MovieMuse
The MovieMuse team has set ourselves the challenge of watching 500 different films between us in 2017. Every new film we watch will be rated and given a short review as part of our MovieViews database. Once again we’re reaching the end of the following month, but here’s our June update.
This was the worst month so far in terms of movies watched, with Mat letting the side down having only watched 4 films during the month. In his defence, he was on holiday for almost half of June and spent much of the latter half catching up on TV missed while he was away. Gordon carried the team as usual, with a decent number of new films reviewed. Simon continues to make a marginal contribution, but we live in hope that he’ll rediscover his interest in watching movies at some point!
At the halfway point of our challenge, the number of different films watched between us stands at 244, which is very close to being on target. A bit more effort over the coming months (and a dip in the weather) should still see us reach that target of 500.
Below are the stats for the month, including each team members’ best and worst picks from the films they watched for the first time. You can also scroll down to see the reviews written by each team member for every film watched in June.
Overall Stats
| January | February | March | April | May | June | July | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total Films Watched | 84 | 45 | 47 | 31 | 52 | 23 | 39 |
| Unique Films Watched | 78 | 36 | 39 | 27 | 42 | 18 | 32 |
| New Reviews Added | 72 | 37 | 40 | 25 | 38 | 20 | 30 |
| Average Rating Given | 3.21 | 3.27 | 3.29 | 2.73 | 3.23 | 3.22 | 3.09 |
| Challenge Completion | 15.6% | 22.8% | 30.6% | 36.0% | 44.4% | 48.0% | 54.4% |
Team Member Stats for June
| Gordon | Mat | Simon | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Films Watched | 16 | 4 | 3 |
| Unique Films Watched | 14 | 4 | 0 |
| New Reviews Added | 16 | 4 | 0 |
| Average Rating Given | 3.12 | 3.25 | 3.67 |
| Best Film of the Month | Raw | Insidious | Brick |
| Worst Film of the Month | Paycheck | Insidious: Chapter 2 | - |
Gordon’s Reviews
| Poster | Movie | Year | Comments | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Banksy Does New York | 2016 | Interesting and entertaining doc that asks many of the right questions without forcing its opinion. | 7 |
 |
CHiPs | 2017 | Despite some half=hearted jokes and plot mechanics (and silly insta-exploding cars!), Chips is still a very funny film with two great leads. I hope it gets a sequel. | 6 |
 |
Diva | 1981 | Not many thrillers can weave themselves around a tale of a young man's obsession with Opera. But Diva does this with tons of style. | 8 |
 |
Jawbone | 2017 | An alcoholic ex junior champion boxer battles much tougher demons than his opponent. Rocky for the real world. | 8 |
 |
John Wick | 2014 | Slight story and little in the way of invention, but the brutal violence and gritty characters carry the film off to a perfectly satisfactory, if not challenging conclusion. | 7 |
 |
Lady Macbeth | 2016 | Incredibly beautiful and incredibly dull. The film is missing something but I can't put my finger on what. | 5 |
 |
Okja | 2017 | Astonishing whilst it is a family friendly adventure, but when it morphs into an animal rights thriller the wonder subsides. a little | 7 |
 |
Paycheck | 2003 | The A- list cast, exciting director and interesting premise are all trumped by the woeful acting, dialogue and action. | 3 |
 |
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales | 2017 | Servicable but entirely unnecessary and unremarkable tale of an increasingly tedious anti-hero. | 5 |
 |
Rash | 2005 | A rather formulaic documentary that paints its protagonists as heroes whilst providing little in the way of justification. | 4 |
 |
Raw | 2016 | A ludicrous premise about a vegetarian who goes to vet school and becomes a cannibal. But that doesn't stop it being an enthralling and disturbing voyeuristic thrill. | 8 |
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The Lost Arcade | 2015 | At its best when wallowing in its reminiscent glow, the film loses its way a little when it hits the here and now. Regardless though it is a very well told tale of the death and rebirth of a lifetime kids today can never comprehend. | 7 |
 |
The Subjects | 2016 | A single room thriller (reminiscent of The Exam) sees medical trial subjects locked in a lab after taking a mysterious pill. Dreadful acting and annoying characters hold the film back, but it is entertaining enough for one viewing. | 5 |
 |
Tron | 1982 | A film ahead of its time, Tron holds up well in terms of its themes and setting. However the very 80s approach to story telling wanes a little too early for the film to truly stand out beyond its nostalgia. | 7 |
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Tron: Legacy | 2010 | As stylish as the original and one of the best scores in years. However a disappointing final third and some awful de-aging stop Legacy from being as revered as its inspiration. | 7 |
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Wonder Woman | 2017 | Fun and dumb. Does a good job of telling the origin story, but although Gadot is an alluring lead, I won't be rushing to watch it again any time soon. | 7 |
Mat‘s Reviews
| Poster | Movie | Year | Comments | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Insidious | 2010 | The team behind Saw tones down the gore and produces a creepy and original take on the demonic possession horror film, which is only let down by its hard-to-follow final half hour. | 7 |
 |
Insidious: Chapter 2 | 2013 | A disappointing follow-up with a confusing and ultimately boring story, which also lacks the unnerving tension and scares of the first film. | 5 |
 |
Predator | 1987 | Packed with macho bravado, suspense, impressive special effects and a touch of comedy, this is one of big Arnie’s best, with an excellent supporting cast and a thrilling finale. | 10 |
 |
Wishmaster | 1997 | Kudos to this film for featuring cameos from a number of well-known horror actors, but that's about all it has going for it. Dreadful acting and low-par effects in a movie that is unintentionally more comedy than horror. | 4 |
Simon’s Reviews
| Poster | Movie | Year | Comments | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Brick | 2005 | An interesting concept and there are enough twists and turns to keep you interested and entertained. Not riveting, but not bad either. | 7 |
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Tron | 1982 | The classic futuristic Disney Sci-fi. I was blown away by this as a kid with the amazing graphical style, great sound effects and the use of such futuristic words as de-rezzed. Still holds up well today and I enjoyed watching it again. | 8 |
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Tron: Legacy | 2010 | Pays homage to the original with a similar, though updated graphical style and a storyline that pretty much parallels the first one, and it shows in a very linear film with no real surprises. Enjoyable enough but not up to the earlier film's standards. | 7 |