2017 SLEEPERS
                                              Part 4

Herewith a fourth helping of 2017 movies most people (including critics) missed. I bet you can find a couple you would like.
Crown Heights is one of the best innocent-man-sent-to-prison films I’ve ever seen. It is based on a true, and unbelievable, story. There is no one in it you’ve ever heard of, but that’s to the good. Colin Warner was no Boy Scout. He had a long rap sheet and was up to no good the night Mario Hamilton was shot and killed. But he had nothing to do with the murder although an eye witness says that he did. His best friend loses his job and his family to gather proof of Colin’s innocence. It takes a while. Like 21 years. Spellbinding film!
When the Nazis came to power in Germany in the 30's, the titular leader of the country, Kaiser Wilhelm II, fled to Holland. The Exception is the (probably) fictional story of his exile. There he waits, hoping to be asked to resume the throne. Christopher Plummer is, as always, quite good in this part. There is a complicated subplot involving a Dutch spy (played by Lilly James) and a German soldier (played by Jai Courtney). And there is a surprise ending well worth watching for. 
The Hero features Sam Elliott, he of the golden bass voice, as an aging Western star living out his days smoking dope and reminiscing about his glory days. When he is diagonosed with a terminal condition, he changes focus, hoping for one final great role before it’s too late. He also attempts to reconnect with his estranged daughter (played by Kristin Ritter). An on and off romance with a stand-up comic (played by Laura Prepon) is by turns funny and endearing. 
All The Money In The World is based on the true story of the kidnaping of J. Paul Getty’s grandson by Italian thugs. It’s interesting to note that Kevin Spacey was to play Getty before Spacey’s fall from grace, and the movie had practically wrapped. But the clever director, Ridley Scott, reshot all of Spacey’s scenes with the iconic Christopher Plummer. It is a seamless job and I defy you to notice the switch! You may recall that the kidnapers mailed Getty one of the grandson’s ears (a nice touch). The kidnaping victim’s mother, played by Michelle Williams, spends much of the film trying to talk the old man into ransoming her son. No more about the plot here!
As a practicing Christian, I have to admit that most movies made with a religious motif are not very good. A notable exception is last year’s All Saints. There are no big names in the cast, but it is uniformly good.  Michael Spurlock, ably portrayed by John Corbett, leaves his sales job to become a pastor.  Unfortunately, the Episcopal power sends him to a small, failing rural church with instructions to shut it down and sell it. When the church begins to welcome Burmese refugees, the pastor decides to try something different. Heartwarming without being smarmy, this is a real upper of a film. All of the films in this article are available on DVD. Only the last one is okay for kids.