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October Sky (Special Edition)
 
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October Sky (Special Edition) (1999)

Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Chris Cooper Director: Joe Johnston Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested) Format: DVD
4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (313 customer reviews)

List Price: $9.99
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Frequently Bought Together

October Sky (Special Edition) + Secondhand Lions (New Line Platinum Series) + Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Two-Disc Limited Special Edition + Digital Copy)
Total List Price: $57.96
Price For All Three: $36.97

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  • This item: October Sky (Special Edition) DVD ~ Jake Gyllenhaal

    In Stock.
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  • Secondhand Lions (New Line Platinum Series) DVD ~ Haley Joel Osment

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  • Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Two-Disc Limited Special Edition + Digital Copy) DVD ~ Daniel Radcliffe

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What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

October Sky (Special Edition)
94% buy the item featured on this page:
October Sky (Special Edition) 4.8 out of 5 stars (313)
$7.99
Secondhand Lions (New Line Platinum Series)
3% buy
Secondhand Lions (New Line Platinum Series) 4.6 out of 5 stars (426)
$8.99
October Sky
1% buy
October Sky
$9.99
The Dark Knight (Full-Screen Single-Disc Edition)
1% buy
The Dark Knight (Full-Screen Single-Disc Edition) 4.1 out of 5 stars (1,216)
$11.99

Product Details


Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Based on the memoir Rocket Boys by Homer H. Hickam Jr., October Sky emerged as one of the most delightful sleepers of 1999--a small miracle of good ol' fashioned movie-making in the cynical, often numbingly trendy Hollywood of the late 20th century. Hickam's true story begins in 1957 with Russia's historic launch of the Sputnik satellite, and while Homer (played with smart idealism by Jake Gyllenhaal) sees Sputnik as his cue to pursue a fascination with rocketry, his father (Chris Cooper) epitomizes the admirable yet sternly stubborn working-man's ethic of the West Virginia coal miner, casting fear and disdain on Homer's pursuit of science while urging his "errant" son to carry on the family business--a spirit-killing profession that Homer has no intention of joining.

As directed by Joe Johnston (The Rocketeer), this wonderful movie is occasionally guilty of overstating its case and sacrificing subtlety for predictable melodrama. But more often the film's tone is just right, and the spirit of adventure and invention is infectiously conveyed through Gyllenhaal and his well-cast fellow rocketeers, whose many failures gradually lead to triumph on their makeshift backwoods launching pad. Capturing time and place with impeccable detail and superbly developed characters (including Laura Dern as an inspiring schoolteacher), October Sky is a family film for the ages, encouraging the highest potential of the human spirit while giving viewers a clear view of a bygone era when "the final frontier" beckoned to the explorer in all of us. --Jeff Shannon



Product Description

Coalwood, West Virginia, 1957. Working in the coal mines is an inescapable way of life in this small town. When high schooler Homer Hickam, Jr. (Jake Gyllenhaal) sees the Sputnik satellite in the night sky, he dares to break free of the mines and reach for the stars. With the support of his teacher (Laura Dern) and three friends, Homer sets out on an inspiring quest to build his own rocket. Overcoming a poor education, a tough father (Chris Cooper) and a series of misfires, Homer turns his dreams into reality in this incredible true story of hope, determination and triumph. "You’ll laugh with it, cry with it, and go away absolutely loving it," says Robert Butler (Knight Ridder News Service) of the critically acclaimed October Sky.

This special edition dvd includes:

*Aiming High: The Story of the Rocket Boys, starring the real Rocket Boys.
*Feature Commentary with Homer Hickam
*Spotlight on Location
*Production Notes
*Theatrical Trailer


