Notes From The Movie Room 5-1-24

 

🎬 This week I finally ventured into a theater, the first time since July of 2023, to see my first film released in 2024. I was half expecting the walls to cave in as I entered the building. Fortunately, the gods of cinema, whoever and whatever they might be, were looking down on me. The film that brought me to this momentous undertaking was UNSUNG HERO, directed by Richard Ramsey and Joel Smallbone. The story is based on true events in the lives of David and Helen Smallbone, their seven children, and their struggles to survive after emigrating from Australia to America in 1991. David's successful career as a concert promoter focusing on contemporary Christian music had fallen on hard times and he took his family to Nashville to start a new job. Upon arriving in the US, that job offer fell through, and the family, inspired by their faith, worked hard to keep a roof over their heads and food on the table. The film is quite inspiring and heartwarming without being overly sentimental.

I admit to knowing absolutely nothing about Christian music, so I wasn't aware that there are some very prominent members of the Smallbone family. Co-director Joel Smallbone, who portrays his father in the film, is partnered with his brother, Luke, in the Christian band For King and Country. And their sister, Rebecca St. James, is also a successful singer and songwriter. Rebecca's start in show business is an important plot point in the film.

It was nice being back in a theater again! Let's hope it won't be another year before I go back. There were very few people there, which helped. No irritating behavior to deal with. Just like home...sort of.

🎬 Once again, I find myself preparing to upgrade a DVD in my collection to a Blu-ray, and this time I anticipate no buyer's remorse. Kino-Lorber has announced the release of three pre-code murder mysteries from the long-running Philo Vance series, based on the novels by S.S. Van Dine. All three films star William Powell. They include: THE CANARY MURDER CASE (1929), THE GREENE MURDER CASE (1929), and THE BENSON MURDER CASE (1930). My main interest is THE CANARY MURDER CASE, as one of the stars is the legendary Louise Brooks. This film played a pivotal role in her career. It was made as a silent film, right at the time when sound was being introduced to movies, so Paramount Studios decided to retool it as a talkie. When Miss Brooks was told to report to the studio to record her dialogue, she refused. While she went on to find great success in European films, Paramount blacklisted her, and she was never able to reestablish her film career in Hollywood. As a huge Brooks fan, I'm looking forward to seeing this movie in Blu-ray glory and hearing the audio commentary. My DVD-R copy is from CryptFlicks, a bootleg seller that many collectors will no doubt be familiar with. It's watchable, but the imagery is less than perfect.

I can't complain about companies like CryptFlicks, as they provide collectors with the chance to see obscure films, some of which never get good commercial releases. I picked up my copy at a film convention several years ago, and conventions are the best places to find these obscure titles. But thanks to Kino-Lorber for once again coming through with another way to make me spend money. I plan to keep the CryptFlicks copy because I love that cover!