THE DISH (2001)

A lovely, original, Australian take on a climactic moment usually thought of as all-American -- when astronauts from Apollo 11 walked on the moon. This is a comedy that knows when to cut up and when to shut up and share hemisphere-uniting awe. It centers around a radio-telescope dish in the outback town of Parkes operated by a handful of local techies joined by a man from NASA to broadcast Neil Armstrong to the world. Director Rob Sitch gently amplifies the differences between the ''no worries'' casual manner of the humble Parkes crew (with Sam Neill as a cardigan-wearing, pipe-puffing Mr. Rogers sort) and the hyperefficient, horn-rimmed visiting Yank (positioned sweetly by Seinfeld's Patrick Warburton). A-