CINEkids International Children's Film Series
Anyone who loves going to the movies shouldn't miss this joyfully absurd and idiosyncratic homage to the delight, the terror, the magic, and the power of moving images. 30th anniversary screening on 35mm!
Step back into a time of outrageous movie-theater gimmicks and larger-than-life B-screen stars in this charming homage to the great sci-fi and horror flicks of the '50s and '60s. John Goodman is at his uproarious best as the William Castle-inspired movie promoter Lawrence Woolsey, who brings his unique brand of flashy showmanship to the unsuspecting residents of Key West, Florida, in 1962 to promote his latest offering of atomic power-gone-berserk, MANT!. But the absurd vision of Woolsey's tale takes on a sudden urgency as the Cuban Missile Crisis places the real threat of atomic horror just 90 miles off the coast. Anything can happen in the movies, and everything does in this hilarious tribute to a more innocent (and outrageous) time in American cinema. [99 min; comedy, drama; English]
"Love. Laugh. Shriek. Cry. Make every second count. Most of all, live. The life lessons Dante was imparting 30 years ago are as vital now as they ever were then, making Matinee a modern classic ripe for rediscovery." – Sara Michelle Fetters, MovieFreak.com
"When Woolsey loses himself in one of his many speeches about the power of movies, the importance of escape, and the joy it brings him to realize these notions for his audience, we sense this is exactly how Dante feels, and that joy is instantly catching." – Brian Eggert, Deep Focus Review
"This celebration of art over war is the closest thing Gremlins director Joe Dante has to a lost masterpiece." – Jamie Dunn, The Skinny
Any film screened at IU Cinema may contain content that viewers find sensitive or upsetting. Visit our Audience Advisories page to learn more.
