Rockaway (2017 film)

Last updated

Rockaway
Directed byJohn J. Budion
Written byJohn J. Budion
Starring
  • Keidrich Sellati
  • Maxwell Apple
  • James DiGiacomo
CinematographyMatthew Santo
Edited byDenis Henry Hennelly
Music byAaron Gilhuis
Release date
  • August 2017 (2017-08)(Rhode Island International Film Festival)
Running time
83 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Rockaway is an American 2017 drama directed and written by John J. Budion. [1] [2] [3]

Contents

Plot

Anthony and John are two brothers who are abused by their father. John, the younger brother, suffers from seeing his mother beaten by his father.

They befriend Sal, Billy, Dom and Brian at a basketball court and spend time playing baseball together. John is noticed for his obsession with New York Knicks star, John Starks. They form a close bond.

Anthony and John's mother decides to move away while the two conceive a plan of revenge against their father by slingshotting a light bulb and pushing the boiler towards him. One night, Anthony, John, and their friends watch a Knicks game; their father becomes angry after finding out his refrigerator is empty. Their friends side with the two brothers.

As the story develops, the gang keeps mentioning the movie, Stand By Me. They also mention that John is just like Gordie, the kid who was a talented writer, since John is good at drawing. If Gordie hadn't shot Ace to death, he would never have become a successful writer.

Anthony and Billy have a confrontation, because Billy thinks that Anthony is no different from his father. The night before moving, the boys spend time together at Sal's house watching a Knicks game, without knowing their house is on fire. Anthony and John return to find that their mother has fainted, but Anthony saves her, and later decides to save his father from the basement. However, he fails and is trapped with no way out, resulting in his and his father's deaths.

The boys grieve over Anthony's death. John leaves without telling anyone where he is going.

Twenty years later, an adult John returns to Rockaway East by train, rents a bicycle, and cycles the places where he used to stroll with the gang. He meets Dom who now teaches in high school. He finds out that Brian, Billy and Sal, are fathers.

Cast

Production

Rockaway is the first feature film of director John Budion, who previously worked as a visual effects artist and director for television commercials. Filming took place in July 2016, with most of the shooting taking place in East Rockaway, New York. [4] [5]

Release

Rockaway debuted at the Rhode Island International Film Festival in August 2017. [6] After showing at festivals in 2017 and 2018, winning 9 awards including several Best Feature Film awards, the film landed a distribution deal with Gravitas Ventures and officially released worldwide in 2019. [7] The film also attained a theatrical distributor and release with Paladin, opening at the Village East Cinema in New York City on January 11, 2019.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Billy Wilder</span> Austrian-American filmmaker (1906–2002)

Billy Wilder was an Austrian-born filmmaker. His career in Hollywood spanned five decades, and he is regarded as one of the most brilliant and versatile filmmakers of Classic Hollywood cinema. He received seven Academy Awards, a BAFTA Award, the Cannes Film Festival's Palme d'Or and two Golden Globe Awards.

<i>Do the Right Thing</i> 1989 film by Spike Lee

Do the Right Thing is a 1989 American comedy-drama film produced, written, and directed by Spike Lee. It stars Lee, Danny Aiello, Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee, Richard Edson, Giancarlo Esposito, Bill Nunn, John Turturro, and Samuel L. Jackson, and is the feature film debut of Martin Lawrence and Rosie Perez. The story explores a Brooklyn neighborhood's simmering racial tension between its African-American residents and the Italian-American owners of a local pizzeria, culminating in tragedy and violence on a hot summer day.

<i>Stand by Me</i> (film) 1986 American coming-of-age film directed by Rob Reiner

Stand by Me is a 1986 American coming-of-age drama film directed by Rob Reiner. Based on Stephen King's 1982 novella The Body, with the title deriving from the song of the same name by Ben E. King, the film is set in the fictional town of Castle Rock, Oregon in 1959 and stars Wil Wheaton, River Phoenix, Corey Feldman, and Jerry O'Connell as four boys who go on a hike to find the dead body of a missing boy.

