Trailer Trash

This is a two-part blog after my cinema experience today. First of all, I will talk about shit I (literally) saw on the big screen, and secondly, shit I (metaphorically) saw beforehand.

Jackass 3D: A Review

Many people in the world will know about the Jackass crew. And opinions will be split right down the middle on how they feel about the careers of these idiotic but quite amusing stunt men. Either they're hilarious or they're disgusting, but either way they get a reaction. 2010 sees the crew returning to the big screen after a 4 year absence (Jackass: Number Two being actually quite a good film) and in dildo-waving 3D.

I have voiced my opinions many times about how much I hate 3D. But I was in the mood for a piss-about comedy, and saved my glasses from Despicable Me, so wasn't going to be paying extra. I was going to start this review with how the film started itself, but I'll leave that until the end. Let's get onto the jokes, pranks, stunts and mess.

It's simple Jackass stuff, for everyone who has seen the original TV series and two previous movies, but it seems like instead of stepping up the danger they've just stepped up on the gross-out humour, which I'm guessing it's due to them creating this in three dimensions. I'd say half of the film is to do with faeces, vomiting, or the reactions of other people who are about to vomit. This was funny at first, but wasn't great Jackass like I was hoping. From these sorts of moments all I could think was "I've seen this all before".

What was funny, was what was funny in the previous films, and they are the skits done throughout. Johnny Knoxville in his old man costume is fantastic and gets great reactions from the street, but this was used nowhere near enough. Wee Man's bar sketch was done perfectly, and was probably my favourite bit in the movie.

Like the previous two instalments, Jackass 3D has a crash, bang, wallop, explosive ending, which is impressively done, along with the pretty cool slow motion introduction. It also ends with nice credits, showing the crew in their younger days, reliving footage from early Jackass. It all felt like the whole Jackass thing was coming to an end, which I think, in all honesty, might be a good thing.

Back to the start of the film. Before Jackass actually starts, there is a short sketch from Beavis and Butt-head. You remember them? They were a crude cartoon duo which started way back in 1993. And as you watch them there on the big screen you can only think "are they still doing this?". Which is what my thought process made of the Jackass team. They must be getting quite old now, but yet they are still going for the cheap laughs using dildos. If they keep on going, it should be with the Trigger Happy Style jokes.

Trailers

Last week when I went to see RED I was completely disappointed with the poor trailers shown beforehand. And this week was no better, forcing my friend to say "I'd like some film with my adverts please."

First up, we have a trailer shown both weeks for a film called Skyline. Two words can sum up this three minutes - pure garbage. It looks absolutely dreadful, and will only seem to satisfy the Transformer style nerds who just want so much action on the screen they can't see what's happening, but it'll make them cum. Then we have Jack Black in Gulliver's Travels. I've heard about this film for a long time, but didn't know until today it was going to be in 3D. Quick verdict: looks poor. And I think that's because of the 3D alone.

But the one trailer that really got to me was the shocking 3 minutes I had to sit through for Tron: Legacy. I have never seen the original Tron, but if this is anything to go by I won't be doing that any time soon. The film looks incredibly boring, the CGI Jeff Bridges is distracting, and it doesn't seem to make any sense. Scenes are shot just for the sole fact it's made in 3D. Who really nowadays wipes everything off a table in anger? It all just reeks of pathetic. And as I thought for the second time in just over a week that I hadn't seen a good trailer in a long time at the big screen, I realised that soon, this kind of buggery will be actually IN the cinema itself. Where are all the good films? Is next Summer going to be even worse than the film Summer we just had? Well... here's a list of films scheduled for 2011.

Thor, Priest, Pirates of the Caribbean: on Stranger Tides, Kung Fu Panda: the Kaboom of Doom, X-Men: First Class, Super 8, The Green Lantern, Cars 2, The Rise of the Apes, Transformers: The Dark of the Moon, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, Captain America: The First Avenger, Favreau's own Cowboys and Aliens, Smurfs 3-D, The Change-Up, The Darkest Hour in 3-D, Conan 3-D, Fright Night, Spy Kids 4, 5nal Destination and Piranha 3DD

I'd say I'd want to see 2 of those films, so "yes", next year looks like it will be pretty poor.