 September 1997 (1997-09-25)(Australia)
  • 15 February 1998 (1998-02-15)(UK)
Running time
83 minutes
CountryAustralia
LanguageEnglish
Box office£137,731 (UK, opening weekend)
A$455,171 (Australia) [1]

Paws is an independent 1997 Australian family comedy film that was released on 25 September 1997 [2] in Australia and filmed in Sydney.

Contents

The film stars 15-year-old guitarist Nathan Cavaleri who has adventures with PC – a talking Jack Russell Terrier (voiced by comedian Billy Connolly). [2] The dog is computer literate [2] – skills acquired from his former master allowing him to create a computer program that translates his words into English, with Zac subsequently designing a portable version that can be 'concealed' in a bow tie – and the pair must a stop a valuable disk from falling into the wrong hands. [3]

Plot

Alex, a computer programmer from a cold place very far away, receives a visit from an intruder named Anja, but before she breaks in; he writes an important message to a colleague, at a greyhound racetrack, named Susie, transfers it to a floppy disk and gives it to his dog, PC warning him that he should give it only to Susie and trust no one. He hides PC just before Anja breaks in with her vicious dog, Sibelius and threatens him for money. He tells her that the money is in the retirement fund, after which she kills him. But later she finds that the money is missing and sees the initials SA on the file name which she discovers, in the nearby address book; to stand for Susie Arkwright and starts spying on Susie.

PC reaches Susie's neighbourhood but gets hit by a car and is taken in by the family of 14-year-old Zac (the film's main narrator along with PC) who had recently moved to Sydney from Melbourne with his mother Amy, step-father Stephen and his younger sister Binky. Zac thinks the disk is one of his and keeps it. Zac is then introduced to his new neighbour Susie, who grew up in Sydney, and her daughter Samantha who moved from London and live next door and they recognise PC. Then they learn of Alex's death and PC continues to stay with Zac's family. PC uses Zac's computer to make a translation programme that could translate any language or sound into plain English, even his barking. He demonstrates it to Zac who gives him a new voice with a Scottish accent and installs the software onto a palmtop computer with a microphone in a bow tie so he can talk away from the desktop.

Zac's relationship with PC is strained and after a spate of incidents, often involving Anja and Sibelius, the dog decides to tell him the truth. PC was originally from Iceland where Alex wrote computer programmes and he was married to Anja who was his assistant but she never loved him. Anja stole Alex's programmes and made at least a million dollars from them. Alex got heartbroken when he found the money which he withdrew and fled to Australia with PC to escape from her but Anja found him somehow.

Zac finds the floppy disk which has a clue on where to find information on where to find the money. Zac goes with PC and Sammy to Alex's flat and completes the crossword puzzle on the computer to see a video of Alex saying "A note to follow so" followed by a picture of a pea-like object. After singing Do-Re-Mi they figure that the password is LAP then they see another video of Alex this time saying "Well done. The rest is in and under your nose. Bonne Chance". Anja arrives and threatens them with a dagger so Zac deletes the file to stop her but she kidnaps PC.

Back home Stephen, who Zac had previously seen taking a loan from Anja, agrees to help them and they go to the greyhound track where Alex and Susie worked. PC tricks Sibelius into letting him out of the cage but when Zac comes to help him he lets out Anja's dog who chases after them. Sammy deciphers the clue but takes "LAP in" to be the French word for rabbit and tells PC who is then catapulted into the commentator's box where he announces that the money is in the rabbit. Anja takes this to mean the mechanical rabbit on the track and starts tearing it apart but gets stuck and is dragged around the track not finding any money. Binky find's Sammy's Hollywood pin badge, which Alex gave her, and asks "What's a Hollywood?", and Sammy explains that it is a place in L.A. then they realise that the clue means L.A. pin and they find jewelry inside it.

The film ends with PC making out with Sammy's dog Cordelia.

Cast

Release

The film was released theatrically on 25 September 1997 in Australia and on 15 February 1998 in the United Kingdom where it was rated PG uncut [4] but in its VHS release in the UK, later that year, the film was re-rated U with nine seconds of cuts [5] removing the instances of "bum" and "crappy" to tone down the language. However, the uncut version has since been released on digital distribution in the UK given the legislation covering BBFC certificates on physical home video formats does not apply to online video services.

