7.5

Cat's Eye (1985)

You look at some movies, and think the 1960s and 70s weren’t really that long ago; you watch Cat’s Eye and realise that 1985 was ages away. Three of Stephen King’s short stories are strung together into three 30 minute films. The joining device is an adorable tabby called General.

The first instalment is about a very hardcore way to for James Woods to quit smoking. The second has to gambling addiction amongst casino moguls. The third is a bizarre gremlin nightmare with a monster trying to steal child actor Drew Barrymore’s breath in her sleep. There’s a very generous dose of humour, especially in the first two. I found that these two houses the most suspenseful and memorable scenes. The supernatural aspect of the last story was a personal turn-off.

There is some great cinematography, especially the rooftop scenes. It’s positively gripping. However, one distraction was the panoramic 1:2.35 frame. It’s hard to justify. A tighter frame would have kept me even more on edge: I was distracted by distant, inactive corners.

While the themes and actions are timeless (greed, self-improvement, love, and good old suspense!), some of the fashions, hair, the cars and music (my goodness the music) get a bit jarring. In one scene, Woods’ car cassette player chews a tape. Ah, the olden days. The anti-smoking story features one of the best tobacco-laced montages I have ever seen: I immediately thought it should be used in ads all over TV!

The disc has no special features and only Dolby stereo sound. The menu could really have benefited from a clearer scene selection. There’s no easy way to pick your favourite of the three cat tales unless you have watched through once.

Worth buying if you find you like at least one of the stories. Fans of Stephen King will of course have it. I count myself a fan of film adaptations (Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining is a prime example!) of King rather than his writing per se. But even from this diluted fan position I have to say Cat’s Eye is good story-telling.

Felix Staica