4K UHD/Blu-ray Review: Joe Dante’s MATINEE {Collector’s Edition}

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Jun 23 Posted by Kyle Nolan in DVD/Blu-ray, Reviews | Comments

It’s 1962, and the U.S. is on heightened alert due to the Cuban Missile Crisis. Teenager Gene Loomis (Simon Fenton) has moved around a lot due to his father being part of the Navy. His family is now stationed in Kew West, Florida, just 90 miles away from Cuba, where his father has been deployed on a ship. The constant moving has caused Gene to become a bit of a loner, spending all of his free time watching or reading about monster movies. So he’s excited to discover that one of his idols, the screen’s number one shock expert, producer Lawrence Woolsey (John Goodman), is coming to town for a special preview engagement of his latest B-movie monster film, MANT!—the story of a man and an ant who are both hit by a blast of radiation at the same time, fusing them together.

Woolsey’s in danger of going bankrupt if this next picture is a flop. And if things don’t turn around, Woolsey’s girlfriend/leading lady Ruth Corday (Cathy Moriarty) may leave him as well. However, Woolsey has developed an elaborate new exhibition process for the film that will include his signature Atomo Vision, Rumble Rama, and other immersive gimmicks to scare the audience. He hopes to impress investor Mr. Spector (Jesse White), and get a distribution deal, so everything must be perfect. With everyone in town already nervous about the possibility of a nuclear bomb going off, this seems like the perfect time to play off of those fears.

And so we follow Gene, his younger brother Dennis (Jesse Lee Soffer)—who is a bit of a scaredy-cat—and some of his other small-town classmates as they attend this unique matinee experience. But when things don’t go quite as planned, it actually ends up making for an even more exciting, one-of-a-kind experience no one could have imagined.

Matinee was released in 1993, but this is the first time, 30 years later, that I watched the movie. The film comes from director Joe Dante (Innerspace, Gremlins), and feels like a very personal love letter to the movies, even though he didn’t actually write the script. I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised. The period setting helps keep the film from feeling dated. It evokes the feeling of an era that is both simpler in some respects, but also a terrifying experience for a world on the very realistic brink of a nuclear war. The film also feels a bit relevant today, with theaters struggling to find new ways to get people in seats. While today’s 4DX theaters aren’t unlike Woosley’s Atomo Vision and Rumble Rama, let’s hope no one turns up the dials too far! Overall, I found the film to be quite fun, with some delightful and fanciful elements, and a wonderful, somewhat recognizable cast.

John Goodman is perfectly cast as the William Castle-like monster movie creator Lawrence Woolsey. I really couldn’t imagine anyone else in this role. Woolsey is a showman and a magician who enjoys scaring his audience, but not to be mean-spirited, but rather that he wants to give them the experience of making it through something very scary to come out on the other side with a renewed sense of vigor and appreciation for life. And this is something this audience desperately needs given the current state of the world. Woolsey deploys lots of fun tricks to try to manipulate the audience during the show, but this starts even before the matinee, when hires two actors, Bob (John Sayles) & Herb (Dick Miller), as fake protestors to try to drum up controversy around the screening. Gene, being a horror movie buff, recognizes the actors, and uses this information to get the inside scoop on what Woolsey is planning for the exhibition. Woosley also hires local hoodlum Harvey Starkweather (James Villemaire) to run the controls during the movie, which proves to be best worst decision he has ever made. Even as things go wrong, nothing seems to phase Woolsey, and he just keeps rolling and adapting.

Simon Fenton is also great as the monster-movie loving lead, Gene. I never would have known the young actor was British if I hadn’t watched the bonus material. He does an excellent job of playing your average American teen. Also starring in the movie are the more recognizable Kellie Martin (Life Goes On) as Sherry, and Omri Katz (Eerie Indiana, Hocus Pocus) as her boyfriend Stan, and classmates of Gene’s. Now-retired young actress Lisa Jakub (Mrs. Doubtfire) also stars as a ban-the-bomb protestor who becomes a love interest for Gene. In an often scene-stealing role as theater manager Howard is long-time Joe Dante collaborator Robert Picardo. Howard is extremely worried about a potential nuclear bomb, and has even built a fallout bunker in the basement of the theater, which comes into play as everything starts to go wrong.

