*batteries not included

John Chard

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 waters 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

Rocketeer Raccoon

I remember seeing this film a long time ago as a kid, however I didn't like it back then because the old woman in this film annoyed me. It had been years since I had last seen this film and my memory of it was very rusty so I thought I give it a new watch now to refresh my memory, and to see if my opinion of the film has changed. Unfortunately I still don't like this film and I wasn't very impressed with it, to me it felt like it dragged on a bit and became boring, and I still hated the old woman. Like a typical old woman she has dementia (memory loss) but what's even more jarring is how does she know what the alien robots eat? I think the film could have done with more comedy because there hardly was much in the film, it's like it could have done with batteries included... Overall it's not a terrible film but it feels poor and it could have been done a lot better.