388: Tetris

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[00:00:56] 96. Let's get to Tetris, which came out I think spring-ish of last year.

[00:01:09] It is a Apple TV Plus original, so you can check it out there.

[00:01:13] It's directed by John S. Baird, stars Taron Egerton, Mara Hough, Miles Barrow, Rick Yun,

[00:01:22] not-a-huge-cast Toby Jones.

[00:01:25] And the synopsis is,

[00:01:27] Video game designer Hank Rogers seeks to secure global rights for Tetris,

[00:01:33] leading to tense negotiations in the Soviet Union involving creators, government, and corporate

[00:01:40] intrigues.

[00:01:42] Quite the synopsis there.

[00:01:44] So I heard about this one a while back.

[00:01:48] I thought when they announced a Tetris movie, I think like most did probably,

[00:01:52] I thought it was going to be a movie set within the world of Tetris, like the game itself.

[00:01:58] And so that's what I was thinking and then I was like, oh no, it's a biopic, cool.

[00:02:02] And for anyone who listens to the show a lot, I'm a big sucker for not only biopics or historical

[00:02:08] films, but anything dealing with creators, inventors, something that celebrates intelligence,

[00:02:14] pushing the boundaries, trying to get your product out there and all that and your voice

[00:02:20] heard.

[00:02:20] Like even something like Oppenheimer last year is a great example.

[00:02:23] So this one definitely piqued my interest a lot.

[00:02:26] I like Taron Egerton across the board in pretty much everything.

[00:02:30] He hasn't been in a lot recently though.

[00:02:31] I wish he would be in more because I love him.

[00:02:34] And then also John S. Baird, the director, he did Filth with James McAvoy, which I liked,

[00:02:40] and he also did Stan and Ollie, which I liked as well.

[00:02:43] So that hooked me too.

[00:02:46] And I think it is solid.

[00:02:50] I don't think it's anything amazing.

[00:02:51] It sort of lost me more towards the end.

[00:02:54] I knew nothing about the story.

[00:02:55] I, like most, know of Tetris.

[00:02:58] I've played it some, but I've never really been in that world or exposed to anything

[00:03:04] going on in the world of Tetris.

[00:03:06] I went in fairly blind and I don't know exactly what was changed, exaggerated, injected in,

[00:03:15] taken out.

[00:03:16] I'm not sure.

[00:03:17] I think the overall story is pretty interesting.

[00:03:20] And I thought that all the stuff dealing with the Soviet Union and trying to get the rights

[00:03:25] to different countries and all that, I thought that was pretty interesting, whether it's

[00:03:29] fully true or not.

[00:03:31] I thought that really was compelling and it was an interesting, unique story to have

[00:03:37] in the world of the Cold War because, again, it's just a game.

[00:03:40] So I thought that in some ways was even funny, like how ridiculous this became.

[00:03:44] So all that kept me very engaged through most of it.

[00:03:48] I thought Taron Egerton was excellent.

[00:03:51] So I had no issues with any of that, like the production overall, very, very strong.

[00:03:55] I think one of the only things that, well, a couple of things actually that brought it

[00:03:59] down somewhat is the stuff towards the end.

[00:04:03] Like I'm fine with if you want to inject some drama into something like this that otherwise

[00:04:08] might be a little dry, but I'm guessing that there weren't actually car chases in this

[00:04:15] world or in the real event itself when they were in the Soviet Union.

[00:04:19] It felt like, all right, this is a Hollywood movie.

[00:04:23] This part is dry.

[00:04:24] Let's inject some action.

[00:04:26] And it felt for a movie called Tetris about getting rights to a video game.

[00:04:31] It felt ridiculous.

[00:04:32] Like I was like, all right, this is not that big of a deal.

[00:04:35] There's no way this happened.

[00:04:37] And there are so many other movies that I'm not even thinking that.

[00:04:40] So I'm not exactly sure why that was such an issue for me in this.

[00:04:44] And if I'm wrong, sorry, but I'm guessing this did not happen in the way it did.

[00:04:49] And thankfully, it's only a small part of that final act.

[00:04:53] But that really kind of lost me and made me feel like, all right, what else is not

[00:04:57] true in this?

[00:04:58] Like if they're willing to go that far, what else have they changed?

[00:05:03] So didn't love that.

[00:05:05] But the main bulk of the story, like even times where they were just sitting in board

[00:05:09] rooms and conferences, I thought that stuff was interesting.

[00:05:12] It was well directed, it was well shot, well written, well acted.

[00:05:16] I really liked the score and soundtrack.

[00:05:19] Like all that stuff worked quite well.

[00:05:21] But actually speaking to another issue, actually, the pacing was a bit of a problem.

[00:05:29] It's only about two hours, maybe less.

[00:05:32] And it did feel too quickly paced to where it felt much longer.

[00:05:39] Like the pacing itself was consistent, but it felt so rushed to where scenes were not

[00:05:44] very long.

[00:05:45] I was thinking, all right, this has to be a third of the way in, a half of the way in.

[00:05:49] A half of the way in.

[00:05:50] And I checked and I was like, nope, it's 20 minutes earlier than what I thought.

[00:05:53] We still have another hour, another hour and a half.

[00:05:55] I was like, geez.

[00:05:56] And so I think the pacing for whatever reason felt off for the kind of movie that it was.

[00:06:02] So that stuff brought it down.

[00:06:04] And then again, the third act.

[00:06:05] But I still think it's interesting.

[00:06:08] I think if you like anything in the world of computers, invention, I think you'll like

[00:06:13] it.

[00:06:13] And it's got some very unique, unexpected elements too.

[00:06:19] And it did remind me a little bit of Halton Catch Fire, the AMC series, which I think

[00:06:24] is very underrated.

[00:06:26] Love that show.

[00:06:27] So do check it out if you have Apple TV.

[00:06:30] Maybe you can rent it other places.

[00:06:31] I'm not sure.

[00:06:32] But do check it out.

[00:06:34] I think it's worth a watch.

[00:06:36] So that one is a heavy three and a half out of five.

[00:06:40] Now's the time to start your next adventure behind the wheel of an exciting new Toyota

[00:06:45] Hybrid.

[00:06:45] With the largest lineup of hybrid, plug-in hybrid and electrified vehicles to choose

[00:06:50] from, Toyota has the one for you.

[00:06:52] Every new Toyota Hybrid comes with ToyotaCare two-year complimentary scheduled maintenance,

[00:06:57] an exclusive hybrid battery warranty, and Toyota's legendary quality and reliability.

[00:07:03] Visit your local Toyota dealer today.

[00:07:05] Toyota, let's go places.

[00:07:07] See your local Toyota dealer for hybrid battery warranty details.

[00:07:11] So I know you've got a lot going on, but remember, I'm here for you.

[00:07:17] So bother me when no one's listening because I will.

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[00:07:25] Bother me because you're never a bother.

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