<i>The Fast and the Furious</i> (2001 film) 2001 action film directed by Rob Cohen

The Fast and the Furious is a 2001 action film directed by Rob Cohen from a screenplay by Gary Scott Thompson, Erik Bergquist, and David Ayer, based on the Vibe magazine article "Racer X" by Ken Li. The first installment in the Fast & Furious franchise, it stars Paul Walker, Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Jordana Brewster, Rick Yune, Chad Lindberg, Johnny Strong, and Ted Levine. In the film, Brian O'Conner (Walker), an LAPD officer, goes undercover in the street racing world to investigate a group of unknown hijackers, believed to be led by Dominic Toretto (Diesel).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carmelo Anthony</span> American basketball player (born 1984)

Carmelo Kyam Anthony is an American former professional basketball player. He played 19 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and was named an NBA All-Star ten times and an All-NBA Team member six times. He played college basketball for the Syracuse Orange, winning a national championship as a freshman in 2003 while being named the NCAA Tournament's Most Outstanding Player. In 2021, he was named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team, and is regarded as one of the greatest scorers in NBA history.

<i>L.I.E.</i> (film) 2001 film by Michael Cuesta

L.I.E. is a 2001 American drama film about a relationship between Howie, a troubled 16-year-old boy, and a middle aged man known as "Big John". The title is an acronym for the Long Island Expressway. The film was directed by Michael Cuesta, who has said that the film is about exploring sexuality. It stars Paul Dano in his first lead role as the boy Howie, and Brian Cox as John.

<i>Ready to Rumble</i> 2000 film by Brian Robbins

Ready to Rumble is a 2000 American buddy comedy sports film directed by Brian Robbins and written by Steven Brill, which is based on Turner Broadcasting's now defunct professional wrestling promotion, World Championship Wrestling (WCW). The movie draws its title from ring announcer Michael Buffer's catchphrase, "Let's get ready to rumble!" The movie features many wrestlers from WCW.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rhys Wakefield</span> Australian actor

Rhys Wakefield is an Australian actor and director, known for his roles in Australian TV series Home and Away, the feature film The Black Balloon (2008) and in season 3 of HBO's True Detective in 2019.

<i>Fatso</i> (1980 film) 1980 film by Anne Bancroft

Fatso is a 1980 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Anne Bancroft, her only such credit, and starring Dom DeLuise, Ron Carey and Candice Azzara. It was the first film produced by Mel Brooks's Brooksfilms company. The film examines the subject matter of obesity, addiction, family, self-acceptance and singlehood.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Starks</span> American basketball player (born 1965)

John Levell Starks is an American former professional basketball player who was a shooting guard in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was undrafted in the 1988 NBA draft after attending four colleges in his native Oklahoma, including Oklahoma State University. Starks was named an NBA All-Star while playing for the New York Knicks in the 1990s.

<i>Brave</i> (2012 film) 2012 American computer-animated fantasy film

Brave is a 2012 American computer-animated fantasy film produced by Pixar Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The film was directed by Mark Andrews and Brenda Chapman, co-directed by Steve Purcell, and produced by Katherine Sarafian, with John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton, and Pete Docter serving as executive producers. The story was written by Chapman, who also wrote the film's screenplay with Andrews, Purcell, and Irene Mecchi. The film stars the voices of Kelly Macdonald, Billy Connolly, Emma Thompson, Julie Walters, Robbie Coltrane, Kevin McKidd, and Craig Ferguson. Set in the Scottish Highlands, the film tells the story of Princess Merida of DunBroch (Macdonald) who defies an age-old custom, causing chaos in the kingdom by expressing the desire not to be betrothed. When Queen Elinor (Thompson), her mother, falls victim to a beastly curse and turns into a bear, Merida must look within herself and find the key to saving the kingdom. Merida is the first character in the Disney Princess line created by Pixar. The film is also dedicated to Pixar chairman and Apple co-founder and CEO Steve Jobs, who died before the film's release.

<i>Beethovens Big Break</i> 2008 American film

Beethoven's Big Break is a 2008 American family film and is the sixth installment in the Beethoven series. It was released on DVD on December 30, 2008. The film could be considered a reboot of the series, as it completely disregards all storylines from the previous five films, though some scenes in this film include references to the original storyline.

The 1994–95 New York Knicks season was the 49th season for the Knicks in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Knicks entered the season as runner-ups of the 1994 NBA Finals, where they lost to the Houston Rockets in seven games. During the off-season, the Knicks acquired Doug Christie from the Los Angeles Lakers. In the 1994 NBA draft, the team selected small forward Monty Williams out of Notre Dame University with the 24th overall pick, and selected point guard Charlie Ward out of Florida State University with the 26th overall pick. However, Christie only played twelve games, because of an ankle injury, and Ward only played ten games due to a wrist injury. In December, the team released Doc Rivers to free agency; Rivers later signed as a free agent with the San Antonio Spurs. The Knicks had a 12–12 start to the season, but then won 17 of their next 19 games, held a 30–16 record at the All-Star break, and posted a 55–27 record in the Atlantic Division. They finished in second place, two games behind the top-seeded Orlando Magic. By earning the #3 seed in the Eastern Conference, the Knicks qualified for the NBA playoffs for the eighth consecutive season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Safdie brothers</span> American film directors

Joshua Safdie and Benjamin Safdie are independent American filmmakers and actors based in New York City, who frequently collaborate on their films. They are best known for writing and directing the crime thriller films Good Time (2017) starring Robert Pattinson and Uncut Gems (2019) starring Adam Sandler.

