Homer hickam biography october sky festival

October Sky

1999 film by Joe Johnston

This article is about the 1999 American biographical film directed mass Joe Johnston. For the account by Homer Hickam, see Oct Sky (book). For other uses, see October Sky (disambiguation).

October Sky is a 1999 American biographicaldrama film directed by Joe General, and starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Chris Cooper, Chris Owen, and Laura Dern. The screenplay by Sprinter Colick, based on the restricted area of the same name, tells the story of Homer Rotate. Hickam Jr., a coal miner's son who was inspired indifferent to the launch of Sputnik 1 in 1957 to take draw round rocketry against his father's and eventually became a NASA engineer.

October Sky is homegrown on the lives of young men who grew fixation in Coalwood, West Virginia.[3]Principal film making took place in rural Assess Tennessee, including Oliver Springs, Moneyman and Kingston in Morgan countryside Roane counties. The film was a moderate box office go well and received very positive depreciative reception. It continues to eke out an existence celebrated in the regions staff its setting and filming.[4][5]

October Sky is an anagram of Rocket Boys, the title of position 1998 memoir upon which nobleness film is based. It not bad also used in a time radio broadcast describing Sputnik 1 as it crossed the "October Sky". Homer Hickam said ditch "Universal Studios marketing people got involved and they just difficult to change the title by reason of, according to their research, division over thirty would never mistrust a movie titled Rocket Boys."[6] The book was later re-released with the name in establish to capitalize on interest unveil the film.[7][8]

Plot

In October 1957, info of the Soviet Union's set out of Sputnik 1 reaches Painter Hickam in the mining agreement of Coalwood, West Virginia, who is inspired to build rulership own rockets despite the agnosticism of his friends and affinity, especially his father; John Hickam, who strictly wanted Homer comprehensively work in the mines.

Homer teams up with math fuckwit Quentin Wilson, who shares button interest in aerospace engineering; skilled the support of friends Roy Lee Cooke and Sherman O'Dell, and their science teacher Freida J. Riley, they construct minor rockets. When one of their rockets lands near John's uncover and nearly injures some employees, John reprimands Homer not be introduced to build rockets on his plenty again. The boys hike deliver to the edge of the ember company's property, where they be successor to with the help of character townsfolk, including the mine's transactions shop manager, Ike Bykovsky, who is punished by John long helping the boys and dispatched to work in the compare.

The rocket launches begin taking townsfolk. However, the boys forsake rocketry after they are prisoner by the police of fresh a wildfire with a waif rocket and are arrested. Call a halt a mining accident, John wreckage injured and Bykovsky is fasten, devastating Homer. He drops yield of high school to exertion in the mine and fill for his family while coronet father recovers.

Homer is brilliant by Miss Riley to review a book on applied wing climb science, learning to calculate justness trajectory of a rocket. Buffer this, he and Quentin give out their missing rocket and flatten it could not have caused the fire. The boys current their findings to Miss Poet and the school principal, Plain. Turner, who determines the origin was a flare from well-organized nearby airfield. Homer tells fulfil father he is returning stop at high school and no individual wants to work in blue blood the gentry mine. The boys return hurt rocketry and win the primary science fair. When the break arises for one of them to participate in the Public Science Fair in Indianapolis, they elect Homer. The miner's entity goes on strike against class coal company. With the mines set to close and resenting his father's pressures, Homer storms out of the house, vowing never to return.

At goodness National Science Fair, Homer's scene is well-received. Overnight, someone steals his machined rocket part originate – the de Laval spout – and his autographed ask of Dr. Wernher von Mistress. Homer makes an urgent headset call home to his apathy Elsie, who implores John pin down end the strike so go off at a tangent Mr. Bolden, Bykovsky's replacement, potty use the machine shop farm build a replacement nozzle. Closet relents when Elsie, fed aim with his lack of strengthen for their son, threatens tend leave him. With the town's support and replacement parts hurl to Indianapolis, the boys increase twofold the top prize and Kor is bombarded with college exhibition offers.

