Two of Hollywood’s most formidable men, Dolph Lundgren and Stephen Lang, will bring the heat when Isaac Florentine’s Hellfire unleashes itself upon the world. According to Deadline‘s exclusive report, production on the upcoming thriller is complete, bringing us one step closer to a hot-blooded tale of the right person being in the wrong place at the right time.
Florentine directs Hellfire from a script by Richard Lowry. With Lundgren and Lang taking center stage, Scottie Thompson, Johnny Bosch, Michael Sirow, Chris Mullinax, Maurice Compte, Levon Panek, and Natalie Canerday also star.
Hellfire revolves around an enigmatic drifter (Lang) who visits a small town and finds the residents caught in the vice grip of a merciless crime lord. After surveying the situation, the drifter decides to step in and help those too weak to defend themselves.
Sasha Yelaun, Robert Paschall Jr, Daniel Lief, and Johnny Remo produce, with Rob Simmons,...
Florentine directs Hellfire from a script by Richard Lowry. With Lundgren and Lang taking center stage, Scottie Thompson, Johnny Bosch, Michael Sirow, Chris Mullinax, Maurice Compte, Levon Panek, and Natalie Canerday also star.
Hellfire revolves around an enigmatic drifter (Lang) who visits a small town and finds the residents caught in the vice grip of a merciless crime lord. After surveying the situation, the drifter decides to step in and help those too weak to defend themselves.
Sasha Yelaun, Robert Paschall Jr, Daniel Lief, and Johnny Remo produce, with Rob Simmons,...
- 9/26/2022
- by Steve Seigh
- JoBlo.com
Exclusive: Production has officially wrapped production in Arkansas on the upcoming action thriller Hellfire under the seasoned Isaac Florentine directing with a cast that includes Stephen Lang, Harvey Keitel, and Dolph Lundgren. Hellfire also stars Scottie Thompson, Johnny Yong Bosch, Michael Sirow, Chris Mullinax, Maurice Compte, Levon Panek, and local actress Natalie Canerday amongst others.
The film is about a drifter (played by Stephen Lang) with a mysterious past who arrives in a small town and finds the residents in the grip of a ruthless crime boss and realizes he has to help them.
Written by Richard Lowry, the film is produced by Sasha Yelaun, Robert Paschall Jr (Old Way), Daniel Lief (Seized), and Johnny Remo (Monstrous). Executive producers include Rob Simmons, Ante Novakovic, Jeff Miller, Ronnie D. Lee, Sterling Griffin,...
The film is about a drifter (played by Stephen Lang) with a mysterious past who arrives in a small town and finds the residents in the grip of a ruthless crime boss and realizes he has to help them.
Written by Richard Lowry, the film is produced by Sasha Yelaun, Robert Paschall Jr (Old Way), Daniel Lief (Seized), and Johnny Remo (Monstrous). Executive producers include Rob Simmons, Ante Novakovic, Jeff Miller, Ronnie D. Lee, Sterling Griffin,...
- 9/26/2022
- by Valerie Complex
- Deadline Film + TV
Before A Simple Plan, there was One False Move – a neo noir that was underrated from its very inception. Relegated to the direct-to-video market, it secured a theatrical run through glowing word of mouth, especially that of Gene Siskel, who named it his best film of 1992. A city-by-city release followed, earning Carl Franklin’s film a modest box office of $1.5 million. But like most entries in my retrospective series, One False Move was to be a footnote, neglected and forgotten, with a meagre 9806 votes on IMDb as testament. Happily, this unsung status causes One False Move to be a most satisfying discovery, for it is a film of vicious force and emotional depth that has no flaw worth mentioning.
It begins in a whirlwind of violence as criminal trio Ray (Billy Bob Thornton), Pluto (Michael Beach) and Fantasia (Cynda Williams) burst into a Los Angeles home, looking for a trove of cash and cocaine.
It begins in a whirlwind of violence as criminal trio Ray (Billy Bob Thornton), Pluto (Michael Beach) and Fantasia (Cynda Williams) burst into a Los Angeles home, looking for a trove of cash and cocaine.
