Our world premiere of Blue Christmas at the Fleur Theater in Des Moines on Saturday, February 17, was a blast. It was the first of three Iowa “premieres,” with Cedar Rapids up next at the Collins Road Theatre on March 13, followed by Muscatine at the Palms on March 16, and finally the Quad Cities premiere in Davenport at the Last Picture House on March 22.

We had a nice crowd of around 70 (with some family and friends mixed in, of course), all of whom stayed for a Q and A session with producer Chad Bishop and myself and the cast members you’ll see in the photos below. We weren’t sure star Alisabeth Von Presley – our Cedar Rapids superstar who appeared on NBC’s American Idol and American Song Contest) – would make the event, but make it she did, her star presence (yet entirely unaffected) a great boon to the proceedings.

The Fleur staff (and the Fridley theater chain’s Chris Kottman) went out of their way to make the evening go well and make us feel comfortable and at home. And, listen, if you are close enough to Des Moines to see something at the Fleur, they have the best popcorn in the Midwest. As someone who goes to the movies for the popcorn first and the movie second, you can trust me on this.

These four (three remaining) premiere showings will be the last until holiday season 2024, at which time we hope to be in the Fridley chain’s 17 theaters and more in the Iowa/Illinois/Nebraska region, and to be available on DVD and Blu-ray at the same time (we are awaiting contracts from VCI). We should also be on some of the streaming services for the ‘24 holiday season.

Seeing Blue Christmas on the big wide screen was a terrific experience. Producer Chad Bishop, director of photography Phil Dingeldein, and myself as writer/director had shot the film knowing that physical media and streaming were the goals. The interest from the Fridley chain and the Last Picture House (the latter the theater our pals Beck and Woods made happen) open us up to a nice regional run when November rolls around.

The Fleur hosted a major screening of Road to Perdition back in the day, for which I was a special guest. I also did a presentation of Kiss Me Deadly there, in the days just before the pandemic kicked in. So this was a bit of a homecoming. Not meaning to sound like I’m accepting an imaginary award, I want to thank Barb – who had sworn she’d not be a part of my return to filmmaking – who of course was my strong right hand throughout.

A modestly budgeted film depends on hardworkers and gifted crew, and d.p. Phil Dingeldein and his first camera assistant Liz Toal brought big-budget skills to our spit-and-chewing-gun production.

Just as important, though, is a strong cast, and Rob Merritt led the way on this one, a remarkable performer who described the six-day principle-photography shoot as “a blur,” but was very much the quarterback. The rest of the cast, topped by Von Presley in her charismatic turn, and local skilled actor Chris Causey (Pat Chambers in Encore for Murder), made me look better than I deserve.

As I mentioned in the Q and A session after the screening, the rest of the cast – who I will not single out, although every one deserves it – had the tricky job of creating rounded characters out of a few scenes, since the Christmas Carol approach is one that takes us through the main character’s life, encountering important (but essentially glimpsed) people who have impacted that life. Each performer was up to the task. My sincere thanks goes out to all of them.

And of course I salute my editor, producer, lighting tech, sound tech, music supervisor and many more who can’t be mentioned, all of whom are Chad Bishop.

Here’s the most comprehensive article on both Blue Christmas and myself that I’ve ever seen.

Road to Perdition is deemed one of the ten best revenge movies.

Finally, here’s an article about the Cedar Rapids Film Festival, including the news of Blue Christmas being an official selection.

M.A.C.

Tags: Blue Christmas, Road to Perdition