'Control' transcends rock-star cliches

"Control" -- When the inevitable Kurt Cobain biopic is made, I hope the filmmakers use "Control" as their inspiration. The film tells the story of Ian Curtis, the lead singer of influential post-punk band Joy Division who committed suicide in 1980 (he was 23 years old). "Control" manages to sidestep all the usual rock-star biopic cliches by focusing on Curtis as a person first, and a musician second. The result is a fascinating, tender and affecting movie.

We first meet Ian as an introverted but likable teenager in working-class England during the early 1970s. He spends much of his time in his room, listening to David Bowie records, memorizing Wordsworth poems and dreaming of a life beyond the gray streets of his hometown. He finds some escape when he hooks up with a struggling rock band and starts dating Debbie, a sweet local girl. Ian's dark lyrics and mesmerizing stage presence meld perfectly with the band's new-wave rock sound, and Joy Division soon attracts a devoted following. Life for Ian appears to be good.

But Ian's personal life gets more difficult with the new success enjoyed by his band. While on tour, Ian suffers his first epileptic seizure. All doctors can do for him is prescribe a string of drugs, warning him that they might work, but then again might not. Ian grows apart from Debbie, whom he married while still a teenager, and their young daughter. He also falls for Annik, a beautiful Belgian journalist he meets while on the road. To paraphrase on of Joy Division's most famous songs, love begins to tear Ian apart.

"Control" is the directorial debut of Anton Corbijn, a well-known rock photographer who took pictures of Joy Division in the band's heyday. Corbijn's photographic skill is evident in the film's beautifully composed black-and-white shots, which bring Ian and his environment to vibrant life. Sam Riley delivers a knockout performance as Ian, conveying the character's haunted interior without resorting to over-the-top theatrics. Samantha Morton - a criminally underrated actress - is equally good as Debbie. And the music, as you might expect in a Joy Division film, totally rocks. The DVD includes a pristine presentation of the film, along with a Corbijn commentary, a making-of documentary and extended performance scenes. (R; Genius Products, $28.95; Note: If "Control" doesn't satisfy your Joy Division jones, Genius Products will release a documentary about the band, titled "Joy Division," in two weeks.)

"Semi-Pro" (two-disc special edition) -- Will Ferrell has played a buffoonish, out-of-shape ice skater ("Blades of Glory") and a buffoonish, out-of-shape race car driver ("Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby"). In "Semi-Pro," his latest film, Ferrell plays a buffoonish, out-of-shape basketball player. Needless to say, the act is growing tired. Ferrell is Jackie Moon, owner and star of the Flint Tropics, a troubled American Basketball Association franchise in the 1970s. When he learns that the ABA will be dissolved and its four best teams merged into the NBA, Jackie vows to turn the team into a winner. "Semi-Pro" has a few laughs in it, but the vast majority of the film feels drearily familiar, The two-disc DVD includes an extended, unrated version of the film, notable only for a scene that features cameo appearances by real-life ABA legends Artis Gilmore and George Gervin. Also on board are a slew of making-of featurettes, including a brief but interesting look back at the ABA. (R; New Line, $34.99)

"The Incredible Hulk: The Complete Third and Fourth Seasons" -- Just in time for the Hulk's latest appearance on the big screen, Universal has released the third and fourth seasons of the Green Goliath's 30-year-old television show. Don't listen to the snobby critics, True Believers - "The Incredible Hulk" is awesome! Sure, the green body paint and visual effects look dated in this CGI-obsessed era, and some of the episodes are clunkers. But the show remains one of the most successful translations of the Marvel Comics spirit to the live-action medium. The episodes followed a rigid formula not unlike "The Fugitive": David Banner, a scientist who overdosed on radiation and now transforms into a green, superstrong monster whenever he gets angry, roams from town to town, looking for a cure. He always befriends someone who is in some kind of trouble, and he "Hulks out" twice as he makes everything right. The end of each episode shows Banner on the road again, alone, accompanied only by the mournful piano notes of the closing theme. The highlights of the third and fourth seasons (1979-1981) include the two-part "Prometheus," when Banner gets caught in mid-transformation, and "The Snare," when he winds up on an island, hunted by a psycho. The late Bill Bixby does a fine job playing Banner, and Lou Ferrigno is surprisingly effective as the Hulk - body paint, wig and all. This ain't Shakespeare, obviously, but it's not the campy 1960s "Batman" show, either. The show takes the subject matter seriously enough to provide moments of real drama as well as corny fun. These season sets come with a short list of special features, including a great commentary from series creator Kenneth Johnson on the "Prometheus" episodes. (Universal, $39.98 each)