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{{short description|1999 film by Joe Johnston}}
{{Infobox Film
{{about|the 1999 American biographical film directed by Joe Johnston|the memoir by Homer Hickam|October Sky (book)|other uses}}
| name = October Sky
{{Use American English|date = March 2019}}
| image = October sky poster.jpg
{{Use mdy dates|date = March 2019}}
| caption = Theatrical release poster
{{Infobox film
| director = [[Joe Johnston]]
| name = October Sky
| producer = [[Larry J. Franco]]<br>[[Charles Gordon (producer)|Charles Gordon]]<br>[[Marc Sternberg]]
| image = October sky poster.jpg
| writer= '''Screenplay:'''<br>[[Lewis Colick]]<br>'''Book:'''<br>[[Homer Hickam]]
| caption = Theatrical release poster
| starring = [[Jake Gyllenhaal]]<br>[[Chris Cooper (actor)|Chris Cooper]]<br>[[Laura Dern]]
| music = [[Mark Isham]]
| director = [[Joe Johnston]]
| producer = {{Plainlist|
| cinematography = [[Fred Murphy]]
* [[Charles Gordon (producer)|Charles Gordon]]
| editing = [[Robert Dalva]]
* [[Larry J. Franco]]
| distributor = [[Universal Studios]]
}}
| runtime = 108 min.
| country = [[United States]]
| screenplay = [[Lewis Colick]]
| based_on = {{based on|''[[October Sky (book)|October Sky]]''|[[Homer Hickam]]}}
| language = [[English language|English]]
| starring = {{Plainlist|<!--Per poster billing-->
| imdb_id = 0132477
* [[Jake Gyllenhaal]]
* [[Chris Cooper]]
* [[Chris Owen (actor)|Chris Owen]]
* [[Laura Dern]]
}}
| music = [[Mark Isham]]
| cinematography = [[Fred Murphy (cinematographer)|Fred Murphy]]
| editing = [[Robert Dalva]]
| distributor = [[Universal Pictures]]
| released = {{Film date|1999|02|19|United States}}
| runtime = 107 minutes<ref>{{cite web |title=October Sky |url=https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/october-sky-film-qxnzzxq6vlgtoti1ntm1 |website=[[BBFC]] |quote=107m 24s |access-date=June 16, 2021 |archive-date=June 24, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210624195646/https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/october-sky-film-qxnzzxq6vlgtoti1ntm1 |url-status=live }}</ref>
| country = United States
| language = English
| budget = $25 million<ref name="mojo">{{cite web |title=October Sky |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/release/rl291931649/weekend/ |website=[[Box Office Mojo]] |access-date=June 1, 2021 |archive-date=July 22, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190722145655/https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=octobersky.htm |url-status=live}}</ref>
| gross = $34.7 million<ref name="mojo" />
}}
}}
'''''October Sky''''' is a [[1999]] film produced by [[Charles Gordon]] and directed by [[Joe Johnston]], starring [[Jake Gyllenhaal]], [[Chris Cooper (actor)|Chris Cooper]] and [[Laura Dern]]. It is based on the true story of [[Homer Hickam]], a [[coal miner]]'s son who was inspired by the first [[Sputnik]] launch to take up [[Amateur rocketry|rocketry]] against his father's wishes, and eventually became a [[NASA]] scientist.


'''''October Sky''''' is a 1999 American [[Biographical film|biographical]] [[Drama (film and television)|drama film]] directed by [[Joe Johnston]], and starring [[Jake Gyllenhaal]], [[Chris Cooper]], [[Chris Owen (actor)|Chris Owen]], and [[Laura Dern]]. The screenplay by [[Lewis Colick]], based on the [[October Sky (book)|memoir of the same name]], tells the true story of [[Homer Hickam|Homer H. Hickam Jr.]], a [[Coal mining|coal miner]]'s son who was inspired by the launch of ''[[Sputnik 1]]'' in 1957 to take up [[Amateur rocketry|rocketry]] against his father's wishes and eventually became a [[NASA]] engineer.
==Title==
"October Sky" is an [[anagram]] of "[[Rocket Boys]]", the title of the book on which the movie is based. It is also used in a period radio broadcast describing [[Sputnik]] as it crossed the "October sky". Homer Hickam stated that women over 30 would not go to see a movie titled "Rocket Boys",<ref>[http://www.homerhickam.com/faq.shtml Homer Hickam official Web site - October Sky/Rocket Boys, The Keeper's Son<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> so Universal Pictures changed the title to be more inviting to a wider audience. The book was later re-released with the name ''October Sky'' in order to capitalize on interest in the movie. The movie takes place in the late 1950's after Sputnik is launched.


''October Sky'' is based on the lives of four young men who grew up in [[Coalwood, West Virginia]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.coalwoodwestvirginia.com/|title=Coalwood, West Virginia|website=www.coalwoodwestvirginia.com|access-date=January 29, 2018|archive-date=February 18, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200218030025/http://www.coalwoodwestvirginia.com/|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Principal photography]] took place in rural [[East Tennessee]], including [[Oliver Springs, Tennessee|Oliver Springs]], [[Harriman, Tennessee|Harriman]] and [[Kingston, Tennessee|Kingston]] in [[Morgan County, Tennessee|Morgan]] and [[Roane County, Tennessee|Roane]] counties. The film was a moderate box office success and received very positive critical reception. It continues to be celebrated in the regions of its setting and filming.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" />
==Plot==
The film is set in [[Coalwood, West Virginia]]. The [[coal]] mine is the town's largest employer and almost every male living there works, or will work, in the mines. John Hickam ([[Chris Cooper (actor)|Chris Cooper]]), the mine superintendent, loves his job—despite its headaches and inherent dangers—and hopes that his boys, Jim ([[Scott Miles II]]) and Homer ([[Jake Gyllenhaal]]), will one day join him working there. When it appears that Jim will receive a football scholarship to attend college, however, that leaves Homer to fulfill his father's dream, although the boys' mother, Elsie ([[Natalie Canerday]]), hopes for more for her son. It is not long before a prominent event gives him that chance.


