Matinee

Synopsis: A showman introduces a small coastal town to a unique movie experience and capitalises on the Cuban Missile crisis hysteria with a kitschy horror extravaganza combining film effects, stage props and actors in rubber suits in this salute to the B-movie.
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Director(s): Joe Dante
Production: MCA Universal Home Video
  1 win.
 
IMDB:
6.8
Rotten Tomatoes:
94%
PG
Year:
1993
99 min
569 Views


Yes, the atomic bomb

is terrible.

But more terrible still

are the effects

of atomic mutation.

Hello...

I'm Lawrence woolsey,

and I want to warn you about

something that could happen,

something that does happen

in my newest motion picture.

Observe the ant,

a miniature marvel of

social cooperation and

prodigious strength.

But, if a man

and an ant...

Were exposed to radiation

simultaneously,

the result would be

terrible, indeed;

for the result

would be...

Mant.

[Screaming]

No! No! No!

[Woman on screen

screaming]

Dennis,

you're gonna miss it.

I feel I should warn you.

The story of "mant!" Is

based on scientific fact,

on theories that have appeared

in national magazines.

[Screaming]

[Woolsey]

Yes, these terrible events

could happen...

In your town,

in your home.

And they will happen

in this theater...

In "atomo vision," the new

motion picture miracle...

That puts you

in the action.

[Announcer]

Lawrence woolsey,

the master of movie horror.

In 1960,

he hypnotized you.

Look. Look into the eyes

of Dr. diablo.

[woman screaming]

Yes, master,

I will --

huh?

In 1961,

he insured you against --

gene, cut it!

Where am I?

Now, in 1962,

he exterminates you...

With "mant!"

[Screaming]

[Scream]

Yaah!

Gene, God!

It's just me...

This time.

[Indistinct chatter]

Look, Dennis.

No nightmares, okay?

Or else you can't

see "mant!"

Lawrence woolsey?

He's coming here?

That's right.

Tell all your

little friends.

Wow!

Wow!

Gene, that couldn't

really happen,

could it,

with the ant?

In fact,

it has happened...

Up in Tennessee

about a year ago.

This poor bastard got

trapped in an uranium mine

with a click beetle.

He combined with it.

What?

It was six feet tall.

They killed it finally,

but a lot of people

were deaf by then

from the clicking.

[Dennis]

The poor bastard!

Don't curse, Dennis.

How's it goin', kid?

So maybe the giant bug saw

his mom and dad get crushed

by a little kid,

the guts and everything,

so he goes looking for

a kid he can crush.

Revenge...

That's what insects like.

Gene.

Gonna go down and

shoot some tree frogs.

Wanna come?

Yeah, can we?

No.

No thanks, Andy.

It's disgusting.

Yeah,

disgusting.

[Tv]

brill cream

brill cream

hi, mom.

Hi!

Whoa! Oh, gene,

what did you take him to?

A giant bug show!

The movie wasn't that Scary but

the coming attraction was great.

Well, it's not real,

sweetie.

It's not?

No, of course not.

Thanks a lot.

He can take it,

can't you, squirt?

You're the squirt!

Oh!

Mom, I really want

to see that movie.

With the bug?

You're gonna get

bad dreams.

Uh-uh, I promise.

Mm-hmm.

We'll see.

Oh, you should've heard

his heart beat!

You're scaring him

half to death.

In this box we have

two white rats.

[Audience laughing]

One, two.

Two women's rats that

they put in their hair.

Martha Washington.

You got that?

Remember that.

Okay.

Bring the Lady back in.

She doesn't know a thing

about this so far.

We want to see whether

a woman's unreasoning fear...

Will prevent her

from getting a prize.

You could have invited

that Andy in.

In our house?

Well,

he is your age.

So what?

He's a jerk!

Maybe he knows some kids

you would like.

If you wanna make friends --

mom, don't you get it?

Oh, ouch.

We move to a town,

everybody's known each other

since nursery school.

The kids in town don't like

the kids from the base.

Mmm.

Then we move again

anyway.

So what's the point?

Your father says

we may be here for a few years.

Oh, don't put

a plate down for him.

[Tv]

Would you put your hand in there

and get the $10?

What's wrong?

They sent them out today,

a lot a guys from the base.

[Sigh]

Out where?

I don't know.

He called and said it

was some kind of exercise,

special ops --

aw, something.

They won't even tell them

for how long.

Just had to go.

Well, it's --

yeah. Shh, shh.

[Tv]

$100 in cash if you will

just put your hand in there...

Where those two rats are.

All right, come on.

Put your hand in.

[audience laughing]

Put it in.

[lady]

What is it?

[Audience laughing]

They're white rats,

aren't they?

What did they stop it for?

[Tv announcer]

Nbc news brings to you from

the white house in Washington...

An address by president kennedy

declared to be officially

of the highest national urgency.

The president

of the United States.

[Kennedy]

Good evening,

my fellow citizens.

This government,

as promised,

has maintained

the closest surveillance...

Of the soviet military buildup

on the island of Cuba.

Within the past week,

hey, mom.

Unmistakable evidence

has established the fact...

That a series of

offensive missile sites...

Is now in preparation

on that imprisoned island.

Several of them include

medium-range ballistic missiles,

capable of carrying

a nuclear warhead...

For a distance of more than

Each of these missiles,

in short,

is capable of striking

washington D.C., cape canaveral,

or any other city

in the southeastern part

of the United States.

- They're gonna bomb us?

- No. Shh.

...A strict quarantine on all

offensive military equipment...

Under shipment to Cuba

is being initiated.

All ships of any kind

bound for Cuba,

where they're found to contain

cargoes of offensive weapons,

be turned back.

We will not prematurely

or unnecessarily...

Risk the cost of

worldwide nuclear war,

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Charles S. Haas

Charles Stephen Haas (born October 22, 1952), also known as Charles Haas or Charlie Haas, is an American screenwriter and actor, and novelist. Haas was born in Brooklyn, the son of Eunice (née Dillon) and Philip Haas, who was an attorney. Haas began his writing career with the film Over the Edge (1979). It was co-written with Tim Hunter and starred Matt Dillon. He later worked on Martians Go Home (1990) starring Randy Quaid. At around this time he was approached to write the script to the film Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990), which was directed by Joe Dante and produced by Michael Finnell. Haas also had a small acting role in the film as one of the scientists. Haas later took part in recording the DVD commentary for that film, and it was noted that it was Haas's idea to set that film in New York City. Haas would later work with Dante and Finnell again, writing the script for and appearing in the film Matinee (1993). More recently, Charlie Haas wrote the 2009 novel The Enthusiast, which was published by HarperCollins. He also wrote a humor piece for The New Yorker in April 2010. more…

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Submitted on August 05, 2018

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    "Matinee" Scripts.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Mar. 2024. <https://www.scripts.com/script/matinee_13492>.

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