Matinee Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.0

Matinee Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov January 6, 2012

Director Joe Dante's "Matinee" (1993) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of French distributors Carlotta Films. The supplemental features on the disc include the film's original theatrical trailer; video interview with director Joe Dante; Lawrence Woolsey's horror film "Mant!"; making of featurette; gallery of stills; and more. In English, with optional French subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

Great picture, eh?

The Cuban Missile Crisis, 1962. Ambitious exploitation director Lawrence Woolsey (John Goodman, The Big Lebowski, Barton Fink) has just arrived in Key West where his latest film will have its premiere. He is hoping for a warm reception and a big check from the owner of a local theater (Robert Picardo, Star Trek: Voyager) that will save his career, possibly even his relationship with his beautiful mistress, Ruth (Cathy Moriarty, Raging Bull, Another Stakeout), who has grown tired of following him around the country. Woolsey’s film is about a man who turns into a giant ant.

To hype up the film, Woolsey has secretly brought a few old friends to protest its amorality in front of the theater. When people gather to see what the fuzz is all about, he begins handing out free tickets. Many are discussed by the protest and decide to attend the screening to support Woolsey.

Soon after, Woolsey wires the theater seats with buzzers, installs large fake ice blowers, and hires a guy to dress like a monster and run inside the theater once the film begins. He wants the screening to be special so that people would want to see the film again, and again, and again – and pay for it again, and again, and again.

Meanwhile, Gene (Simon Fenton, TV's Chriss Cross), who is obsessed with monster films, cannot believe that Woolsey has come to Key West. He is so excited that he has almost forgotten about the fact that his father, a navy officer, has been sent to Cuba.

Gene’s best friend Stan (Omri Katz, TV's Eerie, Indiana) does not care much about monster films, but he has realized that the premiere of Woolsey’s film could be the perfect opportunity for him to go out with Sherry (Kellie Martin, TV's Christy), who is interested in exploring her sexuality.

In the days before the premiere, Woolsey promises Ruth that things will finally change and they will become rich, Gene discovers how much his mother loves his father and how much he loves his younger brother, Stan disappoints Sherry, and Sherry’s ex-boyfriend warns Stan not to experiment with Sherry. President Kennedy and Russian Premier Nikita Khrushchev also begin a dangerous exchange of warnings.

Joe Dante’s (Gremlins, Innerspace) Matinee is a beautiful little film that is guaranteed to appeal to children and adults. At its heart, it is a great tribute to the ‘50s and ‘60s monster films, which Dante admired as a kid. It is full of energy and enormously entertaining.

The film works because its characters are alive. There are so many of these ‘feel-good’ films nowadays where the characters utter their lines and the viewer immediately feels that they are meaningless. In Matinee, the lines are funny and awkward. They make sense because kids often say and do things that make perfect sense to them but not to us. The excited kids also look genuinely excited when they enter the movie theater because they know that the next two hours will be magical. I remember these theaters. Even if the film was bad, like the one Woolsey hypes up, we would see it again and again, because the atmosphere in the theater was so special.

The film’s serious side is also credible. With the world on a verge of a nuclear war, the adults look genuinely confused and scared. For awhile, a few act as if everything is under control, but then they become paranoid, like everyone else.

Matinee Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Joe Dante's Matinee arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of French distributors Carlotta Films.

Aside from some sporadic softness, the high-definition transfer is very good. Outside and inside the theater detail is good, clarity pleasing, and contrast levels stable. There are no traces of overzealous sharpening. Some minor denoising corrections, however, have been applied, though while viewing the film they are practically impossible to spot. (If I had to, I would speculate that they were inherited, because obviously the high-definition transfer was not struck during the last year or two). Color reproduction is very pleasing. The variety of reds, blues, greens, browns, and blacks are stable and look unmanipulated. There are no serious banding or aliasing issues. The high-definition transfer is also free of large damage marks, scratches, and debris. All in all, the presentation is very pleasing. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray disc. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).

Matinee Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two audio tracks on this Blu-ray disc: English LPCM 2.0 and French LPCM 2.0. For the record, Carlotta Films have provided optional French subtitles for the main feature.

The English loseless audio track is very good. It has a wide range of nuanced dynamics that open up the entire film quite well. The final third of the film, in particular, where things go wrong has some excellent sequences (check out the one where the balcony collapses). Award winning composer Jerry Goldsmith's score also benefits from the loseless treatment, though its role is mostly to enhance the unique atmosphere in the film. The dialog is crisp, stable, and very easy to follow. For the record, there are no sync issue or audio dropouts to report in this review.

Matinee Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Paranoia en fourmi vision - in this exclusive video piece, director Joe Dante explains how Matinee came to exist and discusses some of the films that have had a major influence on him during the years. In English, with optional French subtitles. (32 min, 1080/50i).

• Mant! (L'homme-fourmi) - in English, with optional French subtitles.
  
  -- director Joe Dante discusses the special effects in Lawrence Woolsey's Mant!. (7 min, 1080/50i).
  -- Lawrence Woolsey's Mant!, the shocking horror film the kids in Matinee flock to see. (17 min, 1080p).
  -- a trailer for Lawrence Woolsey's Mant!. (4 min, 1080p).

• Making of d'epoque - a short making of featurette. In English, with optional French subtitles. (5 min, 1080/50i).

• Bande-annonce - the original theatrical trailer for Matinee. In English, with optional French subtitles. (2 min, 1080/50i).

• Galerie-photos - a gallery of stills from the film. Music only. (2 min, 1080p).

Matinee Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I am not the biggest fan of Joe Dante's work, but I absolutely loved his Matinee. What a charming little film, a bit nostalgic, but very original and very entertaining. The film also looks lovely on Blu-ray. If you could play Region-B "locked" discs, consider adding Matinee to your collections. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.