''October Sky'' is an [[anagram]] of ''[[October Sky (novel)|Rocket Boys]]'', the title of the 1998 memoir upon which the film is based. It is also used in a period radio broadcast describing ''Sputnik 1'' as it crossed the "October Sky". Homer Hickam said that "Universal Studios marketing people got involved and they just had to change the title because, according to their research, women over thirty would never see a movie titled ''Rocket Boys''."<ref>{{Cite web |title=Frequently Asked Questions |url=http://www.homerhickam.com/faq.shtml |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080208083154/http://www.homerhickam.com/faq.shtml |archive-date=2008-02-08 |website=HomerHickam.com}}</ref> The book was later re-released with the name in order to capitalize on interest in the film.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2001-10-08 |title=Coalwood Boy |work=[[Washington Post]] |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/liveonline/01/authors/author_hickam100801.htm |access-date=2023-11-07}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=October Sky (The Coalwood Series #1) by Homer Hickam |url=https://www.goodreads.com/it/book/show/124862.October_Sky |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230422211953/https://www.goodreads.com/it/book/show/124862.October_Sky |archive-date=April 22, 2023 |access-date=22 April 2023 |website=[[Goodreads]]}}</ref>
As the townspeople gather outside one starry October night, they see the [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] satellite [[Sputnik]] race across the sky. Filled with awe and a belief that this may be his ticket out of Coalwood, Homer sets out to build rockets of his own and enter the [[science fair]]. Of course, most everyone thinks he is crazy, especially when he teams up with Quentin ([[Chris Owen]]), the school math geek who happens to know a thing or two about [[rocket science]]. With the aid of friends Roy Lee ([[William Lee Scott]]) and O'Dell ([[Chad Lindberg]]), however, the four begin experimenting with their new passion. With the help and encouragement of some local townsfolk and their science teacher, Miss Riley ([[Laura Dern]]), who hopes that Homer and his friends will enter their work in a science fair contest, the boys begin their tests, but quickly run into several obstacles. First, they do not really know what they are doing, and their initial tests are disastrous. When they figure out that air bubbles in the propellant are causing their rockets to blow up, they get pure alcohol from a local moonshine operation, and mix up a propellant that works. Their successful launches eventually get them into hot water with the local authorities when they are accused of having started a fire several miles away with a rocket that had gone astray. That, coupled with John's not understanding nor supporting his son's "hobby", soon derails the "rocket boys'" dreams.


==Plot==
The entire rocket-making operation is shut down, and the boys burn down their testing shed at the launch site, as their dreams fizzle. Homer drops out of school to work in the mine when his father is injured and cannot work (he does eventually recover).
In October 1957, news of the [[Soviet Union]]'s launch of ''[[Sputnik 1]]'' reaches [[Homer Hickam]] in the [[mining community]] of [[Coalwood, West Virginia]], who is inspired to build his own rockets despite the skepticism of his friends and family, especially his father; John Hickam, who strictly wanted Homer to work in the mines.


Homer teams up with math geek [[Quentin Wilson]], who shares an interest in [[aerospace engineering]]; with the support of friends Roy Lee Cooke and Sherman O'Dell, and their science teacher [[Freida J. Riley]], they construct small rockets. When one of their rockets lands near John's office and nearly injures some workers, John reprimands Homer not to build rockets on his property again. The boys hike to the edge of the coal company's property, where they succeed with the help of the townsfolk, including the mine's machine shop manager, Ike Bykovsky, who is punished by John for helping the boys and sent to work in the mine.
Homer, however, is inspired to look at a rocket science book Miss Riley had given him, and learns how to calculate rockets' trajectories. This shows him that their lost rocket could not have caused the fire, as it was unable to travel as far as the site of that fire. In fact, this lost rocket is recovered from a stream bed, just about where it should have landed. The boys visit the authorities, and it turns out that the offending projectile was not theirs at all, but a flare that must have come from a nearby airport.


The rocket launches begin attracting townsfolk. However, the boys abandon rocketry after they are accused by the police of starting a [[wildfire]] with a stray rocket and are arrested. In a [[mining accident]], John is injured and Bykovsky is killed, devastating Homer. He drops out of high school to work in the mine and provide for his family while his father recovers.
With their names cleared, Homer and his pals set out to prove that they can build a rocket that will soar unimpeded into the sky, proving that they have what it takes to leave the confines of their predetermined, coal miner lives.


Homer is inspired by Miss Riley to read a book on applied rocket science, learning to calculate the trajectory of a rocket. Using this, he and Quentin locate their missing rocket and prove it could not have caused the fire. The boys present their findings to Miss Riley and the school principal, Mr. Turner, who determines the cause was a [[flare]] from a nearby airfield. Homer tells his father he is returning to high school and no longer wants to work in the mine. The boys return to rocketry and win the school [[science fair]]. When the opportunity arises for one of them to participate in the National Science Fair in [[Indianapolis]], they elect Homer. The miner's union goes on strike against the coal company. With the mines set to close and resenting his father's pressures, Homer storms out of the house, vowing never to return.
Homer wins the local science fair, and is going to be sent on to the national fair in [[Indianapolis]], [[Indiana]]. His father is upset that Homer does not want to work in the mine. John is then shot at by someone outside, but the bullet misses. He tells the boys, who are angry at the person who shot at John, to not worry about it, telling Homer angrily to "go look for the suitcase" (which is what Homer had been doing a moment before).


At the National Science Fair, Homer's display is well-received. Overnight, someone steals his machined rocket part model – the [[de Laval nozzle]] – and his autographed picture of Dr. [[Wernher von Braun]]. Homer makes an urgent phone call home to his mother Elsie, who implores John to end the strike so that Mr. Bolden, Bykovsky's replacement, can use the machine shop to build a replacement nozzle. John relents when Elsie, fed up with his lack of support for their son, threatens to leave him. With the town's support and replacement parts sent to [[Indianapolis]], the boys win the top prize and Homer is bombarded with college scholarship offers.
Homer finally cannot take anymore and gets into an argument with his father, saying what is happening is not Homer's fault, that if he wins the science fair he can get to college and maybe get to go work at [[Cape Canaveral]], and that the town is dying along with the mine and John is the only person who does not know it. John tells Homer that if he wants to leave so badly, then leave. Homer yells that he will, and will never come back. He leaves.


