I Talk Movies

A Movie Review by Carter Rutledge for: Movie Synopsis: The adventure continues in this "Star Wars" sequel. Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Princess Leia and Chewbacca face attack by the Imperial forces and its AT-AT walkers on the ice planet Hoth. While Han and Leia escape in the Millennium Falcon, Luke travels to Dagobah in search of Yoda. Only with the Jedi master's help will Luke survive when the dark side of the Force beckons him into the ultimate duel with Darth Vader. MPAA Rating:  PG The Good:  Amazing score, A+ tone and pacing. The Bad:  Really not much at all.... Why I Watched it: I can't remember my first time seeing this movie. My Thoughts (no penny needed): In my opinion, the best Star Wars movie by far. I understand it is the majority's opinion that this is the best, but when you watch them all in one day it really becomes quite clear. The lovable characters, the thrilling action scenes, the menacing villain, and the long, hard journ...

A Movie Review by Carter Rutledge for: Movie Synopsis: The Imperial Forces, under orders from cruel Darth Vader, hold Princess Leia hostage in their efforts to quell the rebellion against the Galactic Empire. Luke Skywalker and Han Solo, work together with the companionable droid duo R2-D2 & C-3PO to rescue the beautiful princess, help the Rebel Alliance, and restore freedom and justice to the Galaxy. MPAA Rating:  PG The Good: Ultra-Lovable characters, awesome score and everything awesome. The Bad:  Special edition effects, Luke+Leia romance, and some cheesy-ness. Why I Watched it: I can't remember my first time seeing this movie. My Thoughts (no penny needed): Man, I love this movie. All of the characters are lovable, the score givees me chills, and I could watch this a hundred times and still love it. I know the lightsaber battle was cheesy, I know the costumes are sometimes cheesy. But you can't help but love this movie. If you have seen i...

A Movie Review by Carter Rutledge for: Movie Synopsis: As the Rebellion spreads its influence among people, the Galactic Empire builds a super weapon capable of destroying an entire planet. A group of rebels disobeys orders and take a shuttle to go on a mission to steal plans that hide secrets on how to destroy this weapon of mass destruction. MPAA Rating:  PG-13 The Good:  Lovable characters, great Star Wars spirit, and the best space battles to date. The Bad:  Shallow story and let-downable score. Why I Watched it: Saw it December 15 in an IMAX theater as a birthday gift. Needless to say, it was amazing. My Thoughts (no penny needed): I am a HUGE Star Wars geek. This was total fan-service and I loved every second of it. Tarkin. Darth Vader. Leia. R2 &3PO. All of it was just chilling. People complain about Leia looking fake, but Tarkin was more fake then her! All of the space battles are the best Star Wars, or any sic-fi film has ever seen! The ...

A Movie Review by Carter Rutledge for: Movie Synopsis: Truman Burbank lives a happy life. However, what he doesn't know is that his life is actually the focus of a reality TV show aired since his birth, that he's the star, his hometown is a giant set piece, and that everyone around him is an actor. MPAA Rating:  PG The Good:  Acting, sets, writing, amazing emotion and creativity The Bad:  It is a little bit slow, and has some bad language. Why I Watched it: After my dad showed me the ending when I was little, I wanted to know about that door. When I saw it on Amazon last year, I jumped on the opportunity. My Thoughts (no penny needed): Wow. I wrote this review on my third viewing of this film, and it is so much better than it was before. I can not stop thinking of anything but this movie for two whole days. I can't explain it easily, but this movie is just so powerful. All of my favorite movies are my favorite for different reasons, and the Truman Sh...

A Movie Review by Carter Rutledge for: Movie Synopsis: Three years into the Clone Wars, the Jedi rescue Palpatine from Count Dooku. As Obi-Wan pursues a new threat, Anakin acts as a double agent between the Jedi Council and Palpatine and is lured into a sinister plan to rule the galaxy. MPAA Rating:  PG-13 The Good:  John Williams, crazy lightsaber & ship battles The Bad:  Acting, script, that poster^ and a boring middle. Why I Watched it: Once again, It's Star Wars. I do remember when this movie came out, and I wanted to see it so bad, but my mom said I couldn't. My Thoughts (no penny needed): The beginning third is breathtaking. The last third is tear-jerking+breathtaking. But the middle... It is just kind of there. I can't even remember what happens. Oh wait, just remembered. General Grevious. *makes sour face* I feel like in the first 2 Star Wars films, Palpatine was not really hype up, he was just there. And halfway through this...

