reitanomp
This movie was amazing! Overall, I loved this movie, with excellent acting! Homer wanted to follow his dream and his dad didn't seem to care, except for himself. Yet his father was a self-made successful man in his own way. This is a point in case that go for the golden ring. Tears come to your eyes towards the end.
PennFoxLanc
In the fall of 1957 when I was 14 (like the book) I and the late Mike Falkenhain experimented with building and launching rockets in his backyard at Trevose, PA. I became a chemist and he an engineer. I loved the movie, but the errors got in the way of enjoying the film. The cars were all wrong for the time period of 1957-58. The 1952 Fords and the 1953 Chevys had wrap around windshields, ending the split windshield era. With the exception of a quick passing tail of what I think was a 57 Chevy, every car was 1952 or older. People like my Dad with union jobs traded in their cars every three to five years. In a coal town in W. VA half might have been split windshields, but 100%, I don't think so.Dieselization began in earnest in the 1940's, and was largely complete by 1958 (1953 for the Southern), although there were a few steam locos around on some lines. No std gauge train lines in the US ran exclusively steam engines in 1958. I rode on the Pennsylvania Railroad to school everyday from 1955 - 1959, and was fascinated with trains. One in the movie would have been nice, but exclusively steam in 1958 on a major line - impossible.
hshuklamath
"Where there is will, there is a way". This movie is a beautiful illustration of this old saying. This movie released one of the best movies on 1999. It beautifully illustrates the biography of a teen Homer(Chris Cooper) who is ambitious towards rocket science and ends up to be a scientist at NASA despite of all the mishappenings he faces in life. The story is a gem for the teens who are often led down by their dreams and dear ones. Full of emotions and zeal the movie buys one a lot of encouragement to follow ones dreams.It proved very helpful to me and I would recommend it all the people who have been facing a very hard time in life and not been able to do what they want to. The plot and the acting of the cast is great and hence this movie easily and beautifully connects to people who got mind-stuck in teenage. Further the acting is so real that it will take oneself back to the teen life of 1950's in America, which itself is a wonderful experience. Please give it a shot, its worth it.
darosslfc
October Sky tells the true story of Homer Hickam (Jake Gyllenhaal). He is a high school boy from a coal mining town in West Virginia. Unless you were able to get a football scholarship the chances of getting out of Coalwood were small. Homer does not fit the bill of a football player and refuses to become another miner. Instead he sets his sights on what's above the earth rather than below it. In the wake of the first Sputnik launch Homer decides to take up rocketry without the approval of his coal miner father John (Chris Cooper).This film is a small slice of life depicting the perseverance of Homer and his friends to make something of their lives. They receive little support from the majority of the town members who believe that there's not much else to life besides mining coal and playing football. October Sky takes the dreams of four high school boys and inspires those who believe that you can become something bigger than the life society deems for you.The screenplay is well written, the acting top notch, and the story is bigger than the setting. This small period piece is amazingly uplifting and can touch a wide audience. It is a family movie and is one that all can enjoy regardless of age.I first saw this film in theaters when I was eight. Over fifteen years later I still find this movie as inspirational as the first time I saw it. I keep it on my shelf under movies that will lift me up. It is simple but extraordinary at the same time. This little gem should be on everyones list to watch. I think it is a movie that will never be outdated and one that will stay with all those that have seen it.
AD
