This week we talk about a film that no one really saw: Matinee, starring John Goodman as a William Castle / Alfred Hitchcock hybrid who brings his B-movie “Mant!” to a small theater in Key West, Florida during the Cuban Missile Crisis. What ensues is a fun, if a bit subdued, romp through B-movie nostalgia featuring the usual Dante players as well as a fun performance from Cathy Moriarty – who you may or may not know as the villain from Casper (1995). There’s also a greaser who writes poetry who terrorizes the protagonists dressed up as an ant, and Goodman’s monologue about the “first monster movie” provides a wonderful thesis for the film.
Are you ready to Dante?