That new car smell

I got back not too long ago from a very productive trip to Target. I stocked up on Quilted Northern (24 double rolls--SCORE!) and on paper towels (coupons for both). I found myself a nice cushy seat cover for my bike--after 2 days, my butt is sore!--and a carrier thingie I can strap onto the handlebars. Y'know, I seriously wanted a cute little straw basket, but they didn't have any, and I wasn't planning on running all over hell an' back to find one. This'll do.

Despite my fun new bike stuff, I believe I'll take a break today. It's very hot and muggy, and I just don't feel like bike riding today. I want to sit on the deck and get some serious reading done.

At Target, I also got a box of 20 Twix bars for $5.48. That's about 27 cents per bar, people, and Twix is ONLY my absolute favorite candy bar! (Looks like I've got plenty of bike riding to do in my future!) I was also thrilled to find this:

We were looking for something to watch the other night while Ken was doing some "work" work--we didn't want to put in a movie when he was only half-paying attention. I saw that "Christine" was on AMC, so I turned it to that. Turns out that Ken had never seen it! He enjoyed it, and I said I'd pick up the DVD at some point so he could see the uncut version. I was a happy girl when I saw this at Target.

I thought this was a fine adaptation of Stephen King's novel, and a great example of early 80's horror. John Carpenter (he directed "Halloween," if you recall) directed, so it's not too surprising that this was pretty good.

Arnie Cunningham is the nerdy kid who gets picked on by the juvenile delinquent kids like Buddy Repperton. Arnie's pal Dennis, a football jock, does his best to defend and protect him, but isn't always around. Dennis is driving home from school with Arnie one day, and Arnie sees a car for sale. When they take a look at the 1958 Plymouth Fury, it's obviously in very bad shape, possibly beyond repair, but Arnie is determined to buy it,and writes a check on the spot. The guy selling the car, George LeBay (quite a character), informs Arnie that it was his brother's car, and in the interest of full disclosure, tells him that his brother died in it. He also tells him that the car is a she, and her name is Christine.

Warning: Spoilers Ahead

As Arnie begins restoration on Christine, we find that Christine isn't the only one changing. Dennis notices his friend behaving strangely, and an even stranger thing happens when Arnie starts dating the beautiful new girl, Leigh. Apparently Arnie's love for Christine is mutual, and when the juvenile delinquents trash Christine, she repairs herself and extracts a little...revenge.

When Christine almost kills Arnie's girlfriend, Leigh goes to Dennis and tells him that they have to stop Christine. Christine proves to be one tough bitch to kill, though, and Dennis and Leigh have their work cut out for them. They succeed, but not before Christine claims another life, and it is her latest--and last--love, Arnie.

End of Spoilers

This is a fun movie. Keith Gordon does a good job as Arnie, transforming the total nerd into a cool guy (at least on the surface) with a way cool car. John Stockwell is the jock, but a really nice guy who tries his best to save Arnie. The great Harry Dean Stanton plays Detective Junkins, who thinks Arnie's stories and alibis don't quite hold up. Throw in some cool music as Christine rolls off the assembly line (George Thorogood's "Bad to the Bone"), and you've got yourself a winner, in my book. And don't forget the real star of the movie: Christine herself, a gorgeous car, and one bad-ass babe with a V-8.

 

 

Tags: Twix, Christine, 1958 Plymouth Fury, John Carpenter, Keith Gordon, John Stockwell, Harry Dean Stanton, George Thorogood