TOP 10 MOVIE VILLAINS So every ten movie reviews, I will do a top 10 list of something. Here goes some villains: You know them, you can hear their voices in your head. You say their famous quotes every day, when you were little, these were the guys hiding in your closet. 1. Darth Vader - 10 “I find your lack of faith disturbing” The best movie villain. Hands down. One of my favorite things about him is his redemption story arch in the end. His menacing mask and deep voice are just.. scary. 2. The Joker (TDK) - 10 "You wanna know how I got these scars?" Now this is a villain who is truly chaotic. With apparently no rhyme nor reason to anything he does, Heath Ledger does the performance of a lifetime in The Dark Knight. 3. Loki - 10 "Born to be a king, I ask one thing in return: a front seat to watch Earth burn." In every movie he is in, Loki steals the show. Charismatic, and with a brother who is a hero, Loki and his quippy ...

A Movie Review by Carter Rutledge for: Movie Synopsis: Ten years after the invasion of Naboo, the galaxy is on the brink of civil war. Under the leadership of a renegade Jedi named Count Dooku, thousands of solar systems threaten to break away from the Galactic Republic. When an assassination attempt is made on Senator Padmé Amidala, the former Queen of Naboo, twenty-year-old Jedi apprentice Anakin Skywalker is assigned to protect her. In the course of his mission, Anakin discovers his love for Padmé as well as his own darker side. MPAA Rating:  PG The Good:  Amazing cinematography, ship battles, score, and The Battle of Geonosis. The Bad:  Bad acting, bad effects, and overly confusing plot. Why I Watched it: It's Star Wars, dude. I can't remember a time when I hadn't seen this movie. My Thoughts (no penny needed): When this movie is awesome, it is very, very awesome. When this movie is awful, it is very, very awful. Awful: Any love scen...

A Movie Review by Carter Rutledge for: Movie Synopsis: Anakin Skywalker, a young slave strong with the Force, is discovered on Tatooine. Meanwhile, the evil Sith have returned, enacting their plot for revenge against the Jedi. MPAA Rating:  PG The Good:  Darth Maul, the score, and the lightsaber battle. The Bad:  Jar Jar, Jar Jar, and Jar Jar. Why I Watched it: Uhh... I grew up watching this like every week. But my uncle was the one who introduced me to Star Wars. My Thoughts (no penny needed): I have most likely seen this movie more than any other Star Wars movie. When I was little, it was the only one I had on DVD. The worst of the saga, with cheesy lines, gaping plot holes, and JAR JAR. Now don't get me wrong, I still like this movie. The lightsaber battle at the end is da bomb, Qui-Gon kicks butt, and the space battles are amazing. (As long as it doesn't cut to Anakin) The podrace is awesome, but you are forced to sit there and watch it...

A Movie Review by Carter Rutledge for: Movie Synopsis: A group of scientists in San Francisco struggle to stay alive in the aftermath of a plague that is wiping out humanity, while Caesar tries to maintain dominance over his community of intelligent apes. MPAA Rating:  PG-13 The Good:  WOWZA effects, amazing parallel story and phenomenal acting. The Bad:  A couple of meh characters and a surprising amount of bad language. Why I Watched it: After I watched the first one, this was a natural next choice. My Thoughts (no penny needed): Wow. Absolutely amazing! My favorite feature is the story's parallel. Both the humans and apes have a father/leader, a son, and a betrayer. There are many more parallels like this in the film. The visuals are pumped up from the last film, which I didn't even know was possible! The acting was superb! The pacing was great, the callbacks the first movie were great, and Caesar was amazing as usual! I sorely missed Will...

A Movie Review by Carter Rutledge for: Movie Synopsis: Scientist Will Rodman is determined to find a cure for Alzheimer’s, the disease which has slowly consumed his father. Will feels certain he is close to a breakthrough and tests his latest serum on apes, noticing dramatic increases in intelligence and brain activity in the primate subjects – especially Caesar, his pet chimpanzee. MPAA Rating:  PG-13 The Good:  Amazing effects, great story and phenomenal acting The Bad:  Unsatisfying ending and cheesy villains. Why I Watched it: I saw the trailer for the third movie, and so I started in the most obvious place, the first movie. My Thoughts (no penny needed): What a ground-breaking movie. This film does not get enough credit in the VFX world in my opinion. Andy Serkis was the best actor in the whole shebang. Will was a very likable character, and his story arch with his father and his job go great in this movie. The Shawshank Prison for apes wa...