The film-within-the-film, MANT!, is so deliciously B-Movie and captures the fun and spirit of the monster movies of the era, both in the look and the cheesy dialogue. It is not played to be a parody, but rather an homage to these films, and it is quite successful in this respect. And this isn’t the only homage to films of the 50s and 60’s in Matinee. There’s also another film-within-the-film called The Shook Up Shopping Cart, which follows the adventures of Uncle Cedric, a sentient anthropomorphic shopping cart who is always getting into trouble. It is a hilarious send-up of the colorful Dean Jones/Hayley Mills live-action family films Disney put out in the 50s/60s, and even stars a then-unknown Naomi Watts.

Shout! Factory had previously released Matinee on Collector’s Edition Blu-ray in 2018. Shout! Studio’s new 4K release has received a 4K restoration from the original camera negative supervised and approved by director Joe Dante, and the result looks fantastic. The film is often presented in bright rich colors to evoke the period setting. There are also scenes that depict the bright orange glow of an atomic bomb drop. The shopping cart movie was even filmed in Technicolor. All of these colors really pop thanks to the Dolby Vision color grading. The black and white Mant! movie also looks fantastic, and even in the darkened theater, the level of clarity and detail remains solid throughout. The Dolby Atmos audio track provides clear dialogue throughout, as well as an immersive viewing experience—whether it’s the chaos inside the theater, the sparks of the electricity as Woosley tests his chairs, or the sound of planes flying overhead. The film also has a great period musical soundtrack with some recognizable songs.

This new 4K release includes both a 4K UHD disc as well as a Blu-ray disc, which are packed on either side of a standard 4K keepcase. As with all Shout! releases, there is no digital copy, but does include a nice carboard slipcover. The bonus material can only be found on the Blu-ray disc, and the contents are nearly identical to Shout’s previous Blu-ray release of the film, with a couple new additions as well as a couple subtractions. New to the release are interviews with actors Kellie Martin and David Clennon, as well as a film critic commentary track. Ported from the previous release are over two an a half hours of retrospective interviews, a vintage making of featurette, some raw behind-the-scenes footage, some deleted/extended scenes, and a still gallery. Unfortunately, missing from Shout!’s previous Blu-ray release are the full length version of the Mant! film with introduction by Joe Dante as well as the Matinee theatrical trailer. It was disappointing to see the Mant! film left off this disc.

What’s Included:

Film: (1:38:54)

2160p / Widescreen 1.85:1
Dolby Vision / HDR10
Audio: English Dolby Atmos, English 5.1 Surround DTS-HD Master Audio, English 2.0 Stereo DTS-HD Master Audio
Subtitles: English SDH

Blu-ray:

1080p / Widescreen 1.85:1
Audio: English Dolby Atmos, English 5.1 Surround DTS-HD Master Audio, English 2.0 Stereo DTS-HD Master Audio
Subtitles: English SDH

Extras:
Only the commentary appears on both discs, the rest of the items can only be found on the Blu-ray. The majority of the interviews were originally filmed in 2017 for Shout! Factory’s Blu-ray release. However, not all of the material from that release has been carried over. New to this release are the commentary track and interviews with actors Kellie Martin & David Clennon. Missing from the previous Blu-ray are the theatrical trailer and the full length version of the Mant! film with introduction by Joe Dante.

