But equally central to the story is homers strained, often adversarial relationship with his coal miner dad, a chiseled company man with a noble streak who seems committed to everyone but his son. As october skies opens the russian satellite glides through the evening expanse in the drab west virginia mining town of coalwood, eyes point upward and ears squeeze every ounce of information from pretransistor radios about the foreign, silent. Early in his career, jake gyllenhaal led october sky as homer hickam. A stand by me for space and science enthusiasts, the film features an excellent young cast, with jacob gyllenhaal, chris owen, and chad lindberg sharing the screen with veterans laura dern and chris cooper, the latter playing.
See owen and eyewitness news anchors jenifer mcandrews and. October sky is a great movies which is based on the truth story of homer hickam. October sky after seeing sputnik 1 crossing the sky, homer hickammain character becomes interested in the rocket and begins building it with the help of his classmates and a teacher. Especially, this movies teaching me that never giving up just following my dream. October sky is also one of my alltime favourite film of all time. Jake gyllenhaal, laura dern, chris cooper, chris owen, william lee scott, chad lindberg, natalie canerday, elya baskin, chris ellis, joe johnston, charles gordon, larry franco.
It was selected by the new york times as one of its great books of 1998 and was an alternate book ofthemonth selection for both the literary guild and doubleday book clubs. Jake gyllenhaal, chris cooper, chris owen and laura dern. Jake gyllenhaal, chris cooper, william lee scott, chris owen, chad lindberg, natalie canerday, elya baskin, chris ellis, laura dern. Homer is a 17 year old student who wants to build a rocket with his friend to participate in a country science fair because he saw the sputnik on tv. October sky theres definite sleeper potential in october sky, an immensely entertaining and unabashedly inspirational factbased drama about a miningtown teenager who leads his buddies through. Sister, and making a brief appearance in 1998s cant hardly wait chris owen landed a role in october sky. It was 1957, and the small mining town of coalwood, west virginia, was slowly dying.
October sky, by homer hiram, was published in 1999. The true story of homer hickam, a coal miners son who was inspired by the first sputnik launch to take up rocketry against his fathers wishes. A memoir was published by delacorte press in september 1998 and the movie based on it, october sky premiered nationwide on his birthday february 19, 1999. Aug 28, 2016 october sky is, like apollo, a movie i need to watch more often, and i am again embarrassed to admit that this is only the second time ive seen it october sky is the story of homer hickam jake gyllenhaal, quentin wilson chris owen, roy lee cook william lee scott, and sherman odell chad lindberg building rockets in the shadow of sputnik, often against the wishes of their. Hickam jr, october sky emerged as one of the most delightful sleepers of 1999a small miracle of good ole fashioned moviemaking in the cynical, often numbingly trendy hollywood of the late 20th century. Includes a ten minute behindthescenes look at the making of october sky. Jake gyllenhaal, chris cooper, chris owen, william lee scott, chad lindberg, laura dern, natalie canerday. As i mentioned earlier, i had a really good feeling coming out of this movie and i dont think i was the only one. October sky is directed by joe johnston and based on homer h. I enjoyed to watch the movie because it had many lessons and touches on some issues such as building the rockets, in life with friends and family problems to solve.
October sky theres definite sleeper potential in october sky, an immensely entertaining and unabashedly inspirational factbased drama about a mining. It was originally published under the title rocket boys in 1998. October sky, starring jake gyllenhaal, chris cooper, william lee scott, chris owen, chad lindberg, natalie canerday, and laura dern. Essentially, october sky is another universal pictures paintbynumbers feelgooder, in which homer and his friends decide to win a national science fair for their little town and, ultimately. Sputnik was the first earthorbiting artificial satellite. October sky sometimes one dream is bright enough to light up the sky october sky is based on the book rocket boys and tells the true story of homer hickam jake gyllenhaal in 1957 coalwood, west virginia where there was almost no opportunity. Im so happy to let you all know that ive started writing in other general fiction genres as well as romance. October sky i was seven years old when i joined my awestruck neighbors in searching the skies for sputnik back in the cool autumn nights of 1957.
