Review: A Street Cat Named Bob

A Street Cat Named Bob
Cert: 12A / 103 mins / Dir. Roger Spottiswoode / Trailer



Next up, in the category of Films Which Are Marketed Like Kids Films But Which Aren't Really Kids Films Even Though There's Relatively Little Content In The Film To Make It Unsuitable For Kids, is Roger Spottiswoode's A Street Cat Named Bob, adapted from James Bowen's autobiographical book of the same name. It covers James' time as a recovering heroin addict in London, living in a squalid flat where he befriends a remarkable stray cat who inspires him to persevere in turning his life around.

The most awkward aspect of the screen adaptation is that it's nowhere near as dark, bleak or frustrating as you know some of the actual events were at the time. But how could it be, if the film is still going to be an uplifting story of redemption? Scenes where James deals with the authorities as a man who's trying not to slip between the cracks of the system evoke I, Daniel Blake a little. Similarly, a sequence in which he locks himself in his flat to wrench himself off the last dregs of a Methadone program feels like a tidier (and more successful, to be fair) version of the opening minutes of Trainspotting. There are even echoes of Inside Llewyn Davis as the cat quickly becomes a narrative metaphor some something much larger. It's not that the film necessarily sanitises these events, but gives the impression that they're being skipped over a little because of time constraints, which can make them feel more heavy-handed.

Luke Treadaway is marvellous in the pivotal role, supported ably by Joanne Froggatt as his support-worker, Ruta Gedmintas as his neighbour and cat-whisperer, Anthony Head as the estranged and aggrieved father, and of course Bob the cat*¹. Although while I'm sure it's biographically accurate, Treadaway's quasi-Australian accent in the film tended to grate as it drifted in some scenes and completely out of others. Worse still, there are some dialogue exchanges with his neighbour where she began to speak with an Aussie-twang while he wasn't at all. Bizarre. By no means a deal-breaker, but you know what I'm like when it comes to accents…

When the story is focusing on anything other than the relationship between James and Bob, it's a bit melodramatic, simplistic and twee. But A Street Cat Named Bob is also everything it needs to be. And as I saw the film on Wednesday 9th November, it even managed to take my mind off the news-events of the day, which really is something*²…

Question for those of you who've seen the film: The BBFC-card at the beginning flashed up for a couple of seconds as National Theatre Live's production of A Streetcar Named Desire (cropped in the wrong aspect-ratio) before jump-cutting to the correct card (and presented correctly). As the BBFC information isn't projected from a different reel/file, this appears to be part of the actual final print itself. Does anyone know why/how this has come about?

Difficult to say as it feels more televisual than cinematic, and I don't watch a lot of telly.
I don't mean that as a criticism, it just has a "TV-cast".



Only if you're desperate to see the film sooner rather than later; this has got Sunday DVD written all over it ;).



It does.



Probably not, to be fair.



Nope.



There isn't.
Although there was one in an advert for tea which ran before it.



Level 2: The film stars Luke Treadaway, who also appeared in Attack The Block alongside John 'FN-2187' Boyega.

If you're having trouble telling the Treadaway Twins apart, by the way, Luke is the one who appears here as a homeless addict trying to rebuild his life and starred here as a kid with Aspergers struggling to cope with the confusing world around him.
His brother Harry does things like Cockneys vs Zombies and The Lone Ranger...




*¹ There's also a cameo-appearance by James Bowen himself which rivals the face-palming obviousness of The Proclaimers' previous walk-on and would be unforgivable, were it not for the amount of props the guy deserves for still being alive in the first place.
But seriously though, James. Seriously…

*² Although my already anxious mood didn't make the film an easy watch, to the point where I began to suspect ill-motives of characters that weren't headed down that path. Maybe I'm even too cynical and paranoid for feel-good movies at the moment ;)


DISCLAIMERS:
• ^^^ That's dry, British humour, and most likely sarcasm or facetiousness.
• Yen's blog contains harsh language and even harsher notions of propriety. Reader discretion is advised.
• This is a personal blog. The views and opinions expressed here represent my own thoughts (at the time of writing) and not those of the people, institutions or organisations that I may or may not be related with unless stated explicitly.

Review: Percy Jackson - Sea of Monsters

Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters (2D)
Cert: PG / 106 mins / Dir. Thor Freudenthal



I took a gamble on this, as I really couldn't get on with the first movie, but it seemed to pay off because I quite enjoyed Sea of Monsters. I'll admit that there were several points where I had to remind myself I was watching a kids film*¹, but once I got into the mindset I found surprisingly engaging.

The key ingredient is a cast who are fully committed to the roles they're playing*², taking them seriously enough to sell the show, but not forgetting to have fun at the same time. Sure, there are a host of apparent homages and references to other movies, but they're knitted together so deftly that you can't help but be impressed that they're actually working. What also helps is that the story is grounded in Greek mythology; often used creatively enough that I can envision it capturing the imagination of the younger audience members and firing their interest in history. Weaving facts (however fanciful) into an adventure story is incredibly easy to get patronisingly wrong, and these movies should do for many kids what Clash of the Titans did for me when I was a nipper.

Elsewhere, the score is nicely implemented and the visual effects look mostly great, but some of the scenes are so dark that I was struggling to make out what was going on. And these are daytime shots, with me watching in a darkened auditorium, and without the darkening effect of 3D. It's not a constant thing, but just enough to be disconcerting when it happens.

Sea of Monsters is undoubtedly a one for the youngsters, but there movies currently on release with far less conviction than this. You could do a lot worse.

If nothing else, you have to admire the nerve of a film that replicates the opening of the Ark of the Covenant in an abandoned fairground, and all with a straight face. Hell, yeah.

Yeah.



Not so much of the laughing, but I dug the rest.



Yes.



It's an entertaining enough afternoon out, and some of the scenes are so dark you'll benefit from being in a cinema.



No.



At some point.



No. Seriously, the film is crying out for one.

Question here

*¹ That's not to do any disservice to cinema for youngsters, but quite often there are concessions which have to be made. A lot of the humour in PJ:SoM falls under that category.
*² With the exception of Jake Abel who's just sleepwalking through this, not even revelling in his own typecasting.

DISCLAIMERS:
• ^^^ That's dry, British humour, and most likely sarcasm or facetiousness.
• Yen's blog contains harsh language and even harsher notions of propriety. Reader discretion is advised.
• This is a personal blog. The views and opinions expressed here represent my own thoughts (at the time of writing) and not those of the people, institutions or organisations that I may or may not be related with unless stated explicitly.