98 August 2009.indd - Ion AZ

y Kimberly M. Ruff
kimberlymruff@yahoo.com
Cold Souls
Starring: Paul Giamatti, David Straithairn,
Emily Watson
The fi rst feature length fi lm of writer/director,
Sophie Barthes, Cold Souls is a tragicomic
critique on American consumerism. Paul
Giamatti (Sideways) plays – literally
– himself: a middle-aged actor overwhelmed
by his latest role that seeks to ease his
suffering by off-loading his soul (again
– literally). Seeing an ad in the paper, he
makes an appointment with a soul storage
fi rm. At fi rst delighted by the “lightness,” he
soon realizes how utterly empty, emotionless,
and left-of-center he is now sans soul.
He wants it back, but it’s gone. Now he must
follow his black market mule all the way to
St. Petersburg to reclaim the better part of
himself. While the fi lm has the off-beat appeal
that typifi es hyper-analytical and über-artsy
indie fi lm, it smacks too much of a Michel
Gondry/Charlie Kaufman partnership, most
specifi cally: Eternal Sunshine
of the Spotless Mind.
Furthermore, without
even having seen the
movie, I already know
precisely the point
Barthes is trying to
make: if you’re going
to be indie, you need to
avoid over-exposing your
audience to the underlying
meaning. That being said, I love
Giamatti’s sad sackness so much, I will still
see the fi lm and you should, too. Release
Date: 08/07/09.
Inglourious Basterds
Starring: Brad Pitt, Eli Roth,
Nastassja Kinski
Quentin Tarantino is back doing his
Tarantino-thing, which means a lot of action,
violence, cursing – in short, using special
effects to perfect what Sam Peckinpah (The
Wild Bunch) started. His latest, Inglourious
Basterds, is no exception. Brad Pitt stars as
Movie Previews
August 2009 WWW.IONAZ.COM 47
Lt. Aldo Raine, the head
of a group of Jewish-
American soldiers
who scalp and
murder Nazis in
an effort to spread
fear through the
Nazi army. While
no doubt the fi lm
is highly cathartic
(I can’t imagine many
souls would actively root for the Nazis), the
violence is always overwhelming and often
seems gratuitous. But, if you like Tarantino
– and he is an acquired taste – you will most
likely enjoy Inglourious Basterds. Release
Date: 08/21/09
Funny People
Starring: Adam Sandler, Seth Rogen,
Leslie Mann
The third fi lm directed by wunderkind, Judd
Apatow (Knocked Up, 40 Year-Old Virgin),
Funny People stars Adam Sandler as the
well-known comedian George Simmons,
who learns he has a terminal illness and
must make the necessary arrangements in
preparation for his impending death. Along
with him on this journey is the aspiringcomedian
Ira (Rogen), who writes jokes
for Simmons and eventually becomes his
closest friend, as well as “the girl that got
away,” Laura (Mann). Just when Simmons
– and the audience – think they have it all
fi gured out, fate takes a funny twist and gives
him a second lease on life. Now it’s
up to him to set right what
hadn’t been for years and
to truly seize the day.
Like Apatow’s two
previous fi lms,
Funny People is
delightfully witty
and deliciously
rich. Release
Date:
07/31/09.