Christine (1983 film)

Based on the novel by Stephen King, Christine is the story of a young teenager who buys a 1958 Ford Plymouth as he becomes obsessed with the car that comes to life and kills whoever harms him and the car. Directed by John Carpenter and screenplay by Bill Phillips, the film explores the strange relationship between a nerdy young man and his car which creates something that is scary and full of terror. Starring Keith Gordon, John Stockwell, Alexandra Paul, Robert Prosky, and Harry Dean Stanton. Christine is a thrilling and exhilarating film from John Carpenter.

Set in 1978, the film revolves a young nerdy teenager who buys a beat-up 1958 Ford Plymouth from an old man as he would start to change in drastic ways while becoming obsessed with the car and kill anyone who insults or harms him and his car. For this young man, the chance of having a car doesn’t just give him the chance to have something of his own but also would mark a major change from this cowardly nerd to being someone that is no longer afraid but would also mark some very dark characteristics into his personality. Bill Phillips’ screenplay doesn’t just explore the change in the personality of its protagonist Arnold Cunningham (Keith Gordon) but also in how those who are close to him would react to this change. Especially as his best friend Dennis Guilder (John Stockwell) notices the change in his personality where Arnold manages to snag the new girl in town named Leigh (Alexandra Paul) as well as get the ire of the bullies.

The script would also indicate where Arnold was before he had the car as he was just this nerd that was doing whatever it takes to succeed in high school and always did what his parents told him. Upon seeing this beat-up car, Arnold sees this chance to find a new identity but one that has him being very antagonistic towards his parents as well as being neglectful towards Dennis who would get injured at a football game upon the moment he sees the change in Arnold with this car. Even as the garage owner Darnell (Robert Prosky) who would let Arnold put the car there in exchange for some work and such notices that something isn’t right. Once the story becomes more about the car that is called Christine and the number of victims it went after, it would also play more into Arnold’s own personality as he becomes obsessive, angrier, and also more controlling in what he wants to do with his life.

John Carpenter’s direction is very gripping from the way he opens the film which begins with an assembly line of workers checking on different models of 1958 Ford Plymouth where this one red Ford Plymouth would do something and it would then shift to twenty years later. While much of it is presented in a simple manner in terms of its compositions, Carpenter’s approach to the suspense is very slow once it relates to the car that is Christine. Carpenter’s usage of close-ups and medium shots do help play into some of the drama and suspense yet it is the moments involving Christine where the radio would light up playing an rock n’ roll tune is where things get very interesting. Most notably the sequence where Christine goes after Arnold’s enemies in such a way as it has this sense of terror but also glee considering that some of these individuals who tormented him are getting what they deserve. The film’s climax is intense where Carpenter’s usage of the wide shots and setting doesn’t just play into what must be done but also reveal exactly how far one must go to help a friend from this terrible obsession. Overall, Carpenter creates a very exciting and mesmerizing film about a teenager and the car that he loves.

Cinematographer Donald M. Morgan does excellent work with the film‘s cinematography from the sunny and colorful locations in the day to the more lavish usage of lights for some scenes at night including the scenes involving Christine. Editor Marion Rothman does fantastic work with the editing in its usage of rhythmic cuts as well as some stylish cutting to help build up some of the suspenseful moments including the scenes of Christine unleashing herself. Production designer Daniel A. Lomino and set decorator Cloudia Rebar do brilliant work with the design of Darnell‘s junkyard/garage which would be the place where Arnold would work on Christine as well as some of the places he would go to. Costume designer Darryl Levine does nice work with the costumes as it‘s mostly casual as it sort of strays from the clothing that is often typical of the late 1970s.

Special effects supervisor Roy Arbogast does amazing work with some of the effects as it revolves around Christine coming back to life after being beaten and humiliated as it is among one of the chilling sequences in film. Sound editor David Lewis Yewdall does superb work with the sound to play into Christine coming back together as well as some of the sound work that goes on in the locations and in the suspenseful moments. The film’s music by John Carpenter and Alan Howarth is wonderful as it’s very low-key in its electronic setting with its usage of synthesizers and keyboards to help play into the horror and suspense while the soundtrack would feature not just old classics from Ritchie Valens, Robert and Johnny, Johnny Ace, Buddy Holly, Larry Williams, Dion and the Belmonts, Danny and the Juniors, and Little Richard but also songs from the 70s by the Rolling Stones and Bonnie Raitt and an anachronistic yet fitting song from George Thorgood and the Destroyers.

