Overview: CHICAGO, 1942. At his Christmas Eve office party, private eye Richard Stone celebrates bribing his way out of the draft. He’s a disappointment to secretary/main squeeze, Katie Crockett, whose brother Ben is fighting overseas; and his honest young employee, Joey Ernest, is guilt-ridden over all the divorce-racket keyhole peeping.

Just a year ago tonight, Stone’s sleazy partner Jake Marley was murdered, a crime the detective didn’t bother solving. After Stone is visited by an ankle-chained Jake, on leave from Purgatory to demand his murder be solved, three more visitors arrive to help, one at a time - the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future: Bonnie of Bonnie & Clyde infamy; a recently decreased soldier; and a strange entity who just might be the King of Rock ’n’ Roll.

From the creator of Road to Perdition comes a fantasy brimming with chills, humor and heart. Rob Merritt (Dead Air) and Midwest superstar Alisabeth Von Presley (American Idol) lead a cast of 24 in a new seasonal soon-to-be classic.

Blu-ray Verdict: Going in knowing that this was Chad Thomas Bishop’s first feature film production and that he also had to play a small role in it after a cast member dropped out of the project, just made me more inclined to let the small stuff drift pass me and to concentrate on the art of the low budget cinematic experience.

And I am genuinely glad I did as Blue Christmas (which is based on the novella A Wreath For Marley, which was written by director Max Allan Collins) is a rather delightfully shot, acted, and scene-set movie that harms no one and is a pure unadulterated little gem to behold this holiday season.

Virtually engaging from the off, or at least once the opening holiday drinks scene has set the scene, sure it meanders and feels unfocused at times, but then it clicks right back into place very nicely; very effortlessly.

Shot at Muscatine Community College, Collins’ alma mater, yes, of course, you can see where most of the low budget went when certain scenes are filmed, but for the most part you allow such things to waft over you.

Already a top competitor to become one of my favorite Christmas movies to turn to each holiday period, the way it occasionally uses the lens distortion at the edges of the screen to emphasize the severity of the dialogue at its center (instead of changing focus depth) is a genuine masterstroke also.

This is a Widescreen Presentation (1.85:1) enhanced for 16x9 TVs and comes with Special Features that include commentary by the writer/director and producer/editor, Q&A highlights from advanced theatrical screenings, and a documentary featuring Max Allan Collins.

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