MovieMuse
T
he MovieMuse Reviews (MovieViews) database is a searchable collection of films that the team have watched, providing a comprehensive guide on what to watch and what to avoid. It provides a link to an in-depth review or a short opinion on the film and a rating, as well as a link to the film’s poster or DVD cover. For more recent entries we are also including a link to the film’s IMDb page and a trailer from YouTube.
You can search and sort the list by individual film names, genre, reviewer, score and other variables to inform you on whether a film is worth your time, or to inspire you for your next movie night.
We will also use the database to create periodic lists of the recommended films in all sorts of categories. These lists will be shared on the website and some will even come with a video.
| Poster | Movie | Year | Genre | Comments | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Stretch | 2014 | 5, 20 | A frenetic movie with some crazy scenes featuring big name actors in unfamiliar circumstances, all laced with the blackest of humour. It's hard to keep track of things at times but it remains entertaining and Patrick Wilson is great in the lead role. | 7 |
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Why Don't You Just Die! | 2018 | Action, 4, 10 | A Russian single location action-comedy about a young man who arrives at the flat of a Police Detective with a hammer and violent intent. It is brutal, but also very cleverly done with interesting music choices and some great fight sequences. | 7 |
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Days of the Bagnold Summer | 2019 | 4, 7 | A simple story of a mum and teenage son during the school holidays, Simon Bird's directorial debut is definitely influenced by the TV shows he has starred in but on a much more subtle level. Funny, sweet and relatable. | 7 |
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Misbehaviour | 2020 | 3, 4, 7 | A typically British take on the Women's Lib disruption of the 1970 Miss World competition. Despite being a bit too twee and a lot too contrived, it is an interesting slice of history told in an entertaining way. | 7 |
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James and the Giant Peach | 1996 | 1, 2, 8 | A hybrid live-action/animation movie of the much loved Roald Dahl classic works well for the most part. However the stop motion and the cheap looking sets result in the film ageing rather quickly and means that the book is ripe for another attempt. | 6 |
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Boy | 2010 | 4, 7 | Trademark antipodean quirk, but the story of an eleven year old poor kid and the hero-worshipping of his waster father is a little to staid. Stay to the end though, for an amusing Michael Jackson inspired dance scene! | 6 |
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Cars 2 | 2011 | 1, 2, 8 | Rather than a low budget tack-on, Pixar's Cars follow-up is another showcase for some of the very best CG animation we have seen. However the international espionage plot loses much of the charm that the original had in abundance. | 6 |
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Trick or Treat | 2019 | 5, 20 | An interesting British indie black-comedy-thriller about an ex-gangster turned family man who gets caught up in the death of a gang boss' son. The disappointing script and below par performances stop the interest becoming excitement. | 6 |
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The Vast of Night | 2019 | 7, 13, 17 | An intriguing, dialogue heavy, 50s sci-fi mystery that gets the theming and performances spot on, but still feels a little too light. | 7 |
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The Control | 2018 | 7, 17, 20 | A chemical scientist and a computer programmer try to create virtual dreams to entertain the brain while in cryo-sleep. A low budget science fiction thriller that tries to be far cleverer than its derivative plot allows. | 4 |
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Flying Cars | 2019 | 1, 7 | This low budget romance is well shot, but fails to make you care for any of the characters and dumbs down its central theme and unique selling point of RC car racing. | 4 |
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We're Going on a Bear Hunt | 2016 | 2, 8, 18 | The way this lovely tale wraps its theme of loss and grief in adventure is subtle and wonderful and the retelling of this famous book does it justice on all fronts. | 8 |
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Mimi and the Mountain Dragon | 2019 | 2, 8, 18 | An alternative story for Christmas and some lovely hand drawn animation, but it can't hit the heights of other BBC family animations. | 6 |
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The Snail and the Whale | 2019 | 2, 8, 18 | Another fine animation from a Julia Donaldson book. The story or a snail who wants to see the world is fun and the animation is spectacular. | 8 |
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The Dark Knight Rises | 2012 | Action, 1, 9 | Another excellent entry into Superhero's best trilogy. It may be overlong, but Bale's swan-song is as exciting and ambitious as its predecessors. Tom Hardy as Bane is no Joker, but he is a fine foil. | 8 |
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Lawless | 2012 | 3, 5, 7 | The violent tale of 'immortal' bootleggers, the Bondurant brothers. Hardy and LaBeouf are both on fine form and the 'based on a true story' script is gripping. | 8 |
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Greed | 2019 | 4, 5 | A scathing satire on mega-rich magnates (in particular 'sir' Phillip Green) and their exploitation and contempt for taxation, fairness and especially their workforce. The story is a little weak, but the message is strong. | 7 |
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Downhill | 2020 | 4, 7 | An interesting remake of the French relationship drama-comedy Force Majeure. A cowardly husband deserts his family during an avalanche, leaving his marriage in tatters. The original is better, but still worth a watch. | 6 |
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Inheritance | 2020 | 7, 13, 20 | Curious casting, poor performances and a silly script mean that this thriller is anything but. Simon Pegg is decent as a man kept prisoner in an underground bunker, but Lilly Collins is awful as the DA left the man in her dad's will. | 4 |
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Tinker Bell | 2008 | 1, 2, 9 | Tinkerbell's back story isn't exactly ground breaking as she learns the value of who she is, but it is functional intro into the myriad of fairy films that followed. | 6 |
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Cars | 2006 | 2, 4, 8 | Flashy race car gets trapped in a backwater town and learns the meaning of friends. With some of my favourite CG animation, a great voice cast and an engaging story, Cars is a highlight of Pixar's output and one of my favourite family films. | 8 |
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Face/Off | 1997 | Action, 5, 17 | The age old question - what if an agent swapped faces with a criminal? Whilst it hasn't aged particularly well, the over the top performances from Travolta and Cage make it a great action romp that shouldn't be taken too seriously. | 6 |
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Looper | 2012 | Action, 1, 17 | Joseph Gordon-Levitt does his best De Niro impression in a fabulous time travel crime drama that sees Bruce Willis on the run from his younger self. | 8 |
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Robin Hood | 2018 | Action, 1 | Slick and well-made with engaging leads, this could have been an interesting twist on the oft-told legend but in the end does nothing with the characters that hasn’t been done in numerous earlier movies, and by the end it is quite dull. | 5 |
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Surrounded | 2018 | 20 | A weird mixture of shark attack thriller and millennial soap opera that fails to entertain on either level, aside from the unintentional laughs derived from the terrible acting and special effects. | 3 |