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Ahhh! COLD SOULS looks so good! Let's hear it for Paul Giamatti!!!

aha! by nolan bautista	Jun 20th, 2009 04:23:00 PM
foisties
Being the Eternal Sunshine of THX 1138? by StarWarsRedux	Jun 20th, 2009 04:31:59 PM
Sure, I'll see the fucking thing, but how many movies were ripped off in that trailer? Huh?
Looks good! by toshiro-solo	Jun 20th, 2009 05:28:56 PM
I actually checked the end credits to see if Kaufmann had written this, and - no - but even if it seems very Kaufmannesque but isn't him, this looks great to me. More Giamatti is always a good thing.
looks like terrible Kaufman/Jonze rip-off... by adrock303	Jun 20th, 2009 06:15:38 PM
terrible.
agree with above by The Dum Guy	Jun 20th, 2009 06:30:45 PM
I thought this was some Kaufman movie I hadn't heard of (maybe he is somehow involved?).
God DAMN, this looks terrible by Giphangster	Jun 20th, 2009 08:05:55 PM
It looks like a cross between the Simpsons episode "Bart Sells His Soul" and "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind." You folks are right- blatant Kaufman rip-off. Bleh.
Not just a Kaufman Ripoff, also recalls Sheckley by Proman1984	Jun 20th, 2009 08:06:32 PM
The film's premise is very similar to Robert Sheckley's "Goodbye Forever to Mr. Pain".
Hey by cornponious	Jun 20th, 2009 08:41:03 PM
Why don't all you guys tell us how you really feel?
Saw it at Sydney Film Fest by jonoblake	Jun 20th, 2009 08:51:58 PM
I liked it...Very Kaufman like but at least its a decent ripoff...David Strathairn is awesome as the Dr.
Bonnaroo by lenwood_cochran	Jun 20th, 2009 08:55:40 PM
Watched this at Bonnaroo, no idea it wasn't already out. While it was 3 AM and I was under the influence and fucking "moe." was playing right next to the movie tent, I did enjoy it. The humor was rather dry, but I enjoyed the exploration of the idea of soul trafficking. My only real complaint is the lack of subtlety in the metaphor of "losing one's soul" representing "losing one's soul"
saw it too, it's good... by gamus	Jun 20th, 2009 09:18:37 PM
i went into this film apprehensive because of the Kaufman thing but I can honestly it feels like its own film. And there's an emotional beauty to the film that I wasn't expecting. The only drawback is that it doesn't capitalise on all its great ideas in the third act. I felt their needed to be some added twist. As it is the plot became a basic: man extracts sould, man loses soul, man tries to find soul, man finds soul. Still it is a fantastic idea and makes you look at things in a different light
but trailer is awful! by gamus	Jun 20th, 2009 09:28:01 PM
sorry, just looked at the trailer and it really is badly put together. looks much more gimmicky and lightweight than it is in its entirety. one thing about the film is that it has a beauty that really sucks you in, it's hard to identify that in seperate clips or this shonky trailer (what was with the two seconds of pop music at the end?)
THX 1138 by I am the most horrible	Jun 20th, 2009 10:46:31 PM
I just saw the chick from THX1138 (Maggie McOmie) at an audition today. Holy shit!
Kaufman... by MooseMalloy	Jun 20th, 2009 10:54:37 PM
... regularly rips off Philip K. Dick. So has this film.
