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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Beverly Hills Cop | 1984 | It's still a joy to see Eddie Murphy at the height of his powers as the cocky but likeable Axel Foley in this excellent blend of action and comedy. The backup duo of Reinhold and Ashton also provide some great comedy moments and the soundtrack is superb. | 8 |
 |
Ghostbusters | 1984 | Some of the effects look dated now but this film was never really about them. A brilliantly-written story with some of the finest comedic talent of the era make for one of the iconic 80s movies and a pop culture sensation that endures to this day. | 8 |
 |
Crocodile Dundee | 1986 | Much of the film is just a sequence of sketches showcasing Paul Hogan, but the surprise is that it has aged pretty well barring a couple of scenes and is far more sensitive and inclusive than you'd expect of a mid-80s comedy starring a brash Aussie. | 7 |
 |
Dragnet | 1987 | The plot is hit and miss but this is a great 80s comedy with Dan Aykroyd providing the best moments in his role as the straight man, and if nothing else it delivers one of the most finely-crafted punchlines of all time in the final scene. | 7 |
 |
Heathers | 1989 | If David Lynch had ever done a teen high school comedy then it would probably have turned out like this. Occasional moments of entertainment are cancelled out by equal amounts of weirdness and the whole thing is a little too dark to be enjoyable. | 5 |
 |
Gremlins 2: The New Batch | 1990 | The premise of this sequel is very smart and for a while it is as entertaining as the original, but it all gets a little bit too silly and the final half hour is pretty irritating. The numerous nods to pop culture and classic movies are good though. | 6 |
 |
City Slickers | 1991 | A funny and heart-warming story about facing middle age and appreciating what you have, with the witty dialogue between Billy Crystal and his friends being the highlight. | 7 |
 |
A Few Good Men | 1992 | Best known for the fantastic verbal showdown between Cruise and Nicholson, but even before that this courtroom drama is gripping from beginning to end with excellent performances almost all round and a fascinating story. | 8 |
 |
The Fugitive | 1993 | A near-perfect cocktail of heart-pounding action, smart dialogue and the suspenseful unravelling of a conspiracy. In an era when the traditional action movie was starting to get tired, this was a breath of fresh air and both Ford and Jones are superb. | 9 |
 |
Shallow Grave | 1994 | Danny Boyle's debut film is tense, witty and dark as they come as we see the impact of one traumatic act on three friends, with Ewan McGregor and Christopher Ecclestone both showing early examples of the talent that would lead them to bigger things. | 8 |
 |
Clueless | 1995 | There are occasionally some funny moments in this film, but the story is formulaic and predictable even by the standards of the era and many of the characters are so detestable that it is hard to watch. | 5 |
 |
Twins | 1988 | The plot is pretty flimsy but Arnie provides a pretty good comedic performance, ably backed by Devito, and there are a few reasonable action scenes. Not one of the big man's best but still entertaining. | 6 |
 |
Stir Crazy | 1980 | One of several Richard Pryor/Gene Wilder collaborations and it's clearly designed to showcase them with the story being an afterthought. Pryor's contribution still holds up pretty well but Wilder's antics are pretty annoying and haven’t aged well. | 5 |
 |
An American Werewolf in London | 1981 | A masterful blend of comedy and horror, with almost as many laughs as there are shocks, while Rick Baker’s werewolf transformation sequence still looks incredible. One of the scariest, funniest and saddest horror films you will ever see. | 9 |
 |
First Blood | 1982 | The message about treating war veterans more sympathetically gets a little lost amid the violence but that doesn’t stop this being a great film with the highlight being the thrilling chase through the wilderness as Rambo evades his pursuers. | 8 |
 |
National Lampoon's Vacation | 1983 | Many comedies from this era have aged badly due to jokes that are now considered insensitive, but Vacation still works thanks to the mostly-innocent humour and remains relevant to anyone that has ever been on a family road trip they’d prefer to forget. | 8 |
 |
Big | 1988 | Hanks is perfect at portraying the wish-fulfilment of a child with an adult’s resources juxtaposed with the loneliness of a child trapped in an adult’s body, and this is surely the reason he was targeted for more serious roles after this great film. | 8 |
 |
Happy Gilmore | 1996 | Adam Sandler is annoying as hell at times but somehow that doesn't stop this being a lot more enjoyable than it probably deserves, with the rags to riches sporting theme and a sweet-natured purpose giving it more credibility than most of his work. | 7 |
 |
Dante's Peak | 1997 | A few cheesy scenes aside, this disaster movie is fairly entertaining with some decent effects, plausible science and reasonable performances from the lead actors, thoughit never quite delivers the big thrills that other movies in this genre have. | 7 |
 |
There's Something About Mary | 1998 | The Farrelly Brothers set the bar for gross-out comedy, with some scenes just awful and others hilarious, but there is also a sweet story at its heart. It may have spawned a sub-genre that is now tiresome but this is one of the best films of its kind. | 7 |
 |
Dogma | 1999 | Kevin Smith combines a well-researched religious storyline with his usual pop culture driven script to deliver a witty, thought-provoking comedy that asks a lot of questions about religion but never truly insults it. | 7 |
 |
Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure | 1989 | A brilliant story, some great casting and the Mall, Police Station and final presentation scenes make for a very entertaining spectacle, but the acting is poor at times and there's a liberal amount of cheese that stops this being a top-tier 80s film. | 7 |
 |
Watchers | 1988 | The story is significantly different from the novel, the creature effects are poor and Haim's transition from carefree teen to resourceful hero is hard to believe, but there are some creepy moments, the dog is adorable and the soundtrack is very good. | 5 |
 |
Bill & Ted Face the Music | 2020 | While the story is heavily derived from the earlier films, this instalment is generally funnier and more heart-warming than its predecessors. A most triumphant end to Bill and Ted's story, despite the final twist being about as predictable as they come. | 7 |
 |
Total Recall | 1990 | Arnie may have been an A-list star at this point, but this feels like a very expensive B-movie. The story is good but the effects have aged terribly, almost all the supporting cast are poor and the action scenes are unimaginative until the big finale. | 6 |