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 ABOUT THE MOVIE

Semi-Pro
* * 1/2 (out of four)
Stars: Will Ferrell, Woody Harrelson, Andre Benjamin, Will Arnett, Andy Richter, David Koechner
Director: Kent Alterman
Distributor: New Line Cinema
Rating: R for language and more sexual content
Running time: 1 hour, 30 minutes
Opens Friday nationwide

By Claudia Puig, USA TODAY Although not exactly a slam dunk, Semi-Pro is definitely more than semi-funny.

Will Ferrell’s latest sports spoof is significantly better than his last attempt, Blades of Glory, though not as inspired as Anchorman, one of his best comedies, which, like Semi-Pro, is set in the freewheeling ’70s. As in Anchorman, there are some ludicrous sight gags and uniquely silly, if foul-mouthed, laughs. The movie falters when it tries to be serious. Fortunately, those moments are few.

SEE A CLIP: Holding fawn upon with Will Ferrell

Ferrell plays has-been minstrel Jackie Moon, a one-hit wonder through a Barry White-style hit called Love Me Sexy. The lyrics are inanely humorous. In fact, it’s tough to emerge from the movie without the song stuck in your head.

Though he still tries to capitalize on the popular regard of his single hit song, Moon also is coach, owner and player on the American Basketball Association’s Tropics, a bumbling, little-watched team of lovable losers based in Flint, Mich. He may be a buffoon with a bouffant Afro, but he is committed to his teammates. His motto is: “Everybody Love Everybody.”

It’s a broad premise with jokes loosely strung together, some endearingly absurd, centered on Moon’s efforts to take the Tropics to the NBA. Some gags — written by Scot Armstrong, the screenwriter behind Old School— are sophomoric and fall flat, as in a scene where the players train so hard they end up vomiting en masse.

But there are corporeal laughs. Supporting characters form a strong ensemble. Jackie Earle Haley (Little Children) is a highlight as an addle-pated hippie who wins $10,000 at a Tropics game for landing a fluke basket during halftime. A pair of sportscasters (Will Arnett and Andrew Daly) have some choice ribald moments. And a particularly comical scene involving the time “jive turkey” builds on its own ridiculousness in an absurdly funny way.

Still, the movie’s biggest laughs come from Ferrell’s crazy physical antics and trademark non- sequiturs. Woody Harrelson, as a former NBA benchwarmer, doesn’t fare as well, but he doesn’t embarrass himself. He is given a love interest (Maura Tierney), and the subplot involving them and her strange boyfriend (Rob Corddry) is the movie’s weakest link.

The mid-’70s era is hilariously conveyed with terrible fashion choices, the most egregious of which are draped on Ferrell, such period details as a rollicking game of Pong, and signature goofball hairdos.

Some of Ferrell’s better work has been in smaller comic parts (Zoolander, The Producers, Wedding Crashers) rather than starring roles, but this is a definite improvement over in the same state movies as Kicking and Screaming and Bewitched.

If you’re a Ferrell fan, and if you enjoy his particular brand of eccentric tomfoolery, it’s worth taking a chance on Semi-Pro.

To report corrections and clarifications, contact Reader Editor Brent Jones. toward publication consideration in the newspaper, send comments to letters@usatoday.com. Include name, phone number, city and state for verification.  Enlarge New Line Cinema

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 ABOUT THE MOVIE

Chicago 10
* * (out of four)
Stars: Hank Azaria, Mark Ruffalo, Nick Nolte
Director: Brett Morgen
Rating: R for language and brief sexual images
Running time: 1 sixty minutes, 40 minutes
Opens Friday in good cities

By Claudia Puig, USA TODAY Chicago 10 is an ambitious and occasionally illuminating hybrid documentary. But a cacophony of sights and sounds and a disjointed narrative make thinner the communication.

Ostensibly, this is a retelling of the wretchedness of 10 Vietnam War protesters on conspiracy charges during the 1968 Democratic National Convention. The subject is fascinating, with implications for our time.

The re-enactment, from court transcripts, uses motion-capture animation and voices of actors including Hank Azaria as Abbie Hoffman and Mark Ruffalo as Jerry Rubin. But the mix of archival footage and animation is numbing.

