RealChristian14 "Pirates of Silicon Valley" is a TV movie about the history of computers from the 1970's to the 1990's entitled "Pirates of Silicon Valley". The main characters are the late Steve Jobs,played excellently an actor known from "E.R" Noah Wyle, and Bill Gates,played wonderfully by an actor known for his nerd roles during the Brat Pack days,Anthony Michael Hall.It was an adaptation of the book,Fire In The Valley.The story centers on this life with Jobs starting the company Apple Computers and Gates starting the software company Microsoft. It presents their struggles during their company's early days and the actions that they have done to start the computer industry which undoubtedly have changed the way people lived with the advent of personal computers.This TV movie would provide the viewer a better understanding on the computer industry and how it came to be at present.Although I must admit that it needs a sequel considering that the computer industry have undergone more changes after it was released in 1999.But despite of the fact that the story is considered "lacking" at this point, a viewer would still enjoy it today especially to appreciate on how the personal computer and the industry came to be and how Microsoft dominated the software industry today.And most of all,one would surely have a better appreciation of computers today.

Marian20 Another biopic about the late Apple CEO entitled "steve jobs" will be shown next month.A lot of viewers - fans and non-fans alike - of the late Apple CEO as well as Apple products are anticipating it to see whether or not it is an improvement on the previous biopic starring Ashton Kutcher entitled Jobs.Many people who disliked Jobs have referred to another TV movie - Pirates Of Silicon Valley - which they consider a better film.This is not a TV movie based on the late Steve Jobs alone.It was based on the book Fire In The Valley and tells the history of computers from the 1970's until the time it was released in 1999.It presents two major characters - Steve Jobs and Bill Gates - who were both a major force in the computer industry as well as their companies - Apple Computer and Microsoft.It tells their struggles during their college years;their determination to start their companies;the humble beginnings of their global empires;the actions they took to get ahead in the industry; and a lot more.The story was told with semi-humorous narration coming from the close friends of Jobs and Gates such as Apple co-founder,Steve Wozniak and former Microsoft CEO,Steve Ballmer.The narrators also allows the viewer to get an up close and personal view of both Jobs and Gates.We learn Jobs horrible character and Gates' ruthlessness as a businessman.As for the performances of the cast,Noah Wyle definitely did great as Steve Jobs.No wonder he was once invited by the late Steve Jobs in an Apple event to impersonate him.Anthony Michael Hall also was impressive as Bill Gates.Some viewers looking for perfect accuracy will probably be disappointed with it.But one has to realize that it took some creative license to dramatize some events in the story.Also,it has been more than ten years since it was released so the story is far from being updated as it does not include Steve Jobs leading Apple to becoming a more valuable company than Microsoft and other important events that have happened since then.It is definitely crying for a sequel.Nevertheless,it is still a great TV movie that deserves the highest rating.

CinemaClown An immensely captivating docu-drama that covers the rise of PC industry by focusing on the events that eventually led to the intense rivalry between Apple Inc. & Microsoft Corp.; the two companies that single-handedly spawned a revolution that went on to change the whole world, Pirates of Silicon Valley offers an insight into the lives of the genius founders of these two revolutionary firms and the differences in their operational methods.Spanning from 1971-1997 and narrated in non-chonological order, Pirates of Silicon Valley is a semi-biographical account of the very people who made the world of technology what it is today, starting with Steve Jobs & Steve Wozniak who co-founded Apple Computers in a garage before it became a billion-dollar firm, then moves to show the birth of Microsoft and the rivalry between these two future empires that only helped the computer industry boom.Written & directed by Martyn Burke, Pirates of Silicon Valley begins with the production of the famous 1984 TV commercial, a watershed event in itself, and culminates with the 1997 Macworld Expo where Jobs, after having made his return to the company he co-founded, announces Apple's new alliance with Microsoft. Interspersed within this story are segments covering the life of Bill Gates, how Microsoft came into existence and its deal with IBM that began its lifelong feud with Apple.The production design team deserves kudos for the set pieces are so wonderfully detailed & refined that they almost qualify as exact replica for the most part, whether its Jobs' home or the garage in which Apple Computers was born or other stuff. A few depicted events are inaccurate with shifted timelines or details but they are mostly done to enhance the drama, which is nicely captured by its camera, while its non-linear narration keeps its 95 minutes of story interesting for the most part.Coming to the performances, it's the very reason why Pirates of Silicon Valley works so well for the contribution by its cast is immensely convincing and all of them are highly believable in their given roles. Absolutely nailing the personalities & looks of the characters they play, both Noah Wyle & Anthony Michael Hall leave a lasting impression in their respective roles of Steve Jobs & Bill Gates, while the supporting actors who play the characters of Steve Wozniak, Paul Allen, Steve Ballmer & others are no slouch either.But there is... One more thing! Pirates of Silicon Valley mostly focuses on Steve Jobs' life, his modus operandi & his relationships and is quite hard on him. I wish there was more of Bill Gates than what made it into the final print because his character arc has an interesting dimension as well, if not equally appealing. The only side of Bill Gates that we get to see is his ruthless business practice. And in all honesty, the film isn't kind to either of them and places more emphasis on their negative qualities than the talent & vision they possessed.On an overall scale, despite a few artistic license taken to make the drama more immersive, Pirates of Silicon Valley is an enjoyable, entertaining & enlightening TV feature film that tries to bring on screen the history of two companies which forever changed the way we used to think, work & communicate. After all, the very device you're reading this from either belongs to one of these two tech giants or is heavily influenced by their products. Having worked on Windows PC for the major part of my life before switching to Mac some 5 years ago (one of the best decisions I ever made), I'd been wanting to watch this film for a long time and now that I've seen it, the nerd in me is highly satisfied! Delightfully recommended.

Robert Pineokov The other reviews already provided a synopsis of the movie so I won't recap again. This film focuses on the rise and rise of Micro$oft and Apple and the personalities that drove these 2 companies.The film is an extraordinary achievement. It's a little movie that few would know about and even fewer would remember and that's a shame. I was fortunate enough to find a VCD of it in Asia around 10 years ago and then bought a DVD of it just recently also in Asia (yes all legitimate...these do exist in Asia) Apart form a compelling story, what appeals about this film is the atmosphere they created. It's a nostalgia piece without intending to be and is designed for a very specific audience: those of us that were either part of the industry in the 70s and 80s or (as in my case) grew up with an Apple II in their life and vividly remember the times. But it will appeal to the uninitiated also who will unfortunately not enjoy or understand the layers of detail and history in it.The film carries some very specific references that are really spot on (I can imagine the uninitiated wondering what the heck is this Apple II vs. Mac thing all about for example?). They perfectly capture the excitement of those early days. From references to phone phreaking, to the Apple I, to home brew computer clubs (remember those?), those early PC shows with black and white handouts, and on it goes. If you lived through those times and were in the scene, fond memories will come flooding back. You can just about feel the excitement that was around this mysterious, ultimate status symbol that the Apple II was in it's day.The performances are spot on. Everything I've read and seen of Gates and Jobs in that time is absolutely nailed by Wyle and Hall.But most of all this was clearly a project made by a group of people with a true love of the subject matter. Clearly, no one involved got paid the big bucks and thankfully it's not a movie that was written by a committee. And this comes through from the 1st minute to the ending.And ultimately, why do i rate this movie so highly? Because every single time i've put it on (now up to the 5th time or so i've seen it), and plan to watch a few minutes of it, I end up watching the whole thing without a break. A triumph within it's subject matter...there's nothing else like it out there...don't miss it!