{2jtab: Movie Review}

Far more than anything in the act of filmmaking I appreciate honesty the most.  Most Hollywood features these days sell themselves on a lie or they greedily want to steal your money with flashy effects or easy sequels and simply don’t care about honesty or honest characters.  It’s overrun by Michael Bay-like attitudes.  Ultimately, Hollywood is a cynical and desperate machine.  I guess that’s why, when it comes down to it, that I love the welcoming and imperfect spirit of Jackass.  It’s 100% human.

Yeah, I said it and I am not ashamed.  Nor, am I kidding.  In fact, I will thunderously proclaim it again.

I love Jackass.

I want to throw my arms around Jackass 3D.  Seriously.  I want to reach right out and give this beautiful film a gigantic hug.  You see, I appreciate Johnny Knoxville, Bam Margera, Ryan Dunn, Steve-O, Chris Pontious, Wee Man, Preston Lacy and director Jeff Tremaine more so than most.  Quite simply, the cast and crew of Jackass have more honest character than all of Hollywood cares to deliver each and every summer and these guys care enough about their comedy to risk their lives in the line of fire.  Don’t be fooled by the safety warnings; these guys aren’t professionals.  They do stupid things to each other and their own bodies because they want to make us laugh until we cry.  And we do.

There’s no deception in this world of stunts, beer, tattoos, and general anarchy.  Jackass 3D exists to make you laugh.  It’s not pretentious.  It doesn’t claim to be something it isn’t.  While some of the gags seem a little low on energy (we can blame that on age AND being clean and sober), the film – as a whole - certainly doesn’t disappoint.  The difference this time out with how Jackass operates is their magnificently sickening use of 3D.  Let’s face it, the effect is a tad gimmicky, but the payoff is more than worth the ticket price even if isn’t always used to its full potential.  You might want to vomit, but you won’t.  You will get sick to your stomach and you will laugh at them at your own reactions.

You know what Jackass is about, I don’t need to give away the pranks to fill the seats in the theatres; you’ll take care of that on your own.  You know it has no narrative; it’s just a lot of silly, strange, and down-right dangerous gags/pranks edited together for non-stop hilarity.  And you know it worked as a TV series (with multiple spin-offs) and continues to work in its third feature incarnation.  Now, the second film in the series might be their greatest achievement, but Jackass 3D is a close second.  This time, the guys – most of them nearing the ripe age of 40 – are proving that age is indeed nothing but a number.  Attitude is everything.

The antics of Jackass 3D are targeted at each of the long-time friends, playing off their fears or their attitudes or whatever they feel or don’t feel like doing at the time.  Of course, Knoxville leads the pack in putting himself in harm’s way the most with some of the major stunts, but still they remain good-natured and the laughs are (eventually) shared by all – even Bam’s parents, Phil and April.  Yet, this time there seems to be less closure in the stunts.  We aren’t building toward some grand finale here.  Let’s face it, topping the finale of the second movie – complete with its Rip Torn cameo - is indeed a tall order, but because Jackass 3D just ends with perfect slo-mo brutality, I have a sneaking suspicion that there is definitely more tomfoolery to come.  If that’s the case, then I will certainly be back for Jackass 4.0.

Why?

Because unlike Iron Man 2, unlike Blair Witch 2, unlike Spider-Man 3, unlike a whole slew of disingenuous sequels that come flowing out of Hollywood’s shit river, I have never been disappointed by the end results of Jackass.  In fact, Jackass 3D is the most I have laughed during a comedy the ENTIRE year.  How’s that for honesty?  There’s no rationale for what they do, but it works.  It works well.  The gags aren’t contextualized.  This isn’t allegory either.  They just are.  And that’s enough to bring in a massive crowd.  Still don’t get it?  Wait until the final receipts are in, then you might see that this formula does indeed work.

If nothing else, Jackass is a true brotherhood; a gathering of the greatest of friends for one hell of a noisy block party.  It’s a camaraderie – a celebration of sorts – that lifts up a spirited view of celluloid anarchy for all to enjoy.  Spike Jonze, Brad Pitt, and anyone else who has ever been involved with the Jackass crew get it.

You walk away from the picture with a stitch in your side from laughing so much and a high that doesn’t soon wear off.  When was the last time you were invited to a party that rocked your ass that hard?  Yeah, I thought so. And in a humdrum year of bloated Hollywood releases full of, to paraphrase William Shakespeare, sound and fury but signifying nothing, Jackass is a brilliant kick to the designer jeans of Hollywood’s creative elite.  Quit selling dishonesty!  Quit spitting out sequels without inspiration!  Quit remaking foreign films that are less than 3 years old!  Quit wasting our time and taking our money!  Tell an honesty story!!!  GET YOUR SHIT TOGETHER!!!

Long live Jackass.

{2jtab: Film Info}

MPAA Rating: R for male nudity, extremely crude and dangerous stunts throughout, and for language.
Director: Jeff Tremaine
Writer: Preston Lacy
Cast: Johnny Knoxville; Bam Marghera; Sean William Scott
Genre: Comedy
Memorable Movie Quote: "This isn't the best idea"
Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Tagline: Jackass 3D
Official Site: www.jackassmovie.com
Release Date: October 15, 2010
Blu-ray Release Date: March 8, 2011

Synopsis: Johnny Knoxville and his buddies are up to their daredevil comic antics again. And this time they’re coming at ya’ in 3D.

{2jtab: Blu-ray/DVD Details}

Component Grades Movie Blu-ray Disc Blu-ray Experience

Blu-ray Details:

Available on Blu-ray - March 8, 2011
Screen Formats: 1.78:1
Subtitles: English, English SDH, French, Spanish, Portuguese
Audio: English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1; French: Dolby Digital 5.1; Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1; Portuguese: Dolby Digital 5.1
Discs: 50GB Blu-ray Disc; Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD); Digital copy (on disc); DVD copy; Anaglyph 3D; D-Box

Supplements:

Commentary:

• The studs responsible for this flesh-fest provide a pretty thorough commentary about the film. Director Alexandre Aja, Producer Grégory Levasseur, and Producer Alix Taylor provide the light-hearted analysis, knowing exactly what they are participating in: Spring Break fun.

Special Features:

The Making of Jackass 3D (1080p, 28:39)

Deleted Scenes (1080p, 16:05):

• Blue Room Andy Bell
• Snake River Weedemption
• The Driving Range
• Phantom Dildo
• Sweatsuit Cocktail
• Preston/Duck Hunting
• Jet Ski 1
• Pontius the Barbarian
• Poocano, Original 3D Test Day
• The Rocky.

Outtakes (1080p, 27:37).

Jackass 3D Theatrical Trailer (1080p, 1:31).

D-Box compatibility

DVD/Digital Copy Disc

{2jtab: Trailer}

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