Posts
Alabama Moon is a 2009 American coming-of-age film starring Jimmy Bennettand John Goodman,[3] based on the book Alabama Moon by Watt Key. The story takes place in the forests of Alabama.[4]
The World Premiere of Alabama Moon, directed by Tim McCanlies (Secondhand Lions), starring Jimmy Bennett (2009's Star Trek, Evan Almighty, Firewall, Poseidon), John Goodman (The Big Lebowski, Raising Arizona, O Brother Where Art Thou, The Babe), Clint Howard (Frost/Nixon,Halloween, Cinderella Man), and Uriah Shelton (currently filming Lifted in Birmingham). Beyond the title, Alabama Moon has many connections to the state of Alabama as the film is based on the award winning book, Alabama Moon, by Alabama native and resident, Watt Key, and was produced by Lee Faulkner, a native of Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
Alabama Moon is a family friendly film, set in the early 80's. Eleven-year-old Moon Blake (Jimmy Bennett) has spent most of his life hiding out in the forests of Alabama with his father, an anti-government radical who clings to conspiracy theories and trusts no one. Moon's life suddenly changes when the land they live on is sold to a lawyer just as his father becomes ill and suddenly dies. He has never known any truth but his Pap's and so he tries to follow his last instructions: make your way to Alaska where "people could still make a living off trapping."
Moon quickly finds himself in the path of civilization, when the lawyer, Mr. Wellington (John Goodman), discovers him on his land. Thinking he is doing what is best for the boy, he calls the local authorities. Moon bolts, fearing the very thing he has been hiding from his entire life. Unfortunately, he is captured by the mean-spirited Constable Sanders (Clint Howard), who takes him to a boy's reform school to become property of the State. Here, Moon meets other boys his age and learns what friendship is all about. However, Moon is determined on getting to Alaska and escapes from the school bringing two of his friends Kit (Uriah Shelton) and Hal (Gabriel Basso) back to the forest to live with him. Moon uses his wilderness survival skills to outwit Constable Sanders and provide food and shelter for him and his friends. Moon writes smoke letters to his Pap, letting him know he is ok. However, Moon begins to question his father's beliefs when Hal leaves and Kit gets gravely ill and is in need of medical attention. As Moon encounters other lifestyles, true friends and true enemies, he adapts and learns to survive in the outside world, and even, perhaps, make his home there.
NOVEL
Alabama Moon by Watt Key is a unique, action-packed coming-of-age story in the vein of classics such as Louis Sachar’s Holes, Gary Paulsen’s Hatchet, and Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Since its release in September of 2006 it has quickly won the hearts of readers young and old.
The novel has received attention from publications such as The New York Times, Publishers Weekly, Booklist, and is the winner of several awards including the EB White Read Aloud Award for Older Readers 2007 and the Parent's Choice - Gold Medal in 2006.
The novel has been translated into five languages. It was recently nominated for the German Youth Literature Award 2009. This award has been issued by the German section of the International Board on Books for Young People since 1955, and Watt Key received a nomination in the children's middle grade novels category. The presentation will take place at Frankfurt Book Fair on October 16 2009. Dressler (Germany), Kinneret (Israel), Kaisei-sha (Japan), and INK Pub (Taiwan) have published it.
ALABAMA MOON has become required summer reading in several middle schools across the country including, among others, those in the State of New York, Ohio, Alabama, and North Carolina. It is also being taught school-wide at Daphne Middle School in Daphne, Alabama.
Published in hardcover by Farrar Straus Giroux (2006; now in its eighth printing) and paperback by Square Fish (2008; now in its fifth printing), it has achieved combined sales of over 100,000 in the US.
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | The Jungle Book 2 | Hathi Jr. (voice) | |
| 2003 | Daddy Day Care | The Flash/Tony | |
| 2004 | Springtime with Roo | Roo (voice) | |
| 2004 | The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things | Young Jeremiah | |
| 2004 | Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy | Tommy | |
| 2004 | The Polar Express | Billy the Lonely Boy (voice) | |
| 2005 | Hostage | Tommy Smith | |
| 2005 | The Amityville Horror | Michael Lutz | |
| 2005 | Pooh's Heffalump Halloween Movie | Roo (voice) | replaced Nikita Hopkins |
| 2006 | Firewall | Andy Stanfield | |
| 2006 | Poseidon | Conor James | |
| 2006 | Shark Bait | Junior (voice) | |
| 2007 | Evan Almighty | Ryan Baxter | |
| 2007 | South of Pico | Mark Weston | |
| 2008 | Diminished Capacity | Dillon | |
| 2008 | Snow Buddies | Buddha (voice) | |
| 2008 | Trucker | Peter | |
| 2009 | Star Trek | Young James T. Kirk | |
| 2009 | Orphan | Daniel "Danny" Coleman | |
| 2009 | Shorts | Toby "Toe" Thompson | |
| 2009 | Alabama Moon | Moon Blake | |
| 2009 | Stolen | John Wakefield | |
| 2010 | Bones | Bones White | |
| 2011 | Ghild | Ralph Gullivan | Short film |
| 2013 | Movie 43 | Nathan | Segment: "Middleschool Date" |
| 2014 | Camouflage | Kevin | |
| 2015 | Bad Asses on the Bayou | Ronald | |
| 2015 | A Girl Like Her | Brian Slater |
filmography
| Position | Film | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Screenplay | North Shore | 1987 |
| Director/Screenplay | Dancer, Texas Pop. 81 | 1998 |
| Screenplay | Dennis the Menace Strikes Again! | 1998 |
| Screenplay | The Iron Giant | 1999 |
| Director/Screenplay | Secondhand Lions | 2003 |
| Director | Alabama Moon | 2011 |
| Director | When Angels Sing | 2013 |
No comments:
Post a Comment