The guys who made 'The Castle' have made a second feature which, unlike its predecessor, will actually travel very well.

The film is the story of a group of four men who are responsible for maintaining and operating an outback receiving dish in 1969...the time of the moonlanding. The dish is located in the town of Parkes, Australia, and is originally intended as only a backup to relay pictures of Neil Armstrong and co. The site is then 'upgraded' as the prime receiving dish, thus sending this little town and it's new heroes into the world spotlight.

The script is the gem here. It is simply faultless and incredibly funny (even though this is not essentially a comedy). The charactisations are so good that each character is as good as the next and there is not one that shines above the other. The film has in its cast list a torrent of talented Australian actors, it also stars Sam Neill and Patrick Warburton (Elaine's boyfrind Puddy from 'Seinfeld') as the NASA connection in the Australian operation.

As I was watching this, I was thinking that for so long movies have been such crap and yet here is the proof of where the fault lies.

Script...script...script. If it's not on the paper to begin with, it will never be up on the screen either.

I give this 8/10. It has made a sale to the rest of the world, but unlike The Castle before it, The Dish will have no trouble finding an audience internationally.

I thought I was watching Sea Change for a bit though. The only thing I personally didn't like was so much of the 60's TV footage, it worked well at the start but I think it went a little over the top later.

Surprisingly entertaining movie when one considers that the subject matter is reasonably basic and the film is essentially built around one event.

Criticisms I had with the film were the typical Australian film maker's obsession with Australian culture vs other cultures (a celluloid cultural cringe), a token American no doubt added for that market and the lack of depth in terms of plot.

Nonetheless the basic plot is well presented and good acting makes the film believable.

Overall merit (out of 5 stars) = * * * 1/2

cheers

The Dish was reviewed but Roper and Ebert on the television this week and got two thumbs up.

Last night I decided to do something I rarely do, see a film in my movie theatre. I sat down for the 7:10 show of The Dish. So just as the show begins, my favorite movie people show up, the couple with the baby. I don't say anything. Ten minutes later, the baby begins to scream. So I pop out of my seat, stand right in front of the couple and tell them that if they can't keep the child quiet, that they will have to remove the child to the lobby, then I sit back down. Shortly there after, one of them takes the kid out.
Half way through the film, as she is heading back to her seat, she stops by my chair and says that I didn't have to be rude about it and that if it bothers me I could move. I couldn't get a word in edgewise. If I had, I would have told her that I was the theatre's owner and that if she didn't like it, she could leave.

Alas, as usual, I didn't get the satisfaction. I am now telling my cashiers to tell baby owners that a cinema isn't the best environment for a baby and that the child may bother other money paying patrons.

If I had built this place, I might have put in cry rooms, but I didn't and I can't, so take your babies elsewhere.

Friday we did 272 people and $1,717.20, Saturday, we did 244 people and $1,523.20. I can only hope that these numbers improve. I also hope that it goes up a bit next week. I tell everybody that comes in and is unsure about a movie to see this one.

It seems to me that parents with young children are a forgotton market. The cinema isn't the ideal place for them.

I hope that one of our cinema companies here in Melbourne realise that Drive-in Theatres are ideal for parents with young children and start opening a few extra drive-ins in the outer suburbs. My wife and I have a young child and we find the drive-in ideal. Coburg Drive-in is ok but it is a long way to drive from where I live.

cheers Peter

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