- 1/14/2021
- by Jack Hawkins
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Chicago – You won’t find the kind of diversity that exists in HollywoodChicago.com’s Blu-Ray Round-Up too many places online. Where else can modern sci-fi mingle with quarter-century-old genre product and hang out with Oscar winners and slapstick comedies? Nowhere.
The Round-Up is our regular informational column about titles that may have slipped under your radar just because they haven’t been on the cover of Entertainment Weekly or in the point-of-purchase slot at your local Blu-Ray store. Today’s edition of the Round-Up is particularly impressive with a massive comedy hit from Adam Sandler, a sci-fi cult classic, a great new TV show, and the film that made Billy Bob Thornton a star.
“Doctor Who: Planet of the Dead” was released on July 28th, 2009.
“Sling Blade,” and “The Waterboy” were released on August 4th, 2009.
“The Last Starfighter” will be released on August 18th, 2009.
“Doctor Who...
The Round-Up is our regular informational column about titles that may have slipped under your radar just because they haven’t been on the cover of Entertainment Weekly or in the point-of-purchase slot at your local Blu-Ray store. Today’s edition of the Round-Up is particularly impressive with a massive comedy hit from Adam Sandler, a sci-fi cult classic, a great new TV show, and the film that made Billy Bob Thornton a star.
“Doctor Who: Planet of the Dead” was released on July 28th, 2009.
“Sling Blade,” and “The Waterboy” were released on August 4th, 2009.
“The Last Starfighter” will be released on August 18th, 2009.
“Doctor Who...
- 8/12/2009
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
With Billy Bob Thornton’s recent trend of starring in piss-poor comedies where he’s nothing but an arrogant and abusive asshole, it’s easy to forget that the man can be an acting giant when he wants to be. Every now and then we get a glimpse of his talent with films like Monster Ball, but one of his most interesting films is by far the 1996 drama Sling Blade. In Sling Blade, Thornton not only proved his acting chops beyond any doubt, but he established himself as an Oscar-worthy screenwriter. If those two things aren’t enough to make you take a second long look at Billy Bob’s career then nothing will. However, for every two steps forward he takes with his writing and acting, his direction of the film suffers from spreading himself too thin.
Sling Blade takes a timely look at the issue of imprisoning the...
Sling Blade takes a timely look at the issue of imprisoning the...
- 8/4/2009
- by Lex Walker
- JustPressPlay.net
Tonya S. Holly wrote and will direct The Story of Bonnie and Clyde for Cypress Moon Studios with Hilary Duff and Kevin Zegers set to star as the title characters. The film is being described as an indie feature and is said to be a new adaptation of the Bonnie and Clyde story and not a remake of the 1967 classic film that starred Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty and was nominated for 10 Oscars and ended up winning two for Best Supporting Actress (Estelle Parsons) and Best Cinematography (Burnett Guffey). Holly began working on the project after reading old newspaper articles about the gangster pair in an abandoned house on her family's property. The picture is set to film in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. Natalie Canerday and Rance Howard will also star. I am not an unabashed lover of Bonnie and Clyde, but I like it and don't really know what to make of this.
- 1/27/2009
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
Hilary Duff and Kevin Zegers will star in the Cypress Moon Studios production of "The Story of Bonnie and Clyde." Tonya S. Holly is helming from her own screenplay the story of Bonnie Parker and Clyde Darrow which should not be considered a remake of the 1967 classic starring Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty. Holly also wrote and directed 2006's family drama "When I Find the Ocean" starring Dan Beene, Sara Biddle and Anthony Brooks. Natalie Canerday of "Ocean" and "Shotgun Stories"...
- 1/27/2009
- Upcoming-Movies.com
Hilary Duff and Kevin Zegers will star in the Cypress Moon Studios production of "The Story of Bonnie and Clyde." Tonya S. Holly is helming from her own screenplay the story of Bonnie Parker and Clyde Darrow which should not be considered a remake of the 1967 classic starring Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty. Holly also wrote and directed 2006's family drama "When I Find the Ocean" starring Dan Beene, Sara Biddle and Anthony Brooks. Natalie Canerday of "Ocean" and "Shotgun Stories"...
