batteries not included

MOVIE DESCRIPTION:

Hume Cronyn and Jessica Tandy are among the impoverished residents of a slum tenement threatened with demolition by evil land developers. Only a miracle can save Cronyn, Tandy, and their friends -- and that miracle manifests itself in the form of a "family" of extraterrestrial flying saucers, who need the electricity provided by the tenement to survive. The grateful humanized spaceships repay their earthbound hosts by doing battle with the villains' henchmen. When the building is engulfed in flames, all seems lost, but the aliens have a few more tricks up their metallic sleeves. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

DVD FEATURES:

• Region: 1
• Number of Discs: 1
• Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 (Theatre Wide Screen)
• Audio: Dolby Digital Surround, Dolby Digital 5.1
• Screen: Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV
• Subtitle: English, Spanish
• Features:
  • • Production notes
    • Cast and filmmakers biographies
    • Film highlights
    • Theatrical trailer
    • Web links

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Director:

  Matthew Robbins

• Producer:

  Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall, Ronald L. Schwary, Steven Spielberg

• Screenwriter:

  Hal Barwood, Brad Bird, Mick Garris, Brent Maddock, Matthew Robbins, Steven Spielberg, S.S. Wilson

• Cinematographer:

  John McPherson

• Composer (Music Score):

  James Horner

• Editor:

  Cynthia Scheider

• Production Designer:

  Ted Haworth

• Art Director:

  Angelo P. Graham

• Executive Producer:

  Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall, Steven Spielberg

• Set Designer:

  George R. Nelson

• Costume Designer:

  Aggie Guerard Rodgers

• Sound/Sound Designer:

  Gene S. Cantamessa

• Special Effects:

  David Allen, Industrial Light & Magic

• First Assistant Director:

  Jerry Grandey

• Casting:

  Penny Perry

• Stunts Coordinator:

  Thomas Rosales, Jr.

• Second Unit Director:

  Joe Johnston

• Second Unit Director Of Photogra:

  Richard C. Kratina

• Storyboard Artist:

  David Lowery

REVIEW:

• Co-written and produced by Steven Spielberg, it's hardly worth noting that this film was directed by Matthew Robbins. It looks and feels like a Spielberg movie. Blending together cute and curious aliens and geriatrics who've still got some life in them despite their years, one would assume that *batteries not included is an attempt to bridge the gap between E.T. and Cocoon. And while it surely falls short of the greatness of those classics, it isn't completely worth avoiding, especially for younger viewers and families. After all, the ho-hum story line about an evil land developer using illegal tactics to evict the residents of a run-down tenement is really just a backdrop for the admittedly dazzling effects and the charming performances of real-life husband and wife Hume Cronyn and Jessica Tandy. And it is those elements that make this an undoubtedly sweet and likeable experience. ~ Matthew Tobey, Rovi