Three short stories linked by a stray cat that roams from one tale to the next, in this creepy triptych that begins as Dick tries to quit smoking by any means necessary. Next, we meet Johnny, an adulterous man who's forced by his lover's husband onto a building's hazardous ledge. Finally, Amanda is threatened by an evil gnome who throws suspicion on the family cat.
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Cat's Eye is Stephen King's stab at the Twilight Zone, anthology formula, and a damn fine one at that. Just this side of horror, it's a trio of weird and wacky tales as seen through the eyes of a meandering stray cat who manages to get itself tangled up in each thread. I've always marvelled at how they get animals to behave or sit still long enough to do a take and make it look realistic, but I guess that's why they're the movie magicians. This kitty fared well and even has a recognizable little personality of it's own as it navigates each freaky scenario. The first segment sees a jittery James Woods enlist the help of an unorthodox 'Doctor' (Alan King knows just how over the top this satirical fare needs to be and goes there) and his... interesting methods of helping people to quit smoking. I won't say more but this first third of the film feels the most like Twilight Zone in it's borderline surreal mentality, and is a lot of fun. The middle segment is a hard boiled, vertigo inducing tale of a whacked out gangster (serial scenery chewer Kenneth McMillan in top form), tormenting his wife's lover (Airplane's Robert Hayes) in a Las Vegas high rise, whilst the cat looks on and contributes it's own helping to the mischief. The third story sees an adorable Drew Barrymore adopt the poor stray, only for it to have to fight off a vicious little goblin thing that's taken up residence in her room. This one is the most simplistic and closest to horror one finds in these three stories, and while a bit underwritten when compare to the others, is definitely the most visually engaging. All together they're classic warped King, set to a hazy Alan Silvestri score and supported by a screenplay by the King himself. Great stuff.
Stephen King's short stories have garnered him almost as much acclaim as his novels, and they have proved to be just as easily adaptable for the screen ("Stand By Me", "The Shawshank Redemption"); "Cat's Eye" is the exception. King himself expanded two of his early stories (from the collection "Night Shift") and introduces a new addition to form this weak anthology of shuddery tales linked by a rather boring feline. The most telling sign of the picture's failure is that none of these tales would succeed as their own feature-length production (there's not enough meat on their bones). Everything about "Cat's Eye" seems like leftover goods (from either 1982's "Creepshow", written by King, or 1983's "Twilight Zone The Movie"), which is surprising considering how mindful King is of his devoted fan base. No one involved in the production looks as if they had any hope for its success. There's no promise in Lewis Teague's direction and no surprises from a rather weary cast of second-drawer talents. NO STARS from ****
Not one of the best Stephen King adaptations, but the idea of anthology based around King's short stories (two from the same short story collection and the third being an original) is an entertaining romp. Centered around a simple tabby cat that wanders into the tales is a little ridiculous since the cat doesn't play the largest role in "Cat's Eye"'s first two stories; his feature is the third act.My favorite segment of the anthology is the film's first story which is "Quitters Inc." which is from Stephen King's "Night Shift" short story collection. In the story, James Woods plays a man attempting to quit smoking though the help of the titular agency (Woods himself was actually in the process of quitting smoking during the shoot), but finds that quitting will tougher than he thinks. The movie tones down some of the agency's violent offenses mentioned in the original short story, but leaves in the key factors to get Woods' Dick Morrison to avoid cigarettes at all costs. The adaptation is much hammy than the book's more serious tone; the humor can mostly be attributed to the awkward humor James Woods weaves in to defuse the tension. Overall not a bad translation of the story.If you need a relatively enjoyable movie anthology, then give "Cat's Eye" a watch.
Actually I thought the overall quality for this anthology movie is pretty high. I expected to like it since I am a big fan of Stephen King. It seems that when I take comedy horror lightly, I am able to enjoy it much more. This is much more comedy than horror. In fact only the second story can be considered somewhat of a horror story but the rest are on the comedy side. I also liked the overall light hearted tone of the stories. Obviously this is made for a much younger audience.I was quite impressed with the first two stories and I would have rated it higher but the third story is just not good enough. The special effects are corny, the tone is very childlike and I guess it is intended that way. The scenes between the cat and the troll were just too ridiculous. It is a pity because the first 2 are excellent.The quitters incorporated story was pretty awesome and I was laughing at various points. The party scene being a highlight, I guess I know how smokers must feel when they try to quit. It is hilarious in usual 80s fashion. I also liked the performance of James woods. This is the advantage of having professional talented actors in horror movies instead of some unknown faces. The output is always a level higher than what we can expect in an 80s horror movie.The Ledge was also of high quality. As usual, in stories with this theme, there are many elements which are too difficult to accept. If you are looking for logic. But if you just want to go along with any ridiculous scenario, then you would really enjoy the story here! I had a lot of fun watching the bird pecking at him, the guy holding on to the wall no matter what and the effective twist. It is a nice little ride! Anyway so I loved it overall but I was not satisfied with the third story at all, so I have to rate it lower. I rate the first story 8, second story 9 and the third story 5. So overall I rate it a 7.7/10