- 1/27/2009
- Upcoming-Movies.com
Hilary Duff and Kevin Zegers will star in the Cypress Moon Studios production of "The Story of Bonnie and Clyde." Tonya S. Holly is helming from her own screenplay the story of Bonnie Parker and Clyde Darrow which should not be considered a remake of the 1967 classic starring Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty. Holly also wrote and directed 2006's family drama "When I Find the Ocean" starring Dan Beene, Sara Biddle and Anthony Brooks. Natalie Canerday of "Ocean" and "Shotgun Stories" and Rance Howard are also cast. Filming is to take place in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama.
- 1/27/2009
- Upcoming-Movies.com
Hilary Duff and Kevin Zegers will star in the Cypress Moon Studios production of "The Story of Bonnie and Clyde." Tonya S. Holly is helming from her own screenplay the story of Bonnie Parker and Clyde Darrow which should not be considered a remake of the 1967 classic starring Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty. Holly also wrote and directed 2006's family drama "When I Find the Ocean" starring Dan Beene, Sara Biddle and Anthony Brooks. Natalie Canerday of "Ocean" and "Shotgun Stories"...
- 1/27/2009
- Upcoming-Movies.com
Hilary Duff and Kevin Zegers will play the title roles in "The Story of Bonnie and Clyde." Set up at Cypress Moon Studios, "The Story of Bonnie and Clyde" will be written and directed by Tonya S. Holly. According to Variety, Holly's take on the material will be a fresh adaptation of the life of outlaws Bonnie Barker and Clyde Barrow and won't be a remake of the 1967 classic, which starring Warren Beatty and Fay Dunaway. The trade paper says that the film will shoot in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama and all also co-star Natalie Canerday and Rance Howard....
- 1/26/2009
- by HitFix Staff
- Hitfix
Hilary Duff and Kevin Zegers will star in indie feature The Story of Bonnie and Clyde , produced by Cypress Moon Studios. Variety says Tonya S. Holly will direct the film from her own script, which is a new adaptation of the story of Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow rather than a remake of the 1967 classic film starring Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty. Holly began working on the project after reading old newspaper articles about the gangster pair in an abandoned house on her family's property. The Story of Bonnie and Clyde is set to film in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. Natalie Canerday and Rance Howard will also star.
- 1/26/2009
- Comingsoon.net
The latest issue of Production Weekly is reporting that Hilary Duff will star in The Story of Bonnie and Clyde, a new film about the notorious gangster couple from director Tonya S. Holly. Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow were notorious outlaws, robbers, and criminals who traveled the Central United States during the Great Depression. Their exploits were known nationwide. They captured the attention of the American press and its readership during what is sometimes referred to as the "public enemy era" between 1931 and 1935. Though the gang was notorious for their bank robberies, Barrow preferred to rob small stores or gas stations. The gang was believed to have killed at least nine police officers, among several other murders. Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway famously portrayed the two in the 1967 film directed by Arthur Penn. It won two Oscars, Best Supporting Actress for Estelle Parsons and Best Cinematography. Duff even recreated a...
- 1/12/2009
- by James Cook
- TheMovingPicture.net
Production Weekly has missed the mark in glorious fashion before - saying Paul Greengrass would replace Spielberg to direct The Trial of the Chicago Seven and putting the third Batman movie in front of cameras this spring - so we won't hold our breath that this is confirmed. However, the trade publication is reporting that Hilary Duff will take on the Faye Dunaway role in a remake of Bonnie and Clyde.
Curiously enough, The Duff posed for a photo shoot recreating the classic 1960s film, which along with The Graduate and a couple other films around that time, kind of ushered in a new era of American filmmaking.
