More movie fun with Jake!

To fully embrace my crush on Jake Gyllenhaal, as with any celeb crush, I decided I needed to see his entire film oeuvre. I'm dedicated yo! So, today I got one of Jakey's early flicks October Sky in the mail, courtesy of Netflix. While awaiting a sushi delivery that took forever (almost 2 hours!) I sat down to watch the movie and found myself delightfully surprised. It was a lot better than I thought it would be and of course JG is adorable and earnest. He does have a knack for playing endearing misunderstood youth. I found it rather bizarre also to be watching this film, which is set in a West Virginia coal mining town, after the recent tragedy at Sago Mine. But this narrative was apparently based on a true story, about a young man (Homer J. Hickam) who decides he wants to build rockets after witnessing the launch of Sputnik. Homer faces a lot of difficulty in achieving his dream because so many people in his life have already mapped out a future for him in the coal mines along with everyone else. The only way out of their town is getting a football scholarship to go to college, and Homer isn't the athletic type. He begins making rockets with a couple of his friends and gets some unexpected supporters in the community, including his teacher (played by Laura Dern). He eventually goes on to win a local and then national science fair competition and he and his three friends all get scholarships to college for their achievements. It's quite an interesting story, especially for anyone who's ever lived in a small economically depressed town before. There isn't a lot of hope or room for grand aspirations in those settings sometimes. The film really made me recall living in rural northern Ontario for several years. My mother still lives there and I find it to be one of the most depressing places I've ever been. Don't get me wrong, in the summer it's quite beautiful (lots of trees, a big lake, etc.). But I remember going to school with kids who had no dreams. They expected they'd either go on welfare, like a good percentage of the unemployed in the town, or work at a local factory or retail store. Education wasn't really valued by many and just getting your high school diploma put you a head above a good number of people. I couldn't wait to get away from there. In many ways, I count my lucky stars that I decided to go live with my dad and pursue my academic dreams. If I'd stayed there I don't know what would have happened. The atmosphere of the town itself can pull you under pretty quickly. I only visit there every so many years, but every time I do I feel that weight of hopelessness in the air. I can never stay for very long.

Well, this blog entry has taken a rather somber turn. My apologies. Anyway, I didn't want to slack off in the chronicling my JG obsession and all. I'm totally excited because he's going to be on Jay Leno THIS FRIDAY!!!!!!! And I'll probably get to see him all spiffed up for the Golden Globes on Monday night. *sigh* I'm now officially happy once more!