He returns to Coalwood as a hero and visits Miss Riley, who is dying of [[Hodgkin lymphoma]]. Preparing for the launch of their largest rocket yet, Homer asks his father to come and tells him that Von Braun is brilliant but is not his hero—implying John is his true idol. At the launch of their rocket, named for Miss Riley, almost all of Coalwood turns out to watch. John is given the honor of pushing the launch button. The ''Miss Riley'' reaches an altitude of {{convert|30000|ft}} – higher than the summit of [[Mount Everest]]. As the town looks to the skies, John puts his hand on Homer's shoulder and smiles, showing Homer that he is proud of him.
Homer goes to Indianapolis and enters the fair. His display goes over very well, but when he steps away for a moment, someone stole his display. His mother convinces John to send Homer more stuff for rockets, saying that if he does not help Homer, she will leave him. When asked where she will go, she says, "[[Myrtle Beach, South Carolina|Myrtle Beach]]," which is where they spent their honeymoon. John sends Homer all the things he needs. Homer wins the top prize and is besieged with scholarship offers from colleges. He also meets Werner von Braun, a man by whom he is inspired, but he does not learn who he is until after von Braun is gone.


An epilogue reveals the real-life outcomes of the main characters' lives, noting that Miss Riley died, the mine closed, and all four Rocket Boys went to college, going on to successful careers, with Homer working at [[NASA]].
Homer returns to Coalwood a hero, and visits Miss Riley, who is now ill with [[Hodgkin's disease]], in the hospital. He shows her the medal he has won, and she responds touchingly.

A launch of the largest rocket yet is the last scene of the film. Homer's father finally shows up for a launch, and is given the honor of pushing the firing button. As the rocket streams upward, we view it from the perspectives of many characters.

A series of vignettes tells the later lives of the real characters upon which the movie was based.


==Cast==
==Cast==
{{Cast listing|
{| class="wikitable"
* [[Jake Gyllenhaal]] as [[Homer Hickam]]
|- bgcolor="CCCCCC"
* [[Chris Cooper]] as John Hickam
! Actor !! Role
* [[Chris Owen (actor)|Chris Owen]] as Quentin Wilson
|-
| [[Jake Gyllenhaal]] || [[Homer Hickam ]]
* [[Laura Dern]] as Miss Freida J. Riley
* [[William Lee Scott]] as Roy Lee Cooke
* [[Chad Lindberg]] as Sherman O'Dell
* [[Natalie Canerday]] as Elsie Hickam
* Scott Thomas as Jim Hickam
* Randy Stripling as Leon Bolden
* [[Chris Ellis (actor)|Chris Ellis]] as Principal Turner
* [[Elya Baskin]] as Ike Bykovsky
* [[Winston Link]] as Railroad engineer
* [[Andrew Stahl|Andy Stahl]] as Jack Palmer
* Mark Jeffrey Miller as Vernon
* Don Henderson Baker as Jensen
* Kaili Hollister as Valentine Carmina
}}


==Production==
|-
Filming began on February 23, 1998, almost a year before the film's release. Although it takes place in West Virginia, [[Tennessee]] was the location of choice for filming in part because of the weather and area terrain. Film crews reconstructed the sites to look like the 1957 mining town setting the movie demanded. The weather in East Tennessee gave the filmmakers trouble and delayed the production of the film. Cast and crew recalled the major weather shifts and tornadoes in the area during the filming months, but Joe Johnston claimed, "Ultimately, the movie looks great because of it. It gave the film a much more interesting and varied look."<ref name=Coalwood /><ref name="Canerday Interview">{{cite web |last1=Kazek |first1=Kelly |date=July 23, 2014 |title='October Sky' actress Natalie Canerday on Jake Gyllenhaal, Chris Cooper, film's legacy 15 years after debut |url=https://www.al.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2014/07/october_sky_actress_natalie_ca.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191014124404/https://www.al.com/entertainment/2014/07/october_sky_actress_natalie_ca.html |archive-date=October 14, 2019 |access-date=August 14, 2020 |website=al.com}}</ref> For the underground scenes, the crews also recreated a mine, with Johnston expressing that the mine took on a "villainous" appearance in the film, which felt ironic given its position as the town’s source of livelihood. More than 2,000 extras were used in the film. A small switching yard allowed the filmmakers and actors to film the scenes with the boys on the railroad and gave the freedom to do as they pleased, including the tearing apart of tracks. The locomotive used in the scene was [[Southern Railway 4501]], re-lettered as Norfolk and Western No. 4501. Filming concluded on April 30, 1998.<ref name="Coalwood">{{cite web|url=http://coalwoodwestvirginia.com/about_the_filming.htm|title=About the Filming|website=Coalwood West Virginia|publisher=NMT Web Designs, LLC|access-date=July 30, 2014|archive-date=July 14, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714091514/http://www.coalwoodwestvirginia.com/about_the_filming.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>
| [[Chris Cooper (actor)|Chris Cooper]] || [[John Hickam]]
|-
| [[Laura Dern]] || Miss [[Frieda Riley]]
|-
| [[Chris Owen (actor)|Chris Owen]] || Quentin Wilson
|-
| [[William Lee Scott]] || [[Roy Lee Cooke]]
|-
| [[Chad Lindberg]] ||Sherman O'Dell
|-
| [[Natalie Canerday]] || Elsie Hickam
|-
| [[Randy Stripling]] || Leon Bolden
|-
| [[Chris Ellis (actor)|Chris Ellis]] || John Turner
|-
| [[Elya Baskin]] || Ike Bykovsky
|-
| [[O. Winston Link]] || Railroad engineer
|-
| [[Andrew Stahl|Andy Stahl]] || Jack Palmer
|}


The film's star, [[Jake Gyllenhaal]], was 17 years old during filming, the same age as [[Homer Hickam]]'s character. In an interview in 2014, [[Natalie Canerday]] recalled that Gyllenhaal was tutored on set because he was still in [[high school|school]] and taking advanced classes.<ref name="Canerday Interview"/>
==Differences from the movie and the book==