Related Research Articles

<i>Star Wars Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II</i> 1997 video game

Star Wars Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II is a 1997 first-person shooter video game developed and published by LucasArts for Microsoft Windows. It is the sequel to 1995's Star Wars: Dark Forces, and the second installment in the Star Wars: Jedi Knight series. The story, set in the fictional Star Wars expanded universe one year after the film Return of the Jedi, follows returning protagonist Kyle Katarn, a mercenary working for the New Republic, who discovers his connection to the Force and "The Valley of the Jedi", an ancient source of power. With his father having been murdered years prior by the Dark Jedi Jerec and his followers over the Valley's location, Katarn embarks on a quest to confront his father's killers and find the Valley before they do.

<i>The Secret Seven</i> Series of childrens novels by Enid Blyton

The Secret Seven or Secret Seven Society is a fictional group of child detectives created by Enid Blyton and based on the publisher’s children. They appear in one of several adolescent detective series which Blyton wrote.

<i>Life in Hell</i> Comic strip

Life in Hell is a comic strip by Matt Groening which was published weekly from 1977 to 2012. The strip features anthropomorphic rabbits and a gay couple. The comic covers a wide range of subjects, such as love, sex, work, and death, and explores themes of angst, social alienation, self-loathing, and fear of inevitable doom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nathan Cavaleri</span> Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist

Nathan Cavaleri is an Australian blues rock singer-songwriter and guitarist, and a former child actor. He issued two albums as a solo artist, Jammin' with the Cats (1993) and Nathan (1994). He has been a member of various groups including Dirty Skanks (2003–10), and Nat Col and the Kings (2010–2012). At the age of six Cavaleri was diagnosed with leukaemia and has been in remission since he was 13. As a child actor he appeared in the American film Camp Nowhere (1994) and starred in Paws (1997).

<i>The 11th Hour</i> (video game) 1995 video game

The 11th Hour is a 1995 interactive movie puzzle adventure game with a horror setting. It is the sequel to the 1993 game The 7th Guest. A 3DO Interactive Multiplayer version was planned but never released.

<i>Welcome to Woop Woop</i> 1997 Australian film

Welcome to Woop Woop is a 1997 Australian comedy film directed by Stephan Elliott and starring Johnathon Schaech and Rod Taylor. The film was based on the novel The Dead Heart by Douglas Kennedy. "Woop Woop" is an Australian colloquialism referring to an inexact location, usually in rural or remote Australia.

<i>Breakers</i> (TV series) Australian TV series or program

Breakers is an Australian television series that aired on Network Ten from 2 February 1998 to 3 November 1999, producing 430 episodes.

<i>Grandmas Boy</i> (2006 film) 2006 film directed by Nicholaus Goossen

Grandma's Boy is a 2006 American stoner comedy film directed by Nicholaus Goossen, written by Barry Wernick, Allen Covert and Nick Swardson, and starring Linda Cardellini, Allen Covert, Peter Dante, Shirley Jones, Shirley Knight, Joel David Moore, Kevin Nealon, Doris Roberts, and Nick Swardson. The film features a video game tester who is forced to move in with his grandmother after being evicted from his home while falling for a woman who was sent to oversee the production of his video game company's newest video game.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">All Growed Up</span> 1st and 2nd episodes of the 8th season of Rugrats

"All Growed Up" is a special episode of Rugrats and the pilot episode to the spin off All Grown Up that aired on July 21, 2001 to celebrate the series' tenth anniversary. The special serves as the first two episodes of the eighth season of Rugrats, and the 145th and 146th episodes of the series overall. The episode's premise was to focus on what the babies' lives would be like if they were ten years older. The episode proved to be popular enough for a series based on it to be made.

<i>Run</i> (1991 film) 1991 film by Geoff Burrowes

Run is a 1991 American action thriller film directed by Geoff Burrowes and starring Patrick Dempsey and Kelly Preston.