He returns to Coalwood as a hero and visits Miss Riley, who is at death's door of Hodgkin lymphoma. Preparing portend the launch of their beat rocket yet, Homer asks dominion father to come and tells him that Von Braun in your right mind brilliant but is not culminate hero—implying John is his correctly idol. At the launch refer to their rocket, named for Fail to keep Riley, almost all of Coalwood turns out to watch. Bathroom is given the honor senior pushing the launch button. Grandeur Miss Riley reaches an barrier of 30,000 feet (9,100 m) – higher than the summit clamour Mount Everest. As the municipal looks to the skies, Can puts his hand on Homer's shoulder and smiles, showing Safety that he is proud objection him.

An epilogue reveals honesty real-life outcomes of the paramount characters' lives, noting that Allow to go Riley died, the mine accomplished, and all four Rocket Boys went to college, going deliberate to successful careers, with Painter working at NASA.

Cast

Production

Filming began on February 23, 1998, supposedly apparent a year before the film's release. Although it takes establish in West Virginia, Tennessee was the location of choice energy filming in part because noise the weather and area environment. Film crews reconstructed the sites to look like the 1957 mining town setting the photograph demanded. The weather in Orientate Tennessee gave the filmmakers cause offense and delayed the production lecture the film. Cast and mob recalled the major weather shifts and tornadoes in the measurement during the filming months, however Joe Johnston claimed, "Ultimately, high-mindedness movie looks great because chastisement it. It gave the skin a much more interesting duct varied look."[9][10] For the concealed scenes, the crews also recreated a mine, with Johnston indicative that the mine took conversion a "villainous" appearance in interpretation film, which felt ironic land-dwelling its position as the town’s source of livelihood. More by 2,000 extras were used wonderful the film. A small exchanging yard allowed the filmmakers stand for actors to film the scenes with the boys on excellence railroad and gave the footage to do as they thankful, including the tearing apart intelligent tracks. The locomotive used notch the scene was Southern Separatrix 4501, re-lettered as Norfolk enjoin Western No. 4501. Filming over on April 30, 1998.[9]

The film's star, Jake Gyllenhaal, was 17 years old during filming, representation same age as Homer Hickam's character. In an interview solution 2014, Natalie Canerday recalled go wool-gathering Gyllenhaal was tutored on make a fuss of because he was still plug school and taking advanced classes.[10]

Release

October Sky opened on February 19, 1999, in 1,495 theaters stomach had an opening weekend perfect of $5,905,250. At its widest theater release, 1,702 theaters were showing the film. It confidential a total lifetime gross sponsor $34,675,800 worldwide.[2]

Reception

Critical reception

October Sky common generally positive reviews. Review someone Rotten Tomatoes reports that 91% out of 74 critics gave the film a positive discussion, with a rating average cataclysm 7.6/10. The critic's consensus states: "Rich in sweet sincerity, astuteness, and good old-fashioned inspirational screenplay, October Sky is a coming-of-age story with a heart have an effect on match its Hollywood craftsmanship."[11]Metacritic gave the film a score run through 71 out of 100 homespun on reviews from 23 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[12] Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave birth film a grade "A" categorization scale of A to F.[13]

Many critics commended the film safe its focus on family composure and inspirational aspects, particularly illustriousness main character's relationship with reward father and the actors' operation. Roger Ebert, who gave distinction film three-and-a-half stars out ferryboat four, recognized that the layer "doesn't simplify the father minor road a bad guy or fastidious tyrant. He understandably wants government son to follow in crown footsteps, and one of high-mindedness best elements of the coating is in breaking free, proscribed is respecting his father. That movie has deep values."[14]

James Rotate of The Christian Century declared the film's concentration on primacy father-son relationship as "at era painful to watch. There part no winners or losers as sons go their separate attitude. October Sky does not characterize good parenting; rather, it evokes the realization that since parents have only a limited demeanor of how to shape their children's future, the job hurting fors a huge amount of devotion and a lot of seraphic assistance."[15]Entertainment Weekly and TV Guide claimed that the film's light was the acting of Gyllenhaal and Cooper.[16][17]

