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Plot:
July 1969. Neil Armstrong is about to walk on the moon, and everyone's eyes are riveted to their TV screens. In Parkes, Australia, a radio dish antenna is slated to receive Apollo 11's video feed and ...( read more 
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Recent Reviews
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MCT:April 27, 2008I seem to have an attraction this week to 1960s US government-based stories being dramatised on celluloid. Following my review elsewhere on the site of "Thirteen Days", we now take a peak into the unlikely story of a small rural town in Australia which gained noteriety for beaming the pictures of Neil Armstrong on the moon in 1969.
When NASA come knocking, Mayor Bob McIntyre (Billing) is proud to announce that the world's most capable satellite dish, located in his Australian district of Parkes, will be relied upon to beam pictures of the future moonwalk around the world. The momentous task of making everything go smoothly falls to the dish site-manager, Cliff Buxton (Neill - "Jurassic Park", "The Piano", "In the Mouth of Madness"), crabby technician Mitch (Harrington) and timid mathematical scientist, Glenn (Long). Looking over their shoulder is thorough NASA representative, Al (Warburton - "Scream 3", TVs "Seinfeld"), and his attention to detail is met with resistance by Mitch.
Simmering in the background, are the personal relationships that only serve as mild distractions from the main story. Nervous Glenn can't see that pretty local girl Janine (Eliza Szonert - played Danni in Aussie soap "Neighbours") is waiting to be asked out as they play a familiar game of 'you make the first move'. Meanwhile, Cliff's pensive mention of his wife alludes to a deeper story while Mitch and Al pursue a heated battle for control and influence.
When technical problems, both man-made and caused by forces of nature, are poised to destabilise the project, it becomes clear that to the folks in Parkes the actual moonwalk takes a backseat in importance to the town's ability to show it to the world. This lends an amiable charm to a weighty moment in mankind's history, showing us that behind the unfathomable science involved in space travel, is something a little more human and down to earth.
We take this moon walk seriously you know!
The danger in regional comedies like this is that some characters will be presented with a far more pronounced stereotype than is required, leading the viewer to feel little sytmpathy and maybe general apathy to certain parts of the plot. That is not the case in "The Dish", with even the excitable Mayor McIntyre coming across as an honest and hard-working man who is fully deserving of his day in the sun. Neill plays Cliff Buxton wonderfully. Never imagining himself being part of something as large as this, Cliff takes it in his stride until the moment he realises that it might all be going wrong. He then realises that the whole undertaking is actually more important to him than he thought.
Melbourne-born Sitch directs as you might expect - a man comfortable in his surroundings, and familiar with the materials at his disposal. The script is light but entertaining, and although some angles are over-played (check out the dish security guard, Rudi, who acts like he is in the CIA), the strong mixture of humour and character make this a worth watch. -
MCT:February 20, 2008Obscure title I've never heard of...found on a whim, watched because I was bored...and was pleasantly rewarded. This movie was just great, a side of the story I've never heard of before. The characters were all just great and the acting was spot-on. My one complaint was that Sam Neill sounded a bit too British most of the time with just a bit of Aussie thrown in there from time to time. But I think he's a fantastic actor, so I'll let it slide. This movie makes me want to research the whole story of Parkes more! I recommend this movie to anybody looking for a great flick - good to watch with the family, too!
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MCT:February 5, 2008Aaahh good old Aussie ingenuity.. gotta love it. Who else would lose the first Apollo space shuttle, then find it again without anyone knowing..... hahaha AND THEN GET THE AMERICAN NATIONAL ANTHEM WRONG. I watched this on the plane as I was flying out of Oz to go live in Europe for 6 years.... I was very nostalgic to say the least.
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MCT:January 8, 2008
Gentle comedy, with some truly heartwarming moments. The characters struggle against adversity, but it's still positive (rather than a shouting match). Recommended for anyone who's at all interested in the space program.
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MCT:December 8, 2007
A feel good gem, gentle paced, inoffensive and full of Aussie wit. Would have been even better if my dvd player wasn't so jumpy, highly recommended.
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jenieceroxyoursoxposted 486 days ago
