Lissa's October Sky

[sarahbot]

Great review! Now I really want to see this movie, and I can't figure out why I never have before. Chris Cooper + Jake Gyllenhaal = awesome.

[Spiderdancer]

The carbon thing reminds me of the time I put a cork in a distillation apparatus in Organic Chem lab, not realizing what the probable result of this would be. Fortunately it just ricocheted around inside the fume hood, rather than shattering the expensive distiller and showering me with boiling organic reagents.

I also forgot to put a beaker under a spiral condenser in Quantum lab, resulting in a widening puddle of glowing florescein on the countertop and, subsequently, the floor.

It's probably also not a coincidence that it was on MY spectrum of lethally acidic HCl in the gas spectrometer that it started hissing and leaking deadly steam, forcing the evacuation of the lab.

This is one reason I didn't consider graduate studies in Chemistry despite that being one of my majors.

[pfrsue]

spiderdancer said:

...It's probably also not a coincidence that it was on MY spectrum of lethally acidic HCl in the gas spectrometer that it started hissing and leaking deadly steam, forcing the evacuation of the lab....

All of which makes me feel a little better about going to school for Stable Management, where the worst that ever happened (to me) was getting kicked in the shoulder by a criminally insane gelding.

[Spiderdancer]

Yes, but if you get killed by a HORSE, there's at least a chance it's not your fault. One of my favorite college professors (Biology, he's an ex-veterinarian), whom I saw this weekend, just recently got kicked by his thousand pound draft horse he was helping to free from some quicksand. Fortunately he wasn't in the trench with her, or he'd have been smashed against the wall. All he got were some bruises.

Oh, and... Good review, Lissa!

This is the kind of movie I would never in a million years watch, but I still appreciate your ability to convey just what about it makes YOU want to watch it. And that's awesome.

[pfrsue]

Oooops! My bad. I did also mean to say good job to Lissa too! I've seen October Sky twice and I like it a lot. It's neat to hear the point of view of a scientist on a movie about scientists. I also agree that the boys were great, the teacher a bit too drama-fied, and Chris Cooper ruled. Actually I loved the father-son dynamic between Cooper and Gyllenhaal. It's a good, solid movie.

(Shalen, I've never had to free a horse from quicksand, although I did have to help pull one out of a tree several years ago, and more recently rescue a really fat mare that had roached in the snow and got stuck.)

[Lissa]

Thanks guys October Sky will always be one of my favorites, and Cooper and Gyllenhaal in the same movie is an abundence of vowels and much love.

[Big T]

I'll always love the montage of rockets blowing up and the looks on their faces as it happens time after time.
Great review Lissa, this is one of my all time favorites as well.

[Head Mutant]

Your review prompted a rental from me, as it sounded like a good movie for two distinctly different genders. I thought it was okay, Caramel liked it more, but we both definitely felt it was heavy-handed with its dosage of sap and cliches. That doesn't make it a bad film, and I can certainly see why it's the favorite of some.

I think you reviewed it spot-on, is what I'm trying to say.

[Lissa]

Thanks

Big T- I totally agree with you about the montage. It's a little too true to life at times...

And thanks, Justin Glad to be of service!