October Sky; The Movie Post

A preview of the movie...




"A GREAT MOVIE, THAT WILL LIVE IN YOUR MEMORY FOREVER!"
-Larry King, USA TODAY


"You'll laugh with it, cry with it, and go away absolutely loving it"
-Robert Butler, Knight Rider News Service

Sections/characters minimized in the film
As done in many books into film, there were several sections that were cut off. For example, many of the Auk’s were not shown when they were flown. In the movie, a total of 30 Auk’s were set to fly, and in the movie fewer than 15 were actually presented. Sections were not the only things that were minimized and cut out in the film, characters were as well. For example, Tim’s dad dying and Tim having to move away was not mentioned. And Sherman, one of the rocket boys, was not mentioned either. Though, in the movie it mentioned that O’Dell’s name was ‘Sherman O’Dell’. That was odd because Mr. Hickam did not mention O’Dell’s first name at all in his novel. Jake was also left out in the movie, as well as his relationship with Miss Riley. I believe the director did a good job in cutting out certain characters, because it just made the movie more easy to understand. The book itself was hard to understand if I didn’t quiz myself of who was who, so cutting out characters was a great idea. Thus, as Mr. Hickam mentioned in a speech, the director needed to unless the movie was going to be too long.

Sections/characters emphasized in the film
The protagonist was emphasized the most as done in mostly all the movies. Sonny’s dream was probably emphasized the most in the film. His desire to build rockets really made the movie as great as it was. The director did a good job showing the hardships and the triumphs that Sonny had to go through just to make his Auk’s soar the sky. Sonny’s teacher, Miss Riley, was also emphasized in the film. She was the one to help Sonny see what was ahead of him when his dreams became clouded by troubles within his family.

Narration
There was very little narration in the film. Like in most films, the narration was done in the genesis of the movie. It was told in first person, and the omniscient wasn’t there at all. When the narration was taking place, the narrator never spoke about what others thought. The narrator rather focused on the life of Sonny, and what was going on around Coalwood.

Reoccurring images (motifs)
The reoccurring motif in this movie was Sonny’s desire to build rockets. As I mentioned before, the director did a phenomenal job in emphasizing his dreams. The director also made it quit obvious that Sonny’s motif was to build rockets. It was actually mentioned by Sonny 7 times in the film (approximately).

Use of music/sound effects
The music in the movie was awesome. At first, the director played Jailhouse Rock, by Elvis Presley. The song went so well with the scene, it was like they were made for each other. Thus, no one can go wrong with some tunes from the king himself. Throughout the movie other classical’s were played such as Ain’t That A Shame, by Fats Domino. And when there were scenes of the Rocket Boys building their Auk’s and inching closer to the science fair The Coasters would sing their Yakety Yak. To finish it off, one of the last classical that was played was Speedo, sung by The Cadillacs. These songs all went well with the scene in which they were played in. They were great choices, and the director couldn’t have done a better job.

Description of one shot

First off, I’m sorry for the quality of the picture. It’s an establishing shot, with high key lighting. I believe it’s a POV shot, but then again it can be controversial. For my defense, it only seems natural for it to be a POV shot, and if it is, it might be from Sonny’s perspective.

October Sky; The Final Post!

Summary: All systems go!
Sonny and the young men from the BCMA have done it! Together they have prepared the best science project that the nation has seen in the year 1960.

Before the young men were ready to set sail on an enormous competition, they needed to come up with some new rocket fuel. What they were using in the previous Auk’s, rocket candy, was just going to be powerful enough to go way over a mile into the sky. That’s when the young men got the idea of combining zinc with alcohol. Now, this was sure to make great rocket fuel, but the boys needed pure alcohol, not the stuff that they sold at the Company Store in Coalwood. That’s when they decided to go to John Eye. It was there where they would find the purest moonshine around. With it in hand, they began to amalgamate the zinc and moonshine to create a compound that would change the way their rockets are launched: zincoshine.

The followings Auks to come have been breaking the barriers on how high the rockets can go. Now, the BCMA were not just building the rockets and hope they would fly. With the book that Miss Riley provided them, they were calculating the precise measurement they wanted their rockets to go. And with each Auk, the boys were thinking big. It seemed as if with each new model, the rockets were being designed to go at least another mile over what the previous rocket had flown.

The boys were ready for the science fair, and Sonny knew they had a chance to impress the judges. The only dilemma was that the judges might be biased since their all from Welch. Coming from Big Creek High, that worried Sonny, but it wasn’t like he was going to quit. No BCMA was a quitter. Going into the country science fair, Homer won first place and moved on to the regional competition. At the region competition Sonny and his presentation shined all the way to first place. Next stop: nationals. Before Sonny could even think about going to nationals in Indianapolis he needed a suit. Sonny was planning on wearing his cotton pants and plaid shirts and penny-loafer shoes, but his mother said otherwise. She wanted him to wear a suit for the science fair, and it wasn’t like Sonny was going to have an altercation with his mother over clothing. Anyways, her word was the law.

