Directed by:
Joe DanteScreenplay:
Charles S. HaasCinematography:
John HoraComposer:
Jerry GoldsmithCast:
John Goodman, Cathy Moriarty, Omri Katz, Kellie Martin, Lucinda Jenney, Robert Picardo, Dick Miller, John Sayles, Jesse Lee Soffer, Naomi Watts, Luke Halpin (more)Plots(1)
Half Man... Half Ant... All Terror! So says the advertising campaign for Mant!, the latest low-budget schlock-horror classic from cigar-chomping producer Lawrence Woolsey (John Goodman), who more than makes up for his films' lack of production values by festooning them with gimmicks that would turn even William Castle green with envy. But the most potent gimmick of all is accidental: Woolsey schedules a sneak preview of Mant! in Key West, Florida, in October 1962, unaware that the Cuban missile crisis is about to flare up. Will the threat of genuine nuclear war distract the locals from the movie, or will they find it doubly terrifying? Directed by the legendary Joe Dante, this delightful film isn't just an affectionate love-letter to the sci-fi and horror films that he grew up with in the 1950s and 60s, it's also a witty and intelligent exploration of the way that the most successful genre films worked by preying on the very real fears of their audiences about everything from Soviet satellite launches to atomic mutation. (Arrow Films)
(more)Reviews (2)
"Thanks, Mr. Hitchcock." A typical Joe Dante film, which I think should be at least as well known as Gremlins or The 'Burbs... Matinee is a successful American family comedy with all the trimmings, and you will enjoy it all the more if you have a (positive) relationship with classic B-horror monster movies. Of course, the film is at its best when we watch John Goodman's creation, but the rest of the film, dealing with the child characters, the Cuban crisis and the strange atmosphere of fear of a nuclear attack, is not much worse. The fictional thriller about the half-man, half-ant Mant, which premieres in the second half of the film, is not without its faults, and I really liked other little things - like the hilariously awkward excerpt from another non-existent film about the ghost of Uncle Cedric who reincarnated into a shopping cart. Everything looks great, it has a great period atmosphere, the fake black and white films look very real... All that is left is to "only" praise the music of Jerry Goldsmith, with whom Dante has collaborated for the sixth time - and again brilliantly. I give the film 4.5 stars.
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Joe Dante pays another tribute to American B-movies, and at the same time displays a passionate childlike enthusiasm for escapism, such as going to the movie theater during the Cuban Missile Crisis, a crystal clear enthusiasm not only from children but also from adults (the excellent John Goodman) - if you have been a movie-buff from your childhood, you must not miss Matinee. I will always like such movie-loving adventures. Plus, I think William Castle would applaud this one.
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