Hidalgo

Dir: Joe Johnston, 2004 (8.9*)
This is based on the true story of the greatest long-distance horse racer of all time. By the film’s beginning, Frank Hopkins (Viggo Mortensen) had won over 500 races in North America without a loss, but of course his horse Hidalgo was the real winner. Arab shiek Omar Sharif hears of this legend, and convinces him to come to Arabia and participate in a 3000-mile desert race in which half the teams don’t survive. Though technically not a western, it looks like one, and does feature a horseman in the wilderness. One of the best horse racing stories ever filmed, also a great adventure film.

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October Sky

Dir: Joe Johnston, 1999 (9.8*)

Sometimes the simplest of stories can be among the best. October Sky, based on a true story, is not only that, but has timeless values and what could be called "perennial wisdom". Perfect performances by Jake Gyllenhaal as the high school kid interested in rockets, Chris Cooper as his coal-mining and disapproving father, and Laura Dern as his teacher, who inspired him to reach for his goals and not settle for the past or someone else's expectations (his ancestors were all coal miners). A film everyone can enjoy and be uplifted by as well. NOT to be missed, an American Classic in the Capra tradition!

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