I've seen this and it is the worst ripoff imaginable by drturing	Jun 21st, 2009 03:19:07 AM
In fact, I saw it with the director in attendance who did a Q&A afterward and someone in the audience was brazen enough to actually ask about the similiarities to Kauffman's work. It seemed to make the director angry, and she responded with one of the most canned stories I've ever heard about a dream she had that sounded far too implausibly perfect, to me at least. And some defense about how Kaufman shouldn't be the only person allowed to play with these themes and ideas. But the compositions are so horribly evocative of Ellen Kuras work on Sunshine, the conceit of the wacky dr who has an office which can cure existential maladies, the name actor playing himself - she's stolen ideas from Kaufman but none of his harsh essential pursuit of the truth. Because the film turns into one of those bad SNL skits at 1am that repeats a variation of the same joke over and over and over again. The only great thing about the film is the location work in Russia and the art direction, which feels like someone was smart enough to say "uh oh this is WAY too similar to Eternal sunshine how can we at least change some stuff here". And the epiphanous moments seem stolen wholesale from Diving Bell and the Butterfly. And it ends with a pointless ambigious indie movie ending it doesn't earn. This film is nothing but a grabbag of better, stolen ideas with none of the depth or inquiry to go with them. It made me really angry watching it. Especially as the Russia sequences imply a much better film. If I was Kaufman I'd be pissed.
drturing is right by pzadvance	Jun 21st, 2009 03:44:33 AM
this shit is awful. its a shameful kaufman imitation, and not a good one at that. what a mess of a movie. not funny, not insightful, quirky for quirk's sake....represents, to my mind, the very worst of indie cinema.
what a surprise by filmweasel	Jun 21st, 2009 04:13:48 AM
some talkbackers always amaze me with how arrogant they are. People who have never done anything creative in their lives, and perhaps never will, like to sound as if they are the ultimate judge on what is good cinema. We can all have opinions, but to make absolute statements about the quality and originality level of a movie based only on a trailer, is a very unfair thing to do. So it looks like something you have seen before, well I am sorry to tell you, but pretty much everything you see is influenced by what came before it. Also, could it be that the trailer is cut in such a way as to attract the people who like Kaufman, Gondri and Jonze's work? I see the constant bitching about remakes, and about how Hollywood has run out of ideas. Well as far as I know, this is the first movie in which you can store your soul in cold storage. That to me seems pretty original. If you think you can give me a list of movies that are so original as to not have any influences, then let me just remind you that just because you are not familiar with the book, comic, play, tv show, or foreign movie that was the inspiration for it, does not mean that it does not exist.
it has the blood sucking lawer from Jurassic Park in it by The Amazing G	Jun 21st, 2009 04:40:05 AM
the one that got eaten on the potty
filmweasal you fuckin douche by drturing	Jun 21st, 2009 10:45:35 AM
read what i said - i SAW this piece of derivative, noxious crap from start to finish. i SAW in person the director attempting to say she didn't ripoff Charlie Kaufman because he rips off other people she ripped off. BTW the DP makes Emily Watson look like he's a rover on Mars, and she's a rock formation. Again, a name actor playing himself (Being John Malkovich) goes to a prosaic, whimsical portrait of a dr's office (Eternal Sunshine) which offers a comical and scientific cure for an existential malady (the burden of memory, the burden of a soul). The protaganist decides he doesn't want this any longer because to rid a man of his memories / soul is painful and leaves him empty (Eternal Sunshine). Various people traffic other people's souls, which gives them a glimpse into their private psyches (Being John Malkovich). In fact the whole movie Giamatti is afraid to see his soul - which is represented a la the last few minutes of Eternal Sunshine, as a beautiful memory. Neurotic puns about lacking a soul enuse. The saddest thing of all is that Barthes probably got her financing because the number crunchers thought "we can do the same numbers as Kaufman's movies if we budget and market correctly".
And the Giamatti casting by drturing	Jun 21st, 2009 10:49:09 AM
means NOTHING ultimately, other than it being a clever conceit stolen from Being John Malkovich. The story is rife with chances to explore the way actors inhabit other people, and it completely DROPS this idea. The one original notion it could explore - a la Fellini's Nights of Cabiria equating acting to prostitiution, so could this movie have explored the notion of acting. Man I really fucking hated this movie. Go see The Hurt Locker or Moon or save your sheckels for In The Loop.
