I love this movie so much

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

This movie feels like it was made purely to piss off people who want good shows

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

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.

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.

Paul Giamatti (played by Paul Giamatti) decides to extract and store his soul, in order to ease the struggling with his latest project, a Chekov play. Because after all, all of life, and especially acting, goes so much easier without a soul, right? And although souls appear to be surprisingly small and physical, Giamatti's causes him quite some trouble.The problem arises when he wants it back, but it's gone. How does one life without a soul? And how do you get it back?A charming and atmospheric movie, a bit on the melancholic side but it fits him well.

Apparently, losing your soul makes you act like William Shatner.In COLD SOULS, brilliant actor Paul Giamatti plays brilliant actor Paul Giamatti, who is so psychologically stricken playing Uncle Vanya in the Chekov play of the same name, that he stores his soul at a soul storage agency, only to have it stolen by the Russian black market.A darker journey than ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND and a blacker comedy than BEING JOHN MALKOVICH, COLD SOULS is a disturbing, unique gem of a movie. Crafted by writer-director Sophie Barthes.The real Giamatti - as game as the real Malkovich - plays himself, who approaches the soul storage issue not without a realistic amount of skepticism. Emily Watson plays his confused wife. What sells the movie's touchy premise is that everyone plays it dead straight. They live in a reality where soul extraction and storage is possible, so it is like any other new medical procedure involving a big futuristic machine that looks incomprehensible.Giamatti is sold by the expertise and straightforward sincerity of Dr. Flintstein (David Strathairn), who shows him a range of souls in small glass canisters, all manner of amorphous shapes, but, as he explains, though we imagine the soul to be colorful, they all surprisingly come in shades of gray.Giamatti's soul looks like a chickpea.When his soul is removed he is asked, "How do you feel?" Other than "hollow" he says he feels great, albeit saying it in a blank way. (Still, I was just wondering, as per the Christian Handbook, don't you need a soul to feel anything?) He goes back to his stage play, and though not in anguish any more over emoting, he is not ANYTHING any more. His "dead face" assumes prominence between rehearsal takes that sound like Shatner on ice. Giamatti is such a great actor that he can actually act like he can't actually act. Or at least act like Shatner can't act.Meanwhile, in a parallel story that provides the darkness and disquietude of this experience, Russian Nina (Dina Korzun) illicitly assumes Paul's soul, transporting it to Russia in her body. In the trade, she is called a "mule," a "soul train," if you will, who loads up a soul in America and brings it back to Russia at the behest of her boss. The boss's wife (sexy Katheryn Winnick) wanted the soul of a "great American actor like Al Pacino or Johnny Depp." The gag, of course, is that those guys are famous for being "great actors" while Giamatti is undoubtedly on their creative par. Just not famous for it.Giamatti realizes the soulless Shatner Method is only useful to one person in the universe, so must take on the soul of a Russian poet to put the heart back into his performance; then embarking on a quest to Russia to put the soul back. But first he must convince the blonde who thinks she is imbued with Al Pacino.Hoo-ah!