by Josh Sewell
Jackass Forever
(Rated R for strong crude material and dangerous stunts, graphic nudity and language throughout. Opens in theaters on February 4.)
The premise: It has been more than a decade since Johnny Knoxville and his team of brave, insane misfits somehow survived Jackass 3D. Now most of them are back for one final round of absurdly dangerous comedic displays, with some help from some new, younger cast members. The original guys are in their 40s and 50s now, so their hair is grayer and they don’t get up quite as fast when they’re knocked down, which adds even more suspense to the ill-advised pranks and stunts.
The verdict: If you’ve seen previous installments (or the original MTV series), you pretty much know what you’re getting with Jackass Forever. Since I’ve been a fan for the entire run, I had no problem with that. While some of the shock value is gone – although the ratings board has clearly gotten a lot more comfortable with male nudity – the cast makes up for it in enthusiasm. The result is a raunchy, yet good-natured comedy that made me laugh so hard I thought I was going to throw up.
However, there’s a poignant feeling of saying goodbye throughout the too-brief running time. I was genuinely sad when ended – I could’ve easily watched another hour of the loosely connected vignettes. Legacy sequels have become such a trend in Hollywood that it has now reached the Jackass gang. Much like the recent Star Wars and Ghostbusters flicks, there’s very much a sense that Knoxville and his lovable band of idiots are passing the torch to a younger, less brittle generation that idolizes them.
I noticed several of the old guard hanging back more than usual, with guys like Chris Pontius mostly content to serve as emcee and step in with intermittent genital-related humor. There’s a moment late in the movie when he shows up pushing his infant son in a stroller and suddenly the change in priority makes total sense.
The major exception to that is Knoxville, who repeats a stunt from the early days of Jackass involving a charging bull. For a few brief moments, the inevitable outcome genuinely made me wonder if I’d just watched him die. In hindsight, of course he doesn’t. We would’ve heard about it way before now and the movie wouldn’t have been released. But that says a lot about longtime director Jeff Tremaine’s talent behind the camera. The scene is so visceral it made me forget logic for a minute.
I would be shocked if we get another Jackass movie with this entire crew. We’ve already lost veteran members Ryan Dunn (to a tragic car accident) and Bam Margera (who was fired from the film due to struggles with addiction and mental health). It’s pretty clear that the injuries the guys sustain this time around hurt more and take longer to heal.
But I wouldn’t be opposed to future sequels with the amiable newcomers, perhaps with a handful of cameos from old friends. Anything to keep laughing as much as I did with Jackass Forever. Boy, did I need that.
Grade: B+
Sundown
(Rated R for sexual content, violence, language and some graphic nudity. Opens in select theaters on February 4.)
The premise: Writer/director Michel Franco reteams with frequent collaborator Tim Roth in this slow-burn thriller. It centers on a wealthy family (Roth, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Samuel Bottomley and Albertine Kotting McMillan) forced to cut their luxurious vacation short when they receive news of a tragedy back home. However, a lost passport separates the group, which leads to some unsettling behavior, shocking revelations and deadly consequences.
The verdict: Although viewers with short attention spans will likely find the deliberate pace frustrating, I was impressed with how Franco takes his time introducing the characters and establishing the story’s stakes. It makes the revelations in the second half far more impactful. Fortunately, the audience doesn’t have to wait that long to get them – in an age where it seems like every movie is required to be two-and-a-half hours long, Sundown clocks in at a mercifully brief 83 minutes.
That doesn’t mean the narrative is slight – Franco packs a huge amount of weighty ideas and themes into his film. However, he doesn’t do a lot of handholding for viewers; he trusts they’re paying close enough attention to follow along without too much distracting exposition.
In fact, you could probably fit all of Roth’s lines onto a single-spaced sheet of paper. His character has checked out of life, which means he communicates very little and spends most of his screen time in a slump – both mentally and physically. He stares off into space, he shuffles and he slouches. Viewers eventually discover why, which adds more weight to previous scenes, but it’s a challenging journey to get there.
