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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Hidden Figures | 2016 | 3, 7 | The issues of segregation are dealt with in Hollywood way so we don't get to see any of the real tensions, but that aside Hidden Figures is a well told biography of three pioneering women who deserve to have their story told. | 7 |
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Florence Foster Jenkins | 2016 | 3, 4, 7, 12 | What a dreadful example of Hollywood at its smarmiest, tritest, most pompous worst. Meryl Streep's performance is absolutely not worth all the plaudits and the Big Bang guy is just awful. | 4 |
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Criminal | 2016 | Action, 5, 20 | Despite a ludicrous premise, this London based thriller has a great international cast and is surprisingly well thought out. | 7 |
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Moonlight | 2016 | 7 | Three separate tales of one boys life in the hood, spanning two decades. Each tale is heartbreaking and beautiful. | 9 |
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La La Land | 2016 | 7, 12, 16 | A film of two halves. The first a classic musical will plenty of nods to its inspiration, the second a more serious relationship drama. Both play out really well with brilliant performances and scenes that make you grin without realising. | 8 |
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Notes on Blindness | 2016 | 6 | An unusual and well made documentary that is told by actors lip-syncing to original audio tape dialogue from the 80s. It certainly gives you empathy for its subject, but in the end it is just far too slow to maintain interest. | 5 |
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Her | 2013 | 7, 16, 17 | Despite its 'artiness' making it less accessible, once you start to believe in the relationship between Theodore and Samantha the film shines, as does Joaquin Phoenix. A beautiful dystopian/utopian dream. | 10 |
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Adaptation | 2002 | 4, 7 | The lines of film making and reality are blurred again in another excellent Kaufman's screenplay. Jonze does an amazing job of crafting the normally skinny, hyperactive Nicolas Cage into a depressive, overweight introvert. | 8 |
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Where the Wild Things Are | 2009 | 1, 8 | A beautiful film that is true to the books darker themes. WTWTA could easily swap monsters on an island for colleagues at a team building retreat and work just as well in the 'real' world. | 8 |
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Being John Malkovich | 1999 | 4, 7, 9 | A wonderful script from Charlie Kaufman is amazingly brought to life by Jonze. Turning the surreal into a surprisingly real film. | 9 |
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Shaun of the Dead | 2004 | 4, 11 | A fantastic debut that could easily have been a feature length episode of his hit TV show Spaced. Wright got in on the zombie genre before it became stale and delivered a superb send up. | 8 |
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Hot Fuzz | 2007 | Action, 4 | Easily Wright's best film. Fuzz deserves to be listed with the best of British comedies, but it isn't just funny. It has action, fantastic lead performances, a great look and a brilliant script. | 9 |
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Scott Pilgrim vs. the World | 2010 | Action, 4, 9 | Can Edgar Wright do Hollywood? Thats a big fat yes. Playing up to it's target audience the film a breath of fresh air for teen hero movies. | 8 |
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The World's End | 2013 | Action, 4, 17 | Easilly the worst of the Three Flavours Cornetto trilogy, but still a good film with some very funny dialogue as a pub crawl becomes a mission to save humanity. | 7 |
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District 9 | 2009 | Action, 17, 20 | An incredible debut delivered one of the best sci-fi films in years. A modern parable on the refugee crisis and a dystopian future rolled into an incredible piece of entertainment. | 9 |
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Elysium | 2013 | Action, 17 | An unfairly panned blockbuster suffers from it's huge budget rather than relishing in it. Another story of the haves and have nots told taken to frightening heights. | 7 |
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Pusher | 1996 | 5, 20 | A gritty tale of a week in the life of drugs pusher Frank. The film starts as a dark comedy, but as Frank's circumstances start to spiral out of control the film gets much darker. The use of a very close field of view makes the film seem very personal. | 7 |
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Pusher II: With Blood on my Hands | 2004 | 5, 20 | With a lesser script than the original Pusher and peripheral characters that don't really keep excite, Pusher II was a bit of a disappointment. Despite a great performance from Mads Mikkelson and Winding Refn's trademark American electronica score. | 5 |
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Bronson | 2008 | Action, 3, 5 | A brave way to tell the story of a very violent man. Colourful, funny and awkward. Tells the story and the turmoil without attempting to justify or understand the enigma of Charlie Bronson. | 8 |
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Drive | 2011 | 5, 7 | From the opening scene of Gosling driving through night time LA I was hooked on the aesthetic of the film. With a great script, perfect score and a cinematic beauty to the violence, Drive is a true masterpiece of modern cinema. | 10 |
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Rushmore | 1998 | 4, 7 | This film suffers greatly when watched after The Grand Budapest Hotel. It doesn't manage anywhere near the heights of GBH and felt like a writer/director learning his quirky craft rather than expressing his obvious talent. | 5 |
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Moonrise Kingdom | 2012 | 1, 4, 7 | A step forward from Rushmore in terms of script and filming, but the film still feels formulaic, slight and a little empty. | 6 |
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The Grand Budapest Hotel | 2014 | 1, 4, 7 | If you can get past the art style, GBH is a very funny and original tale. Ralph Fiennes performance is superb and he has some of the best comedy swearing I have seen in a long time. | 9 |
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eXistenZ | 1999 | Action, 17, 20 | An interesting take on the blurring of games and reality, with Cronenberg's using the body as both gateway and weapon. | 8 |
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A History of Violence | 2005 | 5, 7, 20 | Looks and feels very low budget and is hampered by poor acting and choreography. But it still has enough to keep the interest and tells a fine tale of the monster amongst us. | 6 |