MOVIE WATCH

The Arrival

Pearl, 9.30pm

There are aliens all over the place in this sci-fi thriller from the old school.

Oro Valley Deep Space Tracking Station, California Desert. Underneath the moonshadow of a radio telescope - a parabolic radar dish 40 metres wide - Zane Ziminski (Charlie Sheen), a dedicated and resourceful scientist, dissects the skies in search of extraterrestrial intelligence. With Nasa breathing down his neck for results, he goes for broke, searching the FM waves for responses, like looking for a needle in a haystack. Suddenly, a skull-rattling squeal emits from the speakers. It's the shockwave signal, a message from beyond our solar system - seeming proof of extraterrestrial life. But as quickly as it appeared, it is gone.

Ziminski races to the jet propulsion laboratory with the evidence on tape. Project leader Phil Gordian is less than impressed: he wants separate source confirmation. Then there are budget cutbacks, and Ziminski is out of a job. As the dejected scientist leaves the lab, Gordian secretly destroys the tape, the only existing shockwave evidence. Ziminski decides to investigate the matter on his own time and he soon discovers the aliens are here and they are up to no good.

Also starring Ron Silver, Lindsay Crouse, Teri Polo and Richard Schiff. (1996)