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Customer Reviews

313 Reviews
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 (271)
4 star:
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Average Customer Review
4.8 out of 5 stars (313 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
102 of 106 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Tell your friends about this movie, February 29, 2000
By Randolph S. Perry (Ann Arbor, Michigan) - See all my reviews
I'd seen the October Sky DVD at the local video store, but avoided it--I imagine because I didn't know much about it and because I'd read it was just a "family" movie and figured it wouldn't be very interesting. Well, I finally rented it, and now I see why so many of the reviewers here have raved about it. I won't go into the story--others here have. I'll just say that October Sky is simply a wonderful story, and it's very well told in this movie--script, direction, and cast are all first rate, the photography is beautiful, and the score evocative. It even captured our thirteen year old son's attention--not a small feat for a movie with a PG rating. My guess is you'll be thinking about Coalwood, West Virgina, and its people for a while after seeing this movie. (I should add I ended up buying both the DVD and Rocket Boys (also published as October Sky), the book on which the movie is based. The book is great, too.)
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66 of 68 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars An undiscovered jewel of a film., July 30, 2002
By Neal C. Reynolds (Indianapolis, Indiana) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)      
Not everybody will like this film. Three people out of the one hundred and seventy five reviewers here didn't like it. And fifteen more out of the remaining one hundred and seventy two gave it three or four stars, leaving one hundred and fifty seven who thought this an absolutely great movie against eighteen who didn't.

So I think I'm safe enough to say you'll like this movie even if reading about it doesn't make it sound that exciting. The bottom line is that this movie is so very human. The boys who are obsessed with rockets are normal, every day boys sparked with enthusiasm about what can be done. They are following their own stars, their own sense of what is right for them, against the opposition of those who don't understand.

And so, there is a story for each and every one here, a very real story about following your own star, not somebody else's. Yes, it's a feel good movie, but it achieves this through the power of the true story, not out of viewer manipulation.

Very highly recommended.

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27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars My inspiration, January 1, 2000
By Victor I. (Jersey City, NJ) - See all my reviews
This review is from: October Sky (DVD)
Do you feel constrained in your job? Are you an unhappy student? Then this movie is for you. I first watched the rental and I was deeply touched and inspired by it. I right away decided that this movie is worth owning, so I bought myself a copy. I don't regret it. Every time I watch it, it makes me re-evaluate my life and inspires me to go after what I value most. It makes me realize that I, too, can do what most people will tell me is impossible. It inspires me to keep trying and keep dreaming. You must own this movie so it touches and inspires everyone who visits your home.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Great movie!
This was a great movie - highly recommend. We saw as a part of a training course. I came home and immediately purchased the movie on Amazon.
Published 8 days ago by Patrick Garrett

5.0 out of 5 stars Best inspirational movie
This movie could inspire any one that they could accomplish any thing.
There are even lesson plans to go with it on the internet.
Published 1 month ago by Eleanor Campbell

4.0 out of 5 stars Sweet! Charming! Delightful to watch
This is based on a real life however still has a lot of dramatic elements to the delight of the viewers. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Gautam De

5.0 out of 5 stars Review for October Sky
October Sky is a movie about a young boy who gets smitten with rockets. There are many great scenes in this movie, but the one I like is O. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Richard Davidson Jr.

5.0 out of 5 stars Will delight and Inspire
With so many reviews already online, I just wanted to add my vote to the many that affirm the rewards of viewing this excellent film. Read more
Published 3 months ago by David Lee-Smith

5.0 out of 5 stars A Very Special Story About A Young Man's Dreams
A wonderful movie based on a true story from the late 1950s. Homer Hickam is a young man struggling to find his identity as he dreams about space, rockets, and getting out of the... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Buckminster

5.0 out of 5 stars The Original Rocket Boys
Outstanding movie documenting the budding interest of small town boys in rocketry.......which later led to a NASA position for one. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Sandra K. OConnor

5.0 out of 5 stars October Sky
I am not pleased with the size of the picture on the screen. It does not cover the full screen and I am disappointed. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Barbara Croxton

4.0 out of 5 stars Based on a true story
A beautiful and inspiring story of a 17-year-old boy who dreams of sending a rocket into space in the West Virginia coal mining town of Coalwood. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Ruth J. Bernardo

3.0 out of 5 stars October Sky DVDs
Three of the four DVDs were fine. The fourth keeps stopping when it is played. Very unfortunate as 25 people were watching.
Published 7 months ago by P. Edison

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