Winter movies at the Putnam

The Putnam Theatre will end their semester series with two films showing over winter vacation. Starting Dec. 11, through Dec. 17, the Putnam will be show Cold Souls followed by Bronson on Jan. 8 through Jan. 14, 2010.

“Cold Souls,” a film directed by Sophie Barthes stars Paul Giamatti playing himself as a distressed actor willing to store away his soul, in order to perform in the play “Uncle Vanya.” His role causes him to think dark thoughts and feel unbelievably depressed. So when he scans an article in The New Yorker about a company who offers soul extraction, he takes a leap of faith. Unfortunately, being soulless has its disadvantages. Giamatti’s relationship with his wife grows rocky and his acting ability slowly creeps away, not to mention his sex life wholly dissipates. Regretting the fact that he can no longer feel anything, Giamatti decides to return to the clinic to get his soul back.

However, the decision goes awry when a soul-trafficking Russian decides to steal Giamatti’s soul from the clinic to give it to a talentless soap opera actress. With no other choice but to rent a Russian soul for the time being, he begins his journey to get his life back. Dry comedy and tragedy ensue as Giamatti searches for his soul to regain his normal life. “Cold Souls” dips into surrealism, while balancing a story between reality and fantasy.

Giamatti’s tragic character finds relief through dry humor, portrayed mostly through neurotic mannerisms and in dialogue. Throughout the movie, Giamatti realizes life is not about avoiding pain and angst, but pulling through the spectrum of emotion and becoming a better person because of it. Originally released Aug. 7, “Cold Souls” was acclaimed for its witty existentialism and comedy. Barthes wrote and directed the film to interpret the suffering of our humanity and, with a plot extensively about losing his soul, Giamatti ironically gives all he’s got to his unique role.

The movie may fall short of encompassing the metaphysical and stylish ideas it boasts. But these ideas still look trapped in well behaved and conventional film restrictions for such an extraordinary concept of this imaginary “soul-storage” world. To judge the character of the film and further reach into the whimsical adventure of Paul Giamatti, stop by the Putnam Theatre Friday through Thursday at 7 p.m and 9 p.m. or Saturday and Sunday for the matinee at 2 p.m.

Taking an unexpected change in genre, the Putnam Theatre will be presenting the United Kingdom film, “Bronson,” directed by Nicolas Winding Refn in January. “Bronson” caused some controversy in the UK when first released in March. The story is based on a real man, Michael Peterson, who, throughout growing up in a steady household with caring parents, had become a young delinquent. Peterson had always wished to become famous but ended up getting married, robbing a post office, getting away with thirty pounds and landing seven years in jail. Unfortunately, his seven years in jail turned into 34 years after he committed multiple prison crimes and caused uproars just to hone his muscles and skills. Peterson changed his name to Charles Bronson, his idol figure and quickly became known as the most violent, psychotic man in any UK penitentiary.

“Bronson” entails fist fights, imaginary interludes, starring himself entertaining an audience and flashbacks to childhood scenes. Tom Hardy, who plays Bronson, appears to be a stunning actor who will deliver a showy and committed performance. “Bronson,” although violent, does have an undertone of the absolute mental destruction of a man after enduring solitary confinement. Half of what seems appealing about this film is his psychotic journey from Michael Peterson to his superstar alter ego, Charles Bronson, not necessarily the fighting and bloodshed. The film takes a different and disturbing twist on any regular prison movie. It seems extremely dark but portrayed extremely well by the team of talented actors and actresses. Expect “Bronson” to draw in a fascinated crowd Jan. 8, 2010, when the Putnam Theatre reopens after the holidays.

What is next for Putnam’s upcoming season?

Starting Jan. 28, Lars Von Trier’s “Antichrist” will run until Feb. 4, followed by “Black Dynamite” starting on Feb 5.

Well known for its creative and poignant film selections, the Putnam Theatre will not disappoint Keene State College’s thirst for psychological thrills and fantastical surrealism in their upcoming showings of “Cold Souls” and “Bronson.”

Jen St. Pierre can be contacted at Jstpierre@keeneequinox.com.