==Release==
* In the book, Homer gets the autograph picture of Von Braun for Christmas. In the movie, he gets it for his birthday and he gets a chocolate bar too.
''October Sky'' opened on February 19, 1999, in 1,495 theaters and had an opening weekend gross of $5,905,250. At its widest theater release, 1,702 theaters were showing the film. It had a total lifetime gross of $34,675,800 worldwide.<ref name="mojo" />


==Reception==
* In the book, Homer is 14. In the movie, he is 17.
===Critical reception===
''October Sky'' received generally positive reviews. Review aggregator [[Rotten Tomatoes]] reports that 91% out of 74 critics gave the film a positive review, with a rating average of 7.6/10. The critic's consensus states: "Rich in sweet sincerity, intelligence, and good old-fashioned inspirational drama, ''October Sky'' is a coming-of-age story with a heart to match its Hollywood craftsmanship."<ref>{{cite web |title=October Sky (1999) |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/october_sky/ |website=[[Rotten Tomatoes]] |access-date=2021-01-01 |archive-date=June 5, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200605064500/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/october_sky |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Metacritic]] gave the film a score of 71 out of 100 based on reviews from 23 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".<ref name="metacritic">{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/october-sky/critic-reviews|title=October Sky|website=[[Metacritic]]|access-date=July 31, 2014|archive-date=September 4, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140904011150/http://www.metacritic.com/movie/october-sky/critic-reviews|url-status=live}}</ref> Audiences surveyed by [[CinemaScore]] gave the film a grade "A" on scale of A to F.<ref>{{cite web |title=October Sky (1999) A |url=https://www.cinemascore.com/publicsearch/index/title/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181220122629/https://www.cinemascore.com/publicsearch/index/title/ |archive-date=2018-12-20 |work=[[CinemaScore]]}}</ref>


Many critics commended the film for its focus on family values and inspirational aspects, particularly the main character's relationship with his father and the actors' performances. [[Roger Ebert]], who gave the film three-and-a-half stars out of four, recognized that the film "doesn't simplify the father into a bad guy or a tyrant. He understandably wants his son to follow in his footsteps, and one of the best elements of the movie is in breaking free, he is respecting his father. This movie has deep values."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/october-sky-1999 |title=October Sky Review |last=Ebert |first=Roger |author-link=Roger Ebert |date=February 19, 1999 |website=[[RogerEbert.com]] |access-date=July 30, 2014 |quote=Immensely entertaining and unabashedly inspirational. |archive-date=March 18, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210318080622/https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/october-sky-1999 |url-status=live }}</ref>
* Some of the characters in the book do not appear in the movie. For example, Sherman Siers and Willie Rose from the book do not appear in the film.


James Wall of ''[[The Christian Century]]'' described the film's concentration on the father-son relationship as "at times painful to watch. There are no winners or losers when sons go their separate ways. ''October Sky'' does not illustrate good parenting; rather, it evokes the realization that since parents have only a limited vision of how to shape their children's future, the job requires a huge amount of love and a lot of divine assistance."<ref name="Christian Century">{{cite journal |last1=Wall |first1=J.M. |date=1999 |title=Fathers and Sons |journal=[[The Christian Century]] |volume=116 |issue=10 |page=331 }}</ref> ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]'' and ''[[TV Guide]]'' claimed that the movie's highlight was the acting of [[Jake Gyllenhaal]] and [[Chris Cooper]].<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Schwarzbaum |first=Lisa |date=March 5, 1999 |title=Rocket Booster |magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]] |issue=475 |url=https://ew.com/article/1999/03/05/october-sky-3/ }}</ref><ref name="TV Guide Review">{{cite web |last=McDonagh |first=Maitland |title=October Sky Review |url=https://www.tvguide.com/movies/october-sky/review/2030059770/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140812213047/http://movies.tvguide.com/october-sky/133805 |archive-date=August 12, 2014 |access-date=July 31, 2014 |website=[[TV Guide]]}}</ref>
* O'Dell's name in the book is O'Dell Carrol. In the movie, it is Sherman O'Dell. There is a character in the books named Sherman Siers, also.


''[[The Christian Science Monitor]]'' pointed out that some viewers may question "the movie's hero-worshiping treatment of Homer's role model, [[Wernher von Braun]], who's depicted as an all-American icon with no acknowledgment of his earlier career in Nazi Germany."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sterritt |first=David |date=February 19, 1999 |title='October Sky': almost out of this world |website=[[The Christian Science Monitor]] |url=https://www.csmonitor.com/1999/0219/p15s1.html |access-date=December 24, 2022 |archive-date=December 24, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221224050653/https://www.csmonitor.com/1999/0219/p15s1.html |url-status=live }}</ref> During World War II, Braun was a member of the Nazi party and the [[Allgemeine SS]]. In addition, the ballistic weapons that he developed for the Nazi regime were largely constructed by concentration camp prisoners who faced inhumane conditions, with many dying due to their brutal imprisonment.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Shira Teitel |first=Amy |date=May 3, 2013 |title=Wernher von Braun: History's most controversial figure? |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2013/5/3/wernher-von-braun-historys-most-controversial-figure/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221224050656/https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2013/5/3/wernher-von-braun-historys-most-controversial-figure/ |archive-date=December 24, 2022 |access-date=December 24, 2022 |website=[[Al Jazeera English|Al Jazeera]]}}</ref>
* In the book, Homer's father's name is Homer Hickam Sr. In the film, it is John Hickam. It is also not mentioned in the film that Homer's name is Homer Hickam Jr.