When Sonny bought his suit, he was now ready to travel to Indianapolis. Before he traveled, he said goodbye to everyone except Dorothy Plunk (his lover), who wasn’t there to watch him leave. When he arrived in Indianapolis he met a young man named Orville (or Tex) from Lubbock, Texas. They became instant friend, and even swapped roommates to spend the next few days in Indianapolis together. Both Tex and Sonny had projects on rockets, but Sonny’s was better because he actually won the competition. Though, Tex came in second. Sonny would have felt very pleased with himself, but the felicity in all of it slipped away when he lost his chance to meet Dr. von Braun. The rocket engineer he was dying to meet was at the science fair with Sonny, and actually touched Auk XXXI (the last rocket BCMA built). What was ironic about the situation was that when Sonny was looking around for Dr. von Braun, he was looking at Sonny’s project and actually said that he would like to meet the young individual who built Auk XXXI.

At the culmination of the novel Sonny, O’Dell, Sherman, Roy Lee, and Quentin launched their last 5 rockets on the fourth of July in the year 1960. Auk’s XXVI – XXXI flew successfully and the crowd, which was the biggest that the BCMA has had (nearly all of Coalwood attended, and people from other towns as well), all ooohed and ahhhed. Out of all of them, Auk XXXI was the most impressive, as it reached over 6 miles into the sky, and what was special about it was that Sonny’s father, Homer Hickam, was the one to launch it.

Quotation: "'You did really good, Dad,' I told him as a spasm of deep, oily coughs raked his body. 'Nobody ever launched a better rocket than you'" (Hickam 407).

Reaction: By far, this was one of the greatest moments in the book. When Homer launched the rocket, it signaled many things. One of them was the relationship between father and son. To Sonny, that was probably the first time that his father really showed that he cared about what he was doing. It meant the world to Sonny to know that he father had appreciated the work he has done with rockets thus far. The novel itself was like no other that I have read in a very long time. The book being 427 pages long, it felt weird knowing that the falling action and dénouement had been compressed into the last 80 pages or so. Overall, it was a good read, and I felt great satisfaction as I closed the book.

October Sky; Pages 143-301

Summary: As the young men from the BCMA began to build their blockhouse, they noticed that they needed some materials. Now, Sonny could have asked his father, Homer, but he knew he would only be wasting his breath. Though, in reality, I believe Homer would provide Sonny with whatever he desires, considering he’s-his-son-and-all. The boys of BCMA had learned many things ever since they began to build rockets, and trading well as not one of them. The men who had the supplies the boys needed demanding certain items in exchange. Sonny did not do a good job in negotiating because he just brought the men whatever they wanted.

When everything was collected, the boys began to finish building their blockhouse. And, in a matter of days, Cape Coalwood was finished. (Cape Coalwood is what Sonny had decided to name the land where his father told him it would be safe to launch his rockets).

Jake, one of the engineers that come from Ohio every year to the mine, has become good friends with Sonny. Their friendship is very unique. It’s unique in the sense that Jake is much more of the ladies man, and hooks up with the secretaries of the mine. As for Sonny, he can’t even keep a very close relationship with a person from the opposite sex, other than his mother of course. Despite their major differences, Sonny likes to be around Jake. And he especially loves to look into Jakes telescope. With his fascination of astronomy, Sonny would try to visit Jake’s telescope as much as possible.

Things are going pretty well for Sonny. He’s building rockets like he’s dreamt of doing, and more importantly he’s making more progress with every one. It seems as if with each Auk that gets built, the elevation bar keeps getting higher and higher. Though only a few people are staying to watch the show, the boys kept motivating themselves.

Miss Riley, a new science teacher, will be in charge of the science fair this year. She heard about Sonny and the BCMA from the Big Creek High principle, Mr. Turner. Ever since the first day she met Sonny, she advised him to take part at the science fair, but Sonny always said no because he ‘wasn’t ready’. Wasn’t ready? Now, if you can launch a rocket more than a thousand feet up in the air, when your in high school, your more than ready. Ever since Sonny began to use rocket candy, a type of chemical that he put in the rocket to make it fly, his rockets were shooting up into the air with haste. Though Sonny knew his rockets were going to make a good presentation, he decided to not jump into conclusion about going to the science fair. First of, he didn’t have a book to explain what was going on while the rockets shot up well. In a science project an individual must know what their talking about, unless, they don’t want to try and win the competition. To his luck, Sonny received a book from Miss Riley which he really needed if he was to participate in the science fair. The book helped him and Quentin better understand rockets, and how it’s crucial to have the right weight depending on how powerful the chemicals are.