To report corrections and clarifications, contact Reader Editor Brent Jones. For publication consideration in the newspaper, send comments to letters@usatoday.com. Include name, phone number, city and state for verification.  Enlarge C7 Films

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 ABOUT THE MOVIE

City of Men
*** (out of four)
Stars: Douglas Silva, Darlan Cunha
Director: Paulo Morelli
Rating: R for violent content, language and some sexuality
Running time: 1 hour, 39 minutes
Opens Friday in select cities

By Claudia Puig, USA TODAY The yearning of sons beneficial to their absent fathers is at the core of the grimly moving follow-up to 2003’s awful City of God, in regard to life in the slums of Rio de Janeiro.

While Men is not as energetic or bracing as God, it is a disturbing exploration of sharp drug culture in Rio’s shantytowns. It’s also a poignant look at the legacies of fathers who abdicate their responsibilities.

CLIP: Get a peek of ‘City of Men’

City of God was directed by the estimable Fernando Meirelles, and Men (in Portuguese, with English subtitles) is directed by his producing partner, Paulo Morelli.

Ace (Douglas Silva) and Wallace (Darlan Cunha) are on the brink of manhood. Ace, though not quite 18, has a young son. The two are struggling with maturing and breaking the cycle of poverty and violence. Their friendship is tested when they are on different sides of a gang war.

City of Men demonstrates the power of human resilience.

To report corrections and clarifications, contact Reader Editor Brent Jones. For publication meditation in the newspaper, send comments to letters@usatoday.com. Include name, phone number, incorporated town and state for verification.  Enlarge Miramax Films

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 TOP RENTED MOVIES

1. American Gangster
2. Michael Clayton
3. We Own the Night
4. No Reservations
5. Rendition
6. The Brave One
7. Gone, Baby, Gone
8. The Game Plan
9. The Assassination of Jesse James
10. Chaos

Source: Home Video Essentials, Rentrak Corp.

By Mike Clark, USA TODAY Tommy Lee Jones was up beneficial to the best-actor Oscar for In the Valley of Elah, one of this week’s new DVDs. Also available is not the same film with a political circumstance, The Last Emperor, a multiple Oscar from the past.

The Last Emperor
* * * * (out of four), 1987, Criterion, R and unrated versions, $60

In this nine-Oscar winner, including best description, John Lone is boy wonder Pu Yi. Résumé : China’s emperor at 3, has-been at 6 (after his rough’s 1912 transformation into a republic), deposed absolute ruler at 18, Westernized playboy, Japanese collaborator, “re-educated” political prisoner and finally a tranquil gardener.

Back account: You get both the 165-minute theatrical cut and the superior 218-minute one in a four-disc box. Cinematographer Vittorio Storaro supervised the DVD transfer, but there’s a slight controversy over its width-to-height aspect ratio. Most viewers, though, will salivate.

Extras, extras: Director Bernardo Bertolucci commentary, with key colleagues; documentaries galore; a 1989 Bertolucci interview; a new the same with composer David Byrne; booklet; more.

Mr. Warmth: The Don Rickles Project
* * *, 2008, Vivendi, unrated, $27

Giving Sinatra lip and then playing Toy Story’s Mr. Potato Head isn’t bad.

Back story: John Landis’ HBO-aired documentary is especially for those nostalgic for the days when “the boys” ran Vegas. Just about everyone this side of Sir Ian McKellen shows up to honor or heckle the premier insult master: Clint Eastwood, Robert De Niro, Martin Scorsese, Sidney Poitier, plus an array of comics and vintage clips (Rickles accidentally breaking Johnny Carson’s prized cigarette box on the air). Favorite bit: someone blowing cigarette smoke in his face on a Dean Martin Celebrity Roast and Rickles muttering, “What is this, London?”

Extras, extras: With extended interviews, a second disc tries to build a bridge over the sever. compare detach between kindly off-stage Rickles and a public persona Carson termed “the poster child for rabies.”

Margot at the Wedding
* * *, 2007, Paramount, R, $30

Underrated, but so much the antithesis of warm-and-fuzzy that many were put most distant.