===Accolades===
* In the book, Homer's nickname is Sonny. He is not called this in the movie.
''October Sky'' won three awards, including: the OCIC Award for [[Joe Johnston]] at the [[Ajijic]] International Film Festival 1999,<ref>{{cite web |title=Joe Johnston Biography |url=https://www.tribute.ca/people/biography/joe-johnston/2619/ |website=tribute.ca |access-date=7 November 2023}}</ref> the [[Critics' Choice Movie Awards]] for Best Family Film in 2000,<ref>{{cite web |title=The 5th Critics' Choice Movie Awards Winners and Nominees |url=http://www.bfca.org/ccawards/1999.php |website=Broadcast Film Critics Association |access-date=7 November 2023 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120720061146/http://www.bfca.org/ccawards/1999.php |archive-date=2012-07-20 |url-status=dead}}</ref> and the [[Humanitas Prize]] 1999 for Featured Film Category.<ref name="Variety">{{cite web |last=Chang |first=Kay |date=July 9, 1999 |title='Sky' scribe Colick wins Humanitas Prize |url=https://variety.com/1999/film/news/sky-scribe-colick-wins-humanitas-prize-1117503872/ |url-status= |access-date=2023-11-07 |website=Variety}}</ref>


==Differences between the film and book==
* In the book, it is revealed that Homer never got to meet Von Braun. In the movie, he does.
The movie was praised for its portrayal of 1950s Appalachia despite several major and minor differences from the book on which it is based.
* Homer Hickam is the main character's name; in the book and in real life he was nicknamed "Sonny".<ref name="homerhickam.com-Movies">{{cite web |title=Movies Rocket Boys |url=http://www.homerhickam.com/movies/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150710130322/http://www.homerhickam.com/movies/ |archive-date=July 10, 2015 |access-date=August 21, 2018 |website=HomerHickam.com}}</ref><ref name="al.com Real vs. Real">{{cite web|url=http://www.al.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2014/07/real_vs_reel_author_homer_hick.html|title=Real vs. Reel: Author Homer Hickam talks differences in 'Rocket Boys' and film 'October Sky'|last1=Kazek|first1=Kelly|date=July 23, 2014|website=al.com|access-date=June 1, 2021|archive-date=December 15, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181215172741/https://www.al.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2014/07/real_vs_reel_author_homer_hick.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
* Homer Hickam Jr.'s father was not named John. This was changed in an effort to keep the audience from being confused.<ref name="al.com Real vs. Real"/><ref name="Bonvillian">{{cite web|url=http://www.al.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2014/07/october_sky_does_decent_job_of.html#incart_related_stories|title='October Sky' does good job of telling Homer Hickam Jr.'s remarkable story|last1=Bonvillian|first1=Crystal|date=July 24, 2014|website=al.com|access-date=July 31, 2014|archive-date=July 26, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140726075343/http://www.al.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2014/07/october_sky_does_decent_job_of.html#incart_related_stories|url-status=live}}</ref>
* There were actually six "rocket boys" rather than the four in the movie. Some of the movie's representations of the characters are combinations of real-life boys. Their names were: [[Homer Hickam|Homer Hickam Jr.]], Quentin Wilson, Jimmy O'Dell Carroll, Roy Lee Cooke, Billy Rose, and Sherman Siers.<ref name="homerhickam.com-Movies"/><ref name="al.com Real vs. Real"/>
* The Rocket Boys did not steal railroad parts as in the film; however, they did attempt to grab a [[cast iron pipe]] under the tracks and, according to Homer's website, this almost got him killed.<ref name=homerhickam.com-Movies />
* While the boys were accused of starting a fire, they were never detained. The police soon realized that their rockets could not have traveled over 3 miles and the boys were exonerated. Homer never had to prove their innocence, as his character did in the film.<ref name="al.com Real vs. Real"/>
* Homer never dropped out of school to work in the town's mine. He did, however, work in the mine the following summer, as described in Hickam's book ''[[Sky of Stone]].''<ref name="homerhickam.com-Movies"/>
* Homer never met Wernher von Braun - as it turns out, von Braun was looking for the Rocket Boys' exhibit when Homer was looking for him; and they missed each other.<ref name="al.com Real vs. Real"/>


==Cultural impact==
* Daisy Mae, the cat, does not appear in the movie.
There are two annual festivals in honor of the Rocket Boys and the film. One is held in [[West Virginia]] where the real-life events depicted in the [[Rocket Boys|book]] and film took place, and the other is in [[Tennessee]] where the movie was actually shot. The Rocket Boys often visit the festival in West Virginia, which is also called the "Rocket Boys Festival", while 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."<ref name=":0">{{cite web|url=http://www.octoberskyfestivaltn.org/|title=October Sky Festival|website=October Sky Festival|access-date=July 28, 2014|archive-date=November 8, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141108073331/http://www.octoberskyfestivaltn.org/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{cite web|url=http://coalwoodwestvirginia.com/october_sky_festival.htm|title=October Sky Festival|website=Coalwood West Virginia|publisher=NMT Web Designs, LLC|access-date=March 26, 2019|archive-date=August 12, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140812202840/http://coalwoodwestvirginia.com/october_sky_festival.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>


[[Jeff Bezos]], the billionaire founder of [[Amazon (company)|Amazon]], saw a screening of ''October Sky'' in 1999. In a subsequent conversation with the science fiction writer [[Neal Stephenson]], Bezos commented that he had always wanted to start a space company. Stephenson urged him to do so. Bezos then started the private aerospace manufacturing and services company [[Blue Origin]], and Stephenson became one of the company's early employees.<ref>{{cite book | last = Davenport | first = Christian | title = The Space Barons: Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and the Quest to Colonize the Cosmos | publisher = PublicAffairs, an imprint owned by Hachette Book Group | year = 2018 | isbn = 9781610398299}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.thespacereview.com/article/3457/1|title=Reviews: Rocket Billionaires and The Space Barons|last=Foust|first=Jeff|date=March 26, 2018|work=[[The Space Review]]|access-date=March 26, 2019|archive-date=April 1, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180401144442/http://www.thespacereview.com/article/3457/1|url-status=live}}</ref>
* In the movie, Homer drops out of school to work in the mine. In reality, Homer never dropped out of school.


The author of ''Rocket Boys'' claimed that the ''[[Star Trek: Enterprise|Star Trek Enterprise]]'' episode "[[Carbon Creek (Star Trek: Enterprise)|Carbon Creek]]" was based on ''October Sky'', and there are obvious references to the story in the episode.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2002-09-26 |title=The Trek Nation - Carbon Creek |url=https://www.trektoday.com/reviews/enterprise/carbon_creek.shtml |access-date=2023-06-28 |website=TrekToday.com |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Cowling |first=Keith |date=November 25, 2017 |title=Rocket Boys, Vulcans, and Wandering Apollo Rockets |url=http://spaceref.com/exploration/rocket-boys-vulcans-and-wandering-apollo-rockets.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20210702205823/http://spaceref.com/exploration/rocket-boys-vulcans-and-wandering-apollo-rockets.html |archive-date=July 2, 2021 |access-date=June 29, 2023 |website=SpaceRef}}</ref>
==Reception==
The film was very well received by critics, with [[Roger Ebert]] giving it 3 1/2 out of 4 stars; and it has a 93% "Fresh" rating on review site [[Rotten Tomatoes]] based on 59 reviews<ref>http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/october_sky/</ref>.