The casting by Karen Rea is incredible as it features some notable small roles from David Spielberg as the auto shop teacher, Stuart Charno, Steve Tash, and Malcolm Danare as a trio of bullies who torment Arnold, Robert Blossoms as the old man who sold Arnold the car which previously belonged to his brother, Kelly Preston as the cheerleader Roseanne who has a thing for Dennis, Christine Belford as Arnold’s mother who disapproves of Arnold having the car, and William Ostrander as the lead bully Buddy who torments Arnold and wants to cause hell to him until he becomes a target of Christine. Harry Dean Stanton is superb as the detective Rudy Junkins who would confront and question Arnold over some of these incidents as he knows something isn’t right. Robert Prosky is fantastic as Darnell as a junkyard/garage owner who reluctantly lets Arnold have Christine stay at the garage as he is a no-nonsense kind of guy that is also baffled by the car itself.

Alexandra Paul is excellent as Leigh as the new girl in school that catches the eyes of many as she would date Arnold until she becomes concerned with his ever-changing moods as she thinks it has to do with Christine. John Stockwell is brilliant as Dennis as this jock who is a friend of Arnold as he becomes concerned with Arnold’s newfound behavior and obsession towards Christine as he realized how much he’s changed and not for the better. Finally, there’s Keith Gordon in an amazing performance as Arnold Cunningham as this nerdy kid who buys this beat-up ‘58 Ford Plymouth as he becomes obsessed with this car where he becomes a much darker and more antagonistic individual as it’s one of Gordon’s finest performances.

Christine is a phenomenal film from John Carpenter. Featuring a great cast, a cool premise, a fun soundtrack, and some chilling moments in films. It’s a film that isn’t just one of Carpenter’s quintessential films in terms of horror and suspense but it’s also one of the finest Stephen King adaptations ever created as it is told with such unique style. In the end, Christine is a spectacular film from John Carpenter.

John Carpenter Films: Dark Star - Assault on Precinct 13 - Halloween - Someone’s Watching Me! - Elvis - The Fog - Escape from New York - The Thing - Starman - Big Trouble in Little China - Prince of Darkness - They Live - Memoirs of an Invisible Man - Body Bags - In the Mouth of Madness - Village of the Damned - Escape from L.A. - Vampires - Ghosts of Mars - The Ward

The Auteurs #60: John Carpenter Pt. 1 - Pt. 2

© thevoid99 2015

From Dusk till Dawn

Directed by Robert Rodriguez and screenplay by Quentin Tarantino based on an original story by Robert Kurtzman, From Dusk till Dawn is the story of two bank robbing brothers who take a family hostage as they travel to Mexico where they all enter a bar that is very mysterious as they later have to battle vampires. The film is a horror-comedy that involves Rodriguez’s stylish approach to violence as well as Tarantino’s snappy and witty dialogue. Starring George Clooney, Quentin Tarantino, Harvey Keitel, Juliette Lewis, Ernest Liu, Salma Hayek, and Cheech Marin with appearances from John Saxon, John Hawkes, Michael Parks, Kelly Preston, Danny Trejo, Tom Savini, and Fred Williamson. From Dusk till Dawn is a fun and in-your-face film from Robert Rodriguez.

After robbing a bank and then dealing with a bloody gun battle with Texas Ranger Earl McGraw (Michael Parks) and a liquor store clerk (John Hawkes), Seth Gecko (George Clooney) and his younger brother Richard (Quentin Tarantino) are on the run as they hope to reach Mexico to meet with a crime boss named Carlos (Cheech Marin) to split the money. The brothers have a hostage (Brenda Hillhouse) whom Richard is interested in as they stop at a motel where things go wrong until a faith-challenged pastor named Jacob Fuller (Harvey Keitel) checks in. Jacob is with his young adult daughter Kate (Juliette Lewis) and her adopted Chinese brother Scott (Ernest Liu) as they’re going to Mexico where they’re confronted by Seth. Seth asks Jacob to drive his RV to Mexico as Richard, Kate, and Scott all go in for the ride.