Paul Giamatti Is The Man by Broseph	Jun 21st, 2009 11:35:53 AM
I just watched american splendor the other night again and forgot how much i love that flick.that was really the begining of his rise.I'll watch pretty much anything he's in.I still remember seeing him for the first time as pig vomit in private parts
drturing by filmweasel	Jun 21st, 2009 11:36:57 AM
I was not referring about you, if you read what I wrote I was talking about the large number of people who jump to conclusions all the time. But what can I expect from someone who has to resort to name calling right away. I guess that is what I get for trying to make a logical argument. I never said the movie was going to be the most original thing ever, or even that is was going to be any good. If I made that assumption from just having watched the trailer I would be as bad as the people I was talking about. So fine, call me names, if that makes you feel like a big man, then good for you.
filmweasel... by Giphangster	Jun 21st, 2009 12:32:34 PM
First off, there is a difference between being influenced by something and blatantly ripping it off. A big, big difference. Secondly, you stated that everyone here was judging the film itself based on the trailer, which is untrue. Most, if not all of the people who have only seen the trailer (myself included) said it LOOKS LIKE it's going to be bad, not that it is bad. Again, big difference there. Also, there are quite a few people here who HAVE seen the actual film, and can actually speak to the quality of the picture itself. You know, having seen it and all. Or are they not entitled to their opinion, too? Last, I cannot STAND the ridiculous reasoning that people fall back on when they have no valid arguments, and you readily employed it. That argument being some variation on, "Well, if you haven't made a better movie yourself then you have no right to judge someone else's work." Really? Are you really going to try and argue that? Are people not allowed to have an opinion on art? Here's the difference, dude- I don't claim to be a filmmaker. I'm not claiming I could do better. But that doesn't mean I can't have an opinion on film or music or any other artform. If you go out there and make a movie and claim that you're a good filmmaker, then you'd better have the goods to back it up. I'm not claiming that, and neither has anyone else in this talkback. And unless you happen to be an immaculate filmmaker yourself, then I'd hope you've never had a harsh opinion about a movie in your life. Because otherwise you'd be a hypocrite. And we don't like hypocrites 'round these parts, do we, boys?
It's pretty obvious... by ErnestBorgNine	Jun 21st, 2009 01:14:28 PM
that filmweasel is Sophie Barthes. And this movie looks extremely meh.
Influenced by vs. Ripped off from by Willips Brighton	Jun 21st, 2009 10:04:41 PM
A fine line, gentlemen (and Ms. Barthes). But if a film feels TOO familiar -- even in the trailer -- that's a big fat red flag. And this has Kaufmann all over it. By the way, when was the last time you (a film geek, I presume) saw a trailer and then the movie was 10000% different? Not very often.
tit for tat! by The Amazing G	Jun 21st, 2009 11:19:07 PM

I don't want to hate unequivocally like the rest... by BadMrWonka	Jun 22nd, 2009 02:16:20 AM
but honestly...if Paul Giamatti is playing himself...why is David Strathairn playign some other dude? that's ridiculous, I'm sorry... David Strathairn and Paul Giamatti are in the exact same celebrity category...
This Was Done Much Better in 1995 by kevinwillis.net	Jun 22nd, 2009 11:36:15 AM
It was called "Bart Sells His Soul". An almost perfect Simpson's episode. And the plot progression, sans selling it to Russia, sounds very reminiscent of that most excellent example of prime-time cartooning.
suck it, haters by LegoKenobi	Jun 22nd, 2009 06:18:52 PM
i'll see it for paul giamatti ALONE. the guy is great.
I admire Giamatti... by itsjust_notcool_anymore_baby	Jun 22nd, 2009 07:31:02 PM
while he ain't the best actor out there (far as I can tell) he's got that every man thing about him that I'm a sucker for...It works!
THE HAWK IS DYING... by itsjust_notcool_anymore_baby	Jun 22nd, 2009 07:32:24 PM
prime example of Paul at work.
No I do not look like a very fun meta-physical science fiction c by IForgotAbout19	Jun 22nd, 2009 10:09:43 PM
And quite frankly I resent your article for even asking, or insinuating that I do. The nerve.
comedic flick* by IForgotAbout19	Jun 22nd, 2009 10:10:13 PM
but the joke still stands, damnit!

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Ahhh! COLD SOULS looks so good! Let's hear it for Paul Giamatti!!!

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