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. After our worst month so far last time arond, how did we get on in July?
The answer is “much better.” While our total film count was low compared to some months, we’re now comfortably past the 250 mark and a good selection of new reviews were added to the database, including everything from classics like 12 Angry Men and Jaws, to recent blockbusters Spider-Man: Homecoming and War for the Planet of the Apes.
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 July.
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 July
| Gordon | Mat | Simon | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Films Watched | 19 | 17 | 3 |
| Unique Films Watched | 17 | 12 | 1 |
| New Reviews Added | 17 | 13 | 0 |
| Average Rating Given | 2.97 | 3.12 | 3.67 |
| Best Film of the Month | 12 Angry Men | Spiderman: Homecoming | - |
| Worst Film of the Month | Stratton | Brick | - |
Gordon’s Reviews
| Poster | Movie | Year | Comments | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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12 Angry Men | 1957 | An absolute masterpiece of cinema. One location, 12 actors and some of the best dialogue on film. | 10 |
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A Cure for Wellness | 2016 | The film wants to be The Woman in Black crossed with Alice in Wonderland. It is a million miles from either. | 3 |
 |
Baby Driver | 2017 | Stylish and entertaining, but light on character and plot. Another feather in Edgar Wright's cap, but too shallow to truly shine. | 7 |
 |
Con Men | 2015 | Like an after dark episode of Hustle gone bad, this low budget Scottish thriller does enough to justify its existence. Just. | 6 |
 |
Duck Soup | 1933 | A loose film interspersed with Marx Brothers sketches. They have done this much better elsewhere. | 5 |
 |
Sexy Beast | 2000 | An understated Ray Winstone and a gloriously overblown Ben Kingsley turn this slow thriller into a fantastic comedy of characters. | 8 |
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Sleight | 2016 | The poster says 'Chronicle meets Iron Man'. The film bares no resemblance to either. A run of the mill, poorly acted, low budget thriller that is light on thrills. | 4 |
 |
Spider-Man: Homecoming | 2017 | Helps to erase the awful memory of the Andrew Garfield Spider-Man's, but it all felt a little too childish. Great action and adventure, but I will be happier when Peter Parker calms down a bit. | 7 |
 |
Stockholm, My Love | 2016 | A strangely dull film that fails to convey the its love the city. Nenah Cherry's acting debut is just to walk around looking miserable and reading a voice over. | 4 |
 |
Stratton | 2017 | An awful film in terms of action, performance drama and writing. Even the usually good Connie Nielsen gives the absolute worst performance I have ever seen in a film. | 2 |
 |
Street Smart | 1987 | An interesting story of a journalist making up a story that is too close to the truth for comfort. Reeve is typically wooden without his cape, but Morgan Freeman makes up for him. | 5 |
 |
The Circle | 2017 | Emma Watson continues to prove she is a better activist than an actor as she fails to liven a dull and cliched look at social media's impact on privacy. | 4 |
 |
The Hippopotamus | 2017 | Based on his book, Hippopotamus is an excruciating Stephen Fry tribute act. Why he didn't just do it himself I don't know. | 3 |
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The King of Comedy | 1982 | DeNiro is perfectly cast in a tale reminiscent of Dog Day Afternoon. Deserves its classic status. | 9 |
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The Limey | 1999 | An awful thriller with one of the most unconvincing lead performances (from both actor and director) that you will see. | 3 |
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To Kill a Mockingbird | 1962 | A fine re-telling of a classic book, but I just couldn't accept Peck in the lead role. | 7 |
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Tower | 2016 | Initially the animation jarrs with the archive footage, but you soon forget about the art style and get engrossed in a thriller that is heartbreakingly true. | 9 |
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War for The Planet of the Apes | 2017 | Another classy entry to close the best reboot trilogy of the 21st century. Heart, action and humour. I'd like to see more moral conflict if the franchise continues though. | 8 |
Mat‘s Reviews
| Poster | Movie | Year | Comments | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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An Eye For An Eye | 2016 | Billed as a story of hate, murder, redemption and love, this documentary ends up more a study of the nonsensicality of US Law. Investment in the story depends largely on whether you believe Mark Stroman's remorse, and I was less than convinced. | 5 |
 |
Brick | 2005 | The premise was interesting but the film is incredibly tedious, bogged down by endless conversation, very little action and an unconvincing, unlikeable performance from Joseph Gordon-Levitt in the lead role. | 4 |
 |