Hes the school nerd, but hes also a math whiz, and soon becomes vital to the boys plans. The future star came into the gig after picking up early roles in city slickers 1991, josh and s. Chris owen movies and tv shows tv listings tv guide. In 1957, homer hickam jake gyllenhaal is a high school student in coalwood, west virginia when the soviet union launches sputnik, the first manmade satellite. With the aid of his closest buddies chris owen, william lee scott and chad lindberg, homer draws on limited local resources for his rocketry experiments. Following the soviet launch of the satellite named sputnik, homer hickam jake gyllenhaal, a mediocre high school student, is inspired to build a rocket. Oct 03, 20 did you see hollywood star chris owen on eyewitness news this morning. Skinny dipping jake and tor seeing is believing jake. It is a story of growing up in a mining town, and a boys pursuit of amateur rocketry in a coal mining town. As i write more material and release it i will update the book. After the shift charlie and hank, shady ridge and the neon sky the 12 days of finn ari and finn, converge and merge.
Aug 20, 2017 october sky is a 1999 american biographical film directed by joe johnston, starring jake gyllenhaal, chris cooper, chris owen, and laura dern. October sky 1999 movie mistakes, goofs and bloopers. October sky mixes the drama of traditional family conflicts with a nostalgic glimpse of life in the mid50s and a look at the earliest days of our journey into. October sky is a charming tale and the boys success is inspiring. Jake gyllenhaal chris cooper laura dern chris owen william lee scott chad lindberg natalie canerday scott miles randy stripling chris ellis. Did you see hollywood star chris owen on eyewitness news this morning. October sky is a 1999 american biographical film directed by joe johnston, starring jake gyllenhaal, chris cooper, chris owen, and laura dern. October sky directed by joe johnston available on vhs. Otherwise, despite its based on a true story opening credit, this earnest, nostalgic film has a way of seeming too good to be true. This is the true story that inspired the feature film october sky. However, homers father chris cooper takes a dim view of his sons interest in rockets and is convinced homers future should be the same as his own, working in the local coal mines.
Is october sky available to watch on canadian netflix. The majority of the pictures are simply labeled with the names of the. The only kids that got out of the dust filled town received football scholarships to college, the rest accepted the inevitability of working in. In october of that year the soviet satellite sputnik crosses the sky, causing great discussions around the country. His other credits include hidalgo, the mist, october sky and fortress. This read was followed by the coalwood way and sky of stone, and the original book was given the hollywood treatment in the 1999 film october sky an anagram of rocket boys, starring jake gyllenhaal, chris cooper, chris owen, and laura dern. Plot in 1957 in coalwood, west virginia, everything revolves around the mines and to work in the mines is the destiny that awaits the local boys. Rocket boys has been translated into eight languages and has received many awards.
Breaking bad mistakes the book of eli questions the uninvited. His breakthrough performances were as homer hickam in october sky 1999 and as a psychologically troubled teenager in. Quentin taylor wilson november 21, 1942 august 30, 2019 was an american engineer and one of the original rocket boys featured in the book october sky as well as the film adaptation october sky, where he was portrayed by chris owen. However, director joe johnston, who directed the pleasant but unremarkable the rocketeer, deftly avoids most of the genres traps while creating an engaging and lifeaffirming portrait of life in a. It is the story of homer growing up in coalwood, west virginia. Friday, february 19, 1999 chris cooper, left, and jake gyllenhaal play a father and son at odds.
Before the movie was released, universal changed the title to october sky. Information page about october sky starring jake gyllenhaal, chris cooper, laura dern and more on canadian netflix from mafts new on netflix canada inspired by soviet satellite sputnik streaking across the heavens in 1957, a teenager builds a rocket to compete for a science fair scholarship. Hickam is the younger of two brothers, and from the start we see that he and his father, real life john hickam as portrayed by chris cooper, will have a contentious. The sherminator in the american pie film franchise, appearing in american pie, american pie 2, american pie presents. Find out when and where you can watch chris owen movies and tv shows with the full listings schedule at. He fell in with a group of misfits who learned not only how to turn scraps of metal into sophisticated rockets but how to sustain their hope in a. The most important book totv adaptations coming in 2020. Chris owen, rocket boy and october sky actor visits. October sky is a 1999 american biographical drama film directed by joe johnston, starring jake gyllenhaal, chris cooper, chris owen, and laura dern.
October sky by joe johnston jake gyllenhaal, chris cooper. Chris cooper, chris owen, jake gyllenhaal, laura dern. Aside from eugene levy, he is the only actor from the theatrical features to appear in the american pie presents. October sky is a 1999 american biographical drama film directed by joe johnston and starring jake gyllenhaal, chris cooper, chris owen, and laura dern. October sky is a 1999 film directed by joe johnston, starring jake gyllenhaal, laura dern, and chris cooper.