Audio Commentary By Film Critics Drew McWeeny And Eric Vespe (1:38:54)
New to this release, film critics Eric Vespe (co-host of the Kingcast podcast) and Drew McWeeny of Ain’t it Cool News provide a fun and entertaining commentary throughout the film. They provide a lot of trivia about Joe Dante, the actors and the film, while also sharing many of their own anecdotes and stories about the film and filmgoing in general.
Florida Daydream: Interview With Actress Kellie Martin (10:39)
Actress Kellie Martin (“Sherry”) talks about auditioning for the role, how it differed from her work on Life Goes On, visiting the Micky Mouse Club cast, the sets, working with Simon Fenton, Lisa Jakub and the other kids, the meta nature of the film, the period setting and costumes, and more. New to this 4K release.
Cold War Thing: Interview With Actor David Clennon (13:14)
Actor David Clennon (“Jack – Sandra’s Father”) talks about getting the role, working with Robert Picardo, horror films, how the film mixes in real-life horror with the film horror, working with Joe Dante, working with Lisa Jakub, and more. New to this 4K release.
Master Of The Matinee: Interview With Director Joe Dante (20:28)
The director talks about how he got involved with the film, revamping the original story, the marketing/release of the film, capturing the 1960s era, casting the movie, making the Mant movie, and more.
The Leading Lady: An Interview With Actress Cathy Moriarty (12:01)
Actress Cathy Moriarty (“Ruth Corday”) talks about playing a bad actress for the movie-within-the-movie, working with the young actors (and their parents), filming in Florida, her wig changes, trying to keep a straight face while filming Mant, and more.
MANTastic: The Making Of A Mant (25:11)
Mant/Ant designer Jim McPherson talks about deigning the creature for the movie-within-the-movie, Mant!. He discusses the creature features he used for inspiration, filming in black & white, and more. Actor Mark McCracken (“Mant/Bill”) talks about being cast in the role, the costume, working with Joe Dante, playing the ridiculous scenes very straight, and more. Includes concept artwork, production photos, and camera test models.
Out Of The Bunker: An Interview With Actress Lisa Jakub (16:16)
Actress Lisa Jakub (“Sandra”) talks about auditioning for the film, working with Joe Dante, playing the confident Sandra, learning about the Cuban Missile Crisis, filming in Florida and on the Universal backlot, working with Omri & Kellie, having her first ever kiss in front of a film crew, what she took from the set, retiring from acting, and more.
Making A Monster Theatre: An Interview With Production Designer Steven Legler (15:33)
Production Designer Steven Legler talks about designing the sets, building the movie theater, working with Joe Dante, recreating the 1960s, his research of movie marquees, fallout shelters, and more. Includes behind-the-scenes photos.
The Monster Mix: An Interview With Editor Marshall Harvey (11:37)
Editor Marshall Harvey talks about the nostalgic nature of the film, shooting the Mant! movie in 35mm black & white film, putting together a 20-minute version of the whole film, the music for the Mant! film, the challenges of getting the film-within-the-film shot and edited before the main feature started, and more.
Lights! Camera! Reunion!: An Interview With Director Of Photography John Hora (21:12)
Cinematographer John Hora talks about getting the last minute call to make the movie, the challenges of shooting in Florida, issues with the sets/props, shooting the various films-within-the-film, the collapse of the balcony, the atomic bomb explosion in the theater, the challenges of shooting a period piece on real locations, and more.
Paranoia In Ant Vision: Joe Dante Discusses The Making Of The Film (32:36)
Director Joe Dante sits down with an interviewer to discuss how the film came about, the changes from the original script, his own childhood experiences from the era depicted in he film, the themes of the movie, making a period picture, the now foreign concept of a matinee, his experience with William Castle movies, casting John Goodman and the kids, the experience of watching a movie on the big screen with an audience, creating the Disney-like movie-within-the-movie starring a thn-unknown Naomi Watts, and more. Originally created for the 2011 French Blu-ray release by Carlotta Films.
Vintage Making Of Featurette (4:27)
Vintage narrated promotional EPK featurette featuring clips, behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with director Joe Dante, and actors Simon Fenton & Cathy Moriarty. Presented in 4:3 full frame format.
Behind The Scenes Footage (8:20)
Raw behind-the-scenes of the Mant! jail scene, the kids watching the film in the theater as Mant shows up and attacks Stan, and Gene and Stan walking on the military base. Presented in 4:3 full frame format.
Deleted And Extended Scenes (2:21)
A few short deleted scenes sourced from Joe Dante’s Workprint. Gene talks to his mother about hanging out with Stan; Stan and Sherry walk together after school; Sandra asks Gene to get some popcorn after their arms touch at the theater; Gene and tries to comfort his brother after seeing the news.
Still Gallery (4:03)
Use the remote to navigate through this still gallery of around 60 photos of concept artwork and behind-the-scenes shots, or let it auto-advance every 4 seconds.

Final Thoughts:

My Rating

Film:

Video:

Audio:

Extras:

Recommended

Matinee is an entertaining film that transports viewers back to a different era, where matinees were a big part of the movie-going experience, especially for younger viewers. The story does a nice job of integrating the current events of the era into the story to add another level to what is going on. The film features an excellent cast, with John Goodman perfectly cast in the William Castle-like showman role. Shout! Studios’ 4K release looks and sounds great, and includes a few new bonus features to the already-impressive Blu-ray release. Unfortunately, it loses the full-length version of the Mant! movie-within-the-movie that could be found on the previous Blu-ray release. If you’re a fan of the film/cast, this release is certainly worth adding to your collection.