==References==
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{Reflist}}
* [http://www.screenit.com/movies/1999/october_sky.html "October Sky"], Screen It!
* [http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19990219/REVIEWS/902190303/1023 "October Sky"], Roger Ebert, February 19, 1999.

== External links ==
*[http://www.homerhickam.com/ Homer Hickam's Official Site]
*[http://blip.tv/file/464938 Rocket Boys Reunion or October Sky Festival] - [[Coalwood, West Virginia|Coalwood]], [[West Virginia]]
*[http://www.CoalwoodWestVirginia.com/ Information and Photos of Filming Locations]
*[http://www.harrymaugans.com/2006/05/03/october-sky-and-rocket-boys/ October Sky and Rocket Boys]
*[http://www.dhruvworld.com/movieoctobersky.htm October Sky Quotes at Dhruvworld]
*{{imdb title|id=0132477|title=October Sky}}
*{{rotten-tomatoes|id=october_sky|title=October Sky}}
*{{metacritic film|id=octobersky|title=October Sky}}
*{{mojo title|id=octobersky|title=October Sky}}
*''[http://www.the-numbers.com/movies/1999/OCTSY.php October Sky]'' at [[The Numbers (website)|The Numbers]]


==External links==
{{wikiquote}}
* [http://www.homerhickam.com Homer Hickam's Official Website]
* [http://www.CoalwoodWestVirginia.com/ Information and Photos of Filming Locations]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20130224034119/http://www.knoxnews.com/photos/galleries/2013/feb/18/east-tennessee-movie-making-october-sky-1999/ Photo gallery from the filming of ''October Sky'' in East Tennessee]
* {{IMDb title|id=0132477|title=October Sky}}
* {{TCMDb title|443676}}
* {{mojo title|id=octobersky|title=October Sky}}
* ''[https://www.the-numbers.com/movies/1999/OCTSY.php October Sky]'' at The Numbers
{{Homer Hickam}}
<!--Split film/book article intentional - Please do not remove this comment-->
<!--Split film/book article intentional - Please do not remove this comment-->

{{Joe Johnston}}
{{Joe Johnston}}
{{Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Family Film}}


[[Category:1999 films]]
[[Category:1999 films]]
[[Category:Biographical films]]
[[Category:1999 drama films]]
[[Category:Films set in the 1950s]]
[[Category:1990s American films]]
[[Category:1990s biographical drama films]]
[[Category:1990s coming-of-age drama films]]
[[Category:1990s English-language films]]
[[Category:American biographical drama films]]
[[Category:American children's drama films]]
[[Category:American coming-of-age drama films]]
[[Category:American teen drama films]]
[[Category:Biographical films about scientists]]
[[Category:Cold War films]]
[[Category:Cultural depictions of engineers]]
[[Category:English-language biographical drama films]]
[[Category:Films about father–son relationships]]
[[Category:Films about technology]]
[[Category:Films based on biographies]]
[[Category:Films based on memoirs]]
[[Category:Films directed by Joe Johnston]]
[[Category:Films produced by Charles Gordon]]
[[Category:Films scored by Mark Isham]]
[[Category:Films set in 1957]]
[[Category:Films set in Appalachia]]
[[Category:Films set in mining communities]]
[[Category:Films shot in Tennessee]]
[[Category:Films set in West Virginia]]
[[Category:Films set in West Virginia]]
[[Category:Films based on biographies]]
[[Category:Films shot anamorphically]]
[[Category:Model rocketry]]
[[Category:Model rocketry]]
[[Category:Universal Pictures films]]
[[Category:Universal Pictures films]]

[[bg:Октомврийско небе]]
[[de:October Sky]]
[[fr:Ciel d'octobre (film)]]
[[he:שמי אוקטובר]]
[[hi:अक्टूबर स्काई]]
[[it:Cielo d'ottobre]]
[[ms:October Sky]]
[[ja:遠い空の向こうに]]
[[no:October Sky]]
[[pt:October Sky]]
[[ru:Октябрьское небо]]
[[zh:十月的天空]]

Latest revision as of 23:59, 11 December 2024

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

October Sky
Theatrical release poster
Directed byJoe Johnston
Screenplay byLewis Colick
Based onOctober Sky
by Homer Hickam
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyFred Murphy
Edited byRobert Dalva
Music byMark Isham
Distributed byUniversal Pictures
Release date
  • February 19, 1999 (1999-02-19) (United States)
Running time
107 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$25 million[2]
Box office$34.7 million[2]

October Sky is a 1999 American biographical drama film directed by Joe Johnston, and starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Chris Cooper, Chris Owen, and Laura Dern. The screenplay by Lewis Colick, based on the memoir of the same name, tells the true story of Homer H. Hickam Jr., a coal miner's son who was inspired by the launch of Sputnik 1 in 1957 to take up rocketry against his father's wishes and eventually became a NASA engineer.

October Sky is based on the lives of four young men who grew up in Coalwood, West Virginia.[3] Principal photography took place in rural East Tennessee, including Oliver Springs, Harriman and Kingston in Morgan and Roane counties. The film was a moderate box office success and received very positive critical reception. It continues to be celebrated in the regions of its setting and filming.[4][5]

October Sky is an anagram of Rocket Boys, the title of the 1998 memoir upon which the film is based. It is also used in a period radio broadcast describing Sputnik 1 as it crossed the "October Sky". Homer Hickam said that "Universal Studios marketing people got involved and they just had to change the title because, according to their research, women over thirty would never see a movie titled Rocket Boys."[6] The book was later re-released with the name in order to capitalize on interest in the film.[7][8]

Plot

[edit]

In October 1957, news of the Soviet Union's launch of Sputnik 1 reaches Homer Hickam in the mining community of Coalwood, West Virginia, who is inspired to build his own rockets despite the skepticism of his friends and family, especially his father; John Hickam, who strictly wanted Homer to work in the mines.

