Rating: 
Summary: A spectacular small film!
Review: I watched the story of Apollo 11 in real time, in 1969, and this film brings tears to my eyes every time I watch it. Don't let it's quiet approach deceive you though since this story has its base in NASA fact and you'll even see clips of the real old TV pictures. It answered for us the question of the delay in seeing Neil descend the stairs that night in July. The film is sprinkled with funny characters who stay true to the times and the hair styles! A wonderful "feel good" movie to watch anytime.
Rating: 
Summary: The Dish
Review: Absolutely a must purchase for someone collecting a NASA-Spaceflight themed collection, or, cute funny foreign films. Australia's angle on the Apollo Missions, it shows a part of the whole that is often missed when films are made of this subject. Support of the NASA missions was given by many groups and companies, and this is an excellent view of the communications portion of it all. Very funny! I mean, I laughed a whole lot during this movie! It gives you great characters acted out superbly and with that Aussie laid-back nature. It goes to show you when a story bothers to endear you to the characters, how even the smallest little humorous thing becomes incredibly funny. Great chemistry here, and I would easily rate it in my top half of my movie list.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful movie! Highly recommended!
Review: Luckily this movie didn't turn out to be the "comedy" that it is billed as. The humor is very subtle and is just potrayed as a part of everyday life for these guys down under at "The Dish". For anyone who grew up in the 1960's with there eyes glued to the TV for every space shot this movie will certainly bring back the memories. Great music used in the background to set the mood. Maybe not 100% historically accurate, but it does get accross the riskiness of the entire chain of technology devoted to the lunar landings. The scenes and dialog in the dish control room during signal acquisition and tracking got the technological details right, which is always an area that most movies either screw up or blow way out of proportion. An example of this is when they try to acquire the video feed as early as possible as the moon is coming above the horizon. The moon is shown exactly where is should be, not at the horizon but considerably above it, and then the comment is made that the dish would be hitting concrete if it is positioned any lower, showing that the dish cannot physically point its axis at the horizon. A mention is then made to use the offset feed horn to skew the beam slighly lower. I just love it when they actually get this stuff right! As an aerospace engineer who devoted my life to this type of work due in a large part to the space program, I can highly recommend this movie!
Rating: 
Summary: OK
Review: Inevitably slight but the big event is still moving. Full marks to the special features depicting the entire event from JFK's speeches to the return home.
Rating: 
Summary: Charming movie but shame about the dialogue
Review: I was more than a little surprised when I started watching 'the dish'. I was told it is a comedy but in actual fact, it is quite a serious look at Australia's part in the 1969 moon-landing.It is a charming and fresh movie for all the family. Not historially correct but still a good watch. So why only 2 stars? In truth, I was more than a little irritated by the racist comment made at dinner, about "India having no tellie". Just so that the general public is not totally misinformed by this, India started TV broadcasting on September 15 1959, so I am sure they would have been glued to their TVs like everyone else.
Rating:
Summary: "One Small Step for Man"
Review: After July 20, 1969, we now live in a world where man has walked on the moon. And on that day, most of the human race gathered around televisions to watch the event never able to truly grasp its complexities and dangers. Also, nobody was aware that the television signal was almost unavailable which in itself would have been a catastrophe. THE DISH is a wonderfully charming film that looks at an Australian radio transmitter and its small but dedicated crew as they try to work with the NASA big boys. The result is a human comedy that's success seems effortless. The rag-tag crew is led by an aging widower (Sam Neill of JURASSIC PARK and THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER). His crew includes an overzealous security guard, a love-struck signal tracer and an ornery dish manipulator. They are joined by an American from NASA (Patrick Warburton). Even with the true event as a skeleton for the story, it is character driven. Especially as the small town of Parkes begins to attract attention it so sorely wants. Above all, the film thematically catches the nostalgic feeling that teh world felt over 3o years ago. This along with the RIGHT STUFF, FROM THE EARTH TO THE MOON, and APOLLO 13 makes for a great rainy weekend marathon. The DVD has a nice audio/video transfer with only a trailer and cast and crew filmographies as extras.