After a tense moment involving a border guard (Cheech Marin) at the border, the five are able to make it to Mexico where they stop at the rendezvous point at a bar called the Titty Twister. Things seemed fine where Seth, Jacob, Richard, Kate, and Scott all have drinks as they’re later entertained by the exotic stripper Satanico Pandemonium (Salma Hayek). Yet, a scuffle with a guy named Chet Pussy (Cheech Marin) and the bartender Razor Charlie (Danny Trejo) leads to trouble where it is revealed that the bar is filled with vampires. With help from the whip-wielding Sex Machine (Tom Savini) and the quick-witted Frost (Fred Williamson), the Gecko brothers and the Fullers go on an all-out war the vampires.

The film is essentially a story about two bank robbing-brothers who kidnap a family to Mexico where they later fight off vampires in a strange bar. In the writing style of Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez’s soaring approach to action. It’s a film that does a whole lot more than its B-movie premise suggests while still being a silly, stylish, and over-the-top kind of film that both Tarantino and Rodriguez love. The script that Tarantino creates does have a lot of fast-paced and stylish dialogue that is a trademark of his work as the film starts off as a Tarantino film for its opening scene. While the script is among one of the more straightforward works in terms of narrative structure and dialogue. Tarantino does succeed in creating a story that does help build an element of suspense as well as making characters who are more than what they seem to be.

The direction of Robert Rodriguez is truly a joy to watch from the opening scene between Earl McGraw and the liquor store clerk that is very straightforward and charming to the dark intensity that follows where the Gecko brothers are properly introduced. While Rodriguez maintains a keen sense of style in the film’s violent moments filled with a few slow-motion shootouts and some frenetic fights that goes in the bar scenes. Rodriguez knows how to create tension without going overboard by taking his time and wait for the payoff. Also serving as the editor, Rodriguez is able to create a wide array of style to the cutting in order to create a film that plays up to Tarantino’s fast-paced dialogue while also being able to slow things down. Overall, Rodriguez creates a very solid and exciting film that does a whole lot more than its vampire-action genre suggests.

Cinematographer Guillermo Navarro does a brilliant job with the film‘s stylish photography from the very sunny look of the desert exteriors of Texas to the more exotic array of lights and dark settings created at the Titty Twister bar scenes. Production designer Cecilia Montiel, along with set decorator Felipe Fernandez del Paso and art director Mayne Berke, does an excellent job with the design of the Titty Twister bar interiors as well as the hall that everyone is at for the fight and Satanico Pandemonium‘s dance. Costume designer Graciela Mazon does a nice job with the costumes as it‘s mostly casual except for the leather clothing that Sex Machine and Razor Charlie wear.

Visual effects supervisors Diana Dru Botsford and Daniel Fort do fantastic work with some of the film‘s special visual effects such as the human transformation into vampires as well as some of fire that occurs once the vampires are killed. Sound editor Dean Beville does some great work in the sound from the way the vampires growl sound to the layers of gunshots and all sorts of sound effects made during the fights. The film’s score by Graeme Revell is very good for its mix of suspenseful orchestral pieces to a mixture of Texas blues music that is rampant in the film’s soundtrack. Notably as it features contributions from ZZ Top, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Jimmie Vaughn, the Blasters, and Tito & Tarantula that appears as the Titty Twister’s house band.

The casting by Elaine J. Huzzar and Johanna Ray is superb for the ensemble that is created ranging from famous character actors to actors famous for being in certain genre films. Making small appearances include John Saxon as a FBI agent, Kelly Preston as a TV news reporter, John Hawkes as the liquor store clerk, Michael Parks as Texas Ranger Earl McGraw, Brenda Hillhouse as the Gecko brothers’ hostage, Danny Trejo as the badass bartender Razor Charlie, horror film guru Tom Savini as the whip-wielding Sex Machine, and blaxploitation icon Fred Williamson as the war veteran Frost. Notable supporting roles include Cheech Marin playing three roles such as a border patrol guard, the gangster Carlos, and in a hilarious performance as the pussy-talking Chet Pussy.