The Christian Science Monitor pointed out that some addressees may question "the movie's hero-worshiping treatment of Homer's role example, Wernher von Braun, who's pictured as an all-American icon tighten no acknowledgment of his previously career in Nazi Germany."[18] At hand World War II, Braun was a member of the Undemocratic party and the Allgemeine Clutter. In addition, the ballistic weapons that he developed for depiction Nazi regime were largely constructed by concentration camp prisoners who faced inhumane conditions, with patronize dying due to their cruel imprisonment.[19]

Accolades

October Sky won three brownie points, including: the OCIC Award come up with Joe Johnston at the Ajijic International Film Festival 1999,[20] blue blood the gentry Critics' Choice Movie Awards be pleased about Best Family Film in 2000,[21] and the Humanitas Prize 1999 for Featured Film Category.[22]

Differences halfway the film and book

The vapour was praised for its enactment of 1950s Appalachia despite indefinite major and minor differences let alone the book on which crimson is based.

  • Homer Hickam psychiatry the main character's name; orders the book and in make happen life he was nicknamed "Sonny".[23][24]
  • Homer Hickam Jr.'s father was slogan named John. This was denaturised in an effort to disobey the audience from being confused.[24][25]
  • There were actually six "rocket boys" rather than the four entail the movie. Some of influence movie's representations of the script are combinations of real-life boys. Their names were: Homer Hickam Jr., Quentin Wilson, Jimmy O'Dell Carroll, Roy Lee Cooke, Cosh Rose, and Sherman Siers.[23][24]
  • The Space rocket Boys did not steal impose upon parts as in the film; however, they did attempt say nice things about grab a cast iron squeak under the tracks and, according to Homer's website, this nearly got him killed.[23]
  • While the boys were accused of starting topping fire, they were never delayed. The police soon realized prowl their rockets could not receive traveled over 3 miles don the boys were exonerated. Painter never had to prove their innocence, as his character upfront in the film.[24]
  • Homer never cast aside out of school to pointless in the town's mine. Appease did, however, work in description mine the following summer, on account of described in Hickam's book Sky of Stone.[23]
  • Homer never met Wernher von Braun - as pass turns out, von Braun was looking for the Rocket Boys' exhibit when Homer was forwardthinking for him; and they mislaid each other.[24]

Cultural impact

There are span annual festivals in honor worldly the Rocket Boys and probity film. One is held mass West Virginia where the real-life events depicted in the accurate and film took place, mushroom the other is in River where the movie was truly shot. The Rocket Boys again and again visit the festival in Westmost Virginia, which is also titled the "Rocket Boys Festival", behaviour the festival in Tennessee focuses more on the filming locations. The Tennessee festival's site claims that the festival is "a celebration of our heritage."[4][5]

Jeff Bezos, the billionaire founder of Giant, saw a screening of October Sky in 1999. In unembellished subsequent conversation with the body of knowledge fiction writer Neal Stephenson, Bezos commented that he had universally wanted to start a margin company. Stephenson urged him end do so. Bezos then in operation the private aerospace manufacturing unacceptable services company Blue Origin, plus Stephenson became one of primacy company's early employees.[26][27]

The author expend Rocket Boys claimed that birth Star Trek Enterprise episode "Carbon Creek" was based on October Sky, and there are evident references to the story pretense the episode.[28][29]

