The Applegater

Applegater Winter 2016 5 — Movie — 1 Apple—Don't bother 5 Apples—Don't miss Sully Reviewer rating: 4 Apples Genre: Biography/Drama PG-13 Opened: September 2016 Cast: Tom Hanks, Aaron Eckhart, Laura Linney Director: Clint Eastwood Sully, directed and produced by Clint Eastwood and starring Tom Hanks, is based on the true story of how veteran pilot Captain Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger became a national hero when he made a successful emergency landing in New York's Hudson River on January 15, 2009, after his plane struck a flock of geese, disabling both engines. e lives of all 155 passengers and crew members aboard were saved. Although this story was big news, and I think it's safe to say that all of America—and most of the world for that matter—knows the story, it is still a movie not to be missed. It is not just about t h e h e r o i c m e a s u r e s of Captain Sully and his co-pilot, Jeff Skiles (Aaron Eckhart), but centers largely on what happens after the passengers and crew are plucked from the f r e e z i n g r i v e r a n d Captain Sully has to d e f e n d h i s a c t i o n s t o t h e N a t i o n a l Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). As tension-filled as the actual emergency landing was, the post inquiry, on Sully's decision to land in the Hudson instead of trying to make it to a nearby airport, was even more so. I think the average person watching this part of the movie would question if the NTSB inquiry was even necessary! e reality is that 155 people owe their lives to Sully's accurate under-pressure decision, so why aren't they throwing him a parade instead? Well, every good story has to have an antagonist, of course, and in this story, it's the NTSB that seems bound and determined to prove that Sully was in error. I found this part of the movie to be quite interesting, engrossing, a n d i n s p i r i n g , b u t there also was a level of heartbreak about what Sully had to endure when both his reputation and career were on the line as he was being investigated. And the truth of the matter, which was soon discovered, is that quick judgments based on computer reenactments often do not match up to real human experience. ere are too many factors involved, and this movie proved just that! All in all, I found t h i s m ov i e t o b e a powerful story with a strong sense of realism from the actors. Tom Hanks, as always, was captivating, and his co-star, Aaron Eckhart, offered just enough edge to Hanks's calm and quiet confidence to make them a great team, both on-screen and "in the air." Clint Eastwood did a masterful job at depicting this true-life rescue drama—by putting the audience right in the cockpit during those tense moments with Captain Sully—and in creating the imagery of Sully's conception of what could have happened if he hadn't make a successful landing. Overall, my opinion is that this is a well-done movie that not only honors the actual hero, but also offers a story with a whole lot of heart. And, as I mentioned, even though you already know how the story ends, it's still worth watching for good edge-of-your-seat entertainment. Kathy Kliewer kkliewer19@gmail.com BOOKS & MOVIES — Book — Under a Flaming Sky Daniel James Brown Under a Flaming Sky is a true story about the horrors of an unrelenting forest fire that consumed a corner of northern Minnesota on the last day of August 1894. e Great Hinckley Firestorm was a fire of unimaginable consequences. e smoke turned day to a moonless night, and its hurricane-strength winds carried flames over 200 feet high. Ahead of the main fire were huge flaming bubbles of gas that floated over the town of Hinckley and exploded over the heads of the 1,200 or so terrified townsfolks, raining fire down on both Hinckley and its inhabitants. Families ran in a panic of terror, screaming and begging for mercy. Many of their tortured cries evaporated into a heat so intense it melted steel. is is an intense read—I was gripping the book so tightly that I thought my fingers might rip through all the pages. One of the heroes in this story is train e n g i n e e r W i l l i a m B e n n e t B e s t , w h o worked for the Eastern Minnesota Railroad. Best held his train at the Hinckley train station as folks ran from their b u r n i n g t o w n a n d scrambled aboard the train. e heat was so unbearably intense that Best didn't know how long he could hold the train. From his engine, he watched a little boy trying to run to the train while carrying his dog that was bigger than him and a man running toward