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Uncle Art (2019)
A Nostalgic Spotlight on a Lesser Known Music Composer
If you had an 8 or 16-bit home computer back in the 1980s and 1990s, it would be hard not to have heard the sequenced compositions of Dave Lowe. From Arcade conversions like Street Fighter 2, Afterburner, Power Drift and Final Fight. To the depths of space exploration with the ZX Spectrum game Thrust, and 16 bit classics Starglider 1 and 2, and Frontier: Elite II. He converted Rob Hubbards IK+ theme for the Amiga version, and provided music for the Summer Games series, and popular hits Turbo Outrun and Formula One Grand Prix. One of his final works was the epic theme for Beneath a Steel Sky, and Cybermorph on the Atari Jaguar. Yes, for all you AVGN ans out there, Dave composed the music for the game, but also the voice of Skylar was actually provided by Dave's wife!
Dave Lowe (Uncle Art) was quite the go-to guy at one time, but with the dawn of studio music in games, his popularity and small amount of fame faded away. This documentary, produced, recorded and edited by his daughters, is a rare spotlight on Dave's life and works, presented from a retro pixelated angle, mixed with interviews and game footage. We look at some of Daves classic game scores; including of course the incredible Starglider Theme; which I think was the first use of a studio-produced song in a video game?
The film also has a marked light and dark side, and we see the struggling and the pressure, and reflections from people who might suggest Dave's music inspired them, encouraged them, or perhaps saved their life and soul. From the heady heydays of those 8 and 16 bit days, to modern times, the film can be quite dramatic and emotional; as a reluctant hero tells his stories, and takes a bow for us. I think everyone can take something away from this film, as this labour of love is a reflection of life and art itself.
From Bedrooms to Billions: The Amiga Years! (2016)
An Unparallelled Amiga Nostalgia Tribute
From and makers of the incredible From Bedrooms To Billions, here is the aspired sequel - The Amiga Years! - featuring the story of a very beloved computer, the Commodore Amiga. As a die-hard Amiga fan, it would have to take special for me to give this a high rating, and this product delivers. The Movie is a little less packed than From Bedrooms, a little slower in pace, so that people who have never heard of The Amiga will be able to enjoy this and find out that the computer is all about. Great detail has been taken to get the facts straight, and to interview the people who made it all happen, conducting 100s of interviews and flying all over the world, translating nuggets of Gold for us all to enjoy.
The story of The Amiga may be too vast and way too epic a story to be able to cover in a few hours, but the Gracious team have done an amazing job once again to condense volumes of stories down to very easy bite (byte?) sized pieces. From the story of the designing stage, through all the years of success in fields such as Games, Multimedia, Image Processing, Video Processing and Music production, and the constant reinvention of the Amiga and its fight for survival in the modern world. The Amiga will always be special to those who get to know the machine, and this Movie aims to be less UK focused than From Bedrooms, to bring you stories and tributes to the Amiga legacy, from fans everywhere, and from the people behind the scenes.
Of all the clips and reviews and movies I have seen in the subject of The Amiga, this one covers the subject with the most love and dedication, and I came away feeling almost as much gushing nostalgia as the From Bedrooms To Billions Movie. The makers don't try to top the original From Bedrooms and make it even fast and more packed, instead they tried to make the very best film they could make, from all sides, and I must say after a while to digest this film, I feel this is genuinely the BEST Amiga Movie on the market today.
From Bedrooms to Billions (2014)
Quite Simply the BEST
As a die-hard Commodore 64 and Amiga fan from the UK, it would have to take something monumentally good and extraordinary for me to rate this 10 out of 10, but From Bedrooms delivers. The movie is packed with nostalgia, more than any other film I have ever seen, and begs the watcher to play it again and again - each time discovering more. Everything you would hope for is covered, and more, with two-and-a-half hours of pure nostalgic pleasure.
ZX Spectrums! Commodore C64 and the Commodore Amiga feature in this epic journey; from the dawn of the bedroom coder, and those incredibly long type-in magazine listings; leading to modern gaming on the Playstation and PC. From Bedrooms is very historically accurate with facts, and doesn't try to hype myths and stories, but presents everything matter-of-fact and from the people who made it all happen. As UK film-makers, the team guide the story mainly in terms of UK development, and focus closely on the aspects of making computer games which shaped the course of history.
Gracious Films have truly delivered a breathtaking Movie, an order of magnitude better than I was ever expecting, and something which any fan from that era would love. It also makes a perfect gift for a best friend on Birthdays and Christmas, so why not order a number of copies and share your discovery to all your friends.
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008)
Last ride before the fair closes down
Anybody expecting the usual roller-coaster ride may be slightly disappointed with the action, and the dialogue only gets going when the leading lady enters the scene about half way through, but one the whole an enjoyable movie. Harrison Ford still pulls it off as an aged hero, and although most of the movies far-fetched story lags in it's pace, the action, once it gets going, is classic Indy. It's easy to pull this movie apart and I'm sure I won't be the last to do so, but the pull of Indiana Jones will still win all but hardened audiences over by the end. 4/10 for the plot. 9/10 for the ILM effects. 10/10 for effort from Harrison Ford to make this work and it does - just.
The Magic Door (2007)
Big names and great effects do not a great movie make!
Ah, what a shame! With a list of good names involved in this movie, you'd have hoped for a lot more. This straight-to-DVD release was the latest in the rather small line of 'fantasy adventure' films. The budget looks good - attracting many names including Anthony Head - of Buffy (and coffee) fame, Pasty Kensit (Lethal Weapon 2) and Jenny (Walkabout). The money has been spent on quite adequate costumes, and very well done effects. The best character is Big Mick - who's natural style of acting and down-to-earth charm makes this film watchable. Unfortunately, thats where the good news ends. The main characters don't bond well, and the acting from nearly all of the cast leaves a lot to be really desired. The plot, although beginning interestingly, soon dries up and becomes too linear, with a constant battle between the parent characters (who bring the mood down with every appearance) and the woodland adventurers (who try desperately to lift the mood back up again!) I love this genre, and would like to see more small budget creations. But this just isn't it. 'Dazzle' (a similarly produced film) fairs a little better.