Written by War Wizard
So, I have to confess that for most of my time using computers, I was never an Apple fan. Most likely because I came from a programming background, the PC is built to better for that, compared to an Apple which is designed for creative people to make things look great.
But, once I got my iPhone, I started to see the simplicity and ease of use that came with Apple. Because of that, it made me want to learn more about the myth of Steve Jobs and why his passion and dedication made what Apple became.
There are a ton of movies that have been made about Jobs and I think I’ve seen them all. But there are some better than others and I qualify that by what story they tell. When you are telling the story of a person’s life there will be overlap of course. But the movies listed here all focus on a particular slice of time that was impactful towards telling the entire story and building the legend.
If you can only watch these few, I think you get a complete sense of who the man behind the legend was.
#5 Pirates of the Silicon Valley
This is a great introduction to how Apple and Microsoft grew up, ripping each other off, competing against each other and ultimately to a friendship that would only blossom at the end of his life. Great acting by both leads and this will quickly get you caught up on then entire history needed of the rise and fall and return of Apple.
#4 Steve Jobs: The Lost Interview
This is just a bare bones, straight up interview with Steve Jobs. Watching this documentary really changed my perspective about him. After seeing this, you can start to see the brilliance he was striving for and how he ultimately obtained what he visualized. It’s barely over an hour long, but an essential piece to understanding the man behind Apple.
#3 Steve Jobs: The Man in the Machine
If you are a fan of Apple and Jobs, this movie might upset you. It’s meant to be balanced, showing you the good and bad of Steve Jobs. Look, everyone knows that Henry Ford invented the process of making cars with mass production, and you don’t do things like that unless you have some strict principles that probably piss off a lot of people. Same for Jobs. His way of thinking was that he had a vision, knew he was right and also knew that some people wouldn’t know until they had the product in their hands. Sometimes the price of genius is isolation and misunderstanding. But to those committed to their passion, they don’t care and continue onward with their vision.
#2 Steve Jobs
This movie focuses on the time when the Macintosh was announced right up to the iMac. An interesting period of time because Jobs was notoriously bad at being a family man. The drive to push and make his vision of the world at all costs was something that only near then end did he understand. Great acting performances and interesting cutaways that tell the scene of when he got fired from Apple are the highlights of this movie.
#1 Jobs
I’m not an Ashton Kutcher fan at all, be he nails it in this role. This movie provides an interesting view into his life and the way he thought about creating, and the reasons behind it. The sacrifices made for the “good” of humanity ended up taking it out whewre it mattered most – his family.
Here are a few videos worth watching:
Steve Jobs’s Top 10 Rules For Success
Steve Jobs’ 2005 Stanford Commencement Address
Interesing. I better watch some horror movies today.