Mark Bialczak

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Are you game for movies based on ‘Tetris,’ ‘Angry Birds’ big screeners?

October 2, 2014 9:11 am

(From syracusenewtimes.com)

(From syracusenewtimes.com)

First off, I’ve never played Tetris. Not in the 1980s, not in a retro moment since.

Nevertheless, my eyebrow arched at the sight of a Rolling Stone story that the Game Boy console game favorite from 30 years ago is being turned into a movie. An epic sci-fi movie. I’d heard enough talk about Tetris to make me say, hey, wha! (I didn’t live under a rock! I just never played the game.)

And then I jumped over the Cinema Blend at the very first piece I spotted there was about Angry Birds being turned into a movie by Sony, and the humongous cast of voicers being signed on as the flock.

Now that game was one of the first I downloaded onto my very first iPad. I tired quickly of shooting the birds to try to topple the piles of things, but, hey, I was part of the craze.

Movies, huh?

I am more tweaked by the comedic potential of “Angry Birds” than the sci-fi possibilities of “Tetris.”

And you?

If you’d like to read my weekly Film News blog on the wickedly entertaining Syracuse New Times site, click the link below. As an added benefit, you’ll find the links to the Rolling Stone and Cinema Blend stories cited above.

Tetris, Angry Birds coming to the big screen

If you could pick one video game you’d like to see turned into a movie, what would it be, and why? Who would you like to star in it, and why? What’s your top score ever on your favorite game, and share your secret, please.

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Posted by markbialczak

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48 Responses to “Are you game for movies based on ‘Tetris,’ ‘Angry Birds’ big screeners?”

  1. All of this will pass right by me, Mark. Unless one of my kids says, “Hey, let’s watch The Lego movie!” At which point I will watch The Lego Movie, somewhat begrudgingly, but will be won over and think it is really, really awesome! Just guessing 😉

    Well written post, Mark. As always. Happy weekend 🙂

    Like

    By Angie Mc on October 4, 2014 at 11:20 am

    1. Happy weekend, Angie Mc Fly. I know what you’re speaking of, my friend.

      Liked by 1 person

      By markbialczak on October 4, 2014 at 2:50 pm

      1. Mark, I blame you for the fact that all day I have had Everything Is Awesome playing in the background of my mind. Listen if you dare http://youtu.be/StTqXEQ2l-Y 🙂

        PS, I’m flying again and had a personal best yesterday. Everything really is awesome 🙂

        Like

        By Angie Mc on October 4, 2014 at 6:04 pm

      2. I’m glad the feet are flying again, Angie Mc Fly. No sprawling collisions, please and thank you. I will click and listen and have an ear worm shortly. I am sure.

        Liked by 1 person

        By markbialczak on October 5, 2014 at 9:05 am

      3. Sorry 😉

        Have a great week, Mark 🙂

        Like

        By Angie Mc on October 6, 2014 at 4:51 pm

  2. Here’s my October list: “Gone Girl,” “The Judge,” and “The Best of Me” or some such romantic story by Nicholas Sparks!

    Like

    By reocochran on October 3, 2014 at 5:52 pm

    1. Ha! For Karen and I: ‘Gone Girl’ this week, ‘The Judge’ next week. We can compare notes again, Robin. I’m not so sure about ‘The Best of Me,’ though. I did see the trailer but have not compared what else is opening that far out …

      Liked by 1 person

      By markbialczak on October 4, 2014 at 11:43 am

      1. I know that Nicholas Sparks is sometimes corny, but one of my two daughters will go with me to the third one. I think I liked the Notebook one the best, since James Garner and the woman who was the other person grown up from Rachel McAdams part, was outstanding in her portrayal of dementia or Alzheimers… I am not going this weekend, but by the end of October hope to have hit all 3!

        Like

        By reocochran on October 4, 2014 at 12:49 pm

      2. I am not afraid of the romanitic corn of NIcholas Sparks, Robin. 🙂 Enjoy it with your daughter, my friend.

        Like

        By markbialczak on October 4, 2014 at 2:39 pm

  3. Super Mario bros for a film. They did a TV series (must have been in the 80’s/early 90’s) which I watched not so long ago, and it really freaked me out! The theme tune, the actors, the dancing… Yes! I said dancing…everything about it just freaked me out! My 2nd choice would have been the ninja turtles, but this is already in the cinemas!

    Paperboy was my favourite game of all time… wouldn’t make much of a film though!

    So I guess Mario it is!

