Dish

Pros: Really picks up the mood of a period
Cons: Well, it's kinda slo-o-o-www

Once upon a time, there was a point in our history when the world wasn't quite such a nervous, running about at high speeds, hectic place. There were quaint formalities in dress and speech, and when a famous person showed up, well, the whole town would...

Pros: The Apollo 11 moon landing is moving
Cons: Some of the movie moves a little slowly

Whenever man explores outer space, it takes the work of a lot of people, some of whom don't get a lot of recognition. One such group was the group of scientists who worked at the satellite dish in Parkes, Australia in July 1969 during the Apollo 11 moon...

Pros: funny. sweet. interesting.
Cons: a bit slow. some profanity

Apollo XI went to the moon; Neil Armstrong walked upon its surface; the world changed forever. In 1969, as the world was preparing for the "Eagle to land" (the lunar module to land on the moon), the United States enlisted the assistance of Australia. In...

Pros: Characters, Dialogue, Moving story, Clever use of stock footage
Cons: Australian accents (not a big deal)

This is a very exciting time to be a student at Carnegie Mellon University. The Activities Board has just begun a new program of showing movies on Wednesday nights. That’s right, now our chairman actually has the opportunity to show movies that are...

Pros: its Australian; original idea; good characterisations, acting, script; interesting moon landing footage
Cons: may be a bit slow for some; not terribly whizbang

Well just to continue the recent trend of movie reviews, I thought I'd get onto something homegrown. God knows, there is little enough decent local produce in the theatres. I'll have a go at writing this for the second time, that pesky control-A...

Pros: Strong script, unique story, great performances. An eminently charming and enjoyable film.
Cons: Virtually nothing.

I think Rob Sitch needs a hug. And not because he’s unhappy.

After creating another unseen masterpiece, The Castle, back in 1997 (though it didn’t reach stateside shores until last year), those who may have been paying proper attention...

Pros: Charming characters and storyline, gentle direction and cinematography
Cons: Perhaps a niche-interest film, occasional dull script deviations.

I seem to have an attraction 1960s US government-based stories being dramatised on celluloid. Following myst review elsewhere on the site of "Thirteen Days", we now take a peek at the unlikely story of a small rural town in Australia which gained...

Pros: A little movie in a summer of blockbusters.
Cons: A little too slow, and a little too predictable.

This film has finally crawled its way to my area. Living in the San Francisco bay area, I usually get most art house pieces fairly quickly. For some reason the dish was reviewed by many in April and May, and I only got to see it for the first time in...

Pros: Lovely, interesting story. Good acting.
Cons: Nothing really new to say.

I don't see a lot of small movies because it usually takes too much effort to get to a local theater that's actually playing your selection. I made an exception in the case of THE DISH for three reasons: I generally love Australian movies, I heard this...

Pros: Funny, good cast, interesting and endearing.
Cons: Zippedy dooh-dah... Zippedy day...

The Dish is a superb example of why nobody needs mediocre special effects saturated flicks like The Mummy Returns, crappy action movies like Exit Wounds and a zillion and two new Scream rip-offs. It's a small, entertaining, interesting, funny and...

Pros: Sam Neill does a very good job with his character.
Cons: The opening and closing framing is sloppy.

(Dir: Rob Sitch, Starring Sam Neill, Kevin Harrington, Tom Long, Patrick Warburton, Roy Billing, Genevieve Mooy, Tayler Kane, Lenka Kripac, John McMartin, Billie Brown, Andrew S. Gilbert, Carl Snell, Matthew Moore, Eliza Szonert, and Billy Mitchell) ...

Pros: Great Aussie humor; very simple storyline; feel-good movie without the cheesiness
Cons: Not too many people can appreciate Aussie humor

Sam Neill and Patrick Warburton (otherwise known as Puddy in Seinfeld fame) together in an Australian movie about a group of scientists/engineers managing a radio telescope located in a sheep paddock in Parkes, a small town in New South Wales, Australia,...

Pros: nice - and nice is good
Cons: annoying next-door-neighbour kid soldier

Historical fact: By virtue of being the largest suitable antenna in the southern hemisphere, the radio telescope at Parkes, New South Wales, Australia was designated by NASA to be one of the primary communications links with Apollo 11. Losing the signal...

Pros: This is a great movie - space travel is COOL!
Cons: Sam Neill's old age make-up isn't great.

Director Rob Sitch, who has previously brought to the US "The Castle" two years ago (and managed to make it into the Most Successful Australian Film of ALL TIME!), has ventured out into his native Australia once again and made a work of art. Mind you,...

Pros: Fascinating history, interesting characters, great acting (esp. Sam Neill), feel-good movie.
Cons: It is a little slow, but not boring.

I wasn't alive in 1969, so I didn't watch the moon landing, but after seeing this movie I felt like had. It really was amazing - at the end of the movie, when you see the moon landing, it feels like you're watching it live. There is just a sense of...