Life for Sonny has been getting somewhat more complicated now. He has had much on his mind. For example, he has watched the girl he believed he was in love with go to the dance with Jim (his brother). Also, Sonny’s good friend, Mr. Bykovski, passed away at the mine. The mine is a dangerous place, and the men who work at the mine know that their playing with death the moment they step into it. What happened was that one of the engineers had made a miscalculation, and all hell broke loose. With the slightest miscalculation, the engineer can endanger the lives of many because parts of the mine can collapse. Unfortunately, that’s exactly what happened in the Coalwood mine. Right away I began to think about the conversation I had in my English class with my fellow classmates: How knowing that death has taken a close person/thing that you cared about can make you lose your childhood. To me, it seemed like that’s what exactly happened to Sonny. He didn’t want to talk to no one, not even his parents at home. For a few days he lost the desire to learn more about rockets, and seized the building of them. Sonny was dead inside… he felt nothing.

Quotation: "'We've worked our tails off on your rockets. So you think you can just come down here and treat us like we're nothing? If that's what you think, come on, get up. I'll knowck you down again!" (Hickam 301).

Reaction: When Roy Lee, a member of the Rocket Boys, said this quote it really made me see how Sonny had just treated his friends. Its not mentioned in the quote, but Sonny had said that he's the leader of the group, so he'll be calling the shots. And, if he says that their going to use a type of chemical for the rocket, then their going to use it. After Sonny made those remarks, Roy Lee struck him in the chest. It's important that Roy Lee brought Sonny back to his senses. No one should take advantage of others, especially if they're their friends. Its not only the concept of taking advantage of a person, its respect. And when Sonny said that the group will do something because he said so, there wasn't much respect going across to the other guys. The other members of Rocket Boys did work their tails off to help Sonny launch the rockets he's been able to launch.

Also, the BCMA almost reached a mile in altitude with their latest rocket, Auk XXI.

October Sky; Pages 71-142

Summary: After not getting in trouble for damaging his mother’s fence, Sonny was rewarded with a cool, but foolish nickname: rocket boy. The boys that helped him build the bomb didn’t get away from the criticism either; they were called ‘rocket boys’. Sonny didn’t pay much to the criticism, I guess it was because he was determined to catch up on the space race.

With no where to begin to build a more powerful and successful rocket, Sonny had no other than to ask Quentin for help. Quentin was very intelligent and used words that no one could understand. No one talked to Quentin, which was sad to read. He was more like that nerdy guy in every school, who people just ignored, but knew was there. When Sonny began to talk to Quentin, Quentin immediately said that Sonny was not going to be able to copy his homework. That was not a big deal to Sonny because he wasn’t there to ask for homework, he was there strictly for rocket business. Though, if Quentin had gave him his homework, Sonny wouldn’t have minded copying it.

When Sonny told Quentin about the idea of building rockets, he thought it was a splendid idea and would have loved to work with Sonny and the crew on a new rocket. From the start Quentin wasn’t a bad guy after all. Now, with a group of five Sonny felt that he was ready more than ever to catch up on the space race. As the president of the club Sonny decided to give everybody roles. One of the most important roles in the club was being the scientist, which Quentin had. Anyways, he was the only member in the team who actually knew what they were doing when it came to some of the rocket building stuff.

The Big Creek Missile Agency, or the BCMA, was the name of the group. Sooner or later, with the help of a Life magazine (which had a diagram of a rocket), they began to build their first rocket. Sonny named is Auk I. Auk I was not so much of a success, so they had to build more rockets. Keeping the same ‘Auk’ idea, they named their rockets. Many of the Auk’s flew, but they didn’t fly straight up in the air like Sonny and all the other guys wanted.

It was a good thing that their rockets flew, but it was a bad thing too. For one, they were launching their rockets near the mine. Being the superintendent of the mine Homer needed to keep control of things. As I have foreshadowed, one of the rockets flew into the mine work space. This had upset Homer to the ends of the Earth. Not only does he not like the whole fact of the rocket building, but it was Sonny’s rocket. Since the day Sonny was born, he and his never quite got along. Since that father and son connection wasn’t there, Homer let Sonny have a piece of his mind when he got home.