Cinema Blend says that Pw mentions Tonya S. Holly in the director's chair for the remake, which would also star Kevin Zegers, Natalie Canerday, and Rance Howard. I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if this movie gets remade this year or ten years from now.
Curiously enough, The Duff posed for a photo shoot recreating the classic 1960s film, which along with The Graduate and a couple other films around that time, kind of ushered in a new era of American filmmaking.
Cinema Blend says that Pw mentions Tonya S. Holly in the director's chair for the remake, which would also star Kevin Zegers, Natalie Canerday, and Rance Howard. I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if this movie gets remade this year or ten years from now.
- 1/11/2009
- by Colin Boyd
- GetTheBigPicture.net
About a year ago, Hilary Duff posed for Allure magazine dressed like Faye Dunaway in Bonnie and Clyde. Who knew that would be a hint? Apparently Duff is now preparing to work on The Story of Bonnie and Clyde, another movie about the famed gangsters that will presumably feature Duff in the female title role. This week's Production Weekly says that production will begin in April in the Deep South, with Tonya S. Holly (When I Find the Ocean) directing Duff, Kevin Zegers, Natalie Canerday and Rance Howard. The plot description offers up nothing but the details of Bonnie and Clyde's lives, but how much do you want to bet this won't be trying to approximate the groundbreaking filmmaking that the original Bonnie and Clyde represented back in 1967? I'm not willing to call this a remake, and I think it's probably just another movie based on the same real-life story.
- 1/11/2009
- cinemablend.com
IFP West
Los Angeles Film Festival Reviews
It's only fitting that a documentary profiling the origins and work of highly regarded Southern writer Larry Brown is as colorful and evocative as his gritty literary milieu.
Keeping the talking-heads quotient down to an intimate two -- those of the Mississippi fireman-turned-author and his supportive but pleasantly candid wife, Mary Annie -- filmmaker Gary Hawkins artfully intersperses the down-home interviews with several dramatizations of Brown's short stories.
Each has its own distinct look and flavor. While "Boy and Dog" blends a range of film stocks with archival footage to tell a story from a kid's perspective, and "Samaritans", featuring actors Will Patton and "Sling Blade"'s Natalie Canerday, sticks to Super 16mm, "Wild Thing" is told through a montage of still black-and-white images.
Although the influence of such avant-garde directors as France's Chris Marker and Yugoslavia's Dusan Makavejev is apparent here, Hawkins, whose companion film, "The Rough South of Harry Crews", won a regional Emmy, gets maximum mileage out of the technique, which, when paired with Vic Chesnutt's compositions, allows the viewer to get a fairly authentic taste of Brown's often booze-soaked prose.
Ultimately, this spirited portrait of the man and his profession has just as much to say about his relationship with the woman who has allowed the man to pursue that calling -- raising the kids while he was out haunting the bars and the lonely stretches of road -- to find the inspiration for those Southern-fried slices of life.
Los Angeles Film Festival Reviews
It's only fitting that a documentary profiling the origins and work of highly regarded Southern writer Larry Brown is as colorful and evocative as his gritty literary milieu.
Keeping the talking-heads quotient down to an intimate two -- those of the Mississippi fireman-turned-author and his supportive but pleasantly candid wife, Mary Annie -- filmmaker Gary Hawkins artfully intersperses the down-home interviews with several dramatizations of Brown's short stories.
Each has its own distinct look and flavor. While "Boy and Dog" blends a range of film stocks with archival footage to tell a story from a kid's perspective, and "Samaritans", featuring actors Will Patton and "Sling Blade"'s Natalie Canerday, sticks to Super 16mm, "Wild Thing" is told through a montage of still black-and-white images.
Although the influence of such avant-garde directors as France's Chris Marker and Yugoslavia's Dusan Makavejev is apparent here, Hawkins, whose companion film, "The Rough South of Harry Crews", won a regional Emmy, gets maximum mileage out of the technique, which, when paired with Vic Chesnutt's compositions, allows the viewer to get a fairly authentic taste of Brown's often booze-soaked prose.
