movies
HAVE YOU
SUFFERED A FAILED
HIP IMPLANT?
Genes for Comedic Genius
Like I said last time I spent two hours watching dudes hit each other in the junk, you either
have the (probably recessive) Jackass gene or you don’t. I don’t know what combination of
factors causes this: A prankster childhood? The lingering belief that dicks are inherently funny?
A willingness to laugh at others’ pain only when it’s self-infl icted? Simple, maybe borderline
stupid, curiosity?
Whatever (mis)fortune causes this, I have it. Even in the face of a shit volcano or the sight
of Steve-O plucking a shiny red apple from between Preston Lacy’s lower cheeks, biting it,
and replacing it, I’m laughing (and maybe gagging a little). Super Mighty Glue-ing each other
together; sending themselves through a gauntlet of stun guns and cattle prods; throwing snakes
on the ever-put-upon Bam Margera in an attempt to make him cry — these guys are idiots. But
they’re just so game for everything. Pretty face/ringleader Johnny Knoxville doesn’t seem quite
as willing to risk himself in the service of our laughter as he once was, but his experience with
an ass-biting dog does make for one of the less disgusting funny moments in the fi lm. (Years
of friendly pranking seem to have taken a toll on Knoxville, who stands with one hand in a
protective position even when he’s not involved in a stunt.)
There’s a lot more shit — and as a result, a lot more vomit — in Jackass 3D than I remember in
any Jackass-related project since the CKY bit in which Raab Himself ran down the road crapping
at full speed (a stunt inspired by George Carlin). The 3D is less gag-focused than you might
expect (though one party favor, jutting into the audience’s face, is unforgettable), and there’s not
quite as much cleverness behind the skits as there has been in the past. But the more absurd
things get, the better. Why put Chris Pontius upside down, his chin sporting a helmet, and let a
scorpion sting his face? Because it’s funny. To some of us. To enough of us.
g when I only
y
For the record, Jackass Number Two is funnier, and I was wrong three years ago
)
gave it three stars. It’s a four-star gagfest. This one’s just not quite up to par. (
— Molly Templeton
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Antiques &
Collectibles
SHOW
1,000 BOOTHS
Urban Legends, or Not
To the credit of directors Joshua Zeman and Barbara Brancaccio, low-budget production
values and a heavy reliance on stock footage don’t keep the strange documentary Cropsey from
being a fascinating look at the place where urban legend and human horror meet and blend.
Growing up on Staten Island, N.Y., the directors, like the island’s other kids, heard and told stories
about Cropsey, a mythical escaped mental patient who had a hook for a hand, or maybe killed
people with an axe — either way, he was out there in the imagination of the residents. (A great
sequence shows different island kids, now grown, telling the Cropsey variations they heard.)
There was good reason for the stories: Staten Island was home to Willowbrook Mental Institution,
the subject of a horrifying 1970s expose by Geraldo Rivera that showed the terrible treatment of
its patients. The remnants of the institution — shuttered buildings, lunchroom trays in the woods
— fi gured heavily in the lives of area kids.
Cropsey seemed just a scary story for neighborhood kids — until a little girl disappeared.
Eventually, a “drifter” was charged in the case, but the situation was far more complicated than
one man and one child. Cropsey tells a complex, emotional story, and the fi lmmakers aren’t afraid
to get in the middle of it. As the arrested man, Andre Rand, nears the date of a second trial, they
communicate with him, interview those who helped search for the missing girl and sit patiently
outside the courtroom when things fi nally come to trial. The fi lm doesn’t serve up any more pat,
satisfying answers than the trial could, but it does something far more interesting: It explores the
way the stories we tell ourselves shape the way we interpret outside events. Watching witnesses
explain what they saw, or conspiracy theorists talk about the possibility of Satanic cults, it’s clear
that no one really knows what happened to Staten Island’s missing children. But everyone has
a story about it. Cropsey (44421) opens at the Bijou Friday, Oct. 21. — Molly Templeton
Filled with treasures from
the 1880’s to the 1970’s
Sat., Oct. 30
9am-6pm
Sun., Oct. 31
10am-5pm
Toys (1890’s to 1970’s)
Costume & Estate Jewelry
Prints & Paintings
China & Glass
Toy Trains
Appraisals! Bring your family treasures Vintage Clothing
for our ISA Appraisers to give you history
Glass Repair
and value. $5.00 per object.
Pop Culture
PORTLAND EXPO CENTER
Adult Admission $7.00 www.palmerwirfs.com sorry no dogs
Parking - Expo $7. Portland Meadows $5. (shuttle provided)
28 OCTOBER 21, 2010
EUGENE WEEKLY
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