Cold Souls

Paul Giamatti, director Sophie Barthes and other cast and crew from "Cold Souls"

LIBRARY THEATRE, PARK CITY

Now back the the Library Theatre having just a few minutes ago left the Racquet Club and the screening of "Cold Souls." From director Sophie Barthes, this film centers on Paul Giamatti as... Paul Giamatti. He's doing a stint as Chekhov's Uncle Vanya and is having trouble separating himself from the role. His agent turns him onto soul storage, a new service in which the soul is removed from the body and stored, leaving the person feeling light and unburdened. Unfortunately it also has side effects, ultimately leading Paul to "try out" the imported soul of a Russian poet. This works wonders for his Vanya, but causes much internal struggle that ultimately leads him to demand his original soul back, with all its weight and imperfections. But the soul has gone missing. Thus we tumble into a world of soul trafficking, soul "mules" and an exploration of what a soul is really worth.

The film, despite its crazy premise, is actually quite believable. The concepts are equally absurd to the characters as they are to the audience, so suspension of disbelief comes easily. There are echoes of familiar absurdest fare such as Being John Malkovich, but the inspiration ultimately comes much more from French surrealist cinema. It's a good ride that doesn't screw too much with your head and is easily likened to a strange dream that seemed all too real - not a stretch considering the original inspiration for the film came when Barthes had a dream one night several years back where she and Woody Allen found themselves going through their own soul extraction procedures.

The ending comes a bit abruptly and without a lot of closure, but that doesn't much sour the film.

Pretty Bird

SALT LAKE CITY

Pretty Bird, the directorial debut of Paul Schneider, is one of those films that's going to divide people. You'll either think it's brilliant or the biggest pile of crap ever created. It's incredibly quirky and has a bizarre sense of humor that can make you laugh your ass off or sit dumbfounded that anyone would ever finance a project this strange. Now... I'm not talking David Lynch bizarro strange, but it's definitely off the beaten path.

Inspired by a true story, the film begins with the arrival of a hotshot dreamer (Billy Crudup) bent on making a reality out of his vision for a personal rocket-powered flying machine. His best friend from way back when, who has an empty warehouse and a stockpile of money from his retail mattress business, quickly jumps on board as the two set off on putting a business plan together, getting investors and marketing their idea. They manage to enlist the help of an out of work aerospace engineer (Paul Giamatti), who quickly goes to work building the rocketpack.

Though things are going well with the invention, the relationship between the three men soon deteriorates as tempers flare, lies run wild, and trust vanishes. Bizarre twists follow and things ultimately go pretty far down hill.

The film, should it find a distributor, will certainly attract a cult following. It's the kind of film you have to see with other people to really appreciate. Several people in last night's audience were laughing so hard they were crying. The wit and comedy are definitely what make this film stand on it's own.

Paul's Q&A following the film was almost like watching stand-up comedy. He's a very funny, quirky guy and his touch is definitely evident in the film. The DVD release should absolutely contain interviews with the man, otherwise the audience really misses out on his process and approach to the film.