nyclajd Reviews

The Baxter (2005)

Disappointing

[3/10 · 17 December 2005]

I like the boys from Stella and had high hopes for this film, but I was disappointed. There were a few moments of humor, but for the most part the script was actually kind of boring. The acting was part of the problem also, with Showalter in particular being overly mannered and self-conscious. The two ladies were quite good, though, especially Michelle Williams, who was so effective every time she was on screen that she almost seemed like she was in a different movie that everyone else. I am not an expert but I think most of the blame here is to bad direction as the scenes just did not seem well-staged and the camera angles seemed to be misplaced a lot of the time. My friend does not really like Stella-type humor and she liked the movie better than I did, so maybe it was kind of an expectations problem as well.

Funny Ha Ha (2002)

I Didn't Get It

[2/10 · 17 December 2005]

I really didn't get this movie at all. Even for an independent film it was not well-shot or even well-lit, and the actors seemed to be unsure of what to do in some places, because of the writing or the space they were in or both. I also was confused by the title and maybe that was part of my problem in that I was expecting it to be at least partially funny somewhere in the film. The lead actress was fairly good, but the other actors either made little impression or seemed miscast, a lot of the blame I think has to go to the script and to the director. Some other people seem to have liked this so maybe I just didn't get it, but I don't think so.

Partner(s) (2005)

Funny Romantic Comedy

[9/10 · 17 December 2005]

Just watched this again, I liked it even better this time. I am a lawyer and that subplot was portrayed correctly, but this was really just a standard romantic comedy, although funnier than most. The acting was excellent, including the supporting characters. I don't think this was ever released in theaters but I see it was on TV, it looks a lot more professionally made than many other independent films I have seen and in some places is quite beautiful. There are some really funny moments that are unrelated to the love story, and there are some tender moments that were well-written and well-acted. The movie seems a bit short at 90 minutes, but I prefer that to a movie that is padded or has a lot of boring exposition.