2 Best Movies to Watch by Blaque Fowler

October Sky doesn’t tread new ground—in fact, you’ll be forgiven for rolling your eyes at a couple of cliches, including the classic “Those are your dreams, dad, not mine!” moments—but it’s so unassuming and well-made that it’s hard not to get drawn in by its many charms. There’s Gyllenhaal’s breakthrough performance for one, and the small town coming together to help each other out for another. Perhaps because the film is based on Homer Hickman’s true story, it also feels more specific and lived in than most period pieces. And it smartly avoids villainizing young Hickam’s adversaries so that they feel more real and nuanced, as opposed to the other far-fetched parts of the film. Sure, the overuse of sweeping music can feel cloying at times, but stellar performances across the board and confident direction overall make it a heartwarming, inspiring winner.

Genre: Drama, Family

Actor: Andy Stahl, Blaque Fowler, Brady Coleman, Chad Lindberg, Charles Lawlor, Chris Cooper, Chris Ellis, Chris Owen, Courtney Cole-Fendley, Dave Hager, David Dwyer, Don Henderson Baker, Doug Swander, Elya Baskin, Frank Hoyt Taylor, Jake Gyllenhaal, Joe Digaetano, John Bennes, Kaili Hollister, Larry Black, Laura Dern, Mark Jeffrey Miller, Mark W. Johnson, Natalie Canerday, Neva Howell, Randy Stripling, Rick Forrester, Scott Thomas, Terrence Gibney, Terry Loughlin, Tom Turbiville, Tommy Smeltzer, William Lee Scott

Director: Joe Johnston

Rating: PG

The Great Lillian Hall doesn’t do anything particularly great to a familiar premise, but it’s still worth watching for the knockout performances. There’s Lange, whose dementia both complicates her desire to mount one last performance and resurfaces her guilt for being an absent mother. There’s Bates, who offers both sympathy and tough love. And then there’s Rabe, who’s gut-punching as the pained daughter crawling her way into her mother’s stiff arms. Everything else about the film is not as noteworthy as it drags the film for way longer than it should be. But that trifecta of performances makes it all worthwhile.

Genre: Drama

Actor: Allison Mackie, Blaque Fowler, Bryan McClure, Cindy Hogan, Clayton Landey, David Chin, David Marshall Silverman, David Vaughn, Derrick LeMont, Erik Parillo, Jesse Williams, Jessica Lange, Jonathan Horne, Kathy Bates, Keith Arthur Bolden, Kenneth Trujillo, Lauren Buglioli, Lily Rabe, Meg Gillentine, Michael Rose, Noshir Dalal, Pierce Brosnan, Rebecca Watson, Robert Stevens Wayne, Tenz McCall, Zele Avradopoulos

Director: Michael Cristofer

Rating: PG-13