Mat

MatBorn 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...

FilmsGamesTVMusic
The Empire Strikes BackBubble Bobble (Arcade)The X-FilesMaster of Puppets (Metallica)
Die HardGrand Theft Auto: Vice City (PS2)Twin PeaksSongs for the Deaf (Queens of the Stone Age)
Back to the FutureWizball (Commodore 64)The Walking DeadAppetite for Destruction (Guns n Roses)
Star WarsFallout 3 (PS3)Breaking BadEarth Vs The Wildhearts (The Wildhearts)
The TerminatorChuckie Egg (BBC Micro)24 (Seasons 1-4 only!)Rust in Peace (Megadeth)
RockyRock Band 3 (PS3)
Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the RingStar Wars (Arcade)
HalloweenSonic the Hedgehog 2 (Megadrive)
FargoDonkey Kong (Arcade)
Pulp FictionGolden Axe (Megadrive)

Mat’s Reviews

Total MovieViews Found: 778, showing 25 per page
PosterMovieYearCommentsRating
Falling Down 1993 One of the most original ideas of its time, a tense and satirical thriller with a character that we can all sympathise with, until he goes too far. 8
Identity 2003 A great ensemble cast unites in a rain-drenched psychological thriller whose only failing is the rather disappointing twist. 7
The House at the End of the Street 2012 A potentially interesting horror thriller pulled into mediocrity by long periods of stupidity and a crap ending, despite a decent cast. 4
Cool Runnings 1993 Very much a case of not letting the truth get in the way of a good story, but this is a good story with plenty of laughs and a great performance by John Candy in one of the last roles before his untimely death. 6
Terminator 2: Judgement Day 1991 With tremendous action and effects that still look pretty good, this is one of the best sequels of all time, but the increased budget and making Arnie the hero remove some of the menace and raw thrills that made the original film so memorable. 8
Labyrinth 1986 A decent fantasy story and good puppetry are completely nullified by dreadful acting from the human characters and some embarrassing musical numbers. Best left in the 80's! 4
Dope 2015 If you can get past the offensive urban language and mumbled delivery from some actors, there's a witty and intelligent film here with some engaging characters. 6
Hachi: A Dog's Tale 2009 A tear-jerking true story about the bond between a dog and his master, beautifully delivered and with excellent performances from humans and dog alike. 8
Friday the 13th Part 2 1981 Jason makes an inauspicious debut as the primary antagonist of the series in an incredibly generic slasher offering that is just about redeemed by the last 20 minutes. 5
Universal Soldier 1992 Cleverly making the best of the two lead actors by not having them act much, this is a decent action film with an above-average story and even a touch of humour. 6
Terminator Genisys 2015 Starts off well enough as an alternate version of the first film, but the plot is well and truly lost by the end. A few reasonable action setpieces help to subdue the confusing story. 6
Need For Speed 2015 Successfully adapts the videogame series in that all it consists of is a series of car races, which aren't enough to stop it becoming tiresome despite decent acting for a movie of this type. 5
Hitchcock 2012 An intriguing and surprisingly witty interpretation of the story behind the scenes of the shooting of Psycho, which gives fascinating insight into the lives of its director and his wife. 7
Eden Lake 2008 Grim, harrowing and shocking, this real-world British horror story is all the more disturbing because it seems credible. A gripping film, but not enjoyable in the slightest. 6
Sixteen Candles 1984 A by-the-numbers 80's high school comedy that has a few decent moments along with some embarrassing racial stereotyping. Definitely not director John Hughes' finest hour. 6
The Reef 2010 A reasonably well shot shark attack thriller that often takes too long to build tension, becoming almost boring at times, until the inevitable payoffs. 5
Tucker & Dale vs. Evil 2010 A unique and witty spin on the 'killer in the woods' horror film, with two very likeable lead actors. It runs out of steam in the second half, but the hilarity of the first makes up for it. 7
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom 1984 Whilst it contains some of the most exciting action sequences of the series, an over-reliance on gross-out scenes and the grim, Occult-themed story make this the worst of the 80s Indy films. 6
Switchback 1997 An interesting serial killer thriller-cum-road movie with some great locations and characters, which would've been better if they hadn't given the killer's identity away before the final act. 7
In Bruges 2008 Outrageously funny, occasionally violent, yet surprisingly touching, this is undoubtedly Colin Farrell's finest performance and a film that was every bit as good as my friends hyped it up to be. 8
Collateral 2004 Both Tom Cruise and Jamie Foxx excel in atypical roles in a gripping, incredibly stylish thriller with a superb soundtrack. 9
Black Mountain Poets 2015 An interesting premise and a couple of good moments, but overall this film fails to deliver convincingly on the comedy or drama fronts, with mostly boring characters. 4
Hercules 2014 Despite the boringly predictable fight scenes, some genuine humour and an interesting twist on the story of this legendary character made this movie better than expected. 7
The Ward 2010 Convincing John Carpenter to direct this film probably helped with its marketing, but even he couldn’t stop this mediocre psychological horror being instantly forgettable. 5
X-Men 2000 Assembles a very well-cast and generally well-acted group of characters, but then does very little with them. In retrospect this film feels like it was just a set up for the superior sequel. 6