NipPierce Wow, this is a REALLY bad movie!

TrueJoshNight Truly Dreadful Film

GarnettTeenage The film was still a fun one that will make you laugh and have you leaving the theater feeling like you just stole something valuable and got away with it.

Ariella Broughton It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.

SnoopyStyle Paul Giamatti is preparing to play Uncle Vanya on Broadway. After reading about the new soul extraction procedure, he finds Soul Storage in the phone book. Dr. Flintstein (David Strathairn) takes out his soul which looks like a chickpea. Paul struggles to connect to his work and starts fighting with his wife Claire (Emily Watson). He tries a Russian poet soul but that comes with bleak memories. When he tries to get his own soul back, he finds it has been stolen by Nina who is a smuggler of souls from Russia. Her Russian mob boss Dimitri wanted a famous actor's soul for his wannabe actress wife Sveta.Writer/director Sophie Barthes is tapping into an interesting, surreal idea that has a fair bit of Charlie Kaufman. It fails mostly by comparison. The black market for souls could have been more compelling and more surreal. The quirkiness fails to be quirky funny. It's a good idea that could have something really interesting.

sesht One of the most powerful meta- movies ever made, this one has the great Giamatti playing to his strengths, i.e., playing himself. ;-). But this one is much more than that. It tackles the subject of desperation, existentialism(?), smuggling, power play and so forth, and moves seamlessly back-and-forth between these themes/aspects without missing a beat that we're never left overwhelmed by everything that's going on. Also, it helps that the whole surreal setting, and the feeling of being completely overwhelmed by the insurmountable odds surrounding our lead meta-character is dizzyingly Kafka-esque as well, and that only adds to the movie's strengths.I'm sure there will be comparisons drawn with 'Being John Malkovich', and not having seen that yet (yeah, I know), I cannot comment. However, there is a lot of sincerity that has been put into this effort, and along with that, the great performances, and the uniquely weird screenplay, somehow I cannot help feeling that this just might strike a chord with those that give it a chance. Performance-wise, while Emily Watson and David Strathairn are great in their roles, this is squarely, and justifiably, Paul Giamatti's movie. As he is wont to do so even in cases where he's slumming, he simply owns every frame he's in, and the meta-nature of the entire endeavor doesn't seem to bother him any, though this has to be perhaps the most exposed role he's ever done, and somehow I think it might never have been easy having to go through few of the motions his character, a.k.a, himself, has to go through, while remembering that this is just another role, and he has a life to get back to.I was lucky to watch this on the big screen during the 1st week of its limited release, and recommend it to one and all, since such works are rarities in themselves.

Mamabadger56 Cold Souls starts with a very odd, even silly premise and takes it as far as it will go, treating the outlandish story with perfect seriousness. As a result, the movie is more than just a goofy sci-fi comedy - although it has its funny moments. There are elements of humour, of tragedy, of suspense, and even some gangster action. The basic story: Paul Giamatti, playing a version of himself, is an actor who is struggling with negative emotions while preparing for a role in Uncle Vanya. In an effort to resolve these issues, he submits to a newly developed procedure which removes a person's soul, placing it in storage until wanted. He is relieved of strong feelings, but runs into unexpected problems trying to conduct his life as a soulless person. The situation is further complicated by a thriving black market for donor souls.Paul Giamatti's performance is definitely one of the best things about the film. I particularly enjoyed Giamatti rehearsing scenes from Uncle Vanya, first as his ordinary self; then as himself minus a soul; and finally, as himself with a donor soul from a female Russian poet. This is an entertaining movie overall. The plot is full of continual unexpected twists, some funny, some rather dark, and never becomes dull or predictable.

yak-yak I gave the movie 9 and I stand behind that. The classic Giamatti drama, wit and humour are not lacking here and there are foreign-speaking parts which are blissfully uncluttered. The viewer has to be forgiving of practical details relating to the non-local scenes because getting bogged down in the reality of what would likely have really happened would make the movie darker than desired and be inconsistent with the unreal aspect of the plot. In essence, a little flexibility on the practical nature of things is rewarded with a rich experience. The only real downside is the undeveloped character played by Emily Watson. Even a few more good lines could have given us a full character. If her character was supposed to be an equal presence then the movie would get a lower grade, but as a supporting role it was good.