Great Film overall

Excellent but underrated film

Simple and well acted, it has tension enough to knot the stomach.

This is a gorgeous movie made by a gorgeous spirit.

Is there anything more satisfying as a film fan than discovering a forgotten gem? How about a forgotten gem that expresses a bleeding heart love for cinema? Matinee is a fantastic nostalgia trip about the Cold War & the opportunity movies provide for anyone looking to escape reality, while coming out more fully understanding it. Dante walks this balance through honesty about the time, & a whole heap of loving humor about suburban paranoia.

This is a strange film that sits in a weird void between genres and styles and thus doesn't seem to work quite as well as Joe Dante's other works. The good thing is that you can tell this is a Joe Dante film, so if you liked Gremlins, Small Soldiers, Innerspace, etc, then you will probably enjoy this tale.It's set at the time of the Cuban Missile Crisis and try's to build on the troubles and worries of the people at this period in time. Enter Lawrence Woolsey, played enthusiastically by John Goodman and his assistant Ruth Corday, portrayed by Cathy Moriarty, who is in town to promote his new B-movie "MANT!", for which he is also pushing "Atomo- Vision". Then there's the story of the town's teenagers, who become involved in helping Woolsey in his venture. However, this is where the story starts to fall flat as some of these tales are bland, to the point of boring. Simon Fenton, playing Gene Loomis, gives an okay performance. Though the rest of the younger cast are below average, which is a shame as Omri Katz did good work on Hocus Pocus and Eerie, Indiana; and Kellie Martin who has given decent performances throughout her ongoing career. Robert Picardo gives a wonderful comic performance as the Theater Manager, Howard, who is more interested in the Crisis than what's happening in his movie theatre.There are some good scenes in the film, especially concerning the B- movie "MANT!", and Joe Dante's direction, John Goodman's and Robert Picardo's acting keep it just interesting enough to keep your finger off the stop and eject button.If one Sunday winter afternoon there's nothing on worth watching and this appears in the guide, then I would say, "grab a coffee and some chocky biscuits, settle down and chill to this movie."

"Matinee" (1993) I recently happened upon this likable comedy directed by Joe Dante (Gremlins, Innerspace, The Howling) and set in 1961 during the Cuban Missile Crisis. The young protagonist Gene, a recent resident of Key West, FL, finds himself in a small community with no friends, unhappy and forlorn. When word gets out that his Navy dad is on a ship blockading Cuba, he becomes something of a high school celebrity, who gains acceptance by a small circle of friends. Eventually he hooks up with Sandra (Lisa Jakub – Mrs. Doubtfire), who he admires because of her refusal to participate in a school A-bomb drill (stop, drop, cover your head with your hands), because she protests in a scientifically correct manner: the blast will vaporize you or you'll die from radiation exposure. Enter Lawrence Woolsey (John Goodman) a Hollywood horror movie mogul, who's in town to promote his latest release, "Mant", enlisting Gene's help to make the flick's debut a must-see local event. Actress Ruth Corday, played by Cathy Moriarity (Raging Bull) is Lawrence's girlfriend, in a hilarious, sardonic side-job as the theater nurse who makes all movie patrons sign a medical waiver, "in case you have a heart attack while watching the movie". A litany of great character actors, round out the cast: Kellie Martin (Becca on TV's Life Goes On), Jesse White (Harvey), Kevin McCarthy (B- movie horror king of the 50's & 60s'), Director/Actor John Sayles (Return of Seacaucus Seven) and William Schallert (The Patty Duke Show). Simon Fenton does a fine job as Gene, but the stellar attraction is John Goodman, who is one of the most talented actors in Hollywood, but is perhaps the most underrated. This is currently playing on Starz broadcast & on demand and is available on DVD. This is a good family film and will bring back baby- boomers' memories of the cold war and the "Red Scare".

Director Joe Dante's homage/movie-valentine to William Castle, featuring John Goodman as a B-movie filmmaker and theatrical showman in 1962 Florida working tirelessly to get the kids of Key West into the neighborhood theater for his latest monster masterpiece, "Mant!" Elements of real-life history (with President Kennedy warning the country about the crisis with Cuba), teen-time romance, and shameless self-promotion doesn't jell, and Goodman is amiable but uncommitted. The black-and-white scenes from "Mant!", in Rumble-Rama sound, are funny but--as if we need to be clued-in this just a satire--are far more ridiculous than need be. The teenage actors are alternately bored and boring, while one boy's mother--her husband away in the Navy--cries while watching home-movies in the middle of the night (for that extra sentimental punch). One is never sure when Dante is joshing or when he wants to be taken seriously. Portions of "Matinee" are nostalgic and funny, and the final shots are sweet, but the timing is always two-beats off, and the scenes in the brightly-lit movie theater are never convincing. *1/2 from ****