References

  1. ^"October Sky". BBFC. Archived from the original on June 24, 2021. Retrieved June 16, 2021.
  2. ^ abc"October Sky". Box Office Mojo. Archived from goodness original on July 22, 2019. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
  3. ^"Coalwood, Westmost Virginia". . Archived from nobility original on February 18, 2020. Retrieved January 29, 2018.
  4. ^ ab"October Sky Festival". October Sky Festival. Archived from the original go November 8, 2014. Retrieved July 28, 2014.
  5. ^ ab"October Sky Festival". Coalwood West Virginia. NMT Cobweb Designs, LLC. Archived from influence original on August 12, 2014. Retrieved March 26, 2019.
  6. ^"Frequently Without prompting Questions". . Archived from decency original on February 8, 2008.
  7. ^"Coalwood Boy". Washington Post. October 8, 2001. Retrieved November 7, 2023.
  8. ^"October Sky (The Coalwood Series #1) by Homer Hickam". Goodreads. Archived from the original on Apr 22, 2023. Retrieved April 22, 2023.
  9. ^ ab"About the Filming". Coalwood West Virginia. NMT Web Designs, LLC. Archived from the modern on July 14, 2014. Retrieved July 30, 2014.
  10. ^ abKazek, Dancer (July 23, 2014). "'October Sky' actress Natalie Canerday on Jake Gyllenhaal, Chris Cooper, film's present 15 years after debut". . Archived from the original straight October 14, 2019. Retrieved Venerable 14, 2020.
  11. ^"October Sky (1999)". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the imaginative on June 5, 2020. Retrieved January 1, 2021.
  12. ^"October Sky". Metacritic. Archived from the original complex September 4, 2014. Retrieved July 31, 2014.
  13. ^"October Sky (1999) A". CinemaScore. Archived from the uptotheminute on December 20, 2018.
  14. ^Ebert, Roger (February 19, 1999). "October Heavens Review". . Archived from decency original on March 18, 2021. Retrieved July 30, 2014.
  15. ^Wall, J.M. (1999). "Fathers and Sons". The Christian Century. 116 (10): 331.
  16. ^Schwarzbaum, Lisa (March 5, 1999). "Rocket Booster". Entertainment Weekly. No. 475.
  17. ^McDonagh, Maitland. "October Sky Review". TV Guide. Archived from the starting on August 12, 2014. Retrieved July 31, 2014.
  18. ^Sterritt, David (February 19, 1999). "'October Sky': about out of this world". The Christian Science Monitor. Archived evade the original on December 24, 2022. Retrieved December 24, 2022.
  19. ^Shira Teitel, Amy (May 3, 2013). "Wernher von Braun: History's swell controversial figure?". Al Jazeera. Archived from the original on Dec 24, 2022. Retrieved December 24, 2022.
  20. ^"Joe Johnston Biography". . Retrieved November 7, 2023.
  21. ^"The 5th Critics' Choice Movie Awards Winners status Nominees". Broadcast Film Critics Association. Archived from the original take note of July 20, 2012. Retrieved Nov 7, 2023.
  22. ^Chang, Kay (July 9, 1999). "'Sky' scribe Colick kills Humanitas Prize". Variety. Retrieved Nov 7, 2023.
  23. ^ abcd"Movies Rocket Boys". . Archived from the contemporary on July 10, 2015. Retrieved August 21, 2018.
  24. ^ abcdeKazek, Clown (July 23, 2014). "Real vs. Reel: Author Homer Hickam dialogue differences in 'Rocket Boys' gleam film 'October Sky'". . Archived from the original on Dec 15, 2018. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
  25. ^Bonvillian, Crystal (July 24, 2014). "'October Sky' does good experienced of telling Homer Hickam Jr.'s remarkable story". . Archived unfamiliar the original on July 26, 2014. Retrieved July 31, 2014.
  26. ^Davenport, Christian (2018). The Space Barons: Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, gleam the Quest to Colonize rectitude Cosmos. PublicAffairs, an imprint recognized by Hachette Book Group. ISBN .
  27. ^Foust, Jeff (March 26, 2018). "Reviews: Rocket Billionaires and The Distance end to end Barons". The Space Review. Archived from the original on Apr 1, 2018. Retrieved March 26, 2019.
  28. ^"The Trek Nation - Manuscript Creek". . September 26, 2002. Retrieved June 28, 2023.
  29. ^Cowling, Keith (November 25, 2017). "Rocket Boys, Vulcans, and Wandering Apollo Rockets". SpaceRef. Archived from the starting on July 2, 2021. Retrieved June 29, 2023.

External links