May 31, 2011 12:01 am
Cast and Crew: Jerry Goldsmith (Original Music); Cathy Moriarty, Lisa Jakub, Kellie Martin, Robert Picardo, John Sayles, Belinda Balaski, Naomi Watts, Kevin McCarthy
What It’s About: At the height of the Cuban Missile Crisis, matinée film producer Lawrence Woolsey (John Goodman) comes to a Key West town with his latest horror opus Mant about, what else, a half-man, half-ant. Young horror film junkie Gene Loomis (Simon Fenton), who is dealing with the Missile Crisis hysteria, adolescent crushes, and a dad who’s in the Navy, can’t wait to see the film.
Why Watch it Today?: John Goodman’s Woolsey is clearly modeled on the great matinée filmmaker/showman William Castle, who died today in 1977. The film is a tribute to the times of director Joe Dante’s youth, from Woolsey to the Cold War hysteria, to the many references to the horror/sci-fi films of the 1950s and 1960s, but Goodman’s version of Castle as a small-time big-dreamer with a heart of gold and advice for Gene steals the show.
Where to Get It: iTunes, Netflix or Amazon
Posted by Professor Mortis
Categories: Comedy, Coming of Age, Monster, Movie of the Day, Period Film
Tags: Belinda Balaski, bomb shelter, Cathy Moriarty, Cold War, Cuban Missile Crisis, film within a film, homage, Jerry Goldsmith, Joe Dante, John Goodman, John Sayles, Kellie Martin, Kevin McCarthy, Lisa Jakub, Naomi Watts, Robert Picardo, Universal Pictures, William Castle
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Strange to see this today. Day I died….34 years ago.
By William Castle on May 31, 2011 at 6:34 pm
Only a few days after I was born, actually. Sorry to have missed you.
By professormortis on May 31, 2011 at 7:10 pm