Homer teams up with math geek Quentin Wilson, who shares an interest in aerospace engineering; with the support of friends Roy Lee Cooke and Sherman O'Dell, and their science teacher Freida J. Riley, they construct small rockets. When one of their rockets lands near John's office and nearly injures some workers, John reprimands Homer not to build rockets on his property again. The boys hike to the edge of the coal company's property, where they succeed with the help of the townsfolk, including the mine's machine shop manager, Ike Bykovsky, who is punished by John for helping the boys and sent to work in the mine.

The rocket launches begin attracting townsfolk. However, the boys abandon rocketry after they are accused by the police of starting a wildfire with a stray rocket and are arrested. In a mining accident, John is injured and Bykovsky is killed, devastating Homer. He drops out of high school to work in the mine and provide for his family while his father recovers.

Homer is inspired by Miss Riley to read a book on applied rocket science, learning to calculate the trajectory of a rocket. Using this, he and Quentin locate their missing rocket and prove it could not have caused the fire. The boys present their findings to Miss Riley and the school principal, Mr. Turner, who determines the cause was a flare from a nearby airfield. Homer tells his father he is returning to high school and no longer wants to work in the mine. The boys return to rocketry and win the school science fair. When the opportunity arises for one of them to participate in the National Science Fair in Indianapolis, they elect Homer. The miner's union goes on strike against the 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 the National Science Fair, Homer's display is well-received. Overnight, someone steals his machined rocket part model – the de Laval nozzle – and his autographed picture of Dr. Wernher von Braun. Homer makes an urgent phone call home to his mother Elsie, who implores John to end the strike so that Mr. Bolden, Bykovsky's replacement, can use the machine shop to build a replacement nozzle. John relents when Elsie, fed up with his lack of support for their son, threatens to leave him. With the town's support and replacement parts sent to Indianapolis, the boys win the top prize and Homer is bombarded with college scholarship offers.

He returns to Coalwood as a hero and visits Miss Riley, who is dying of Hodgkin lymphoma. Preparing for the launch of their largest rocket yet, Homer asks his father to come and tells him that Von Braun is brilliant but is not his hero—implying John is his true idol. At the launch of their rocket, named for Miss Riley, almost all of Coalwood turns out to watch. John is given the honor of pushing the launch button. The Miss Riley reaches an altitude of 30,000 feet (9,100 m) – higher than the summit of Mount Everest. As the town looks to the skies, John puts his hand on Homer's shoulder and smiles, showing Homer that he is proud of him.

An epilogue reveals the real-life outcomes of the main characters' lives, noting that Miss Riley died, the mine closed, and all four Rocket Boys went to college, going on to successful careers, with Homer working at NASA.

Cast

[edit]

Production

[edit]

Filming began on February 23, 1998, almost a year before the film's release. Although it takes place in West Virginia, Tennessee was the location of choice for filming in part because of the weather and area terrain. Film crews reconstructed the sites to look like the 1957 mining town setting the movie demanded. The weather in East Tennessee gave the filmmakers trouble and delayed the production of the film. Cast and crew recalled the major weather shifts and tornadoes in the area during the filming months, but Joe Johnston claimed, "Ultimately, the movie looks great because of it. It gave the film a much more interesting and varied look."[9][10] For the underground scenes, the crews also recreated a mine, with Johnston expressing that the mine took on a "villainous" appearance in the film, which felt ironic given its position as the town’s source of livelihood. More than 2,000 extras were used in the film. A small switching yard allowed the filmmakers and actors to film the scenes with the boys on the railroad and gave the freedom to do as they pleased, including the tearing apart of tracks. The locomotive used in the scene was Southern Railway 4501, re-lettered as Norfolk and Western No. 4501. Filming concluded on April 30, 1998.[9]

The film's star, Jake Gyllenhaal, was 17 years old during filming, the same age as Homer Hickam's character. In an interview in 2014, Natalie Canerday recalled that Gyllenhaal was tutored on set because he was still in school and taking advanced classes.[10]

Release

[edit]

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

Reception

[edit]

Critical reception

[edit]

October Sky received generally positive reviews. Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports that 91% out of 74 critics gave the film a positive review, with a rating average of 7.6/10. The critic's consensus states: "Rich in sweet sincerity, intelligence, and good old-fashioned inspirational drama, October Sky is a coming-of-age story with a heart to match its Hollywood craftsmanship."[11] Metacritic gave the film a score of 71 out of 100 based on reviews from 23 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[12] Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film a grade "A" on scale of A to F.[13]

Many critics commended the film for its focus on family values and inspirational aspects, particularly the main character's relationship with his father and the actors' performances. Roger Ebert, who gave the film three-and-a-half stars out of four, recognized that the film "doesn't simplify the father into a bad guy or a tyrant. He understandably wants his son to follow in his footsteps, and one of the best elements of the movie is in breaking free, he is respecting his father. This movie has deep values."[14]

James Wall of The Christian Century described the film's concentration on the father-son relationship as "at times painful to watch. There are no winners or losers when sons go their separate ways. October Sky does not illustrate good parenting; rather, it evokes the realization that since parents have only a limited vision of how to shape their children's future, the job requires a huge amount of love and a lot of divine assistance."[15] Entertainment Weekly and TV Guide claimed that the movie's highlight was the acting of Jake Gyllenhaal and Chris Cooper.[16][17]

The Christian Science Monitor pointed out that some viewers may question "the movie's hero-worshiping treatment of Homer's role model, Wernher von Braun, who's depicted as an all-American icon with no acknowledgment of his earlier career in Nazi Germany."[18] During World War II, Braun was a member of the Nazi party and the Allgemeine SS. In addition, the ballistic weapons that he developed for the Nazi regime were largely constructed by concentration camp prisoners who faced inhumane conditions, with many dying due to their brutal imprisonment.[19]

Accolades

[edit]

October Sky won three awards, including: the OCIC Award for Joe Johnston at the Ajijic International Film Festival 1999,[20] the Critics' Choice Movie Awards for Best Family Film in 2000,[21] and the Humanitas Prize 1999 for Featured Film Category.[22]

Differences between the film and book

[edit]

The movie was praised for its portrayal of 1950s Appalachia despite several major and minor differences from the book on which it is based.

