Matinee (1993)

Director:

Joe Dante

Writers (WGA):

Jerico (story) and
Charles S. Haas (story) ...

Release Date:

29 January 1993 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Horror | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

Lawrence Woolsey presents the end of civilization as we know it. Make that... Proudly Presents!

Plot:

A small-time film promoter releases a kitschy horror film during the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Plot Keywords:

Cuban Missile Crisis | B Movie | Coming Of Age | First Kiss | Film In Film

Awards:

1 win

US TV Schedule:

Thur. Dec. 17

12:30 PM

MAX

Cast

John Goodman	...	Lawrence Woolsey
Cathy Moriarty	...	Ruth Corday / Carole
Simon Fenton	...	Gene Loomis
Omri Katz	...	Stan
Lisa Jakub	...	Sandra
Kellie Martin	...	Sherry
Jesse Lee Soffer	...	Dennis Loomis (as Jesse Lee)
Lucinda Jenney	...	Anne Loomis
James Villemaire	...	Harvey Starkweather
Robert Picardo	...	Howard, the Theater Manager
Jesse White	...	Mr. Spector
Dick Miller	...	Herb Denning
John Sayles	...	Bob
David Clennon	...	Jack
Lucy Butler	...	Rhonda

MPAA:

Rated PG for language, and for mild violence and sensuality.

Runtime:

99 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Singapore:PG | Brazil:Livre | Iceland:L | Germany:12 | UK:PG | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

Key West, Florida Keys, Florida, USA

Company:

Falcon Productions

Trivia:

Dick Miller plays one of the two "protestors" who are trying to stir up interest in "MANT", the movie-within-a-movie. During the screening of "Mant", Miller can also be spotted in one of the crowd scenes with General Ankrum. He's wearing a helmet and holding up the giant bag of sugar.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: In some of the scenes on the streets you will see the handicapped ramped sidewalk corners. While now commonplace, in the time-frame of the film, they were nowhere to be found.

Quotes:

Gene Loomis: Y'know, it's hard to believe you're a grown-up.
Ruth Corday: No kidding.
Lawrence Woolsey: You think grown-ups have it all figured out? That's just a hustle, kid. Grown-ups are making it up as they go along, just like you. You remember that, and you'll do fine.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Cutting Edge: The Magic of Movie Editing (2004)

Soundtrack:

Shooting Stars

An under-rated gem

One of those films that deserved to reach a huge audience but somehow slipped away, Joe Dante's affectionate homage to creature features and B-movie king William Castle is a joy from start to finish. This is due to both Dante's direction - and obvious love of the script - and John Goodman's delightful performance (what was he doing in crap like "Coyote Ugly?"). Even the movie-within-a-movie - "Mant!" ("half man, half ant - all terror!") is fun. The only downside is that this rarely turns up on TV and hasn't been released on DVD in the UK. A scratchy vhs is better than nothing I suppose...