Back story: Writer/director Noah Baumbach, whose 2005 The Squid and the Whale is a contender for the best movie about divorce, takes on sisterly tension. As marriage approaches, Pauline (Jennifer Jason Leigh) still idealizes her relationship with visiting sister Margot (Nicole Kidman), but Margot is a bitter agitator who could over-analyze a sneeze. You sense that Baumbach may be purging some deep-seated personal bile here, but the movie rings true if you be able to take it. Well acted, likewise, including the surprisingly malleable Jack Black as the scruffy groom.

Extras, extras: Spouses Baumbach and Jason Leigh discuss Margot on-camera (not in the same frame). After saying “you know” too often in his Squid commentary, Baumbach seems cured.

Also on DVD:

In the Valley of Elah
* * 1/2, 2007, Warner, R, $28; Blu-ray, $36 (March 11)

A whodunit that’s not much of one is wrapped in copious Iraq war subtext as a former military policeman investigates secrets about his soldier son. The other wrapping is a fresh dose of the same Tommy Lee Jones cragginess used to stronger effect in No Country for Old Men, Jones’ Elah Oscar nomination notwithstanding. Writer/director Paul Haggis’ middling underperformer isn’t as self-conscious as his Oscar-winning Crash until, unfortunately, its concluding exclamation point.

Meanwhile, the vociferously anti-war Redacted (**, 2007, Magnolia, R, $27) is all exclamation inside a clashing mix. Brian De Palma’s superficial drama meshes staged documentary realism (camcorder/cellphone “videos” to show us murder/rape atrocities that, the movie implies, establishment journalism ignores) with the over-the-top acting that degrades much of De Palma’s filmography. Give minor points to an energy level that suggests a scrappy ’50s B-movie with a nasty streak — with, of course, today’s very un-’50s freedom of the screen.

The Darjeeling Limited* * 1/2, 2007, Fox, R, $30

With Dad midst and Mom (Anjelica Huston) in a Himalayan convent, three squabbling brothers make spotty reconciliation attempts on a train journey through India. Visually splendid, writer/director Wes Anderson’s latest falls short (again) in plain old storytelling, failing to regain Anderson goodwill with his audience after 2004’s The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou. The brothers are Adrien Brody, heavily bandaged Owen Wilson and Jason Schwartzman. Seen in a fleeting bit is Natalie Portman, who stars with Schwartzman in a tangentially related short (Hotel Chevalier, also on the DVD). An attention-getter because of Portman’s nudity, it played solo on the Internet, then eventually in theaters with Limited, and some liked it better. Uh-huh.

More highlights

•Beowulf (* * 1/2; 2007, Paramount, PG-13 and unrated, $30): Fleshy Anthony Hopkins lets much of it hang out, and there’s computerized nudity of a gold-plated Angelina Jolie. More or less winging it with some of high school’s most durable source material, this 3-D theatrical presentation tries to compensate at home with a slightly ickier “director’s cut.” It’s lively without being memorable and, in terms of director Robert Zemeckis, a long way from 1980’s Used Cars.

•1968 With Tom Brokaw (* * 1/2; 2007, History Channel, unrated, $25): Ninety minutes isn’t sufficiency to cover one of America’s tumultuous years, though any documentary that interviews pundit Pat Buchanan, athlete/announcer/RFK campaigner Rafer Johnson, feminists, activists and Bruce Springsteen keeps you watching. The amusing footage of a youthful Brokaw suggests a proud new clause of the National Honor Society.

Due Tuesday: Director Sean Penn’s well-received Into the Wild; Disney’s animated 101 Dalmations gets studio “Platinum” treatment; Vol. 2 of 1930’s racy Forbidden Hollywood

To circulate publicly corrections and clarifications, juxtaposition Reader Editor Brent Jones. For publication consideration in the newspaper, send comments to literature@usatoday.com. Include name, phone number, city and state for verification.  Enlarge Warner Independent Pictures

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Christopher Nolan, helmer of the upcoming Batman sequel The Dark Knight, is to be named director of the year at the ShoWest movie exhibition.

