Batteries Not Included
Pearl, 9.35pm
One of Steven Spielberg's better honey-coated, sugary-sweet family dramas, Batteries Not Included shows an edge of originality that is sadly missing in many of today's science-fiction flicks. For one thing, the main protagonists live in a rundown tenement building that is about to be knocked down by an unscrupulous real estate developer. The latter has even got in a gang leader (Michael Carmine) to intimidate the remaining five tenants into leaving. But they're a spirited lot. Frank and Faye Riley (Hume Cronyn and Jessica Tandy) are trying to hold on to their home and the cafe that has been their livelihood; Marisa (Elizabeth Pena, above with Tandy) is a young pregnant woman waiting for her boyfriend to come to her rescue; artist Mason (Dennis Boutsikaris) is trying to finish his paintings of the rundown area and is also attempting to get the site designated for historical preservation; and ex-boxer Harry Noble (Frank McRae) is the building's quiet superintendent.
Things take a turn for the weird when, just as all looks lost, a pair of tiny spaceships turn up and nest on the rooftop. The visitors bring the tenants together and help them in magical ways, as well as becoming their friends in their own intergalactic way.
When the gang leader takes a swipe at the ships, life becomes difficult again, but as with all Spielberg flicks, the good guys win out in the end - with a little help from a lot more than just two friends from outer space. An uplifting and spirited film. (1987) Tom Amos
Imagine
Pearl, 12am