Ultimately, this spirited portrait of the man and his profession has just as much to say about his relationship with the woman who has allowed the man to pursue that calling -- raising the kids while he was out haunting the bars and the lonely stretches of road -- to find the inspiration for those Southern-fried slices of life.
- 7/16/2002
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Based on an O. Henry Prize-winning story by Tom McNeal, director/co-writer Hilary Birmingham's feature debut is a straightforward tale of family farmers in the Midwest and, in particular, one young man's emotionally wrenching path to manhood.
Featuring standout performances by several cast members, including Anson Mount as the title character, "What Happened to Tully" won over audiences and critics at the Los Angeles Independent Film Festival, which closed April 18, claiming two awards. But the film is perhaps in need of more fine-tuning before it connects significantly with paying audiences. A modest theatrical release seems likely.
There are many good things about "Tully", from the leisurely pace devoid of shock techniques and flashy visuals to the believable characters and dialogue. With a background in documentaries, Birmingham brings a non-Hollywood sensibility to material that might have been more commercialized (with decidedly less-noteworthy results).
However, the forward momentum, particularly during the second half, gets bogged down in one-on-one scenes showcasing the actors' talents. One's fascination with such seemingly genuine characters begins to fade as they face thornier problems of crumbling family dynamics, looming foreclosures and a dark secret with potentially disastrous ramifications.
A tractor driver and all-around farm worker, Tully Coates (Mount) is handsome, rugged and a hit with the girls. Be it the projectionist at the local cinema or a "burlesque"-performing wildcat (Catherine Kellner), Tully has no shortage of candidates for summertime fun in and on top of his car out in the woods. Tully's brother Earl (Glenn Fitzgerald) is in his shadow, too shy and nervous to approach the girl he's interested in but not such a misfit that he won't eventually find happiness.
Returning for the summer from veterinary school, local girl Ella (Julianne Nicholson) is good friends with Earl, but from the start it's apparent that she's almost on the same wavelength as Tully. She makes fun of his promiscuous ways and finds amusement when things don't last. "What's it like to drive women crazy?" she asks jokingly. He's not sure if she's another potential conquest or something more serious.
Tully's quiet, introverted father (Bob Burrus) is grooming him to take over the farm, but there's minor friction over the former's girl trouble and Tully Sr.'s not including his son in decisions. The official story of Tully and Earl's missing mother is that she died 15 years earlier in a car crash, but the truth is something else. When the father is served a foreclosure notice as a result of someone mysteriously running up enormous medical bills, the sad facts start to come out.
Building to several heavily emotional scenes between father and sons, son and son or Tully and Ella, the film takes too long to reach the lovely final shot, but the journey is worth it. Mount ("Boiler Room") is impressive in a meaty role, exuding strength and confidence that should win him ardent fans. The freckled Nicholson ("The Love Letter") is a joy to watch, with her distinct looks and easygoing technique. Burrus ("Southern Comfort") is also superb as a man torn asunder inside. His scenes with Natalie Canerday ("October Sky") as a storekeeper are some of the film's sweetest and most memorable.
Filmed mostly in Nebraska and Iowa with Birmingham and cinematographer John Foster employing many long takes and much indirect lighting, "Tully" is visually satisfying, but the actors and scenery, as well as the dramatic force in several scenes, are undercut by Marcello Zarvos' distractingly routine score.
WHAT HAPPENED TO TULLY
Tell Tale Films
Credits: Director: Hilary Birmingham; Screenwriters: Matt Drake, Hilary Birmingham; Based on a story by: Tom McNeal; Producers: Hilary Birmingham, Annie Sundberg; Director of photography: John Foster; Production designer: Mark White; Editor: Affonso Goncalves; Costume designer: Christine Vollmer; Music: Marcello Zarvos. Cast: Tully: Anson Mount; Earl: Glenn Fitzgerald; Ella: Julianne Nicholson; Tully Sr.: Bob Burrus; April: Catherine Kellner; Claire: Natalie Canerday. No MPAA rating. Color/stereo. Running time -- 104 minutes.