Salma Hayek is excellent as the sexy and devilishly charming Satanico Pandemonium while Ernest Liu is alright as the more naïve and reluctant Scott Fuller. Juliette Lewis is terrific as Kate who starts off as a reluctant friend of the Gecko brothers to becoming a full-fledge badass. Quentin Tarantino is very good as Richard Gecko who often has these strange fantasies about what women says to him while dealing with a wounded hand. Harvey Keitel is great as the conflicted Jacob Fuller who tries to deal with his own issues while helping out the Gecko brothers fight off the vampires. Finally, there’s George Clooney in a brilliant performance as the cool Seth Gecko who leads the way against the vampires while trying not to be a total criminal as he actually shows some compassion.

From Dusk till Dawn is an incredible and ass-kicking film from Robert Rodriguez and screenwriter Quentin Tarantino. Featuring a wonderful cast, great music, and lots of gory yet top-notch violence. It’s a film that doesn’t hold back in what it wants to be while making it a whole lot of fun to watch. Notably as it’s all about killing vampires with all sorts of things with catchy dialogue and amazing scenery. In the end, From Dusk till Dawn is an entertaining and thrilling film from Robert Rodriguez.

Robert Rodriguez Films: (El Mariachi) - (Roadracers) - (Desperado) - Four Rooms-The Misbehavers - (The Faculty) - (Spy Kids) - (Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams) - (Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over) - (Once Upon a Time in Mexico) - Sin City - (The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl in 3-D) - Grindhouse-Planet Terror - (Shorts) - (Machete) - (Spy Kids: All the Time in the World)

© thevoid99 2012

Citizen Ruth

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 4/8/05 w/ Additional Edits & Revised Content.

Directed by Alexander Payne and co-written with Jim Taylor, Citizen Ruth is the story of a spray-paint huffing woman who becomes pregnant as she is caught in the middle of a war between pro-choice figures and pro-life people. The film is comedy that not only ridicules both political sides of the issue but shows the absurdity of humanity all because of one screwed up, dim-witted, drug addicted woman named Ruth Stoops played by Laura Dern. With a cast that includes Mary Kay Place, Kurtwood Smith, Alicia Witt, Swoozie Kurtz, Kelly Preston, M.C. Gainey, David Graff, Tippi Hendren, Dern's real-life mom Diane Ladd, and Burt Reynolds. Citizen Ruth is a funny, smart comedy about a political debate that goes terribly wrong.

After getting kicked out by her boyfriend, Ruth Stoops seeks to find money to buy some alcohol and spray-paint to sniff at. After getting arrested for her troubles, Rush learns she is pregnant for the fifth time as Judge Richter (David Graf) puts her in jail for endangering her fetus. While the judge offers to lessen the charge if she has an abortion, Ruth meets a conservative Christian in Gail Stoney (Mary Kay Place) and her friend Diane Siegler (Swoozie Kurtz) as they've been released by Gail's husband Norm who also bails out Ruth. Gail and Norm take Ruth in she meets their rebellious, heavy metal-loving teenage daughter Cheryl (Alicia Witt) while learning that Norm is the local head of an anti-abortion group called the Baby Savers. After learning about Ruth and her situation, Norm wants to take her situation public as a meeting with Dr. Rollins (Kenneth Mars) and his nurse (Joan Hennecke) has them claiming that abortion is a new version of the Holocaust.

With Ruth suddenly used as a pawn for Norm and Gail's cause, a protest towards an abortion clinic's guard named Harlan (M.C. Gainey) leads to chaos where Ruth steals money for her own drug use as she's caught by Norm. Diane decides to take Ruth in for protection where she reveals herself to be spy for a pro-choice group that she leads with her lesbian-lover Rachel (Kelly Preston). With Norm and Gail learning about Diane, a national debate happens as Norm calls in the entire Baby Savers group as Ruth is caught in the middle with Diane calling for Harlan for help as they learn Jessica Weiss (Tippi Hendren) will make a counterattack towards the Baby Savers. With the Baby Savers wanting to give Ruth money to keep her baby, Harlan makes the same offer to give Ruth a choice for her own. While the Baby Savers' national leader Blaine Gibbons (Burt Reynolds) arrives to help with the protest in front of Diane's farm. Ruth becomes unsure of the world she's in as well as her future as the abortion debate intensifies.

