Overrated

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

Very good movie overall, highly recommended. Most of the negative reviews don't have any merit and are all pollitically based. Give this movie a chance at least, and it might give you a different perspective.

SOCKS AND CAKES, billed as a dramedy, is writer/director Antonio Padovan's look at the lives of five New Yorkers at a dinner party in the Village, hosted by Richard and Amanda (Jeff Moffitt and Kirsty Meares).Their guests include real estate master David (Ben Prayz), his girlfriend Sophie (Alex Vincent) and Amanda's ex-husband Harry (Timothy J. Cox), a down-on-himself college professor.What starts out as a party turns into an evening where each guest tries to piece together the broken parts of their lives.It had potential, but we've seen it all before.Padovan's film tries very hard to mirror the best films of Woody Allen ("Manhattan"m "Hannah and Her Sisters") and to a lesser extent "The Big Chill", but the results are mixed.The title is a mystery to me. For one, it's a very childish sounding title. Two, it has nothing to do with the story that is being told.The acting is a mixed bag. Cox and Meares score as the melancholy college professor and his ex-wife, respectively, while Moffitt does nothing with his role as the womanizing Richard. Then again, he was given very little to do in the script. It is a competently made film from director Antonio Padovan and his director of photography Alessandro Penazzi, but overall, the whole affair seems like the start of a promising film, but never quite gets off the ground.

Great acting draws me in and if that's what you fancy, then I suggest you check out the dramatic short SOCKS AND CAKES, from Antonio Padovan. The film stars Jeff Moffitt as Richard, a successful architect who is hosting a dinner party with his film director wife Amanda (Kirsty Meares) at their Manhattan apartment. It's going to be a small affair...just them and a couple of close friends, including Harry (Timothy J. Cox), Richard's best friend and Amanda's ex-husband. A professor of French literature, Harry's down on life at the moment, wondering where it's all gone, the joy, the fun, the purpose. He spends the bulk of his time checking out real estate properties he never intends to buy and trying unsuccessfully to date his own students. Writers have writers block; Harry has life block. Right now, he's not letting anything or anyone in. That is, except Amanda. We discover that Harry still has feelings for Amanda, who is having problems of her own, namely that she thinks...knows...that her marriage is falling apart.Enter the other guests, David (Ben Prayz) and his girlfriend Sophie (Alex Vincent). Harry detests David, as he suspects that he and Amanda were intimate at one time. Taken aback by Sophie's beauty, he wonders how and why she's with a schmuck like David. Almost immediately, Richard is also quite taken aback by Sophy and his flirtations begin. It's one of those parties. Antonio Padovan's film is extremely well made, but it is the acting that saves the day. Alex Vincent is simply luminous as the sexy and free spirited Sophie, while Ben Prayz charms in his performance as the egocentric David. Jeff Moffitt moves swiftly as Richard, but the stand outs from the cast are Kirsty Meares, who is exceptional in her work as the emotionally fragile Amanda and Timothy J. Cox, pitch perfect in his moving turn as a broken shell of a man looking to find his way back into the light. Wonderful! Wonderful! Wonderful!

The short film SOCKS AND CAKES shows a glimpse into the lives of five people who get together for a dinner party in Lower Manhattan. The party turns out to be a not so pleasant affair though, with each character confronting some inner demons, as well as downing large amounts of red wine. Written and directed by Antonio Padovan, the film looks nice and moves at a swift pace and does feature some nice performances, especially from Timothy J. Cox, a fine turn as a boozy literature professor, but overall, the script felt too theatrical to me, better suited to a black box theater in the West Village.

SOCKS AND CAKES, written and directed by Antonio Padovan, is an exceptional blend of comedy and drama, telling the tale of five friends who get together for a dinner party, only to discover deep, hidden truths about themselves and each other.Embittered French literature professor Harry Mogulevsky (Timothy J. Cox) still carries a torch for his ex-wife Amanda (Kirsty Meares) who seems to be having problems of her own with current husband Richard (Jeff Moffitt) who has eyes for real estate whiz David's (Ben Prayz) latest conquest, the sexy and vivacious Sophie (Alex Vincent).Padovan's film is nicely paced throughout, taking care not to make the affair too maudlin or depressing. It moves quite swiftly and balances the comedy and drama nicely.The film receives an A+ for some excellent camera work, compliments of director of photography Alessandro Penazzi.Of the cast, Cox and Meares are stand outs, but Ben Prayz is equally impressive in his gloriously theatrical turn as the always grinning David.Well done!