Episode 10 begins a mini-series covering movies about space exploration. Our first film in this series is Joe Johnston’s October Sky.

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For this discussion, Editor-in-Chief Alex Heeney is joined by Executive Editor Orla Smith and Associate Editor Brett Pardy

October Sky is based on the true story of future NASA scientist Homer Hickam’s 1950s high school rocket experiments in a small West Virginian coal mining town. It features Chris Cooper, Laura Dern, and a breakthrough performance by Jake Gyllenhaal. We discuss the film’s portrayals of learning, engineering, problem solving, and history.

October Sky is streaming on Netflix Canada and HBO Now in the US. It is available to rent on most VOD platforms in Canada, the US, and the UK.

Show Notes for October Sky

To learn more about the real Homer Hickman, you can visit his official site.

Our space on film series continues with Sergio & Sergei, a Cuban gentle comedy about a ham radio enthusiast who befriends the last cosmonaut on the MIR right as the USSR is ending. Listen to our episode on the film here.

Brett Pardy and Alex Heeney both commented that this was a film from their childhood. We also discuss other important films from Alex’s childhood in our episodes on Little Women and Emma.

Laura Dern, who plays Miss Riley in October Sky, also appears as Marmee in Gerwig’s Little Women and as one of the divorce lawyers in Marriage Story. Listen to our discussions of Little Women and Marriage Story.

This episode was edited by Edward von Aderkas.

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