The 37-year-old Briton, who made his turn of expression directing debut with Following in 1999, will receive the accolade at the closing night banquet of the ShoWest event in Las Vegas.

Having gained commercial and critical notoriety with his 2000 movie Memento, Nolan remade Norwegian thriller Insomnia before reviving the Caped Crusader for 2005’s Batman Begins.

Starring Christian Bale as the conflicted Bruce Wayne, the film was credited with reviving the flagging franchise and both Bale and Nolan publicly committed to a follow-up, despite neither favouring sequels.

The Dark Knight is set to be released on July 18th this year and the anticipation surrounding its release has increased significantly since the tragic departure of Heath Ledger, who stars as classic Batman villain the Joker.

Also starring in the sequel are Morgan Freeman, Gary Oldman, Aaron Eckhart and Maggie Gyllenhaal, who replaces Katie Holmes as love interest Rachel Dawes.

Confirming that Nolan was to be named director of the year, ShoWest co-managing director Mitch Neuhauser told the Hollywood Reporter that Nolan is "one of the most talented directors working today whose films consistently achieve both critical acclaim and box office success".

He added: "His ability to grab hold of an audience from the opening frame and not suffer go until the self-same end of each film is a testament to his ability as a master storyteller."

The 34th annual ShoWest exhibition opens on March 13th at the Bally’s and Paris hotels in Las Vegas.
 

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SACRAMENTO, California (AP) — Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger says he asked an Ohio museum to return his Austrian army tank because he was concerned about the upkeep and wants to offer rides to schoolchildren.

Schwarzenegger, a native of Austria, said he plans to offer the rides to inner-city children in the Los Angeles area as a remunerate for staying in school, avoiding drugs and working hard.

Warren Motts, founder and director of Motts Military Museum, said Schwarzenegger acquired the M47 American-made tank from the Austrian government and had it shipped to Florida. He transported it to a Columbus, Ohio, shopping mall in 1999 when he opened a Planet Hollywood there.

Schwarzenegger lent the tank to the museum, located in Groveport, in 2000.

“I’m pleased we had the opportunity to have it and let people see it,” Motts said Tuesday. “It was neat to have a Hollywood connection.”

Motts said the tank was sequestered from the museum Feb. 19, hoisted by crane onto a truck and transported to California.

Aaron McLear, Schwarzenegger’s press secretary, said the governor plans to store the tank at a private location.

Schwarzenegger said he had offered trips to his movie sets as an incentive to kids, but since he became governor and stopped making movies in 2003, he hasn’t had anything enticing to offer.

He said children just aren’t that excited about a tour of the state Capitol.

Schwarzenegger entered the army in 1965, at a time when one year of military service was compulsory in Austria.

Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. To report corrections and clarifications, contact Reader Editor Brent Jones. For publication consideration in the newspaper, send comments to letters@usatoday.com. Include name, phone number, city and state for verification.

Pamela Anderson is seeking to have her third marriage annulled on the grounds of fraud, court documents have shown.

The Baywatch actress married professional poker player Rick Salomon in between her scheduled performances in a Las Vegas magic interpret in October last year but filed for divorce just two months later.

But according to court papers filed in Los Angeles last Friday and obtained by the Associated Press news agency, Anderson is now seeking an annulment, rather than a divorce.

The marriage, Anderson’s third after nuptials with Motley Crue drummer Tommy Lee and singer Kid Rock, was sealed in a short ceremony at the Mirage Hotel and Casino on October 6th 2007, with Anderson’s two children and Spiderman star Tobey Maguire among the 60 guests at the short ceremony.

The bride wore a Valentino dress for the nuptials while Salomon, who famously filmed a sex-tape with Paris Hilton, was reportedly wearing a black tuxedo for the ceremony and reception.

nevertheless on December 13th, after only two months of marriage, Anderson filed on account of divorce, citing "irreconcilable differences", though she later sparked rumours that the union could have being saved when a posting on her personal website stated: "We’re working things out… "

It was also reported last month that Anderson, 40, could be pregnant with Salomon’s child.

He was previously married to television actress Shannen Doherty, who gained fame for her role in Beverly Hills 90210.
 

