Movie 190: Pirates of Silicon Valley

Pirates of Silicon Valley (1999) by Martyn Burke
starring Noah Wyle, Anthony Michel Hall



In a nutshell: Cheesy acting and low production quality couldn't keep me from enjoying this nerdy made-for-tv movie about the most important CEO working today. A guilty pleasure? Probably

Quick Synopsis: Visionaries Steve Jobs and Bill Gates revolutionize the world of home computing using their brilliance combined with cutthroat tactics and questionable ethics.

Content:

• Much more recognizable as a made-for tv than You Don't Know Jack and has a C-list cast to match
• Pirates will ONLY be enjoyable if you are interested in nerdy things like the history of Apple Computer
• Even with this consideration, I'm still not sure why I enjoyed it. Everything that happens is greatly over-dramatized to the point of being unbelievable. But there is still a sense of nerdy glee in seeing this stuff come to life
• Noah Wyle actually looks like Steve Jobs and does a pretty good job of embodying his spirit. But the part when he starts turning into a out-of-touch, tyrannical boss is very paint-by-numbers
• Anthony Michael Hall (from Breakfast Club) is better than Wyle, but at playing a more boring character, so it's pretty much a wash when it comes to choosing which character I'd rather give more screen time to
• I love the character actor (Joey Slotnick) who played Steve Wozniak. You will recognize him
• The histories of these two companies make great material, even if only portions of the story are what actually happened. It's very interesting to see the roots of two companies that are so integrated into many of our daily lives and how they rose to prominence
• Final Verdict: even if you are intrigued by this story, be warned that this is a very cheesy version. I'm glad I watched it, but I find it very hard to recommend

Rolling rankings:
1. (500) Days of Summer (#185)
2. The Maltese Falcon (#188)
3. Up in the Air (#182)
4. The September Issue (#183)
5. You Don't Know Jack (#189)
6. Rachel Getting Married (#187)
7. Pirates of Silicon Valley (#190)
8. Sex and the City 2 (#186)
9. Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs (#184)
10. Extract (#181)

Homework

Dr. Dog is a criminally underrated band. Their music has been tricky to find at times, but it's always been worth the effort. Their sound is very melodic and evokes the Beach Boys circa Pet Sounds and even the Beatles at times. The best modern comparisons are other retro melodic rockers like Apples in Stereo, New Pornographers, ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead and a less twisted version of Of Montreal. Here are your listening assignments:

Stranger




Worst Trip




I Only Wear Blue

Movie 189: You Don't Know Jack

You Don't Know Jack (2010) by Barry Levinson

starring Al Pacino

In a nutshell: Pretty good as far as made-for-TV based-on-a-true-story movies go

Quick synopsis: The story of Jack Kevorkian's activist years

Content (bullet-points edition):

• Having watched a few HBO movies (this, Recount) and a few similar network/cable/Cinemax TV movies (Pirates of Silicon Valley, Rogue Trader), the difference in quality is clear. HBO has even convinced accomplished Hollywood directors to handle (Barry Levinson, Jay Roach) to handle their projects. HBO films are theater quality.
• This is the 5th Levinson movie I've seen. The others are The Natural, Bugsy, Rain Man, Sleepers. I'd rank them like this:

1. Rain Man
2. Sleepers
3. The Natural
4. You Don't Know Jack
5. Bugsy

• Anyone who knows how much of a baseball fan I am is probably disappointed in my ranking of The Natural. I've only seen it once and I didn't fall in love immediately like I did with Field of Dreams. In fact, I would put You Don't Know Jack pretty close behind. All in all, these are five very solid movies
• Levinson has other jewels in his crown as well: Good Morning Vietnam and Wag the Dog stand out as the ones I most need to see. However he has had his share of disasters as well, especially in recent years: Envy, What Just Happened...
• Al Pacino was really, really good as Dr. Death. I expect award nominations. He even manages to keep himself mostly under control and only starts with the yelling he is so well-known for since Scent of a Woman a few times. Reminded me of the football coach he played in the underrated Any Given Sunday.
• Susan Sarandon bored me and I could envision any of 100 other actresses easily doing at least as well.
• John Goodman was fine and he even played a subdued amalgamation of a few of the characters he has played for the Coens (Barton Fink, Big Lebowski). However, I'm still not quite sure who his character was and why he was around so often.
• The death scenes are heartbreaking and very well done. Believe it or not, this is a movie filled with subtlety. It would have been so easy to slam the audience with the more newsworthy pieces of Kevorkian's story, but Levinson bothers to spend more time on Jack's intimate conversations with those he kept close. The end result is a more clear picture of what makes Kevorkian tick. Pirates of Silicon Valley (review coming soon) was the exact opposite. Jobs and Gates are caricatures. Levinson deserves a lot of credit for this because lord knows Pacino would have let it all out if no one was keeping him in check.
• Random LOST appearance of the week: Eric Lange who played the always-grumpy Radzinsky turns up as a prosecutor.
• You Don't Know Jack covers some difficult territory, especially for people who have had loved ones suffer greatly at the end of their lives. And the very quiet nature of the death scenes make them all the more unsettling. If you are up for it, You Don't Know Jack is as good a TV movie as I've ever seen. Some may think the prolonged death scenes may be gratuitous or cheap ways to draw forth emotion - especially since the movie is supposed to be about the man, not the patients - but I think that the focus on the death scenes and how Jack handles himself around his patients is necessary to get a fully colored picture of this endlessly complicated and fascinating human being.

Rolling rankings:
1. (500) Days of Summer (#185)
2. The Maltese Falcon (#188)
3. Up in the Air (#182)
4. Big Fan (#180)
5. The September Issue (#183)
6. You Don't Know Jack (#189)
7. Rachel Getting Married (#187)
8. Sex and the City 2 (#186)
9. Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs (#184)
10. Extract (#181)

Movie 188: The Maltese Falcon

The Maltese Falcon (1941) by John Huston

starring Humphrey Bogart



In a nutshell: A classic

Quick synopsis: Sam Spade finds himself in the middle of a convoluted plot involving murder, money and a priceless statuette of a black bird

Content:

• Humphrey Bogart's icy demeanor is legendary. He plays it cool and never gets rattled no matter what the motley crew of criminal he has gotten caught up in throws his way. He is so damn charismatic and makes it seem effortless. George Clooney WISHES he was this cool. The Maltese Falcon could not have been what it is with a different actor in the lead.
• His voice is unmistakeable. His delivers is often imitated, but never duplicated. He flies through tricky dialogue crisply and often at a breakneck pace. It's a wonder to behold. And he always has the upper hand, even when it briefly seems as though he has been bested.
• His character, Sam Spade is nearly as famous a Bogie himself. The movie is EXTREMELY faithful to Dashiell Hammett's novel, so credit must be given to the author for the creation of this iconic character.
• I've seen this movie before and read the book, but the twists and turns seemed as fresh as they did on my first watch.
• Not all the supporting cast keeps up with Bogart, but two in particular try their hardest. Sydney Greenstreet and Peter Lorre aren't quite the household names that Bogart is, but their frivolous and colorful characters are the perfect foils for the all-business Spade.
• Didn't particularly care for the girl.
• The trailer makes it seem cheesier than it really is

• This movie is definitely dated. It's not one of those classics that shocks audiences with how contemporary it feels even today (like The Gradute or 2001). The acting is very dramatic, the sets look fake, some of the overdubbing is horrible and the editing is old-fashioned. So if these sorts of things bother you about old movies, then The Maltese Falcon is not likely to interest you. But if you like a good mystery and are at all enchanted by Hollywood's golden years, you'll love it. It's considered to be a classic for a reason.

Rolling rankings:
1. (500) Days of Summer (#185)
2. The Maltese Falcon (#188)
3. Up in the Air (#182)
4. Big Fan (#180)
5. The September Issue (#183)
6. Rachel Getting Married (#187)
7. Kids (#179)
8. Sex and the City 2 (#186)
9. Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs (#184)
10. Extract (#181)