Rating:
Summary: If you love "Freddy Got Fingered" and "The Waterboy"...
Review: ...then, hooo-boy did you pick the wrong movie. This is a quiet, charming little character piece with no sex, no explosion, and real people doing real things. For anyone born after 1962, it will be a revelation of how important the world thought it was to land on the moon. A history lesson, of a time out of memory or before you were born. For those born earlier, this movie fulfills a dual function. It is a delightfully funny movie with dozens of interesting offbeat characters, and an intelligent plot. It is also the only film I've ever seen that accurately captures the often miserable broadcast quality of the moon landings. Most documentaries and films use footage that the astronauts themselves took on either film or better quality video. The actual broadcast we baby boomers saw live was a shadowy, grainy, nearly indecipherable mess. Filmed on location on the 200-ft wide dish where the events took place, this movie scores big on the little touches: the security guard who is convinced that's Neil Armstrong on his walkie-talkie, the rather unusual selection for the American National Anthem, the cadet hopelessly infatuated with the mayor's rebel daughter, the father who has to keep asking his 8-year old son about the technical details of the moon launch. (Anyone who lived through the time knows how spot on that situation was.) The music choices, ranging from the Australian classic "The Real Thing" by Russel Morris to "Good Morning Starshine" by Oliver, are accurate for the era and appropriate. Give yourself about 10 minutes into the film to get adjusted to the sometimes thick Australian accents, and you be pleasantly rewarded for your investment.
Rating:
Summary: Who Ever Knew The Apollo Broadcast ALMOST Didn't Happen?
Review: THE DISH is one of the most remarkably funny films to come out of Australia is several years. For any fan of films associated with NASA's Apollo Program to land a man on the moon, the film should be required viewing. Sam Niell and a cast of characters portray some of the most human -- and quirkiest -- folk you'll ever see associated with science, much less one of the greatest achievements in the history of mankind! Some of the accents are quite thick, and, unfortunately, some of the humor is lost, but the moments toward the end -- where people sit in awe watching the Apollo moon landing -- are as inspiring as any I've seen elsewhere.
Rating:
Summary: A Perfect Little Film
Review: Most of us who were over 5 years old at the time, remember where they were when Neil Armstrong stepped foot on the moon. This monumentally emotional moment for mankind, albeit thoroughly superfluous scientific achievement, is the background for this beautifully constructed film. The thing that makes this film so special is the fact that there isn't a character that appears on screen that you don't care about, regardless how small the role. That takes true writing and directing talent! The entire small town of Parks, New South Wales, Australia is all atwitter, because their radio observatory dish has been chosen to be NASA's official link to the Apollo 11 mission in the southern hemisphere. The mayor's wife comments, while serving her joint of lamb, that man being moments away from landing on the moon makes their problems seem mundane... That's the beauty of the film, you care so much about these people; their problems are anything but mundane - you cheer-on the techno-nerd asking the town beauty to go out with him; you ache inside because the head of the observatory lost his wife a year ago and she can't be there to revel in his glory; you love the fact that the out-of-place NASA official is the only one who realizes that all the mayor's rebellious teenage daughter really needs to chill-out is an ounce of respect. This is the best kind of feel-good film. An absolute jewel that you'll want to watch more than just once.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful Movie
Review: The Dish - well worth the time to sit with your family and watch this fantastic film, a true gem. It is a shame it has been overlooked by the US market (there was only one copy stocked and available at the local video store); it ranks along side Apollo 13 and The Right Stuff. A celebration of what can be done, a tribute to the many, many dedicated folks who work behind the scenes, Worlwide, in support of the Space Program 'THEN' and 'NOW' to ensure success, and pick up the pieces when they fail. Enjoy the film - I'm adding it to my collection!
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