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By Jacob Adelman, Associated Press Writer LOS ANGELES — In a cost-cutting move, Time Warner Inc. said Thursday it plans to merge its Warner Bros. Entertainment unit with its independently operating New Line Cinema, the studio backward The Lord of the Rings trilogy.

Time Warner also said New Line co-chairmen and grand executives Robert Shaye and Michael Lynne had decided to leave the studio but were discussing possible future business deals with the company.

Under the merger, New Line will maintain separate development, production and marketing departments but will integrate those functions with its new parent division “to maximize film performance and operating efficiencies, finish significant cost savings and improve margins,” the company said in a statement.

The new alignment also will hinder the two companies coordinate film releases and let New Line benefit from Warner Bros. international and digital distribution contracts, Time Warner’s president and chief executive, Jeff Bewkes, said.

“New Line has built a alcoholic franchise of cutting-edge development,” he added.

Warner Bros. products include movies, TV shows and comic books.

Time Warner’s other divisions include AOL, Time Inc., Time Warner Cable, Home Box Office and Turner Broadcasting System and Warner Bros. Entertainment.

Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. To report corrections and clarifications, contact Reader Editor Brent Jones. For publication consideration in the newspaper, send comments to letters@usatoday.com. Include name, phone number, city and state for verification.

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By Lindsay Holmwood, Associated Press Writer NEW YORK — Actress and humanitarian activist Angelina Jolie said Thursday that the reinforcement of U.S. troops in Iraq has created an opportunity for humanitarian programs to boost helping hand for Iraqi refugees.

In an op-ed piece published by the Washington Post, titled A Reason to Stay in Iraq, Jolie details the plight of refugees and says their conditions have not improved since she visited the country last August to urge governments to provide more base.

Jolie, who has been a U.N. goodwill ambassador since 2001, was in Baghdad earlier this month to again highlight the refugee problem. She talked with Gen. David Petraeus, the American military commander in Iraq, and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, the U.S. Embassy said.

Petraeus “told me he would support new efforts to address the humanitarian crisis” as much as possible, “which leaves me hopeful that more progress can be made,” the actress wrote.

She said she stressed to Iraqi officials there must be a coherent plan for helping some 2 the multitude Iraqis who are anger advantage of the downturn in violence to begin trickling back to abandoned homes from havens elsewhere in the country. A similar number fled Iraq to escape the bloodshed.

“It exercise volition be quite a though judgment Iraq is ready to absorb more than 4 million refugees and displaced people,” Jolie wrote. “But it is not too early to start working on solutions.”

The actress, who works on behalf of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, urged America’s presidential candidates and congressional leaders to step up financing for aid to displaced Iraqis. UNHCR has asked for $261 million this year — “less than the U.S. spends each day to fight the war in Iraq,” she wrote.

Addressing the question of whether the “troop surge” has worked, Jolie said that “I can only state what I witnessed.”

“When I asked the troops if they wanted to go home considered in the state of soon as possible, they said that they miss domestic but feel invested in Iraq,” she wrote. “They have lost many friends and want to be a part of the humanitarian progress they now feel is likely.”

Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. To report corrections and clarifications, contact Reader Editor Brent Jones. For publication regard in the newspaper, send comments to letters@usatoday.com. Include name, phone number, city and state for verification.  Enlarge By Spc James Deady, AFP/Getty Images

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The Oscar red carpet may have been awash in a sea of regal — and, aye, copious — red, but other hues popped, too. USA TODAY’s Olivia Barker lasers in on a trio of eye-grabbing gowns and digs up real-world doppelgangers for each:
Red carpet look The knockoff The details

Cameron Diaz in dusty pink Dior

’30s-style champagne ruched taffeta gown, $180 at Unique-Vintage.com

Renee Zellweger in silver-embroidered Carolina Herrera

Beaded tulle nude glamour gown, $578 at Unique-Vintage.com

Hilary Swank in one-shouldered Versace

One-shoulder arrange, $159.99 at Chadwicks.com

What do you think about this year’s red carpet looks?

Leave your comments below.

To report corrections and clarifications, contact Reader Editor Brent Jones. For publication consideration in the newspaper, send comments to letters@usatoday.com. Include name, phone number, city and state for verification.