While films about political issues tend to tread into treacherous waters, what Alexander Payne does is find humor in these issues. While he is known as a liberal, Payne decides to go into neither side and make fun of both sides. Where he and co-writer Jim Taylor decide to paint the Baby Savers as a bunch of hypocritical, bland folks with a leader who likes to be massaged by his adopted son. The pro-choice advocates are seen as a bunch of kooky hippies. The genius of the film is in the screenplay and Payne's solid direction where both sides do have their points but the story is really about one woman and her own decision. The film does have an ending that will upset many not because of her choice but its unconventional approach, especially the fact that she's a very self-destructive, unemployed, and somewhat idiotic woman who doesn't know what to do. It's a satire film that doesn't try to play it safe and the result shows the brilliance of commentary that Payne and Taylor have in their subject matters.

If Payne and Taylor's script is well-written, so does Payne’s directing style and location choices where he chooses a rural, American landscape of his home state of Nebraska along with parts of Iowa. With cinematographer James Glennon, Payne goes for a somewhat gray, bleak outlook of Middle American culture with its small towns, poor houses in the ghetto to the more clean suburban outlook thanks to Glennon's grayish cinematography and the detailed production design of longtime Payne cohort Jane Ann Stewart. The film also includes some masterful and stylized editing from longtime editor Kevin Tent who utilizes a smart, playful approach to his editing that makes the film leisurely placed. Then there's the plaintive score of Rolfe Kent who brings in some fantastic orchestral pieces that plays to Tent's editing paces with a touch of jazz rhythms is familiar with many of Payne's films.

Part of the genius of Citizen Ruth is in its casting and all of the film's supporting cast plays their part with great hilarity and satire. While small performances from David Graff, Alicia Witt, Jeremy Sczepaniak, Kenneth Mars, Joan Hennecke, and Sebastian Anzaldo III are memorable, one of the funniest cameos comes from Dern's real-life mom and actress Diane Ladd in a hilarious dialogue confrontation between her and her daughter. Tippi Hendren is excellent in her brief performance as pro-choice leader Jessica Weiss while Burt Reynolds is extremely hilarious as the Baby Savers leader with his bad wig and conservative views that are out there, especially in a scene where he's topless.

Kurtwood Smith and Mary Kay Place also bring humor to their ultra-conservative caricatures while Place does write some of the film's original songs with Payne & Taylor that are downright funny and spiritual. Kelly Preston is also funny as Kurtz's lesbian lover with a kooky affinity for hippie songs about the moon. M.C. Gainey also shines as sleazy Harlan with his radical views on politics while Swoozie Kurtz pulls double duty as Diane with her high-pitch voice as the conservative Diane with the more stern, funny tone of the ultra-liberal Diane.

Laura Dern is the real stare of the film with her complex and hilarious performance as the film's title character. Dern doesn't make her character totally likeable despite her self-destructive behavior but her comedic antics are just so wonderful to watch. Dern makes her character a bit of an idiot but not a total idiot, especially when she thinks about her plans for her money while we sympathize with her about her knowledge as being the center of a huge political debate. Dern's performance is truly the spark that drives the film.

Citizen Ruth is one of the reasons why Alexander Payne is considered to be one of American cinema's leading voice, because of his subject matters and approach to satire. The acclaim of Citizen Ruth would lead him to direct the high school election satire of Election in 1999 that somewhat parallels are own electoral ideals and scandals. Payne's films are very American for their subject matters whether it's the satire of Citizen Ruth and Election, the discussion of ageism and value of life in About Schmidt, to his recent, Oscar-award winning view of a man's depression and affinity for wine in Sideways. It's clear that after four films, Payne is likely to become the one true American director that sees things in a realistic and funny way. Another thing that makes Payne's film so unique is that each of the central protagonists are loveable, flawed losers we can root for.

Citizen Ruth isn't a bad place to start when it comes to the works of Alexander Payne though Election seems like the better introduction. Fans of Payne will find this as a great debut though for those serious about the issue of abortion will find this film to be very offensive. With a great cast led by Laura Dern, Citizen Ruth is a winner for its witty satire and realistic views on politics as it stands as a fine debut for Alexander Payne and company.

Alexander Payne Films: Election - About Schmidt - Sideways - Paris Je T'aime-14e Arrondissment - The Descendants - Nebraska - (Downsizing) - The Holdovers - (Tracy Flick Can't Win) - The Auteurs #5: Alexander Payne

(C) thevoid99 2011