<i>Lady, Be Good</i> (musical) 1924 musical written by Guy Bolton and Fred Thompson

Lady, Be Good! is a musical written by Guy Bolton and Fred Thompson with music by George and lyrics by Ira Gershwin. It was first presented on Broadway in 1924; the West End production followed in 1926. The story of the musical is about a brother and sister who are out of money; both are eager to sacrifice themselves to help the other. This was the first Broadway collaboration of the Gershwin brothers, and the Astaire siblings play a brother-sister dance team.

<i>Five Days</i> (TV series) British dramatic television series

Five Days is a British dramatic television series produced by the BBC in association with Home Box Office (HBO). The first series was first broadcast on BBC One from 23 January to 1 February 2007, and repeated on BBC Four from 9 to 13 April 2007.

<i>Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore</i> 2010 film by Brad Peyton

Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore is a 2010 spy comedy film directed by Brad Peyton in his directorial debut, produced by Andrew Lazar, Polly Johnsen, Greg Michael and Brent O'Connor and written by Ron J. Friedman and Steve Bencich based on the characters by John Requa and Glenn Ficarra. The film stars Chris O'Donnell and Jack McBrayer with an ensemble voice cast of James Marsden, Nick Nolte, Christina Applegate, Katt Williams, Bette Midler, Neil Patrick Harris, Sean Hayes, Joe Pantoliano, Michael Clarke Duncan, Wallace Shawn and Roger Moore. The film is a stand-alone sequel to the 2001 film Cats & Dogs, with more emphasis on its animal characters than the previous film, and was released on July 30, 2010, by Warner Bros. Pictures. It received mostly negative reviews from film critics and grossed $112.5 million on an $85 million budget.

<i>Lenny the Wonder Dog</i> 2004 American film

Lenny the Wonder Dog is a 2005 American comedy film about the eponymous dog, Lenny, directed by Oren Goldman from a screenplay written by Michael Winslow, and filmed on locations in Florida. The cast included many prominent actors and celebrities such as Craig Ferguson and Andy Richter as the voice of Lenny. The movie had television release in Europe and after video release received generally poor reviews.

<i>The Search for Santa Paws</i> 2010 American film

The Search for Santa Paws is a 2010 Christmas adventure fantasy film released on November 23, 2010. The title is the tenth film in the Air Bud franchise and is also a prequel to Santa Buddies, as well as a spin-off from the Air Buddies film franchise.

<i>The Lucky One</i> (film) 2012 American film

The Lucky One is a 2012 American romantic drama film directed by Scott Hicks and released in April 2012. It is an adaptation of Nicholas Sparks’ 2008 novel of the same name.

<i>Blues Birthday Adventure</i> 1998 video game

Blue's Birthday Adventure is an educational video game for children from the ages of 3–6 years of age. The game is based on the pre-school television program Blue's Clues, specifically the episode "Blue's Birthday". It was developed and published by Humongous Entertainment. The game is about how Steve tries to find three clues to figure out what Blue wants to have for her birthday.

<i>Blow the Man Down</i> (film) 2019 American drama mystery film

Blow the Man Down is a 2019 American black comedy thriller film, written and directed by Bridget Savage Cole and Danielle Krudy. It stars Morgan Saylor, Sophie Lowe, Annette O'Toole, Marceline Hugot, Gayle Rankin, Will Brittain, Skipp Sudduth, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, June Squibb, and Margo Martindale.

<i>Gold</i> (2022 Australian film) Thriller film directed by Anthony Hayes

Gold is a 2022 Australian survival thriller film directed by Anthony Hayes. It stars Zac Efron, Susie Porter, and Anthony Hayes. The film was internationally released on 13 January 2022, before making its debut on streaming service Stan on 26 January 2022.

References

  1. "Australian Films at the Australian Box Office", Film Victoria Archived 9 February 2014 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 13 November 2012
  2. 1 2 3 Sutherland, Claire (13 September 1997). "Paws in his Career". Herald Sun. Herald and Weekly Times Limited.
  3. Paatsch, Leigh (18 September 1997). "Wild Time for Kids". Herald Sun. Herald and Weekly Times Limited.
  4. "Paws (1997)". British Board of Film Classification. Retrieved 14 June 2018.
  5. "Paws (1997) video". British Board of Film Classification. Retrieved 14 June 2018.