*batteries not included 2: Attack of the Drones

What's your favourite children's movie about impoverished elderly people living with dementia? This week on Beyond The Box Set, we're joined by the talented Phil Hepworth to discuss *batteries not included, a quirky family sci-fi that features some surprisingly adult and melancholy themes. 

Released in 1987, *batteries not included stars Hume Cronyn and Jessica Tandy as Frank and Faye Riley, a married couple whose long-time home comes under threat from aggressive property developers who want to force them out. As Faye's apparent dementia continues to worsen, Frank prays for a miracle - and gets one in the form of a pair of apparently sentient miniature spaceships known as 'The Fix-Its'. 

The film's unusually thoughtful tone might be down to writer Brad Bird, who went on to write and produce a number of Pixar's biggest hits including Ratatouille and The Incredibles. A modest hit on release, the film has become a minor cult classic, winning a then-septuagenarian Tandy a Saturn award for Best Actress.

Join us as we discuss the colourful cast of characters - including a slogan-quoting former boxer and a short-fused gang leader with highly unusual fashion sense even for an eighties movie - attempt to figure out what the aliens/robots/spaceships are actually supposed to be in this movie and of course, pitch some sequel ideas...

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Every week on Beyond The Box Set, we take a classic standalone movie and compete to pitch the most ridiculous sequel, prequel or spin-off ideas to bring them back to the big screen. You can find us on virtually all major podcasting platforms, including iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify and Podbean. 

We recently launched on Patreon, allowing our listeners to access a whole raft of fabulous bonus content including our weekly bonus show 'Beyond BTBS', a 30 second ad slot on our main show and the opportunity to become a character in one of our sequels. We also have our own line of merchandise on TeePublic.com, including T-shirts, mugs, iphone cases and more. 

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00.00: All musicians are cheating bastards

25.22: *batteries not included Drinking Games

30.00: *batteries not included 2: Attack of the Drones

36.25: *batteries not included 2: Strong & Stable

46.25: *batteries not included 2: Always Read The Small Print

1.02.20: Listener Submissions & Episode 52 Preview