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22 of 22 found the following review helpful:
 Is This MY Life?Sep 20, 2004
By Douglas Keith McEwan
I was 12 years old during the Cuban Missle Crisis, in love with cheap, schlocky horror movies (ANYTHING with Vincent Price!), and had a subscription to "Famous Monsters of Filmland" Magazine, so, except for living in Florida (I lived in Hollywood - well - Los Angeles, the only place for a film fanatic to grow up) this could be my biography. When the boy is shown with monster magazines spread all over his bed, they're real magazines from the period, and I had every last blessed one of them! I also had the monster models in his bedroom. When he turns into a fount of movie minutia at lunch, he IS me at school lunch, the kid who knew the difference between William Castle and Roger Corman, who couldn't have mistaken Dick Miller, who knew every trivial fact about every trivial horror movie ever made, and who would share them all with anyone in earshot. This hilarious yet heartfelt movie pushed all my nostalgia buttons. Even now, I can say what's that poster for "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane" doing in a 1962 movie theater when the film hadn't even been shot yet? I remember the panic in our local grocery store during the missle crisis, and it was exactly as Dante shows it in the film. It's my favorite John Goodman performance. He was born to play William Castle, aka "Lawrence Woolsey". This is Joe Dante at his best. Apparently he and I had the exact same childhood.
11 of 11 found the following review helpful:
This is a WUNDERFUL movieMay 29, 1999
i really, really, really love this movie! it's sweet and fun and really cool. it's one of my favorites ever because it deals with really cool, corny cheaply made horror films which are really hilarious. john goodman makes a charming, whimsical, and endearing performance as a visionary film maker and the younger stars of the film are really amazing too. what can i say, this is the best and if you don't buy this, rent it!
7 of 7 found the following review helpful:
Serendipity Cinema #10Jun 10, 2004
By Cecil W. Owens
"C. Wayne Owens"
A film you may never have heard of, but really should see. Trust me. If you grew up at the movies, like I did, this film is a slam-dunk. You went to the shows and devoured films like "It, The Terror From Beyond Space," & "Earth Vs. The Flying Saucers." The kid in this film is you (or me) and Lawrence Woolsey played by John Goodman is the guy who gave us our favorite junk movies. And add to that that it all takes place in Southern Florida during the Cuban Missile Crisis, and you have a deliciously fun film(I see that look in your eye and you'll just have to trust me on this) Fine performances all around and Joe Dante (a heroically underappreciated director) directing. Goodman's character is based on real-life producer William Castle who was known as much for his stunts as his movies. He gave us "The Tingler" crawling under the seats of the audience, and on one film actually gave the audience mild shocks through wires in their seats. He also issued "Death by Fright" Insurance policies in the lobby, and had an actress dressed like a nurse on duty,
just in case you had a heart attack. It is all gloriously remembered here. They even lets us see portions of the film he's trying to sell. "Half Man! Half Ant! He's Mant!" You'll see a bunch of stars of the B-Movie heaven here, but I'll let you find them, that's the fun. Even the clever little send-up of Disney films of the '60's ("The Shook Up Shopping Cart," with dead Dad coming back as a shopping cart and trying to solve crimes.) would make this worth seeing. This is not an epic, this is just a great little find. My friends, you put the joy of movie hokem next to the true terror of a world on the edge of Nuclear war, and you have a little film that has a lot to say, but never forgets what it is, and what it is meant to do. Goodman's character sums it all up when he tells the teen hero: "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."
13 of 16 found the following review helpful:
 Where are the extras, Universal?!Jun 09, 2010
By Clark V. Kauffman
"Film Fan"
This is a fabulous movie, one that also appeals to film buffs. So you'd think the people who run Universal would have recognized that and used the opportunity to release this on DVD with the terrific cinematic extras that were part of the old laserdisc release -- namely the hilarious, full-length trailer, or movie-within-a-movie, "Mant!" (Look for "Mant!" on YouTube.)
But, no, this 2009 edition of the DVD is nothing more than a repackaging of the old DVD that was devoid of extras.
I would have bought this release in a heartbeat if it had the extras. Director Joe Dante wanted them included, but the clueless ones at Universal couldn't be bothered. So I'll spend my money elsewhere.
4 of 4 found the following review helpful:
A real treatSep 07, 2001
By David
This movie really surprised me. It gets generally good reviews, but so do a lot of films these days that I don't think much of. So I wasn't expecting too much, not wanting to be disappointed again. Man, what a shock! ...Or should I say, Mant, what a shock!What's best about Matinee is that it is pure unadulterated fun. Yes, the teen romances seem to drag at the beginning, but the storyline about the Cuban missile crisis, and your curiosity about just exactly what this John Goodman character is up to, have already established an underlying tension that sticks with you and holds your attention. Your patience is rewarded, because when the long balyhooed Key West preview of "Mant" finally begins, this movie ROCKS! Yes, a lot of what happens in this flick is not exactly like things were in the early '60s, but who cares? Personally, I noticed several errors in dialog -- expressions being used that did not exist in 1962, but again, who cares! This comedy is fun, fun, fun and just keeps going and going, right up to the end of the world! (on screen, at least) By the way, much is made of "Mant," the movie within this movie, and rightfully so. It is almost as riveting as the main movie, which of course is "Matinee." Getting confused? -- look closely near the end and you will see a movie within a movie within a movie!!! This all gets very complicated, in a way, and there are several side stories going on too, but it all moves so fast and blends so well, you really don't mind, because no one in the movie knows what's going on either! It's just total chaotic entertainment. I haven't enjoyed a movie this much in a long time. I like it so much, I bought a second copy as a backup. It's not Citizen Kane, but it's a ton of fun, and also rather charming in its own way, so it gets a rare five stars from me.
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