Christine

I don't know if anyone has mentioned this before, but the 50s music was interesting in that most of it came from artists who suffered untimely, tragic deaths....Buddy Holly and Richie Valens of course were killed in a plane crash at the height of their careers...Johnny Ace ("Pledging My Love") died playing Russian Roulette with a pistol....Larry Williams ("Bony Maronie") was killed in 1980 by a gunshot wound to the head; he had been involved with drug dealing for years and it was thought to be a gang execution....I think Dion was still alive at the time this movie was made("I Wonder Why"); I'm not sure about the rest of the Belmonts....

John Carpenter adapts Stephen King's novel with skillful precision. A high school kid becomes obsessive in his feelings for a very strange car he has bought. The car is given the name Christine and repays her owner's adoration by "taking care of" his enemies.

It is fun watching Keith Gordon, owner of Christine, go from wimp to self proclaimed stud. Also in the cast are: John Stockwell, Alexandra Paul, Harry Dean Stanton and David Spielberg.

It is super cool watching Christine repair her damaged parts. This is an underrated movie that deserves a repeat viewing.

John Carpenter's CHRISTINE is a tragic love story of sorts. Nerdy high school student, Arnie Cunningham (Keith Gordon) has a hard time at school. He spends most of his days being bullied by the odious Buddy Repperton (William Ostrander) and his gang of shop class hooligans. Arnie's only friend, Dennis Guilder (John Stockwell) tries to protect him, but bullies have a way of winning through numbers.

Then, one day, Arnie finds the love of his life, a 1958 Plymouth Fury named CHRISTINE. He is transfixed, even though the car is in terrible shape. Embarking on a mission to restore her, Arnie will never be the same again. He knows nothing of the car's bizarre, deadly history. A history that's about to repeat itself. Everyone else, including Buddy and his pals, had better watch out!

Carpenter has done a masterful job with the original Stephen King novel. As with CARRIE, King is great at portraying those who don't fit in. Gordon plays Arnie with just the right amount of quirky, dorky-ness. The mechanical monster "herself" is beautiful, and Carpenter makes "her" live, kill, die, and resurrect in a very convincing manner. Though it differs in some ways from the book, the movie is memorable in its own right. Arguably, one of Carpenter's truly great horror films.

For lovers of hefty, rolling mountains of steel and chrome.

Co-stars Alexandra Paul as Leigh Cabot...

For my Smart Money, "Christine" is one of John Carpenter's most underrated efforts (up there with "Assault on Precinct 13"), and also one of his most effective. Even though its modest look and relative restraint in gore came as a result of "The Thing"'s box-office failure the previous year, and Carpenter has all but admitted his heart wasn't in the project, it ultimately turned out VERY well (if this is an effort from a sleepwalking Carpenter, he's better than most directors when they're awake). As someone who was knocked out by Rob Bottin's intricately gruesome FX work in "The Thing," but left cold by the shallow characters, "Christine" fills in the gaps of suspense and human story with ease. In retrospect, some of the absurd plot elements ("a haunted car," as Carpenter constantly reiterates) lends the film an odd humor that doesn't detract from things (and indeed, it was Stephen King's own infatuation with cars and rock music that inspired this story of obsession). Scenes are composed with great skill by Carpenter (making wonderful use of the widescreen image), and there are many striking images sprinkled throughout (the most incredible being the flaming Christine speeding after a villain). The excellent cast gives their all in making a potential B-movie premise glow with A-list polish: Keith Gordon's Arnie (the painfully square high-school senior who buys the titular vehicle), John Stockwell's Dennis (the resourceful jock and best friend), Alexandra Paul's Leigh (the earthy girlfriend who sparks Christine's jealousy), and Harry Dean Stanton's Junkins (the snooping P.I.) provide this tale with a lot of propulsive force. In a sense, "Christine" is a nice even ground between the zaniness of "Escape from New York" and the FX extremes of "The Thing," and exemplifies Carpenter's range as a director. A very underrated effort that is very much worth your time.

Christine (1983)

*** 1/2 (out of 4)

John Carpenter's adaptation of the Stephen King best seller about high school loser Arnie Cunningham (Keith Gordon) who buys a 1957 Plymouth and soon his obsession leads to the car's possession of him. I love hearing Carpenter talk about his movies but for the life of me I've never understood why he's so down on this one here. Yes, the film's not really "scary" but at the same time I think it's one of the better possession movies out there and I think the film does a terrific job not only in the horror elements but it also works as a coming of age story because I'm sure most people can connect with either Arnie or those around him who see their friend falling apart due to an obsession. Carpenter really does a good job at building up the main characters here and I think this really helps the story once the possession does start. A lot of credit also has to go to the performances and especially that of Gordon who is really believable not only as the dork but also through the various stages that the character goes through. I thought it was very impressive that he could be so believable as this small loser but towards the end you could also fear the guy. John Stockwell adds great support as the friend and Alexandra Paul is also good as the girlfriend. We also get some wonderful character actors in small roles including Robert Prosky, Roberts Blossom and Harry Dean Stanton. Another major plus working for the film is the terrific soundtrack full of wonderful rock and roll oldies. The special effects are another winner as is the always reliable cinematography where Carpenter uses that 2.35:1 aspect ratio like no one else. CHRISTINE remains an underrated gem but it seems more and more people are coming to appreciate it for what it is. The film is so strong on so many levels that you can overlook the few flaws and still enjoy it.