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 Wizard | 1989 | The Nintendo product placement is quite shameful and the story sticks to a well-used 80s movie template, but most of the characters are likeable and it still has nostalgic appeal to those who grew up in the era. | 6 |
 |
Robin Hood | 2018 | 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 |
 |
The Guest | 2014 | A well-shot and intriguing thriller whose main character is strangely engaging. The lack of explanation for his motives is frustrating, but the film's creators utilise the same dark humour as their earlier film You're Next to make this just as enjoyable. | 7 |
 |
Terminator: Dark Fate | 2019 | Another attempt to reboot the franchise but it's not much of a departure from the story of earlier films. Despite that the action is thick and fast, the characters are decent and Arnie is really good as another incarnation of his famous character. | 7 |
 |
Down and Out in Beverly Hills | 1986 | An impressive line-up of actors star in this odd comedy that has many of the cringeworthy trappings of this era, but also a message around treatment of the homeless which sadly gets rather lost. The highlight of the film is the incredibly talented dog! | 5 |
 |
The Nice Guys | 2016 | Crowe and Gosling step out of their dramatic comfort zone and prove to be just as accomplished at comedy in this frequently-hilarious 70s detective story. | 7 |
 |
The Frozen Ground | 2013 | A reasonably well made thriller with a refreshingly understated performance from Nicolas Cage and a good supporting cast, but the decision to reveal the identity of the killer within the first ten minutes takes away any sense of mystery. | 6 |
 |
The Expendables 2 | 2012 | The plot is silly and the dialogue is awful, but we finally get the much-desired team up of Sly, Arnie and Bruce that the first one promised but failed to deliver, while both Chuck Norris and Van Damme contribute to some great action scenes. | 6 |
 |
Stretch | 2014 | 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 |
 |
Tomorrowland | 2015 | The influence of classic 50s Sci-Fi is welcome and the premise is quite dark for a Disney offering, but while the acting and effects are good, the film spends so long setting up the tale that it runs out of steam before it gets going properly. | 7 |
 |
What Happened to Monday | 2017 | Like many Netflix offerings the premise is better than the delivery, but this is a reasonable dystopian thriller with some good action scenes. Noomi Rapace overacts at times but is good value playing seven different roles, while Glenn Close is just awful! | 6 |
 |
Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (Extended) | 2003 | The epic conclusion to the story is fleshed out even more in this edition, and while it definitely has a few too many endings, the additional scenes add more depth, relevance and emotional value to an already fantastic movie. | 9 |
 |
Zodiac | 2007 | An intriguing, sometimes gripping, often frustrating true crime tale with some great acting performances and brilliant 70s-style production design. It would be all the better were it not so excruciatingly long! | 7 |
 |
The Bourne Ultimatum | 2007 | Story-wise there's not a lot happening in the final part of the original Bourne trilogy, but the action is non-stop from beginning to end in a film that is both gripping and exhausting to watch. | 7 |
 |
Doctor Sleep | 2019 | An intriguing sequel to The Shining that is fairly creepy, but the runtime is painfully long and the plot seems contrived to get the action back to The Overlook Hotel to revisit key scenes from the original, which is ironically when this film shines most. | 7 |
 |
Destroyer | 2018 | Nicole Kidman is excellent in a role - and look - we've never seen from her before in this revenge/redemption thriller, but sadly the story and action are nowhere near as compelling as the trailer promised and even the final twist is underwhelming. | 6 |
 |
Kubo and the Two Strings | 2016 | Gorgeous animation, good characters and plenty of humour make this an excellent alternative to shmaltzy Disney fare, though kids should still enjoy it. One small letdown is the rather abrupt finale, though even that offers something different to the norm. | 7 |
 |
Summer of Sam | 1999 | Spike Lee's fictional drama playing against the backdrop of real-life events may not have the strongest plot, but it captures the oppressive heat, tension and growing chaos of the era perfectly. It also has a superb soundtrack. | 7 |
 |
Mindhorn | 2016 | There's some amusment to be had from this satire of 70s British detective TV shows, but the story is fairly predictable and both it and the jokes run out of steam before it reaches its conclusion. | 6 |
 |
Attack the Block | 2011 | One of the most original and surprising British films in years, packed with action and humour and featuring some brilliant effects and fantastic performances from the teenage cast. If it's not already a cult classic then it soon will be. | 8 |
 |
Iron Man 3 | 2013 | More of a Tony Stark action movie than an Iron Man film, there are moments of originality here that stand out, but the villains are poor and the final action sequence is very pedestrian. | 6 |
 |
Edge of Tomorrow | 2014 | A clever story and great action scenes combined with a surprisingly humble performance from Cruise and a badass showing from Emily Blunt all makes for an excellent Sci-Fi thriller which also makes room for some good humour at times. | 8 |
 |
I See You | 2019 | The cinematography and score are perfect for this type of film but story is all over the place for the first half hour or so. Then there's a twist that cleverly explains everything and things really pick up, though the later twist is far more predictable. | 6 |
 |
Stagecoach | 1986 | This light-hearted remake of the 1939 classic primarily serves as marketing for some of the era's biggest names in Country Music and they generally do a decent job, with Willie Nelson the standout thanks to some good comedic moments. | 6 |
 |
Red Lights | 2012 | How this modestly-budgeted film managed to secure such a high calibre cast is the biggest mystery, but it is well shot with an intriguing premise and is fairly gripping until the lazy twist ending undoes much of the good work done before it. | 7 |