MovieMuse
Born in the mid-70’s, Mat ‘Witchfinder’ Corne grew up as part of the Star Wars generation, and to be honest he’s still stuck there! If there’s some kind of geeky hobby that can be pursued then Mat is almost certainly interested, be it Retro Gaming, binge-watching Cult TV shows, collecting vintage Star Wars toys or checking out the latest action films at the cinema.
With an encyclopaedic knowledge of movies, TV, games and music, Mat is never short of something to say on any topic and is partial to a good rant about most things. Aside from the nostalgic hobbies he’s also a fan of football, rollercoasters and travelling the world, which he combines at regular opportunities! He lives in Stoke-on-Trent with his incredibly patient wife and a ridiculous Romanian rescue dog called Luca.
Mat is responsible for MovieMuse’s weekly Freeview Movies of the Week article and is co-editor of the MovieMuse podcast.
Mat's favourite things...
| Films | Games | TV | Music |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Empire Strikes Back | Bubble Bobble (Arcade) | The X-Files | Master of Puppets (Metallica) |
| Die Hard | Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (PS2) | Twin Peaks | Songs for the Deaf (Queens of the Stone Age) |
| Back to the Future | Wizball (Commodore 64) | The Walking Dead | Appetite for Destruction (Guns n Roses) |
| Star Wars | Fallout 3 (PS3) | Breaking Bad | Earth Vs The Wildhearts (The Wildhearts) |
| The Terminator | Chuckie Egg (BBC Micro) | 24 (Seasons 1-4 only!) | Rust in Peace (Megadeth) |
| Rocky | Rock Band 3 (PS3) | ||
| Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring | Star Wars (Arcade) | ||
| Halloween | Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (Megadrive) | ||
| Fargo | Donkey Kong (Arcade) | ||
| Pulp Fiction | Golden Axe (Megadrive) |
Mat’s Reviews
| Poster | Movie | Year | Comments | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
The Loft | 2014 | There's an intriguing premise to this whodunnit and a decent calibre of acting, but none of the characters are likeable and as a result it's hard to stay engaged until the fairly predictable twist ending. | 5 |
 |
Spider-Man | 2002 | 15 years and two reboots on, Tobey Maguire remains the best incarnation of Spidey, and this is a cracking debut, blending origin story, high school comedy and action thriller to great effect. | 8 |
 |
Ransom | 1996 | The actions of Mel Gibson's character are ridiculous and deplorable, but somehow that just adds to the appeal of this brilliant thriller, which also features an excellent performance from Gary Sinise. | 8 |
 |
The Colony (Colonia) | 2015 | A potentially interesting true story turns out to be generally grim and depressing, with indifferent performances from all of the main actors. Overall, unconvincing and rather boring. | 5 |
 |
X-Men 2 | 2003 | Lighter on action than I remembered, and definitely a bit too long, but this remains one of the best movies of its type thanks to some scintillating dialogue, classy acting and plenty of drama. One of the more cerebral Superhero films! | 8 |
 |
An Education | 2009 | Not my thing at all, but kept my attention thanks to the charisma of lead actress Carey Mulligan, a witty supporting turn from Alfred Molina and a story demonstrating just how much what constitutes an acceptable relationship has changed over the years. | 6 |
 |
Doomed! The Untold Story of Roger Corman's Fantastic Four | 2015 | A fascinating, funny and engaging look at the impact of Hollywood Producers' wheeling and dealing. By the end you will want to watch the unreleased movie out of sheer sympathy for those involved in making it! | 8 |
 |
Safety Not Guaranteed | 2012 | Some viewers might be disappointed that it doesn’t really deliver on its Time Travel premise, but this quirky, heartwarming and frequently hilarious relationship drama is much more entertaining than it would've been as straight Sci-Fi. | 8 |
 |
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull | 2008 | After an enjoyable opening 20 minutes, it just gets worse and worse with some awful acting, bad CGI and tiresome action sequences, before a dreadful finale. That said, it wasn't as bad as I remembered! | 5 |
 |
Joy Ride | 2001 | Unashamedly influenced by Duel and The Hitcher, this thriller still manages to entertain with a tension-filled first half, good cinematography and decent casting. Only the unmemorable finale lets it down a little. | 7 |
 |
Jack Reacher | 2012 | Far less action-packed than expected, but all the better for it, this is a clever, thrilling and gripping movie with a brilliant and surprisingly witty performance by Tom Cruise as the anti-hero. | 8 |
 |
Stranger Than Fiction | 2006 | A quirky, touching and frequently hilarious comedy-drama with a really unique premise. Will Ferrell is refreshingly subdued in the lead role, while Emma Thompson is brilliant as the woman that unwittingly has his fate in her hands. | 7 |
 |
Poltergeist | 1982 | In some respects time has not been kind to this film, with some of the once-terrifying scenes now rather comical. Even so, it is still a good story with some impressive visual effects and suprisingly good acting from the children involved. | 6 |
 |
Lara Croft: Tomb Raider | 2001 | Angelina Jolie is perfectly acceptable as the herione, but the story is convoluted, the action scenes boring and the biggest issue is that it barely resembles the video game it is based on. | 5 |
 |
Lara Croft: Tomb Raider - The Cradle of Life | 2003 | The story is marginally better, but this sequel repeats most of the failings the original had, with scant references to the video game and a number of badly-acted characters doing incomprehensible things for no good reason. | 5 |
 |
Wrecker | 2015 | Poor acting, cinematography and special effects contribute to this dreadful rehash of Steven Spielberg's Duel, which also has none of the tension of the original. It's hard to understand how someone can take the same story and make it so bad! | 3 |
 |
Paranormal Activity 2 | 2010 | For the first hour this film builds up tension effectively, has some genuinely creepy moments and one of the best jump scares of all time. Unfortunately it all gets a bit silly for the finale. | 6 |
 |
Eyes of Laura Mars | 1978 | Sadly not as good as I was hoping for given the director, writer and cast involved, but the premise was interesting and it was good to see Tommy Lee Jones in one of his earlier roles. | 6 |
 |
Iron Man | 2008 | The character seemed an odd choice to kick off the Marvel Cinematic Universe at the time, but Robert Downey Jr's portrayal of the egomaniac with a heart is very engaging, while the origin story, action scenes and villain all work well. | 8 |
 |
Spider-Man 2 | 2004 | Continuing where the first film left off, the sequel features a similar blend of action, comedy and relationship drama, but benefits from a greater villain and a couple of outstanding setpieces. Arguably the best superhero movie ever made. | 9 |
 |
Europa Report | 2013 | A pretty effective, tangible, but ultimately depressing Space thriller. The 'found footage' style suits the film perfectly but the addition of a soundtrack is completely at odds with that style, although it does help build tension. | 6 |
 |
Baywatch | 2017 | This was never going to be a masterpiece, but the excessively crude language and humour, derivative plot and 2 hour running time make it even worse than expected. Aside from a few in-jokes, it completely fails to capture the spirit of the TV show. | 4 |
 |
The Adventures of Tintin | 2011 | The animation is excellent, though the characters are somewhat unnerving in their realism. Story-wise it's rather haphazard, but at its best it is reminiscent of the early Indy movies, not least thanks to the John Williams score. | 6 |
 |
Escape from L.A. | 1996 | Few directors get the chance to remake their own films, and most of us probably wish John Carpenter hadn't bothered, as this rehash of Escape From New York offers nothing new and features some pretty awful special effects. | 5 |
 |
Prisoners | 2013 | It definitely goes on too long and some of the twists are too obviously signposted, but this is still a gripping and disturbing thriller with an intense performance from Hugh Jackman at its heart. | 7 |