This is a funny-sounding and enjoyable idea about the visit of a showman, a cigar-chomping movie mogul and gimmicks creator who arrives in a small town to plug his new terror yarn , a bargain-basement exploitation movie : Mant!, including two screenplay threads that are obviously destined to interwine themselves. Set in Key West during 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis with JFK usually on TV, solemnly announcing the Russian's approach, there a 14-year-old boy called Gene : Fenton, is preoccupied with the forthcoming visit by B movie filmmaker Lawrence Woolsey : Goodman, accompanied by his leading lady, Ruth Corday : Cathy Moriarty, to promote his new exploiter called "Mant" around a chap mutating into ant. As Gene, his brothers and friends prepare for the riotous excitement of Woolsey Matinee preview. While Gene is also worried about his father, stationed in Cuba. "Mant : Half man, Half ant, All terror!".
This is an attractive and engagingly affectionate satire set on fears located in an American small-town. It builds sly parallels between movie horror and real life by juxtaposing JFK speeching against Woolsey hyping his schlock shown in AtomoVision . The stunning details of the abundant visual and verbal gags make this movie as agreeable. John Goodman gives a very good acting as a botcher promoter extraordinarie, being modeled B movie king William Castle. Along with the splendid but drippy teens dominating too much of the storyline as Simon Fenton, Omri Katz, Kellie Martin. And other guest stars and cameos as Lucinda Jenney, Kevin McCarthy, Robert Picardo, David Clennon, Luke Halpin, William Schallert, John Sayles, and Dick Miller, the latter a notorious secondary usual in Roger Corman and Joe Dante films
It contains a moving and spectacular musical score by maestro composer Jerry Goldsmith. As well as colorful and evocative cinematography by John Hora. The motion picture was competently directed by Joe Dante in his usual ironic style. This good director who belonged to Roger Corman factory has made some nice and successful films of all kind of genres but with penchant for terror, Sci-Fi and humor, such as : Hollywood Boulevard, Piranha, Twilight zone, Gremlins, Gremlis 2 :The new batch, Explorers, Amazon women on the moon, Innerspace, The burbs, Small soldiers, Looney Tunes back in action. This is a nostalgic look at past days gone by and the cinema matinees that died with them. Rating :7/10. Better than average.
This is an attractive and engagingly affectionate satire set on fears located in an American small-town. It builds sly parallels between movie horror and real life by juxtaposing JFK speeching against Woolsey hyping his schlock shown in AtomoVision . The stunning details of the abundant visual and verbal gags make this movie as agreeable. John Goodman gives a very good acting as a botcher promoter extraordinarie, being modeled B movie king William Castle. Along with the splendid but drippy teens dominating too much of the storyline as Simon Fenton, Omri Katz, Kellie Martin. And other guest stars and cameos as Lucinda Jenney, Kevin McCarthy, Robert Picardo, David Clennon, Luke Halpin, William Schallert, John Sayles, and Dick Miller, the latter a notorious secondary usual in Roger Corman and Joe Dante films
It contains a moving and spectacular musical score by maestro composer Jerry Goldsmith. As well as colorful and evocative cinematography by John Hora. The motion picture was competently directed by Joe Dante in his usual ironic style. This good director who belonged to Roger Corman factory has made some nice and successful films of all kind of genres but with penchant for terror, Sci-Fi and humor, such as : Hollywood Boulevard, Piranha, Twilight zone, Gremlins, Gremlis 2 :The new batch, Explorers, Amazon women on the moon, Innerspace, The burbs, Small soldiers, Looney Tunes back in action. This is a nostalgic look at past days gone by and the cinema matinees that died with them. Rating :7/10. Better than average.