Ever since that day, when Sonny had to hear his fathers mouth and saw his father dump all his chemicals for the rockets on the ground, he wasn’t allowed to fly rockets by the mine. Not only by the mine, but ever in his life. That did not stop Sonny, for he was too determined to keep on chasing the Russian’s in the space race. One day in church the reverend talked about father and son relationships. And how the father needs to listen and help their son’s in achieving their dreams. And how the son is supposed listen to what his father has to say. After church was over, Sonny’s father told him to go with him somewhere. They got in his car, and what was strange was that Homer let Sonny drive. Something about the reverend’s speech made Homer change his attitude towards Sonny a little bit. When they got to their destination, it was a big open field which was perfect for flying rockets. Homer had told Sonny that if he wanted, he could build rockets once more and fly them. There were some conditions that went along with Sonny’s new privileges: he wouldn’t fly rockets in Coalwood, and he couldn’t use the coal company’s supplies for his rockets. Excited about the new offer, Sonny couldn’t wait to tell Quentin. Soon after the crew new all about their new location, they began to build their blockhouse because they did need somewhere to hide for cover when the rockets were being flown.

Quotation: "'Sons, obey your fathers. But fathers, help your sons to dream'" (Hickam 125).

Reaction: The quote was said by Reverend Lanier. This quote is one of the most powerful things he mentioned when he was giving his homily during the mass. Much of what he was saying in that mass was about father and son relationships, and how need to become stronger. What was odd about it was that while the reverend was speaking, he was looking at Sonny for most of the time. And, it was because of this that Homer probably had a change of heart with Sonny. After all, most people do listen to the reverend’s, so, when he said fathers ‘help your sons to dream’, it was have hit Homer in the heart. He must have noticed that he needed to be a little bit more supportive of Sonny’s dream in building a rocket.

October Sky; Pages 1-70

Summary: Coalwood, West Virginia, is where Homer ‘Sonny’ Hickam, Jr. resides. Coalwood is a town that is mostly known for its coal mine. Most of the men who live in Coalwood work at the mine. And, if a man doesn’t work at the mine, he basically doesn’t have anywhere else to word. Therefore, he will be forced out to move out of Coalwood, and his family as well if he has one.

Sonny is fourteen at the beginning of the novel, and he lives only a few hundred yards away form the mine of Coalwood. He lives with his father, Homer Hickam, the superintendent at the mine, Elsie Hickam, his mother, and Jim Hickam, his brother football star.

Sonny has been in an odd situation for most of his life, and his mother seems to be the only one helping him with his dreams. Though, Sonny isn’t the weirdest guy in town because he does have friends: O’Dell, Roy Lee, Sherman, and Tim. Though, Tim moved one day with his mother and Sonny never heard form him again. The group’s size has decreased, but their friendship still grew as the days went by.

One day Elsie woke Sonny up and told him to hurry up because she wanted him to hear something. So, Sonny got ready with haste and did as his mother told him. When he went to the kitchen where his breakfast waited for him, he heard something on the radio: Sputnik! Sputnik was a satellite which the Russians have launched into space. This was a great deal at the time because the Russians have won the race to launch a satellite into space. Though the Russians won the race, it didn’t mean that the Americans were not going to try and catch up.

After Sputnik was a success for Russia, and Sonny heard how the U.S. was now trying finish their satellite as fast as possible, he became interesting into building rockets. With the help of his friends O’Dell, Sherman, and Roy Lee, he built a small rocket for the first time and decided to launch it by his mothers fence. In their desire to be in the space race, they made their first rocket out of a plastic flashlight. They made a hole in the bottom and put in it, and lit it up. For one, rockets are much more complicated than just putting a hole in the bottom of a cylinder and putting fuel in it. Their hope to build the next successful rocket failed. Not only did they fail, but they tore apart Sonny’s mother’s fence as well.

She wasn’t as mad as he thought though because he was doing something he really wanted to do. It seems quite odd to not be mad at your child when they just blew up your fence, but all Elsie wanted was for Sonny to prove his dad wrong. Sonny’s dad believed that he wasn’t going to be something big like his brother is in football, and that he’s going to be like all the other guys in Coalwood: working at the mine for a living.

Quotation: "'He's just like Homer,' I remember toothless Poppy lisping to Mom while I squirmed... 'No, you're not,' she crooned just loud enough so only she and I could hear. 'No, you're not'" (Hickam 15-16).

Reaction: The quote shows how Elsie disagreed with Sonny’s grandfather. She believes that Sonny could be much more than his father, and that he can get out of Coalwood. Sonny is the protagonist of the novel, and his father, Homer, is the antagonist. Now, to be a character one must have a desire, and Sonny’s desire is to built a rocket. His father as the antagonist is the person who interferes with Sonny’s desire. As for the plot, the story takes place in Coalwood, West Virginia, in the 1950s.