Jason Michael Brescia is an American writer-director from Malverne, New York.

<i>Shazam!</i> (film) 2019 DC Studios film

Shazam! is a 2019 superhero film based on the DC Comics character of the same name. Produced by New Line Cinema, DC Films, the Safran Company, and Seven Bucks Productions, and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, it is the seventh installment in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU). It was directed by David F. Sandberg from a screenplay by Henry Gayden who co-wrote the story with Darren Lemke, and stars Zachary Levi, Mark Strong, Asher Angel, Jack Dylan Grazer, and Djimon Hounsou. The film follows teenager Billy Batson (Angel) as he is chosen by the ancient wizard Shazam (Hounsou) to be his new champion by saying the name "Shazam", allowing him to transform into an adult superhero (Levi) with various superpowers. Billy and his foster brother Freddy Freeman (Grazer) must discover Billy's new powers in order to stop the evil Dr. Thaddeus Sivana (Strong) and the Seven Deadly Sins.

<i>F9</i> (film) 2021 film directed by Justin Lin

F9 is a 2021 American action film directed by Justin Lin, who co-wrote the screenplay with Daniel Casey, based on a story by Lin, Alfredo Botello, and Casey. It is the sequel to The Fate of the Furious (2017), the ninth main installment, and the tenth installment overall in the Fast & Furious franchise. It stars Vin Diesel as Dominic Toretto, alongside Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Chris "Ludacris" Bridges, John Cena, Nathalie Emmanuel, Jordana Brewster, Sung Kang, Michael Rooker, Helen Mirren, Kurt Russell, and Charlize Theron. In the film, Toretto and the team come together to stop a world-shattering plot involving his younger brother, Jakob (Cena).

<i>Lost Cat Corona</i> 2017 American film

Lost Cat Corona is a 2017 American comedy film written and directed by Anthony Tarsitano. The film stars Ralph Macchio, Gina Gershon, Paul Sorvino and Sean Young with David Zayas, Summer Crockett Moore and Anthony Ruivivar in supporting roles. A play-it-safe guy must search for his wife's missing cat, bringing him face-to-face with the colorful, wacky, and sometimes, the more dangerous element of his neighborhood, forcing him to confront his fears and rethink his M.O.

<i>It Comes at Night</i> 2017 film by Trey Edward Shults

It Comes at Night is a 2017 American psychological horror film written and directed by Trey Edward Shults. It stars Joel Edgerton, Christopher Abbott, Carmen Ejogo, Kelvin Harrison Jr., and Riley Keough. The film focuses on a family hiding in a forest as the Earth is taken over by a highly contagious disease.

Keidrich Sellati is an American actor. He played the role of Henry Jennings in the FX television series The Americans (2013–2018) for its entire run.

References

  1. ↑ Richard Brody (January 11, 2019). "What to Stream This Weekend: 'Rockaway', a Boy's Stark and Moving Tale of Surviving Domestic Violence". The New Yorker . Retrieved August 4, 2019.
  2. ↑ Joshua Speiser (January 18, 2019). "Rockaway". Film Threat . Retrieved August 4, 2019.
  3. ↑ Nick Allen (January 11, 2019). "Rockaway Movie Review & Film Summary (2019)". RogerEbert.com . Retrieved August 4, 2019.
  4. ↑ Nick Ciccone (July 6, 2016). "East Rockaway native directs coming-of-age film in his hometown". LIHerald.com . Retrieved August 27, 2019.
  5. ↑ Rafer Guzmán (July 27, 2018). "LI director relives his childhood with 'Rockaway'". Newsday . Retrieved August 27, 2019.
  6. ↑ Mike Smollins (August 3, 2017). "Local director's film about growing up in East Rockaway to premiere at international film festival". LIHerald.com. Retrieved August 27, 2019.
  7. ↑ Mike Smollins (January 31, 2019). "East Rockaway director's 'Rockaway' shows around the world after distribution deal". LIHerald.com. Retrieved August 27, 2019.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.