Person to Person
As always, Michael Cera shines in Person to Person. He’s the glibly self-confident heavy metal-loving editor of a small newspaper trying to break in a shy novice freelancer. But he’s only one member of an ensemble cast in a movie without momentum. Set in Manhattan like innumerable indie films, Person to Person has humor but not enough and a plethora of characters who could be Woody Allen walk-ons in this rambling set of New York stories.
The Journey
In 2006 a pair of enemies, Ulster Unionist Ian Paisley and IRA commander Martin McGuinness, signed the pact that brought peace to Northern Ireland. The Journey is an imaginary account of how those foes might have recognized their common humanity while on a long car ride. Colm Meaney plays McGuinness as engaging and conscience stricken; Timothy Spall plays Paisley as a fulminating bigot. The story doesn’t quite ring true but excellent acting keeps it rolling along.
The Man Who Died Twice
Three men die in the first two minutes of The Man Who Died Twice (1958)—and one meets his fate a second time. This gritty, low-budget film noir features a crook-cop pair of brothers, rival heroin dealers, a desperate junkie and a nightclub singer whose signature song is “One Step From Nowhere” (“It’s better than where I’ve been”). The hard-faced, hard-drinking characters speak tersely to one another: “You read like a cheap comic book,” says one.
“The Honeymooners: Christmas Laughter”
A tree decorates the familiar Cramden flat in this holiday episode of “The Honeymooners.” Unlike many so-called “classic” sitcoms, this one still crackles with humor—both the screenplay and the brilliant physical comedy of Jackie Gleason as the bellowing Ralph Cramden. Almost unique on 1950s television, “The Honeymooners” depicts childless couples at the rim of poverty and women (Audrey Meadows, Joyce Randolph) who play more than supporting roles. Art Carney is memorable as Ralph’s dim buddy.