Featuring standout performances by several cast members, including Anson Mount as the title character, "What Happened to Tully" won over audiences and critics at the Los Angeles Independent Film Festival, which closed April 18, claiming two awards. But the film is perhaps in need of more fine-tuning before it connects significantly with paying audiences. A modest theatrical release seems likely.
There are many good things about "Tully", from the leisurely pace devoid of shock techniques and flashy visuals to the believable characters and dialogue. With a background in documentaries, Birmingham brings a non-Hollywood sensibility to material that might have been more commercialized (with decidedly less-noteworthy results).
However, the forward momentum, particularly during the second half, gets bogged down in one-on-one scenes showcasing the actors' talents. One's fascination with such seemingly genuine characters begins to fade as they face thornier problems of crumbling family dynamics, looming foreclosures and a dark secret with potentially disastrous ramifications.
A tractor driver and all-around farm worker, Tully Coates (Mount) is handsome, rugged and a hit with the girls. Be it the projectionist at the local cinema or a "burlesque"-performing wildcat (Catherine Kellner), Tully has no shortage of candidates for summertime fun in and on top of his car out in the woods. Tully's brother Earl (Glenn Fitzgerald) is in his shadow, too shy and nervous to approach the girl he's interested in but not such a misfit that he won't eventually find happiness.
Returning for the summer from veterinary school, local girl Ella (Julianne Nicholson) is good friends with Earl, but from the start it's apparent that she's almost on the same wavelength as Tully. She makes fun of his promiscuous ways and finds amusement when things don't last. "What's it like to drive women crazy?" she asks jokingly. He's not sure if she's another potential conquest or something more serious.
Tully's quiet, introverted father (Bob Burrus) is grooming him to take over the farm, but there's minor friction over the former's girl trouble and Tully Sr.'s not including his son in decisions. The official story of Tully and Earl's missing mother is that she died 15 years earlier in a car crash, but the truth is something else. When the father is served a foreclosure notice as a result of someone mysteriously running up enormous medical bills, the sad facts start to come out.
Building to several heavily emotional scenes between father and sons, son and son or Tully and Ella, the film takes too long to reach the lovely final shot, but the journey is worth it. Mount ("Boiler Room") is impressive in a meaty role, exuding strength and confidence that should win him ardent fans. The freckled Nicholson ("The Love Letter") is a joy to watch, with her distinct looks and easygoing technique. Burrus ("Southern Comfort") is also superb as a man torn asunder inside. His scenes with Natalie Canerday ("October Sky") as a storekeeper are some of the film's sweetest and most memorable.
Filmed mostly in Nebraska and Iowa with Birmingham and cinematographer John Foster employing many long takes and much indirect lighting, "Tully" is visually satisfying, but the actors and scenery, as well as the dramatic force in several scenes, are undercut by Marcello Zarvos' distractingly routine score.
WHAT HAPPENED TO TULLY
Tell Tale Films
Credits: Director: Hilary Birmingham; Screenwriters: Matt Drake, Hilary Birmingham; Based on a story by: Tom McNeal; Producers: Hilary Birmingham, Annie Sundberg; Director of photography: John Foster; Production designer: Mark White; Editor: Affonso Goncalves; Costume designer: Christine Vollmer; Music: Marcello Zarvos. Cast: Tully: Anson Mount; Earl: Glenn Fitzgerald; Ella: Julianne Nicholson; Tully Sr.: Bob Burrus; April: Catherine Kellner; Claire: Natalie Canerday. No MPAA rating. Color/stereo. Running time -- 104 minutes.
- 4/25/2000
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Despite the nondescript title, Universal has a potential sleeper hit in "October Sky", an unapologetically formulaic but rousing period piece based on the childhood memoir, "Rocket Boys", by NASA science engineer Homer H. Hickam Jr.
Boasting a terrific cast, the Eisenhower-era, space-race story about a coal miner's son whose head is truly in the clouds taps into some universal truths about family dynamics that remain stubbornly unaffected by time and place.