Grade: B+
Jockey
(Rated R for language. Opens in select theaters on February 4.)
The premise: An aging jockey (Clifton Collins Jr.) hopes to win one last time for his trainer and friend (Molly Parker), and it seems like they have a decent shot after she acquires a promising horse. However, numerous injuries have taken their toll, leading him to wonder how much longer his body can hold out. Things get even more complicated with the arrival of a rookie rider (Moises Arias) who claims to be his son.
The verdict: Jockey is a solid drama with a memorable performance at the center, but it’s a movie we’ve seen a million times before. Replace horse racing with wresting and it’s The Wrestler. Replace it with country music and you’ve got Crazy Heart. Give him superpowers and it’s Logan. There’s only so many basic ways to tell the story of an over-the-hill professional risking his health for one last shot at redemption.
Director Clint Bentley, who cowrote the screenplay with Greg Kwedar, doesn’t really do anything new to make their version of the genre stand out, aside from get out of the way and let Collins act his butt off. It’s a smart strategy, particularly since its bolstered by strong supporting work from Parker and Arias, but even great performances can’t work miracles.
Grade: B-
Home Video Spotlight
F/X and F/X 2 Double Feature
(F/X is rated R and F/X 2 is rated PG-13. Now available.)
In 1986’s thriller F/X, Bryan Brown plays a Hollywood special effects artist recruited by the government to fake the assassination of an important underworld figure. After he pulls it off, he’s shocked to learn he’s being framed for the murder. The film, directed by Robert Mandel, also stars Brian Dennehy, Diane Venora, Jerry Orbach and Tom Noonan.
The 1992 sequel F/X 2 reteams Brown and Dennehy in a plot that involves using a series of illusions to catch a serial killer. Directed by cult filmmaker Richard Franklin, the film co-stars Rachel Ticotin, Joanna Gleason, Philip Bosco and Kevin J. O’Connor. Bonus features include an interview with Mandel; two making-of featurettes; and theatrical trailers.
(Rated R for strong crude material and dangerous stunts, graphic nudity and language throughout. Opens in theaters on February 4.)
The premise: It has been more than a decade since Johnny Knoxville and his team of brave, insane misfits somehow survived Jackass 3D. Now most of them are back for one final round of absurdly dangerous comedic displays, with some help from some new, younger cast members. The original guys are in their 40s and 50s now, so their hair is grayer and they don’t get up quite as fast when they’re knocked down, which adds even more suspense to the ill-advised pranks and stunts.
The verdict: If you’ve seen previous installments (or the original MTV series), you pretty much know what you’re getting with Jackass Forever. Since I’ve been a fan for the entire run, I had no problem with that. While some of the shock value is gone – although the ratings board has clearly gotten a lot more comfortable with male nudity – the cast makes up for it in enthusiasm. The result is a raunchy, yet good-natured comedy that made me laugh so hard I thought I was going to throw up.
However, there’s a poignant feeling of saying goodbye throughout the too-brief running time. I was genuinely sad when ended – I could’ve easily watched another hour of the loosely connected vignettes. Legacy sequels have become such a trend in Hollywood that it has now reached the Jackass gang. Much like the recent Star Wars and Ghostbusters flicks, there’s very much a sense that Knoxville and his lovable band of idiots are passing the torch to a younger, less brittle generation that idolizes them.
I noticed several of the old guard hanging back more than usual, with guys like Chris Pontius mostly content to serve as emcee and step in with intermittent genital-related humor. There’s a moment late in the movie when he shows up pushing his infant son in a stroller and suddenly the change in priority makes total sense.
The major exception to that is Knoxville, who repeats a stunt from the early days of Jackass involving a charging bull. For a few brief moments, the inevitable outcome genuinely made me wonder if I’d just watched him die. In hindsight, of course he doesn’t. We would’ve heard about it way before now and the movie wouldn’t have been released. But that says a lot about longtime director Jeff Tremaine’s talent behind the camera. The scene is so visceral it made me forget logic for a minute.
