For the children

Press, 4 January 1988, Page 7

For the children

The following is a quick resume of holiday fare: “Innerspace” (Westend): Great entertainment in the Spielberg tradition. A complicated plot about a man who is miniaturised and injected into the body of another. Non-stop action and laughs. “Bigfoot and the Hendersons” (Midcity): The legendary Bigfoot is taken home by an American family with chaotic results. Cute, cuddly and entertainment for the whole family.

“Labyrinth” (Hollywood, Sumner): David Bowie plays the King of the Gnomes in this excellent fantasy. Plenty of crazy characters and great special effects. If you have not already seen it, this is the one to catch.

“The Nutcracker" (Academy): The first feature-film version of Tchaikovsky's magical ballet suite is a trif& de-

light, presenting about the only alternative to the otherwise over-hyped, commercial children’s fare.

“Flight of the Navigator” (Savoy 1, matinees, and Hornby): From the Disney studios, a wishfulfilment tale about a boy who manages to get hold of a U.F.0., enabling him to travel around the world to any place he desires.

“The Rescuers” (Savoy 2, matinees): This mod-ern-day cartoon adventure lacks the sparkle and charm of Disney’s earlier animated work. Nevertheless, it is the only fulllength cartoon in town this summer.

“The Living Daylights” (Regent 2): Timothy Dalton, as the fourth James Bond, carries on in the tried and tested tradition of his predecessors. Hardly fresh or original, but still a great diversion. “Mannequin” (Avon): The personable Andrew

McCarthy realises two great fantasies; he brings to life the girl of his dreams — a shop window mannequin by day, but flesh and blood by night — and cavorts with her in a huge department store. Aimed mainly at the lateteens and early-20s market.

“Masters of the Universe” (Savoy 2): Dolph Lundgren plays a real-life version of He-Man, the Mattel Toys superhero seen in animated form on TV. One gets the impression the film is made mainly to promote the sale of the toys with an adventure that looks like a B-Grade version of “Star Wars.” “Leonard Part 6” (Regent 1): Try as hard as he may, Bill Cosby simply does not come across as funny in this superspy send-up as he does in his TV series. The film should do well, however, going strength of his name alone.