CineCATic
In the immortal words of Agnes Varda, “All you need in life: a computer, a camera, and a cat.” This week we shine the Spotlight on some of our favorite cats in film. From sassy Jiiji in Kiki’s Delivery Service to the cats roaming the streets of Istanbul in Kedi, these cat characters inhabit their own cinecatic universe.
Kedi
This documentary looks at the thousands of free-roaming cats in Istanbul, Turkey, showing the city through their perspective.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Turkey, United States • 2017
- Director Ceyda Torun
- Cast Bengu, Deniz, Duman, Gamsiz, Aslan Parcasi, Psikopat
- Genre Documentary
- Available on YouTube Premium, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, YouTube, Kanopy
A Street Cat Named Bob
A recovering drug addict meets a stray ginger cat. His life will never be the same.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom • 2016
- Director Roger Spottiswoode
- Cast Luke Treadaway, Ruta Gedmintas, Joanne Froggatt, Anthony Stewart Head, Caroline Goodall, Beth Goddard
- Genre Drama, Family
- Available on fuboTV, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube, The Roku Channel, Pluto TV, VUDU Free, Kanopy
The Strange Little Cat
(Das merkwürdige Kätzchen)
In this family apartment, the mundane is not what it seems.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Germany • 2013
- Director Ramon Zürcher
- Cast Anjorka Strechel, Jenny Schily, Matthias Dittmer, Luk Pfaff
- Genre Comedy, Drama, Family
- Available on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, YouTube, Kanopy, Hoopla
The Rabbi's Cat
(Le Chat du rabbin)
A rabbi in 1920s Algeria attempts to teach his cat about religion after it gains the ability to speak.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France • 2011
- Director Joann Sfar
- Cast François Morel, Hafsia Herzi, Maurice Bénichou, Jean-Pierre Kalfon, Daniel Cohen, François Damiens
- Genre Animation, Comedy
- Available on OVID, Fandango At Home, Apple TV, Kanopy, Hoopla
A Cat in Paris
(Une vie de chat)
A girl's cat lives a double life working with a burglar, putting the girl in danger.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- France, Belgium • 2010
- Director Jean-Loup Felicioli
- Cast Dominique Blanc, Bruno Salomone, Jean Benguigui, Bernadette Lafont, Oriane Zani, Patrick Ridremont
- Genre Animation, Comedy
- Available on Fandango At Home, Apple TV, Tubi TV, Hoopla
The Cat Returns
(猫の恩返し)
After Haru, a bored schoolgirl, saves the life of an unusual cat, her world is transformed beyond anything she ever imagined.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 2002
- Director Hiroyuki Morita
- Cast Chizuru Ikewaki, Yoshihiko Hakamada, Aki Maeda, Takayuki Yamada, Hitomi Satô, Kenta Satoi
- Genre Adventure, Animation, Drama, Family, Fantasy
- Available on Max Amazon Channel, Max, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube
Two Evil Eyes
(Due occhi diabolici)
Two horror tales based on the short stories of Edgar Allen Poe.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Italy, United States • 1990
- Director George A. Romero, Dario Argento
- Cast Adrienne Barbeau, Harvey Keitel, Ramy Zada, E.G. Marshall, Madeleine Potter, Bingo O'Malley
- Genre Horror
- Available on Amazon Prime Video, Shudder, Shudder Amazon Channel, Night Flight Plus, AMC+, AMC+ Amazon Channel, AMC Plus Apple TV Channel , Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Shudder Apple TV Channel, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, YouTube, Tubi TV, The Roku Channel, VUDU Free, Kanopy
Kiki's Delivery Service
(魔女の宅急便)
A young witch goes on fantastic adventures as she runs her own delivery service.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1989
- Director Hayao Miyazaki
- Cast Minami Takayama, Rei Sakuma, Kappei Yamaguchi, Keiko Toda, Mieko Nobusawa, Kôichi Miura
- Genre Animation, Adventure, Drama, Fantasy, Family
- Available on Max Amazon Channel, Max, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store
When the Cat Comes
(Až přijde kocour)
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Czechoslovakia • 1963
- Director Vojtěch Jasný
- Cast Jan Werich, Emília Vášáryová, Vlastimil Brodský, Jiří Sovák, Vladimír Menšík
- Genre Fantasy, Comedy
- Available on Criterion Channel
The Shadow of the Cat
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom • 1961
- Director John Gilling
- Cast Barbara Shelley, Conrad Phillips, André Morell, Richard Warner, William Lucas, Freda Jackson
- Genre Horror, Thriller
- Available on No streaming locations found.
Cat People
A newlywed fears she is cursed to transform into a wild panther if she consummates her marriage.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- United States • 1942
- Director Jacques Tourneur
- Cast Simone Simon, Kent Smith, Tom Conway, Jane Randolph, Jack Holt, Henrietta Burnside
- Genre Fantasy, Horror, Thriller
- Available on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube
L'Atalante
Small-town girl Juliette and barge captain Jean marry after a whirlwind courtship, but all is not smooth sailing...
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France • 1934
- Director Jean Vigo
- Cast Michel Simon, Dita Parlo, Jean Dasté, Gilles Margaritis, Louis Lefebvre, Maurice Gilles
- Genre Romance, Drama, Comedy
- Available on Criterion Channel, Apple TV, Amazon Video