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes | 2014 | The franchise reboot continues to surprise with another high quality offering. More action-orientated than its predecessor, but still with a thrilling and thought-provoking story. The CGI is top notch and Andy Serkis is superb as lead ape Caesar. | 8 |
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Intruders | 2015 | Starts off as an unusual spin on the Home Invasion sub-genre, but loses its way towards the end and features some fairly stupid characters. The major plot twist is given away in the trailer too, so don’t watch it! | 5 |
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Jaws | 1975 | The shark may look a bit cheap these days, but with jump scares aplenty, an action-packed final showdown and John Williams’ masterful score, this film still has the ability to jangle your nerves. A genuine classic. | 9 |
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Jaws 2 | 1978 | Another, slightly more realistic shark terrorises Amity Island but none of the returning cast seem to care, with Roy Scheider looking particularly bored. Even the shark seems subdued in this unnecessary sequel. | 5 |
 |
Jaws 3 | 1983 | The returns continue to diminish with a poor story, largely terrible acting and a rarely-seen shark. The removal of the 3D format also showcases some awful special effects and murky cinematography. | 3 |
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Lake Placid | 1999 | A refreshing aquatic monster movie that wastes little time with plot or character development but provides an equal amount of thrills and laughs, with Brendan Gleeson the standout amongst a decent cast. | 7 |
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Oblivion | 2013 | Relies on familiar Sci-Fi themes and gets bogged down by romantic wistfulness at times, but the post-apocalyptic locations and production design are stunning, the story has some great twists and Tom Cruise gives an excellent performance. | 7 |
 |
Speed | 1994 | One of the most innovative action films of the 90s, with some thrilling setpieces, a surprisingly good turn from Keanu Reeves as the hero, and an excellent, emotion-filled performance by Sandra Bullock. | 8 |
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Spider-Man: Homecoming | 2017 | Tom Holland proves a worthy successor to Tobey Maguire as Spidey in a film that is equal parts action thriller and high school comedy. As with most Marvel offerings, the action is fun yet forgettable but the characters are what makes it watchable. | 8 |
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The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 | 2014 | Less Reality TV and more dystopian war movie, this instalment lacks a bit of action but compelling perfomances by the lead actors meant this was the first time I really cared about this story. Best of the series so far to my eyes. | 7 |
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The Incredible Hulk | 2008 | Edward Norton is probably too good to play this character, but he does his best in a reasonable thriller that is unlike most superhero films. Unfortunately, that's part of the problem - nobody seems to know what to do with The Hulk in his own movies! | 6 |
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The Negotiator | 1998 | A tense conspiracy thriller that's at its best in the face-to-face scenes between Jackson and Spacey. Sadly, the largely superflous action scenes detract from those moments and dumb down the film as a whole. | 7 |
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Tron | 1982 | The computer generated effects have aged remarkably well, and the light cycle sequence is great, but the plot is largely dull and the characters unmemorable. Given the subject matter I should love this, but it always leaves me cold. | 5 |
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Tron: Legacy | 2010 | Much like the original, this visually impressive film has occasional moments of excitement but the story is quite boring and overcomplicated. Redeemed slightly by the presence of the always appealing Olivia Wilde! | 5 |
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War for the Planet of the Apes | 2017 | Astoundingly good CG effects and a decent, if sometimes predictable story bring this trilogy to a satisfying end. For me, slightly less enjoyable than its predecessors, but overall this has probably been the best franchise reboot in cinema history. | 7 |
Simon’s Reviews
| Poster | Movie | Year | Comments | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade | 1989 | I liked this one, the sets are well crafted, the action good enough and the performances quite engaging, espicially the main interaction between Indy and his dad. A likeable addition ton the series. | 7 |
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Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom | 1984 | Pays homage to the original but with the violence turned up several notches. Story is a bit haphazard and is a bit contrived in places but I still gleaned quite a bit of enjoyment from it. | 6 |
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Raiders of the Lost Ark | 1981 | The classic Indy movie, literally. The start of the series and still the best one, great settings, well acted, and great action set pieces. Set the bar for action adventures and is still eminently watchable today. | 9 |