Review of Matinee (1993) by Patrick M — 27 Jan 2012

Joe Dante had just come of Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990), and he now had the clout to make whatever he wanted, and he went with this clever and heartfelt tribute to the monster movies of old, the films Dante grew up with and eventually worked on.

It got a lot of critical acclaim at the time, but no-one went to see it. Shame, as it's Dante's best film. Key West, Florida in October 1962, and the Cuban Missile Crisis has America in a state of panic, but in Key West, it's even more scary as Cuba is a mere 90 miles away, this is worrying for Gene Loomis (Simon Fenton) and his brother Dennis (Jesse Soffer), whose father is on a submarine near Cuba.

Meanwhile, horror director Lawrence Woolsey (John Goodman) is opening his new film Mant! in Key West on an exclusive screening, screened in Atomo-Vision and Rumble-Rama, (explosions and buzzers in the seats.

) He thinks opening the film at that time isn't tasteless but people's fear is perfect. As the town and it's people, prepare for what could be immediate and almost certain doom, Woolsey prepares the cinema for his magnum opus, but will it go alright on the night?? Lawrence Woolsey is based on William Castle, who used tricks in cinemas his films played, and the film within a film is spot on brilliant, Goodman makes a good and charismatic showman, if only film had focused on him more than the young cast, but it's only a little niggle in a very enjoyable and funny film.