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.
April saw our lowest number of films watched to date, with the better weather meaning we finally spent some time outside instead of in front of a screen! Once again, Simon didn’t watch a single film during the month, and even the usually reliable Gordon only managed to watch around half his usual number. Despite this, the team is still on target to reach 500 films watched in a year, with 37.2% of our target watched and a third of the year gone.
The quality of the films watched was also an all-time low, with an average overall rating of 2.73 way below the norm, and with the majority of the films we watched being from the last five years, it doesn’t say a lot for the current state of moviemaking!
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 April.
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 April
| Gordon | Mat | Simon | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Films Watched | 14 | 17 | 0 |
| Unique Films Watched | 13 | 14 | 0 |
| New Reviews Added | 13 | 12 | 0 |
| Average Rating Given | 2.64 | 2.79 | - |
| Best Film of the Month | Personal Shopper | Mission: Impossible 4 | - |
| Worst Film of the Month | The Hatton Garden Job | Sabotage | - |
Mat‘s Reviews
| Poster | Movie | Year | Comments | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Before I Go To Sleep | 2014 | An intriguing suspense thriller with plenty of tense moments and excellent performances from the small cast, but the finale seems rushed and is unsatisfactory. | 6 |
 |
Bokeh | 2017 | This film has an interesting premise, but ultimately poses very few questions and gives no answers. All it really does is serve as a very well-made tourist guide for the admittedly stunning scenery of Iceland. | 5 |
 |
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind | 2004 | I love the concept, the acting is decent and there are plenty of amusing moments, but the film is bogged down by 20 unnecessary minutes of inexplicable nonsense in the middle. | 6 |
 |
Guardians of the Galaxy | 2014 | The pleasant surprise factor is gone on second viewing, but that doesn’t stop this being one of the best Marvel films to date, mainly thanks to Chris Pratt's endearing lead performance and the CGI raccoon and tree-man duo. | 7 |
 |
Inside Out | 2015 | Pixar's most intelligent and creative movie to date, and one whose themes are more suitable for adults than children, though it will undoubtedly entertain both. | 8 |
 |
Jason X | 2001 | The characters are as one-dimensional and badly acted as ever, but the move to a futuristic setting breathes a bit of new life into the Friday the 13th series, and the film benefits from not taking itself seriously. | 5 |
 |
Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol | 2011 | Tom Cruise does his best to ruin it by being miserable throughout, but the supporting cast supply enough humour and excitement to redeem it, and the action sequences are excellent. Probably my favourite of the series. | 8 |
 |
Monsters University | 2013 | Pixar's take on the Frat-house comedy is far from their greatest offering, but even their mediocre films are better than most CG-animated movies. The return of one of their best duos, Mike and Sully, was also most welcome. | 7 |
 |
Quatermass and the Pit | 1967 | Showing its age in some respects, but this remains an interesting story, acted well and with an action-packed finale. A classic slice of Britich Sci-Fi! | 6 |
 |
Red State | 2011 | An uncharacteristically gritty film from director Kevin Smith. The delivery is uneven, but the story is all the more disturbing because people like those portrayed in the film really do exist in America. | 6 |
 |
Rise of the Rabbit | 2015 | Nicely animated, lacking in plot and with unmemorable voice acting, this Chinese offering is still no worse than the Kung-Fu Panda movies it is obviously trying to cash in on. | 5 |
 |
Sabotage | 2014 | Excessive violence, minimal action, an almost incomprehensible plot and universally terrible acting from a cast that is largely capable of much better. Truly abysmal. | 2 |
 |
The BFG | 2016 | Steven Spielberg adapts Roald Dahl's beloved story and somehow contrives to make it incredibly dull, with an annoying lead actress and unconvincing CGI characters. Probably proves that the story only works for children. | 4 |
 |
The Force Among Us | 2007 | A sometimes interesting look at Star Wars fandom, but it lacks a consistent theme and has low production values. Sadly, despite attempts to dispel the stereotypes associated with Star Wars fans, all it really does is validate them. | 4 |
 |
The Woman In Black - Angel of Death | 2014 | When you can make it out through the darkness, the production design is great, but the story is neither interesting or scary in this disappointing sequel. | 4 |
 |
The World's End | 2013 | Undoubtedly the worst of the 'Three Flavours Cornetto' trilogy, but there are still plenty of laughs, shocks and genre staples to make it worthwhile and enjoyable viewing. | 7 |
 |
While We're Young | 2014 | An uneven comedy-drama with moments that are absurd and some that are just depressing. An interesting attempt at trying to capture the frustrations of life as a forty-something, but as someone of that age it didn’t do anything to enlighten me. | 5 |
Gordon’s Reviews
| Poster | Movie | Year | Comments | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Aftermath | 2017 | Taken as either a low budget Hollywood film or a big-budget TV movie, Aftermath crafts a good tale and gives Arnie just enough scope to show off his limited skills as a serious actor. | 6 |
 |
Colossal | 2016 | A children's movie made for adults with adult themes. It could have worked, but unlikable characters and uninteresting subplot make it a big disappointment | 5 |
 |
Enemy of the State | 1998 | It's billing as a 90s action classic is inaccurate as the film turns out to be a rather lame thriller that plays on 90s tech-fear by exaggeration and fantasy. Smith is Smith, but the film is not up to his usual standard. | 5 |
 |
Ghost in the Shell | 2017 | The 1995 anime Ghost in the Shell excelled in the art of story telling, however the live action retelling forgoes this in favour of visual gimmicks.. Scarlett is still the number one sci-fi badass babe, but GITS is a 'major' disappointment. | 4 |
 |
Kidnapping Mr. Heineken | 2015 | A very average (and apparently true) kidnap tale that is made worse by the filmmakers not knowing whether to make the perpetrators heroes or villains. | 4 |
 |
Life | 2017 | Billed as claustrophobic horror-thriller in space, the film repeats itsef numerous times as it kills of its crew and only manages a recommendation due to the fun ending. | 6 |
 |
Little Boxes | 2016 | The film is so desperate to sell you its liberal message that it ties itself in knots and forgets to be entertaining. Belongs (and will probably end up) on the Hallmark channel. | 4 |
 |
Logan | 2017 | A superhero film that gives no sense of hope. The acting is great and the story brave, but it all feels a little bleak. | 6 |
 |
Personal Shopper | 2016 | For a paranormal thriller it is a pity that the paranormal seems superfluous. Kristen Stewart is excellent and her character is interesting enough without the need for spirits. | 6 |
 |
Power Rangers | 2017 | A surprisingly entertaining sci-fi adventure. Though the humoour is a little grown up for the pre-teen audience the TV show was most popular with. | 6 |
 |
Sleepless | 2017 | On the face of it Sleepless is a very generic cop thriller. But Foxx and McNeary play their parts well and the film manages to keep the pace for virtually all of its 90 minutes. Certainly more fun than the later Takens or any of the geri-action movies. | 6 |
 |
The Fate of the Furious | 2017 | Even for the F&F franchise this is a pretty ludicrous film with some terrible dialogue and set pieces. But just like all the rest, there is some fun to be had. | 5 |
 |
The Hatton Garden Job | 2017 | Has hopes to be a 'based on a true story' of the movie Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, but ends up more like an episode of TV show Hustle. | 4 |
 |
The Levelling | 2016 | Despite the director's overuse of symbolic cut scenes and a pretty annoying score, The Levelling is a brilliant debut film. Just be prepared for a quite depressing tone that never lightens. | 7 |