Day 109: "Yes, the atomic bomb is terrible, but more terrible still are the effects of atomic mutation. Hello, I'm Lawrence Woolsey."

I'm a big fan of the atomic sci-fi/horror craze of the fifties and sixties.  I love the complete campiness of the genre and the way the filmmakers of the day used the atomic fear sweeping the nation to create new horror experiences.  They also used tricks and effects from stage productions to enhance the cinematic experience.  1993's Matinee revisits this era and adds an extra layer of suspense to the mix.  Set in 1962 during the Cuban Missile Crisis, Matinee focuses it's story on a new atomic horror movie coming to a theater in Key West Florida.  The producer of the movie (called Mant, half man, half ant, all terrifying!) has an enormous bag of tricks that he utilizes to make the movie more terrifying for the audience: seat buzzers, rear projector effects, subwoofers, and actors scattered throughout the audience.  It's wonderfully entertaining.  Unfortunately, the parallel plot of the horror of possible REAL nuclear annihilation coming from only 90 miles away tends to overshadow the fun that was supposed to be coming from the movie in a movie.  Don't mistake me here, I understand what the filmmakers were going for: the parallels of fake horror versus the reality if nuclear holocaust, but it was like trying to mix oil and water.

John Goodman is at his overblown best as Lawrence Woolsey; an overgrown kid set loose in a cinematic candy store.  His character is about 3/4 Ed Wood, and 1/4 Alfred Hitchcock.  A showman through and through, he is the highlight of the movie.  The filmmakers did their homework on B-movies, as there are a bunch of stars from the past on show here.  A personal favorite: Dick Miller.  If you have seen an action or horror movie in the last 20 years, you have seen this guy at least once.  If you still don't remember, he was the gun shop owner in The Terminator.

A fun movie, but a bit too serious for the genre it it was going for.  It had the look and feel, at times, of a Saturday matinee movie itself, Matinee is worth the time.  Nothing offensive here, rubber monsters a-plenty, and John Goodman in a role he was born to play.  7.5/10

See you tomorrow, and GO WATCH A MOVIE!!