I am a sucker for dramas with true life characters, especially those that are based on true events. Oct 18, 2019 this movie was made from homer hickams book rocket boys. The book has been republished under the same name as the film. It is based on the true story of homer hickam, a coal miners son who was inspired by the launch of sputnik 1 to take up rocketry against his fathers wishes, and who eventually became a nasa engineer. Like the hero of october sky, i remember the shock that ran through america when the russians launched sputnik on oct. Join facebook to connect with chris owen and others you may know. Wilson was born in warriormine, west virginia, to eston and jessie richardson wilson, who had migrated to the west virginia coalfields from. With jake gyllenhaal, chris cooper, laura dern, chris owen. Jake gyllenhaal stars as homer hickam, the real life subject and author of the book rocket boys, that is october sky s story. There will be gay men, and they might even fall in love, behind the backdrop of trying to save the world. Joe johnstons sentimental film, based on nasa engineer homer hickams autobiographical the rocket boys, is a largely breezy, uplifting picture.
A stand by me for space and science enthusiasts, the film features an excellent young cast, with jacob gyllenhaal, chris owen, and chad lindberg sharing the screen with veterans laura dern and chris cooper, the latter playing homers oldfashioned father with grit and feeling. October sky ventures into the wellfamiliar territory of the comingofage genrea genre filled with potential pitfalls such as a tendency for sticky sentimentality. The title of the paperback released at the same time was changed to the movie title, which is an anagram of rocket boys take the letters of rocket boys and move them around to. For stories that are thrillers, literary, and just a bit different from chris owen, please look for me as sarah macleod. Quentin taylor wilson november 21, 1942 august 30, 2019 was an american engineer and one of the original rocket boys featured in the book october sky as well as the film adaptation october sky, where he was portrayed by chris owen biography. The movie is taken from an autobiographical novel by homer h. Description homer hickam, the introspective son of a mine superintendent and a mother determined to get him out of coalwood, west virginia, forever, nurtures a dream to send rockets into outer spacean ambition. He is known for his work on american pie 1999, october sky 1999 and the mist 2007. Portions of content provided by tivo corporation 2020 tivo corporation whats new. It is made up of micro stories, codas, and other ephemera related to my stories. Chris owen born september 25, 1980 is an american actor and photographer. The most important booktotv adaptations coming in 2020. His breakthrough performances were as homer hickam in october sky 1999 and as a psychologically troubled teenager in donnie darko 2001.
May 08, 2019 chris cooper as john hickam in october sky. Who are the main characters in october sky answers. Chris owen goodreads author, jodi payne goodreads author really liked it 4. Jake gyllenhaal, laura dern, chris cooper, chris owen, william lee scott, chad lindberg, natalie canerday, elya baskin, chris ellis, joe. October sky chris cooper and chris owen overview the true story of homer hickam, a young boy trapped in a closeminded coalmining town in the. Even john hickam, who was a worker and is now superintendent, sees no other prospect for his two sons. Before fame born in michigan, he moved with his family to california and began acting at age 10. Chris owen has 93 books on goodreads with 57090 ratings. October sky is a 1999 american biographical film directed by joe johnston, starring jake gyllenhaal, chris cooper and laura dern. The biggest mistakes you never noticed in october sky 1999. Meanwhile, john hickam homers father is a west virginia coal miner who loves his job and expects his sons, jim homers older brother and homer, to. While the movie was being filmed, the working title of the movie was rocket boys. But he brings such sincerity to telling his science teacher that a book called principles of guided missile design is the. Jake gyllenhaal and the film october sky matt lynn digital.
Im delighted to say that ill be at the paris book fair in march 2020 along with the wonderful jodi payne. Commercials for october sky emphasize deweyed aspirations and rocket science. He played the nerdy quentin, a surprising addition to the. Barbara hilemons book contains almost 300 color photographs taken during the filming of the movie october sky. Oscars best picture winners best picture winners golden globes emmys san diego comiccon new york comiccon sundance film festival toronto intl film festival awards central festival central all events. See more ideas about october sky, great movies and homer hickam. Movies based on real life, movies based on books, dramas, tearjerkers. October sky the true story of homer hickam, a young boy trapped in a closeminded coalmining town in the 1950s. October sky the title on the mass market movie tiein version of the bestselling the rocket boys is the first memoir in a series of four, by homer hickam jr. The drama is set during the late 1950s in the small west virginia town of coalwood. Faced with an uncertain future, homer hickam nurtured a dream. Finally, october sky is a totally moving, and inspirational story that offers superb performances and drama that earns its emotional moments and deserved awards. Chris owen was born on september 25, 1980 in michigan, usa as christopher owen.