    Like

    By amandalyle1986 on October 3, 2014 at 9:39 am

    1. I hope they make it just for you, Amanda, though I think you would have company in the theater!

      Like

      By markbialczak on October 3, 2014 at 9:45 am

      1. If it’s anything like the sitcom, perhaps not! It was truly terrible and such a let down 😦

        Like

        By amandalyle1986 on October 3, 2014 at 9:53 am

      2. But they only have one direction to go, and that’s up. 🙂

        Like

        By markbialczak on October 3, 2014 at 10:11 am

      3. Ever the optimist 🙂

        Like

        By amandalyle1986 on October 3, 2014 at 10:34 am

  4. I like playing Angry Birds and I LOVE (!!!) playing Tetris! Always have and still do. However, I won’t bother seeing either of these as movies. Sorry, Hollywood…If you’re that desperate for material, I’ve got some books that would be good movies… LOL! When I was a teenager, I was at a skating rink and played Q-bert for the first time—and got the all-time high score on the machine! And you know what? I have NO IDEA how that happened! LOL! Seriously! 🙂

    Like

    By rachelcarrera on October 3, 2014 at 12:59 am

    1. Tetris is attractive for your syndrome, Rachel, with the lines and patterns? And maybe Q-bert somehow?

      Or maybe you were the first to play the Q-bert machine? Anyway, I think Hollywood will keep making these game movies until nobody goes.

      Liked by 1 person

      By markbialczak on October 3, 2014 at 7:48 am

      1. I know you’re right about Tetris. I could seriously play that until my eyes bleed. LOL! In fact I have played it until my eyes streamed tears from not blinking for so long! As for Q-bert I don’t even know how the game goes, so I think you’re probably right on in that I was the first or one of the firsts to play the game there. LOL!

        Like

        By rachelcarrera on October 7, 2014 at 12:55 am

  5. I can see them making a movie behind the story of Tetris… since there was a lot of legal battles involving copyright and licensing when the game first hit the market. But if this is about the game itself…. ??? Is Tetris even popular anymore? I cant even see this as a desperate cash grab by Hollywood!

    Video games based on movies are a great idea. Movies based on video games are not….

    Like

    By evilsquirrel13 on October 3, 2014 at 12:55 am

    1. Because they are saying epic sci-fi, I don’t think it’s about the legal battles. And it also makes me think whatever they come up with, true-blue Tetris fans may come out of the theater saying ‘huh?’ to the connection even if they love it. The game could still be way popular. I wouldn’t know since I never played it once, ESN. And your last statement is cool. The Birds is going to have a great voice track, though.

      Like

      By markbialczak on October 3, 2014 at 7:52 am

  6. I guess they have already done the Pinball Wizard routine with Tommie, correct Mark? Or am I remembering that wrong? I was never into the games myself. Loved to drag race when I was young and foolish, did a few gigs before I tore both shoulders up and had to stop playing my guitar, but am still hooked on playing Solitaire every night to get myself into sleep mode. That started when I was working second shift in a nursing home and needed something boring to bring me down enough to get sleepy. Definitely don’t want to see any Angry Birds in a movie. Had to deal with enough of those when the dogs would stir up the blue jays out on the farm. Those jays make really angry birds that attack with a vengeance.

    Like

    By agwink1942 on October 2, 2014 at 9:36 pm

    1. They did, Angie, though I do not think that’s a video game, per se. I would have like to have seen you drag race in the day, though, with The Who blasted out of the car speakers.

      Like

      By markbialczak on October 2, 2014 at 10:35 pm

      1. The night my rear wheel bearings were loose was almost my last race Mark. Scared me, anyway. Not enough to stop, but enough to stop trying to outrun the county mounties from next door to us. Fortunately they couldn’t cross county lines back in the day.

        Like

        By agwink1942 on October 4, 2014 at 10:54 pm

      2. Lucky thing, speed demon.

        Like

        By markbialczak on October 5, 2014 at 9:09 am

  7. Movies for children for sure. Wrecked Ralph was about video characters. It was fun.

    Like

    By silentlyheardonce on October 2, 2014 at 7:46 pm

    1. I didn’ see it, but I will take your word for it, Kim, most certainly!

      Liked by 1 person

      By markbialczak on October 2, 2014 at 10:42 pm

  8. No. Can’t say I’d be interested. I was briefly interested in Angry Birds for about five minutes. I’m not much a gamer so the movies wouldn’t call to me.

    Like

    By Chatter Master on October 2, 2014 at 5:10 pm

    1. Yes, Angry Birds had me for a very short while, too, because it was a free app. Ha!

      Like

      By markbialczak on October 2, 2014 at 5:14 pm

      1. 😉 I get that. That’s why I got it.

        Like

        By Chatter Master on October 2, 2014 at 9:17 pm

  9. How could a movie possibly be made about Tetris? They’re just falling blocks, yes? Huh. Pitfall Pete would be good to see movie form. Love the Atari-style video games, just because they are so one-dimensional and lame. Frogger, Asteroids, etc. I haven’t played anything since my early teens, but sure did enjoy them back in the day.

    Oh, but speaking of movies: They’re making one about Peeps, the marshmallow candies!!! That I would see, though chances are good it will be dumb.

    Like

    By Liz on October 2, 2014 at 3:01 pm

    1. I hope all the Peeps scenes will be diaramas. When I worked at the big daily, we had an annual Peeps diamara contest, and would get hundreds of entries. I would walk past them slowly, hand on chin, to be one of the newsroom judges. People were so imaginative with their Peeps diaramas. I loved them!

