ELEVATION Stephen King

ELEVATION. Stephen King. Scribner; 2018.

In this interesting if unremarkable novella by King -- a homage to Richard Matheson (to whom the book is dedicated) in general and his novel The Shrinking Man in particular -- hero Scott Carey (the name of the hero of Matheson's novel) discovers something very strange is happening to him. According to his scale he is losing weight rapidly, but his appearance isn't changing at all. His doctor is utterly baffled, but Carey is afraid that sooner or later his complete lack of mass -- despite what he looks like, a pot-bellied middle-aged man -- will send him soaring into the heavens. Carey's neighbors are a lesbian couple who are trying to run a restaurant in King's fictional Castle Rock but encountering difficulties due to prejudice. It's not just that they're a gay couple but that they're married. Carey makes it his business to help them, even though one of the women comes off like a stereotypical man-hater with a chip on her shoulder. In this testament to how friendship can overcome all barriers, the two women eventually become concerned friends of Carey's.

While the gay aspects of the book, however well-meaning (especially after King's nasty depiction of a gay male couple in Needful Things), are a bit awkward, his heart seems to be in the right place. The book is as well-written as anything by King, but some readers might be a little put off by the ending, which is somewhat moving but also a little comical and inexplicable. It's a good, fast read, but by no means a King classic.

Verdict: Worth an hour of your time if you don't expect too much. **3/4. 

CHRISTINE

Keith Gordon in his Plymouth

CHRISTINE (1983). Director: John Carpenter. 

Dennis (John Stockwell) is best friends with the somewhat nerdy Arnie (Keith Gordon), who comes across an almost dilapidated old Plymouth and falls in love with her. Working on the car day and night, the car -- Christine, by name -- is not only transformed, but so is Arnie, becoming "cool" in his dress and manner like something out of the 1950's. Then the kids and others who taunted him become subjects of the wrath of Christine. But Christine, who can magically transform herself when she needs to, will not be easy to destroy. 

Robert Prosky

Based on a novel by Stephen King, Christine was not an improvement on an earlier and much better "killer car" movie entitled The Car. The Plymouth is beautiful, and some of the attack sequences are well-handled, although the alleged climax to the film is comparatively slow and dull. Stockwell and Gordon give good performances, although Alexandra Paul as Arnie's girlfriend isn't much of an actor; considering her 100 credits she must have gotten better. The movie is stolen by Robert Prosky, who makes the most of his scenes as Will Darnell, the grizzled, often dyspeptic owner of a body shop where Arnie works on the Plymouth. William Ostrander is notable as Arnie's main nemesis, Buddy. The film is at least twenty minutes too long and has no real tension or suspense. The director's mediocre score doesn't help at all. 

Verdict: Yet another schlocky John Carpenter movie. **1/4.