  • Homer Hickam is the main character's name; in the book and in real life he was nicknamed "Sonny".[23][24]
  • Homer Hickam Jr.'s father was not named John. This was changed in an effort to keep the audience from being confused.[24][25]
  • There were actually six "rocket boys" rather than the four in the movie. Some of the movie's representations of the characters are combinations of real-life boys. Their names were: Homer Hickam Jr., Quentin Wilson, Jimmy O'Dell Carroll, Roy Lee Cooke, Billy Rose, and Sherman Siers.[23][24]
  • The Rocket Boys did not steal railroad parts as in the film; however, they did attempt to grab a cast iron pipe under the tracks and, according to Homer's website, this almost got him killed.[23]
  • While the boys were accused of starting a fire, they were never detained. The police soon realized that their rockets could not have traveled over 3 miles and the boys were exonerated. Homer never had to prove their innocence, as his character did in the film.[24]
  • Homer never dropped out of school to work in the town's mine. He did, however, work in the mine the following summer, as described in Hickam's book Sky of Stone.[23]
  • Homer never met Wernher von Braun - as it turns out, von Braun was looking for the Rocket Boys' exhibit when Homer was looking for him; and they missed each other.[24]

Cultural impact

[edit]

There are two annual festivals in honor of the Rocket Boys and the film. One is held in West Virginia where the real-life events depicted in the book and film took place, and the other is in Tennessee where the movie was actually shot. The Rocket Boys often visit the festival in West Virginia, which is also called the "Rocket Boys Festival", while 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 Amazon, saw a screening of October Sky in 1999. In a subsequent conversation with the science fiction writer Neal Stephenson, Bezos commented that he had always wanted to start a space company. Stephenson urged him to do so. Bezos then started the private aerospace manufacturing and services company Blue Origin, and Stephenson became one of the company's early employees.[26][27]

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

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "October Sky". BBFC. Archived from the original on June 24, 2021. Retrieved June 16, 2021. 107m 24s
  2. ^ a b c "October Sky". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on July 22, 2019. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
  3. ^ "Coalwood, West Virginia". www.coalwoodwestvirginia.com. Archived from the original on February 18, 2020. Retrieved January 29, 2018.
  4. ^ a b "October Sky Festival". October Sky Festival. Archived from the original on November 8, 2014. Retrieved July 28, 2014.
  5. ^ a b "October Sky Festival". Coalwood West Virginia. NMT Web Designs, LLC. Archived from the original on August 12, 2014. Retrieved March 26, 2019.
  6. ^ "Frequently Asked Questions". HomerHickam.com. Archived from the 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 April 22, 2023. Retrieved April 22, 2023.
  9. ^ a b "About the Filming". Coalwood West Virginia. NMT Web Designs, LLC. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved July 30, 2014.
  10. ^ a b Kazek, Kelly (July 23, 2014). "'October Sky' actress Natalie Canerday on Jake Gyllenhaal, Chris Cooper, film's legacy 15 years after debut". al.com. Archived from the original on October 14, 2019. Retrieved August 14, 2020.
  11. ^ "October Sky (1999)". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on June 5, 2020. Retrieved January 1, 2021.
  12. ^ "October Sky". Metacritic. Archived from the original on September 4, 2014. Retrieved July 31, 2014.
  13. ^ "October Sky (1999) A". CinemaScore. Archived from the original on December 20, 2018.
  14. ^ Ebert, Roger (February 19, 1999). "October Sky Review". RogerEbert.com. Archived from the original on March 18, 2021. Retrieved July 30, 2014. Immensely entertaining and unabashedly inspirational.
  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 original on August 12, 2014. Retrieved July 31, 2014.
  18. ^ Sterritt, David (February 19, 1999). "'October Sky': almost out of this world". The Christian Science Monitor. Archived from the original on December 24, 2022. Retrieved December 24, 2022.
  19. ^ Shira Teitel, Amy (May 3, 2013). "Wernher von Braun: History's most controversial figure?". Al Jazeera. Archived from the original on December 24, 2022. Retrieved December 24, 2022.
  20. ^ "Joe Johnston Biography". tribute.ca. Retrieved November 7, 2023.
  21. ^ "The 5th Critics' Choice Movie Awards Winners and Nominees". Broadcast Film Critics Association. Archived from the original on July 20, 2012. Retrieved November 7, 2023.
  22. ^ Chang, Kay (July 9, 1999). "'Sky' scribe Colick wins Humanitas Prize". Variety. Retrieved November 7, 2023.
  23. ^ a b c d "Movies Rocket Boys". HomerHickam.com. Archived from the original on July 10, 2015. Retrieved August 21, 2018.
  24. ^ a b c d e Kazek, Kelly (July 23, 2014). "Real vs. Reel: Author Homer Hickam talks differences in 'Rocket Boys' and film 'October Sky'". al.com. Archived from the original on December 15, 2018. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
  25. ^ Bonvillian, Crystal (July 24, 2014). "'October Sky' does good job of telling Homer Hickam Jr.'s remarkable story". al.com. Archived from the original on July 26, 2014. Retrieved July 31, 2014.
  26. ^ Davenport, Christian (2018). The Space Barons: Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and the Quest to Colonize the Cosmos. PublicAffairs, an imprint owned by Hachette Book Group. ISBN 9781610398299.
  27. ^ Foust, Jeff (March 26, 2018). "Reviews: Rocket Billionaires and The Space Barons". The Space Review. Archived from the original on April 1, 2018. Retrieved March 26, 2019.
  28. ^ "The Trek Nation - Carbon Creek". TrekToday.com. September 26, 2002. Retrieved June 28, 2023.
  29. ^ Cowling, Keith (November 25, 2017). "Rocket Boys, Vulcans, and Wandering Apollo Rockets". SpaceRef. Archived from the original on July 2, 2021. Retrieved June 29, 2023.
[edit]
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