A Movie Review by Carter Rutledge for: Movie Synopsis:  Set in the 22nd century, The Matrix tells the story of a computer hacker who joins a group of underground insurgents fighting the vast and powerful computers who now rule the earth. MPAA Rating:  R The Good:  STUNNING, STUNNING, STUNNING The Bad:  Slightly cheesy, and some bad language Why I Watched it: Heard about this movie since I was a wee lad, and thanks again to the great Netflix, the time had come for me to watch it. My Thoughts (no penny needed): Wow. Take a deep breath, that.. was... amazing. Superb visuals and Christian allegories drive this amazing Sci-Fi movie. Bullet time was very impressive, as were the gun fights and various stunts. Great color and sets. This movie is also so thought-provoking and does a good job of making you question reality. It's one of those movies that seems like Christopher Nolan wrote it, but he didn't. Neo being the One, a character named Trini...

A Movie Review by Carter Rutledge for: Movie Synopsis:  After his memory is erased, Thomas is deposited in a community of boys and soon learns they're all trapped in a maze that will require him to join forces with his fellow "runners" for a shot at escaping. MPAA Rating:  PG-13 The Good: Great adaption from the book, amazing visuals, and great cinematography. The Bad:  Acting was a little off, some plot holes, and some bad language. Why I Watched it: I saw this in theaters in 2014 after a friend loaned me the book, and have watched it a couple of times since. My Thoughts (no penny needed): The perfect representation of the book, things that were changed were necessary, and it felt like reading the book. That said, there is some acting problems here. Newt, Gally, and Minho were good, Thomas, Alby and Chuck were okay, and Teresa and the extras were pretty bad.  Cinematography is really nice here, with lots of opportunities for cool shots and sequ...

A Movie Review by Carter Rutledge for: Movie Synopsis:  Based on the best-seller book ‘The Little Prince’, the movie tells the story of a little girl that lives with resignation in a world where efficiency and work are the only dogmas. Everything will change when accidentally she discovers her neighbor that will tell her about the story of the Little Prince that he once met. MPAA Rating:  PG The Good:  Phenomenal storytelling, great score, amazing animation and lovable, meaningful characters. The Bad:  Well... I... Why I Watched it: Scrolling through the infinite libraries of Netflix once again... My Thoughts (no penny needed): "It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye." I   LOVE this movie. The animation, the story, the metaphorical-ness, the acting, and the cinematography. This is by far the most cinematic animated film ever. All of the actors are spot one here, but Jeff Bridges...

A Movie Review by Carter Rutledge for: Movie Synopsis:  A cooler-than-ever Bruce Wayne must deal with the usual suspects as they plan to rule Gotham City, while discovering that he has accidentally adopted a teenage orphan who wishes to become his sidekick. MPAA Rating:  PG The Good:  Neat animation, half-good humor, and awesome Batman references. The Bad:  Half-bad humor, weird stuff, and unlikable Batman. Why I Watched it: Little brother received this for his birthday, and I like LEGO and Batman so.... I watched it with him. My Thoughts (no penny needed): Mindless action. Weird humor. Unlikable main character.  These are a few of my least favorite things about this movie. Jokes about two dads, the awful  butt-mobile joke and whinny Batman shy me away from really enjoying this adventure. Batman literally acts like a toddler, whit Alfred acting as his surrogate father. The villain references are great, but while that worked in 2014's...

A Movie Review by Carter Rutledge for: Movie Synopsis:  Based on the popular board game, this comedy begins at a dinner party hosted by Mr. Boddy, where he admits to blackmailing his visitors. These guests, who have been given aliases, are Mrs. Peacock, Miss Scarlet, Mr. Green, Professor Plum, Mrs. White, and Col. Mustard. When Boddy turns up murdered, all are suspects, and together they try to figure out who is the killer. MPAA Rating:  PG The Good: Amazing writing, phenomenal acting, and awesome sets. The Bad:  Slightly cheesy scares, slow pacing and some adult references. Why I Watched it: We had a gift card for Amazon Video and when scrolling through last night we saw this movie. We have loved the board game for years, and thought it would be a great movie night! My Thoughts (no penny needed): For all of the failed movies based on video games, one based on a popular board game actually works! Not only does it work as a movie by itself, alo...