      So. I loved playing Ms. Pac Man and Galaga in the early 1980s but I was seriously lousy at both of them, a bonafide quarter-drainer. No, my talent was in pinball. I’d try to get barroom Olympics going around the pinball tables. Succeeded for a while there in the mid ’80s up here in Syracuse. Sigh. Now I’m nostalgic. I’m going to experience an emotional tilt, Liz.

      Like

      By markbialczak on October 2, 2014 at 5:09 pm

      1. well, then. Have I got a post for you: http://funnynamesblog.com/2014/04/29/roscoe-e-rodda-bob-born-born-of-sam-born-and-their-peeps/

        I always follow our local contest, but what a kick to judge one! When my youngest had her first birthday, I put a peep on top of her cake, then surrounded the cake with cupcakes and put one peep on each. Thought it was so cute and was going to send a picture to the Peeps website. But when I went to the site I saw that my little “flower” was nothing compared to what was out there. Yes, folks get so very creative!

        I do not know galaga–must google. And I will be watching for a Pinball movie. If they can do bricks falling from the top of a screen, they can do a small ball shooting all over a large board with holes. Think of the possibilities.

        Like

        By Liz on October 2, 2014 at 11:38 pm

      2. Your Peeped-out first birthday cake-and-cups is an awesome idea, Liz.

        And now I am going to dream about being stuck inside a big pinball machine, avoiding balls, flippers and holes. I just know I am. Who’s going to be stuck in there with me? Hmmmm?

        Like

        By markbialczak on October 3, 2014 at 7:56 am

  10. i really have absolutely no desire to see any of these, and was always a horrible video game player, so no high scores to report unfortunately. that being said, movies based on video games will always make a fortune )

    Like

    By ksbeth on October 2, 2014 at 1:39 pm

    1. They will ring the old cash register, won’t they, Beth. I know you say you have no desire, but did you read the voice cast for Angry Birds? …. Just saying.

      Like

      By markbialczak on October 2, 2014 at 5:10 pm

      1. you are certainly right about the cast, but i’ll just will wait to read about it in your review, and not have to sit through it )

        Like

        By ksbeth on October 2, 2014 at 7:08 pm

      2. OK, that’s a deal, Beth. ))

        Like

        By markbialczak on October 2, 2014 at 10:43 pm

  11. I got no dog in this hunt. I haven’t played a videogame since about 1983. Isn’t “Fast and Furious” pretty much a version of Pole Position or whatever car flipping over, going fast games there are? I imagine a movie version of Frogger would be bad, but not as bad as “Chariots of Fire,” which we tried to watch last week, and fell into boredom comas and threw the VHS at the wall to make it go away.

    Like

    By kerbey on October 2, 2014 at 11:31 am

    1. Maybe, I don’t know, and you still use VHS?!

      Like

      By markbialczak on October 2, 2014 at 12:27 pm

      1. If I see one for a buck at Goodwill, yes. DVDs are $3-5 at Goodwill and that’s crazy talk. I pay over $100 for cable, so I just watch what’s on.

        Like

        By kerbey on October 2, 2014 at 1:09 pm

      2. Yes, you can find VHS bargains in the bins, Kerbey. I love your thrift talk. I agree, I watch mucho cable, too. Mucho, mucho, mucho.

        Liked by 1 person

        By markbialczak on October 2, 2014 at 5:12 pm

  12. It’s been a long time since i’ve done any gaming. I find it hard to wrap my mind around a Tetris or Angry Birds movie. Thanks for the entertainment update Mark.

    Like

    By Paul on October 2, 2014 at 10:07 am

    1. You’re not missing a thing, Paul. And you’re welcome.

      Like

      By markbialczak on October 2, 2014 at 12:27 pm

  13. Umm, not a gamer, but I do rock at Ms. Pac-Man and Super Mario Bro 3. However, I don’t want to watch a movie about them or any other.

    Like

    By Audrey Dawn - Oldest Daughter Redheaded Sister on October 2, 2014 at 9:57 am

    1. Good for you, Aud, and great for you, Aud!

      Like

      By markbialczak on October 2, 2014 at 12:28 pm

  14. Can’t help feeling they’ll turn anything into a movie these days, if they think they can make a pile of dosh out of it! Does anyone even play Angry Birds any more? Even my sons have long since moved on!

    Like

    By Ali Isaac on October 2, 2014 at 9:22 am

    1. The cash grab is always on, sure enough, Ali. I actually think ‘Angry Birds’ has a chance to be funny, what with the voicers they’ve hired on. Oh, well.

      Like

      By markbialczak on October 2, 2014 at 12:32 pm

  15. Thank you for this! I haven’t been in the right mindset to address this, but Tetris? Really? And I love that game, can play for hours straight, yet the idea of a movie is just beyond logic.

    Maybe they can turn “Spy Hunter” into a movie. Oh, wait, we already have James Bond. Close enough.

    Like

    By NotAPunkRocker on October 2, 2014 at 9:14 am

    1. Yeah, some of the better movies have already been twisted and turned into games, right, Jeanette!

      Like

      By markbialczak on October 2, 2014 at 12:34 pm

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