While it would have taken no less than the presence of Robin Williams with a pocket protector and brandishing a slide ruler to guarantee the studio another "Patch Adams"-sized success, favorable reviews and strong word-of-mouth should propel "October Sky" to respectable heights.
Young Jake Gyllenhaal puts in a winning performance as Homer Hickam, a rural West Virginia high school student circa 1957 who lives in the shadow of his football-playing brother and under the tough but well-meaning hand of his miner superintendent father (Chris Cooper).
Although it's all but a given that the young men of Coalwood will become miners with the exception of those few -- like his brother -- who earn football scholarships, Homer discovers his destiny one October night when he sees the Soviet satellite Sputnik twinkling across the sky.
The next morning he proudly announces at breakfast that he's going to build rockets for a living. Undaunted by his family's unenthusiastic response -- his mom (Natalie Canerday) offers a that's-nice-dear smile accompanied by the motherly advice, "Don't blow yourself up!" -- Homer perseveres with the help of his friends, Roy Lee William Lee Scott), O'Dell (Chad Lindberg) and Quentin (Chris Owen), the high school nerd who's more than happy to offer him a primer in rocket science.
Their first batch of prototypes go south, but after constant refinement, the rocket boys, boosted by their inspiring teacher, Miss Riley (Laura Dern) are ready to enter a national science fair. But fate would appear to conspire against them. The authorities effectively shut down their launch site when one of their unaccounted-for, wayward rockets is alleged to have sparked a forest fire.
Worse, Homer has to put his dreams on hold and starts shoveling coal to help make ends meet after his father is seriously injured in a mining accident.
Of course, everything will turn out just fine in the end, and while the route getting there is filled with some very familiar obstacles, it's still a very satisfying trip.
Much of the credit goes to the exceptional cast, headed by Gyllenhaal, whose sweet, sensitive but stubbornly determined portrayal of a young man intent on making his own destiny fuels much of the picture's crowd-pleasing power.
Cooper, meanwhile, is excellent as his hardened, uncomprehending but ultimately caring father. It's a complex, thoughtfully layered performance.
Good, too, is Canerday as Homer's no-nonsense mom who's willing to play the part of the supportive '50s housewife only up to a point, and Dern, who always ignites every screen she appears on, this time as Homer's encouraging teacher.
Director Joe Johnston ("Jumanji") did another jet-propelled period piece called "The Rocketeer", but this one really flies, dispensing of the array of big-budget special effects in favor of effective, good old-fashioned storytelling and sturdy characterizations.
While Lewis Colick's script doesn't try to break any ground in its safe approach to the material, it manages to get the job done in a tidy and affecting manner.
It's all framed by Fred Murphy's warm-toned camera work and Barry Robison's period-appropriate but respectfully unkitschy production design.
Meanwhile, Mark Isham's inventive score goes for something beyond the usual string-heavy arrangements, blending in nicely with the rock 'n' roll samplings of Elvis, Buddy Holly and Fats Domino, which, like the emerging space program, signaled a society on the cusp of unprecedented change.
OCTOBER SKY
Universal Pictures
A Charles Gordon production
A Joe Johnston film
Director: Joe Johnston
Screenwriter: Lewis Colick
Based on the book "Rocket Boys"by: Homer H. Hickam Jr.
Producers: Charles Gordon, Larry Franco
Executive producers: Marc Sternberg, Peter Cramer
Director of photography: Fred Murphy
Production designer: Barry Robison
Editor: Robert Dalva
Costume designer: Betsy Cox
Music: Mark Isham
Casting: Nancy Foy
Color/stereo
Cast:
Homer: Jake Gyllenhaal
John Hickam: Chris Cooper
Roy Lee: William Lee Scott
Quentin: Chris Owen
O'Dell: Chad Lindberg
Elsie Hickam: Natalie Canerday
Miss Riley: Laura Dern
Running time -- 108 minutes
MPAA rating: PG...
Boasting a terrific cast, the Eisenhower-era, space-race story about a coal miner's son whose head is truly in the clouds taps into some universal truths about family dynamics that remain stubbornly unaffected by time and place.