the train pushing a wheelchair with another man in it. A s h e w a i t e d f o r f o l k s t o b o a rd , B e s t w i t n e s s e d t h e horrific sight of people exploding into flames and incinerating before his eyes. Another hero, Ed Boyle, a general store proprietor from the little burg of Mission Creek, directed the residents to the center of a two-acre potato field as the fire from hell devoured their little town and ordered his employees to bring barrels of water on a wagon. People flung themselves into the furrows of the potato field, burying their faces into the scorching soil, gasping for cool air that was not to be found; some covered themselves with wet blankets and shawls. Over the roar of the all-devouring fire that was louder than a tornado, they could hear the screams of their children. e heavens above were raining blazing branches, cinders, and flaming pinecones down on their backs. ey all survived. Un d e r a Fl a m i n g Sk y i s o n e adrenaline-pumping, sweaty, exhausting ride into the teeth of terror. Brown researched and wrote this book because his grandfather was a nine-year-old survivor of this Armageddon of a fire. His grandfather was plagued with nightmares about the fire for the rest of his life. I found this book so riveting that I could hardly put it down. is review barely touches the tip of the flames that burn through this spellbinding book. Be sure to read this one! J.D. Rogers 541-846-7736 limited, so we must bring our jobs with us," and "It's poverty with a view." Maybe most important, RDI reported that they heard from numerous sources that Applegate residents respect each other and try to find common ground. After hearing RDI's findings, the 25 or so attendees (from Upper Ap p legate to William s) p rovid ed their input on priorities for action. It quickly became clear that there is an overarching desire to support existing farms and businesses without harming our environment or lifestyle. Education, housing, travel accommodations, branding Applegate as "organic," and numerous other ideas were added to the list of priorities. Over the next two meetings, the list of priorities will be further discussed and refined. Once a final "roadmap" is produced in January, action groups will be formed to pursue the priorities. RDI will assist us in identifying potential funding sources and other resources to help us make real progress. Please attend one of the upcoming meetings to be a part of this process. Important things can happen when we proactively engage in creating our community's future. Your input is critical to guiding the future of the Applegate! The next meeting will be held on Thursday, December 1, at 6 pm at Williams Grange, 20100 Williams Highway, Williams. Details about — CORRECTION — e statement in Diana Coogle's article, "What's Behind the Fence?" (Fall 2016) that "big companies like FutureLand and Dicot Partners are buying land here" was inaccurate. Dicot Partners (DP) has not purchased land in the Applegate, according to Richard Gaxiola, corporate counsel, Dicot Partners Corporation, Phoenix, Arizona. In addition, Gaxiola is under the impression that the sentence (in its entirety: "Although rumor has it that many of the owners behind the fences are not local, and although big companies like FutureLand and Dicot Partners are buying land here, many marijuana growers are local farmers who joined the gold rush.") implicates DP's owner, Alan Kamben, as having a "gold rush mentality" (Gaxiola's phrase). Kamben, Gaxiola says, "has been growing and producing organic cannabis in Oregon for the past ten years and formulated Dicot Partners in an effort to protect his chemistry, organic methodology and overall business internal structure." e sentence in the Applegater was not meant to impugn Kamben. It clearly contrasts companies like Dicot Partners (not local to the Applegate) with local farmers "who joined the gold rush," a term phrased by one of the local farmers quoted in the article. ■ VITALITY ROADMAP Continued from page 4 January's meeting will be posted on the GACDC website at gacdc.org. Look for the "AV Roadmap Project" tab. Also on the website will be the November 3 presentation and a link to provide input via a short survey. Focus group meetings were held in October to help develop priorities for an Applegate Valley Economic Vitality Roadmap. If you can't attend a meeting, please arrange an interview with Amanda Close (aclose@rdiinc.org or 206-919-0186). Bonnie Rinaldi Chair, GACDC bonnie@rinaldinet.com

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