ALL SCI-FI

[The Spike]

Very tidy little family piece.

Residents of a building under threat of demolition from developers get an answer to their prayers in the form of tiny mechanical aliens.

Firmly embedded in the trench that houses a number of 80s fantastical alienish pictures, *batteries not included is a bit worn around the edges yet still keeps its head above average the water, thanks to its unbreakable charm.

There is something so joyous about watching bullies (here in the form of vile developers and their hoodlum enforcers) getting a dose of their own medicine, and although the outcome here is never in doubt, it's still an amiable enough ride that manages to lift the spirit and close the picture out with a big cheesy grin.

Boasting the solid Hume Cronyn and Jessica Tandy in the leads, we are in very safe hands, and it may well say Matthew Robbins name on the directors chair, we are in no doubt that producer Stephen Spielberg has his stamp all over this one.

Safe family viewing. 6/10
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The quality of mercy is not strnen.

[Bud Brewster]

This one dances right up to the naked edge of nonsense, but it never falls off, so I definitely enjoy it. The DVD looks pretty bad, and I'll upgrade as soon one comes out.

The poor thing is $4.88 on Amazon. That speaks volumes about the quality it doesn't have.



Three people make this movie irresistible. Two of them are Hume and Jessica, who are so adorable I'd disown my parents and beg those two to adopt me if my parents hadn't already passed away — but then so has Hume and Jessica, so I reckon the four of them are in heaven together saying nice things about me (which is the only kind of things you can say in heaven . . . )

The third person is James Horner, whose music is heaven on Earth, and God bless him for that!

And that concludes today's sermon. folks. Can I get an Amen?
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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[Bud Brewster]

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Youtube has the trailer, but they don't have the movie (without paying for it, at least).

_________ *batteries not included (1987) Trailer


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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[Bud Brewster]

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I posted a fan-made trailer for The Last Starfighter (1984) on the thread for that movie, and the trailer had this amusing message at the beginning.





I wondered just how true the claim at the bottom was, so I made a list of 1980s science fiction films that I thought were good, just to see if that decade really did produce a significant number of “the best” sci-fi movies.

This movie is on the list I made. I know what I like about the film (and a few things I don’t like), but I’d like to hear the pros and cons from the rest of you folks.

So, what do you think, guys?
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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[Bud Brewster]

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I like this movie, and the soundtrack add to the enjoy.

Batteries Not Included Complete Score James Horner


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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[Bud Brewster]

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A Blu-ray version is finally available and I highly recommend it!. And IMDB has several interesting trivia items for this production.
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~ Originally intended to be a story featured in the TV series Amazing Stories (1985). Steven Spielberg liked the idea so much he decided to make it a theatrical release.

Note from me: Thank God for that. Speilberg never gave us one single decent episodes in that highly disappointing TV series. But this movie is joy to watch.

~ The black-and-white photos of Frank and Faye used in the opening credits were real-life photos of Hume Cronyn and Jessica Tandy, who were married for decades.

Note from me: This claim is tough to swallow. Every single one of the photos we see in the opening credits appear to be poor attempts to paste Hume Cronyn's face into an old photo. It this claim really is true, somebody felt obliged "sharpen" Hume's face, thus making the actual photos of him look fake!

~ After this movie, Jessica Tandy and Hume Cronyn would appear in only three more movies together. Their last film, Camilla (1994), was released two months after her passing.

Note from me: I didn't know this. I love those two actors together so much that I'll have to watch the other movies in which they appeared.

~ Principal photography started in New York City in August 1986, but location scouting began almost a year before. Since the screenplay called for a solitary building amidst rubble, the filmmakers had to find a vacant lot with burned-out buildings all around it. They finally settled on an actual building on New York's Lower East Side. The production team designed a three-sided, four-story tenement facade and oversaw its construction on a location that covered most of a city block.

Note from me: This item surprised me . . . but it shouldn't. Finding out that the old building was just a three-side facade makes more sense than the idea that Spielberg's found a real building still standing which supposedly survived amidst the devastated neighbor.

All the interior shots were just sets, of course.

And yet . . . the dinner on the ground floor really seems part of the building in surrounded by ravaged neighborhood, based on what we see out the windows — especially the scene in which Hume Cronyn rushes over to a window, yanks open the blinds, and sees a bulldozer about to collide with side of the building!

So, was the set of the dinner's interior actually built on the ground floor of the facade, so that shots could be filmed both inside and outside the dinner more conveniently?
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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[Gord Green]

I wish I had something good to say about this movie. I remember seeing it at the theatre and it was a pleasant enough film.

Acting was good and I always liked Hume Cronyn and Jessica Tandy so I guess I don't really have anything bad to say about it either!

It did remind me of the two COCOON films as well.
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There comes a time, thief, when gold loses its lustre, and the gems cease to sparkle, and the throne room becomes a prison; and all that is left is a father's love for his child.