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Reviews
Nightfall (1988)
Unbelievable Film
I actually paid money to see this in its mercifully brief theatrical release in 1988. The (tiny) audience had fun ad libbing dialogue that was much better than that provided the hapless actors. The film is bad in so many ways that it is difficult to pick out the worst element. Was it the art direction? The acting? The dialogue? The cinematography? The costumes? The plot? The editing? The music? In the end I think the worst thing is that it will probably insure that no decent film will ever be made of Asimov's "Nightfall".
The good doctor wrote that he had never seen the movie, and that he had nothing to do with it. This probably added a couple of years to Asimov's life.
I can only say that the other reviewers here at IMDb have been far too generous. This film is worse than you can imagine.
Pirates of Silicon Valley (1999)
It was eerie.
Anthony Michael Hall and Noah Wyle portray Gates and Jobs (respectively) in ways that make me feel like I've squished a caterpillar in my hand. They are channeling the characters they play. I've debated which is the more convincing portrayal, but I give up. It's worth watching just for the character studies.
There's more, though. I've never met Wozniak, but I work with someone who knows (more accurately, knew) Ballmer and says that he is EXACTLY like the actor portrays him in the film. The cinema trick of pulling Ballmer out of the scene of the key meeting between Gates, Allen, Ballmer and the IBM guys is way cool, too.
Don't stress over matching the fictional account with real world events, just enjoy the way the cast and crew capture these mens' souls on film.