Film
(lit/ll l) r SEMI-PRO (15) 91 min om
Will Ferrell raises his game with this typically energetic and supremely daft ‘frat pack’ comedy that also boasts a surprising winning streak in its semi-serious celebration of the now defunct American Basketball Association. With Semi-Pro, the man-bear comedian adds to his repertoire of goofy schmucks Jackie Moon, the owner, coach, power forward, one-hit singing sensation (on soul number ‘Love Me Sexy') and all-round driving force behind fictional mid-19705 Flint, Michigan ABA team, the Tropics.
Not so hot on either game-play tactics or management strategy, Moon concentrates his efforts on player morale- boosting and audience-enticing Showmanship, opening games with groovy song and dance routines, flashy but phoney competitions (corn dogs for all!) and a string of dangerous publicity stunts such as fighting a big brown bear in a cage. Despite Moon’s misguided efforts, however, his team remains rock bottom of the league, and so when the corporate-backed National Basketball Association buys out the ABA, retaining only the top four teams, the Tropics are threatened with closure. In a last-ditch attempt to save his beloved team, Moon beefs up the squad with one-time NBA star Monix (Woody Harrelson) and the Tropics take one last shot at fourth place in the league.
There's plenty of lewd body parts humour and violent cartoon- style slapstick that’s familiar from other frat pack comedies such as Dodgeball. And Semi-Pro makes good use of its funky 70$ setting, deploying Afros, porno tashes, medallions, flairs, platforms, pimp rides and discos in quick succession. First time director Kent Alterman and writer Scot Armstrong (Old School, Road Trip) also take inspiration from 705 cinema with the bold use of foul language (‘you muthaf‘cking c‘cksuckal’) and copious consumption of booze and cigarettes. Perhaps most pleasingly for cinema buffs, Semi-Pro references in its game sequences a number of 705 sports movies, most notably the great Paul Newman ice hockey movie, Slapshot. (Miles Fielder) I General release from Fri 29 Feb.
DRAMA GARAGE (18) 84min 0..
Director Lenny Abrahamson follows his guirky |tlllkl0 comedy Adam and Paul With another tale of oddballs liVing life on the margins of Irish socrety. Stand-up comedian Pat Shortt plays against type as the gas station attendant Josie: he's slow, fllltkllOilgOd and moves With the zest of a Skoda. Josie is a character torn from the same cloth as the police Inspector Pharaoh De Winter in Bruno Dumont's Huriiarirty: events happen around him. and, unsurprisirigly, his lack of guile is what lands him in trouble.
Because of his lack of Intelligence and reputation as the Village idiot Josie is only able to befriend 15 yearold Davrd (Conor Ryan) and make desperate attempts to woo a local shopkmper (Anne-Marie Duff). lt's painful and heart-wrenching watching him try to fit in. Abrahmason uses a minimalist aesthetic to capture the slow pace of life and his use of cuts and story progression are attempts at bringing the cinema of Robert Bresson to present—day Ireland. Despite the lofty ambition, serene canierawork and directorial intent, Garage suffers from second album syndrome. Abrahamson wants to progress from the quirky humour of Adam and
Paul and deal headon With more weighty issues. but when he finally reveals his THE WEDDING
hand, it feels factitious. The deSire to surprise and stun in the heavy-handed denouement doesn't srt well with the smart observations and offbeat comedy that are a lemme 0’ Garages SifOllQOSl "lOlllOlllS- (Kaleelll Allab) Writer/director Noah Baurnbach starts proceedings on his latest feature Wllll a
I GFT Glasgow and selected release from Fri 7 Mar. block capital title caption, forewarning the audience that his latest offering pay', homage to the French New Wave, in particular the work of f raricoi'; lruffaiit and Eric Rohmer. As With his excellent The Sgt/rd and The Wha/e, Margot at the Wedding is also a domestic drama, in which every action, sentence or silence provokes a rollercoaster of emotions about who did What to whom. when. why and where.
Baumbach. in both his directing and writing (The life Aquatic With Steve //',".or/ was one of his inventions). is the master of schadenfreude, Here he tries to camouflage his least comnierCIal work by using huge box office stars in the leading roles. It's a shame they're so badly miscast, Nicole Kidrnari. who has peppered her career With attempts at displaying her art-house pedigree lDogvr/le. . _ Eyes Wide Shut, Flirting). plays the eponymous writer returning to her family home I l 1 v ‘ . . g- I in the Hamptons for her Sister Pauline's (Jennifer Jason Leigh) wedding to .Jack . i. ' ‘. Black. While Black's performance is supposedly the Window that lets audiences in
a "' . ;. . . on the secret that this is a comedy of bad manners, the actor's inability to g . g -6- .e l
(15) 92min 0.
underplay any character coupled to his deSire to steal even/ scene casf'. a huge _ dark cloud over the film that never hits. The move Just isn't funny. nor is
._ . . ‘ , . . , g , v 5 ‘7'“ Baumbach's deCiSion to leave the boom in shot in any wriy avant-garde. Oxerall \ r g g x - . g 3.. , . H _‘ i s _ this is morose. and full of self-absorbed and infuriating characters. lKaloern Aftabi
_» ~ .7 T I [General release from Fri 29 Feb.
46 THE LIST 28 Feb— 13 Mar 2008