Pick of the Week: “Cold Souls”
Paul Giamatti made a perfect wino in “Sideways” and a rather effective boxing coach to Russell Crowe in “Cinderella Man.” In his latest acting challenge, Giamatti plays Paul Giamatti, a semi-famous actor tackling a soul-sucking role in a Chekov play.

That’s only the start of “Cold Souls,” a bizarre but thoughtful independent film that was quietly released late last summer. When the character of Giamatti grows tired of his heavy emotional load, he visits a doctor (David Strathairn, “Good Night, and Good Luck.”) who can remove souls from the human body and store them in a facility until patients want them back. Without his soul, Giamatti can add some much needed levity to his dreary stage role. (more…)