I. Direction
Joseph Eggleston "Joe" Johnston III is an American film director , responsible for such films as Hidalgo, Jurassic Park III, October Sky, and Jumanji, amongst others. He was also the author of a book titled The Adventures of Teebo: A Tale of Magic and Suspense.
Johnston was educated at California State University, Long Beach, as well as the Art Center College of Design. Johnston responded to an ad looking for a storyboard artist at college, which turned out to be for George Lucas' Lucas Film Company. Johnston began working at the company, eventually promoted to a head storyboard position which frequently teamed him with Lucas in the editing room. Johnston later referred to working for Lucas as the best film school he could ever have when he watched Lucas do the editing for the Star Wars trilogy. Eventually, Johnston became disillusioned with his job and decided to leave Lucas film with his earnings to travel the world. But Lucas had other ideas when Johnston came to leave his notice. Lucas advised Johnston that he move him to the front line of applicants of his alma mater University of Southern California's Film School with Lucas paying for his tuition and keeping him on at half salary. Johnston said he didn't think twice when accepting Lucas' proposal, which he did in 1984.
II. Cast
Homer Hickam (Jacob Benjamin Gyllenhaal)
He is a high school student who wants to have a football scholarship. He is the main character of the film. He got interested in rocket building after he has seen the first man-made satellite. He won the science fair in Indianapolis
John Hickam (Chris Cooper)
He was the Dad of Homer. Everybody supports the rocket boys except him. He was the mine forman.
Freida Riley (Laura Elizabeth Dern)
She was the encouraging teacher of Homer. She dies of Hodgkin. She thought Homer can’t succeed because rocket building is more on Mathematics.
Jim Hickam
He was the brother of Homer Hickam who got a football scholarship.
Elsie Hickam (Natalie Canerday)
She was the mother of Homer who loves Myrtle Beach.
Ike Bykovsky (Elya Baskin)
He was the first men who helped Homer in rocket building. Before he doesn’t work in the mine but when he started he realized that he can get higher income if he work in the mine. He was #723.
Leon Bolden (Randy Stripling)
He works in machine shop.
Wernher Von Brawn
He was a NASA engineer.
Quentin Wilson (Chris Owen)
He was a nerd who was good in Mathematics.
Sherman O’dell (Chad Lindberg)
A mine accident causes his father to die.
Roy Lee Cooke (William Lee Scott)
He was the best friend of Homer.
Principal Turner (Chris Ellis)
The Principal of Homer’s school.
III. Summary
Homer Hickam, lived in a small coal mining town in West Virginia named Coalwood. Sonny, after seeing Sputnik, the world's first artificial Earth satellite, build a team of rocket engineers, when he graduated from school. Sonny's older brother, named Jim Hickam, was excellent at football and expected to go to college on a football scholarship. Sonny, however, was terrible at sports and had no special skill that will get him "out of Coalwood". Sonny's mother was afraid that he will have to work in the mines after high school. She planted in his mind the idea to build a rocket to impress his father enough to pay his way through college.
Sonny's first attempt at rocketry consisted of a flashlight tube and model airplane body as a casing, fueled by flash powder from old cherry bombs. It exploded violently, destroying his mother's fence. After that, Sonny enlisted the help of other boys in the town and his high school to help him build his rockets. These people were Quentin, Roy Lee, and Sherman. Their first real rocket, powered by black powder, was named Auk, a flightless sea bird that became extinct in the mid-1800s. The solder melted and the nozzle, a washer, separated from the casement. After that, the group of boys started calling themselves "Rocket Boys" and called the place they were launching their rockets from "Cape Coalwood", in honor of Cape Canaveral.
The Rocket Boys enjoyed mixed success during their rocket launching campaign, employing several fuel mixtures including rocket candy and a mixture called "zincoshine".
They later won a National Science fair for their rockets.
IV. Production Design
Since the movie is based from a true story of Homer in Coalwood, the production designer used Coalwood as the setting of the story. He didn’t use any special effect.
V. Musical Scoring
Very few parts were place with music. Silence is use often times. Love scenes were place with music. The scenes in which they launch their rockets have some music.
VI. Cinematography
Some parts of the movie was not lighted very much to produce the feelings of the actor and actresses
VII. Relevance of the Story
It tells the viewers that “If you want to succeed you must be determined and persevered”.
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