Is the soul an organ? The new film Cold Souls somewhat treats it at such, to the point of giving it a physical manifestation. The soul of “Paul Giamatti” (played by Paul Giamatti), for instance, resembles a chickpea. And in the film, a great Charlie Kaufman-esque comedy from filmmaker Sophia Barthes, souls are traded, trafficked and stolen, just like kidneys and livers. After Paul puts his soul in storage, it’s nabbed and brought to Russia for the benefit of a young actress who thinks the essence of a famous American actor will improve her craft.
The lesson here is that you shouldn’t store your soul, no matter how much of a burden it may be, particularly if you’re a celebrity or of a profession where your soul might be in high demand on the black market. The movies have long informed us of other ways we might lose an organ, intentionally or not, so if you wish to keep all your insides inside, take heed of the following five methods:
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Joaquin Phoenix’s meltdown/prank on David Letterman Wednesday was certainly eye-opening, but it wasn’t exactly original. There’s a long and storied history of celebrities appearing on Letterman and completely losing their shit. This precedent may lend credibility to the argument that Phoenix’s performance was nothing but an elaborate hoax, perpetrated more for Casey Affleck’s documentary than for the television audience. But this isn’t necessarily always the case. While some of the freak-outs on this list where planned, many of them were genuine meltdowns.
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There’s no denying that Repo! The Genetic Opera has plenty of imagination, but right now it’s still spinning around in my brain and I’m trying to decide if I like it or not. The first time I saw The Rocky Horror Picture Show, I thought it was one of the worst movies I’d ever seen, despite Tim Curry’s stellar performance. Is Repo! destined for the same cult status? The only answer I can come up with is… maybe.
Based on a 10 minute opera called “The Necro-Merchant’s Debt” by Darren Smith and Terrance Zdunich (who plays the Graverobber in the movie), Repo! later become a stageplay, and then they brought Saw sequel director Darren Lynn Bousman on board, and now a movie. It’s an epic opera set in the future, where a corporation called GeneCo has mastered the art of creating synthetic body organs. However, they come at a steep price, and if you don’t pay up, the company will send Repo Men after you to reclaim their property. Which of course usually results in the death of the implantee.
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