I would be shocked if we get another Jackass movie with this entire crew. We’ve already lost veteran members Ryan Dunn (to a tragic car accident) and Bam Margera (who was fired from the film due to struggles with addiction and mental health). It’s pretty clear that the injuries the guys sustain this time around hurt more and take longer to heal.
But I wouldn’t be opposed to future sequels with the amiable newcomers, perhaps with a handful of cameos from old friends. Anything to keep laughing as much as I did with Jackass Forever. Boy, did I need that.
Grade: B+
(Rated R for sexual content, violence, language and some graphic nudity. Opens in select theaters on February 4.)
The premise: Writer/director Michel Franco reteams with frequent collaborator Tim Roth in this slow-burn thriller. It centers on a wealthy family (Roth, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Samuel Bottomley and Albertine Kotting McMillan) forced to cut their luxurious vacation short when they receive news of a tragedy back home. However, a lost passport separates the group, which leads to some unsettling behavior, shocking revelations and deadly consequences.
The verdict: Although viewers with short attention spans will likely find the deliberate pace frustrating, I was impressed with how Franco takes his time introducing the characters and establishing the story’s stakes. It makes the revelations in the second half far more impactful. Fortunately, the audience doesn’t have to wait that long to get them – in an age where it seems like every movie is required to be two-and-a-half hours long, Sundown clocks in at a mercifully brief 83 minutes.
That doesn’t mean the narrative is slight – Franco packs a huge amount of weighty ideas and themes into his film. However, he doesn’t do a lot of handholding for viewers; he trusts they’re paying close enough attention to follow along without too much distracting exposition.
In fact, you could probably fit all of Roth’s lines onto a single-spaced sheet of paper. His character has checked out of life, which means he communicates very little and spends most of his screen time in a slump – both mentally and physically. He stares off into space, he shuffles and he slouches. Viewers eventually discover why, which adds more weight to previous scenes, but it’s a challenging journey to get there.
Grade: B+
(Rated R for language. Opens in select theaters on February 4.)
The premise: An aging jockey (Clifton Collins Jr.) hopes to win one last time for his trainer and friend (Molly Parker), and it seems like they have a decent shot after she acquires a promising horse. However, numerous injuries have taken their toll, leading him to wonder how much longer his body can hold out. Things get even more complicated with the arrival of a rookie rider (Moises Arias) who claims to be his son.
The verdict: Jockey is a solid drama with a memorable performance at the center, but it’s a movie we’ve seen a million times before. Replace horse racing with wresting and it’s The Wrestler. Replace it with country music and you’ve got Crazy Heart. Give him superpowers and it’s Logan. There’s only so many basic ways to tell the story of an over-the-hill professional risking his health for one last shot at redemption.
Director Clint Bentley, who cowrote the screenplay with Greg Kwedar, doesn’t really do anything new to make their version of the genre stand out, aside from get out of the way and let Collins act his butt off. It’s a smart strategy, particularly since its bolstered by strong supporting work from Parker and Arias, but even great performances can’t work miracles.
Grade: B-
Home Video Spotlight
(F/X is rated R and F/X 2 is rated PG-13. Now available.)
In 1986’s thriller F/X, Bryan Brown plays a Hollywood special effects artist recruited by the government to fake the assassination of an important underworld figure. After he pulls it off, he’s shocked to learn he’s being framed for the murder. The film, directed by Robert Mandel, also stars Brian Dennehy, Diane Venora, Jerry Orbach and Tom Noonan.
The 1992 sequel F/X 2 reteams Brown and Dennehy in a plot that involves using a series of illusions to catch a serial killer. Directed by cult filmmaker Richard Franklin, the film co-stars Rachel Ticotin, Joanna Gleason, Philip Bosco and Kevin J. O’Connor. Bonus features include an interview with Mandel; two making-of featurettes; and theatrical trailers.
Reach out to Josh Sewell on Twitter @IAmJoshSewell
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