A Kind and Charming Tale (on Blu-ray and DVD)

Artistic Note: (3.5/5)

Synopsis

A group of penniless tenants from the slums of East New York are armed with a will to prevent their homes from being demolished. This spirited group is excited to learn that some “guests” from outer space have come to save them…

• Original title: *batteries not included
• Media tested: Blu-ray
• Genre: science fiction, comedy
• Year: 1987
• Director: Matthew Robbins
• Starring: Hume Cronyn, Jessica Tandy, Frank McRae, Elizabeth Peña, Michael Carmine, Dennis Boutsikaris, Tom Aldredge, Jane Hoffman, John Pankow
• Duration: 1 hour 46 minutes 29
• Video format: 16:9
• Cinema format: 1.85/1
• Subtitle: French, English
• Audio tracks: DTS-HD MA 5.1 English – DTS-HD MA 2.0 English, French
• Bonus: Blu-ray and DVD combination of the film – reversible jacket – An American in ParisA Conversation with Matthew Robbins by Julien Comelli and Erwan Le Gac (2022, 39 min 20) – vintage trailer VF (1 min 18) and VOST (1 min 18) – In the same collection
• Publisher: Elephant Films

Interpretation of art

Produced by Amblin Entertainment, Miracle on 8th Street It is a sci-fi comedy film written and directed by Matthew Robbins. It was originally intended to be part of a series fantastic stories (1987) was created by Steven Spielberg, but the latter liked the script so much that he wanted to make a feature film. This benign tale of small but capable and cute flying saucers benefits from a star-studded cast. Indeed, it is narrated by husband and wife Frank and Faye Riley, a famous couple that combines actor Hume Cronyn and actress Jessica Tandy, who have worked together in theatre, film, television and radio. Just before Miracle on 8th Streetthey played two elderly people who encounter aliens the cocoon (1985). The Riley couple’s delicious performance adds to the intrigue, joined by the sympathetic compositions of Frank McRae (ex-boxer Harry Noble), Elizabeth Pena (the charming Marisa Esteval, a pious single mother) and Michael Carmine (the scoundrel Carlos). -natural, completely empathic freshness. As for the already old special effects produced under the direction of ILM, they are still quite reliable: the charming mechanical “offspring”, their repairability and inclusion in real conditions are fully functional. Who would have thought that a “third date” would be so fun and even mischievous? We can think of a more disgusting version of the episode Invaders from the series The Fourth Dimension (season 2, episode 25). true story Miracle on 8th Street Imagine tiny personalized aliens (man, woman, child) flying to the aid of the tenants of a building in New York that is about to be demolished by horrible speculators: the argument is implausible, but the execution is absolutely charming, and the mechanical aliens are absolutely adorable. It’s hard to sit still while watching this highly entertaining comedy, where we recognize Steven Spielberg’s penchant for humane, generous and optimistic fantasy stories: an unconditionally recommended family show.

Technical Commentary

Image : HD copy, good image – except for credits – and sharp, slightly filtered restrained film texture in details (shot on 35mm with Panaflex cameras, new 2K Master Format restored), image cleaned of all defects, perfect contrast sliced, restoring image 80s lighting, deep blacks, warm color grading, vivid colorimetry and saturated tones

His : English 5.1 mix (remix), clear dialogues in the center, dynamics in action scenes (with mini flying saucers) and an energetic score by James Horner, effective spatialization that is more frontal and mainly benefits the music with fairly limited surround effects, fairly restrained LFE, no noise or distortion; Clear VF 2.0, good dynamics, front stereophonic, neat dubbing

Our opinion

Image: (4/5)
Sound mixes: (3.5/5)
Bonuses: (3/5)
Packaging: (3/5)

IMDb : https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0092494/

The Blu-ray/DVD combo and DVD are available on Amazon

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