While it would have taken no less than the presence of Robin Williams with a pocket protector and brandishing a slide ruler to guarantee the studio another "Patch Adams"-sized success, favorable reviews and strong word-of-mouth should propel "October Sky" to respectable heights.
Young Jake Gyllenhaal puts in a winning performance as Homer Hickam, a rural West Virginia high school student circa 1957 who lives in the shadow of his football-playing brother and under the tough but well-meaning hand of his miner superintendent father (Chris Cooper).
Although it's all but a given that the young men of Coalwood will become miners with the exception of those few -- like his brother -- who earn football scholarships, Homer discovers his destiny one October night when he sees the Soviet satellite Sputnik twinkling across the sky.
The next morning he proudly announces at breakfast that he's going to build rockets for a living. Undaunted by his family's unenthusiastic response -- his mom (Natalie Canerday) offers a that's-nice-dear smile accompanied by the motherly advice, "Don't blow yourself up!" -- Homer perseveres with the help of his friends, Roy Lee William Lee Scott), O'Dell (Chad Lindberg) and Quentin (Chris Owen), the high school nerd who's more than happy to offer him a primer in rocket science.
Their first batch of prototypes go south, but after constant refinement, the rocket boys, boosted by their inspiring teacher, Miss Riley (Laura Dern) are ready to enter a national science fair. But fate would appear to conspire against them. The authorities effectively shut down their launch site when one of their unaccounted-for, wayward rockets is alleged to have sparked a forest fire.
Worse, Homer has to put his dreams on hold and starts shoveling coal to help make ends meet after his father is seriously injured in a mining accident.
Of course, everything will turn out just fine in the end, and while the route getting there is filled with some very familiar obstacles, it's still a very satisfying trip.
Much of the credit goes to the exceptional cast, headed by Gyllenhaal, whose sweet, sensitive but stubbornly determined portrayal of a young man intent on making his own destiny fuels much of the picture's crowd-pleasing power.
Cooper, meanwhile, is excellent as his hardened, uncomprehending but ultimately caring father. It's a complex, thoughtfully layered performance.
Good, too, is Canerday as Homer's no-nonsense mom who's willing to play the part of the supportive '50s housewife only up to a point, and Dern, who always ignites every screen she appears on, this time as Homer's encouraging teacher.
Director Joe Johnston ("Jumanji") did another jet-propelled period piece called "The Rocketeer", but this one really flies, dispensing of the array of big-budget special effects in favor of effective, good old-fashioned storytelling and sturdy characterizations.
While Lewis Colick's script doesn't try to break any ground in its safe approach to the material, it manages to get the job done in a tidy and affecting manner.
It's all framed by Fred Murphy's warm-toned camera work and Barry Robison's period-appropriate but respectfully unkitschy production design.
Meanwhile, Mark Isham's inventive score goes for something beyond the usual string-heavy arrangements, blending in nicely with the rock 'n' roll samplings of Elvis, Buddy Holly and Fats Domino, which, like the emerging space program, signaled a society on the cusp of unprecedented change.
OCTOBER SKY
Universal Pictures
A Charles Gordon production
A Joe Johnston film
Director: Joe Johnston
Screenwriter: Lewis Colick
Based on the book "Rocket Boys"by: Homer H. Hickam Jr.
Producers: Charles Gordon, Larry Franco
Executive producers: Marc Sternberg, Peter Cramer
Director of photography: Fred Murphy
Production designer: Barry Robison
Editor: Robert Dalva
Costume designer: Betsy Cox
Music: Mark Isham
Casting: Nancy Foy
Color/stereo
Cast:
Homer: Jake Gyllenhaal
John Hickam: Chris Cooper
Roy Lee: William Lee Scott
Quentin: Chris Owen
O'Dell: Chad Lindberg
Elsie Hickam: Natalie Canerday
Miss Riley: Laura Dern
Running time -- 108 minutes
MPAA rating: PG...
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