Now in high gear, Day Two of Comic-Con was all about the third dimension with several studios heading outside the San Diego Convention Center with mixed results. While 'Piranha 3D' and 'Saw 3D' did lack some teeth, 'Jackass 3D' proved a colorful riot of real fun and nausea-inducing goodness. Yes, the s*&t did hit the fans and they liked it!
Leave it to Johnny Knoxville (pictured above) to be the visionary to finally broaden the appeal of 3D. With “Avatar” and animated films such as “How to Train Your Dragon” proving the leading examples of the format of the Gods, who knew “Jackass 3D” would prove so freakin’ engaging?
Sectioning off a parking lot near the San Diego Convention Center, Paramount feted the return of the comedic stunt franchise with one of the weekend’s most entertaining parties at Comic-Con. Set up in a trailer, “Jackass 3D” was shown in 15 minute increments to an eager audience that grew rowdier with each screening. So, how was this first preview of footage?
It was the
“s**t.”
The reel was deliriously, and mercifully, short. But, Knoxville and Company knew exactly what to do in their embrace of 3D. This is classic “Jackass,” where stunts meet at the corner of WTF?! and Ewwww! without apology. Yet the glee with which they, threw, shot, slapped, paint-balled, punched and hurled themselves into the air throughout the opening montage was hysterical. Shot with this pastel glow, it was a new look for the boys, whose own fun was mirrored by the audience’s riotous laughter. Then came the scatalogical punchline.
One complete stunt was prepared for the preview, the Poo Supreme Cocktail. Ingredients? A port-a-pottie, fecal liquid and Steve-O. Pull up with bungee cords and shake. Garnish with a gag. Positively revolting, but destined for box office glory. It will make you forget the Na’vi ever existed. In the words of Paramount production executive, Eben Davidson: “It’s like shooting a bunch of monkeys.”
And the s*@t will be flung with gusto when “Jackass 3D” opens citywide on October 15.
Now, if “Jackass 3D” unlocked the secret to harnessing more of 3D’s potential, it is interesting to note that both “Piranha 3D” and “Saw 3D” both curiously lacked the same kind of visceral fun. If anything, it should have been the complete opposite.
The theatrical trailer for “Piranha 3D” is actually fun, which could still prove a sleeper hit when it debuts on August 20. Yet, despite the controversy of the film's footage and panel discussion being pulled from Hall H, the off-site presentation was met with a curiously divided response from the media. Was it the bloody good fun in the vein of last year's "Ninja Assassin?"
Perhaps.
But the presentation was also perceived as strangely monotone. Save for one inspired bit that finds one victim being carried out of the water after the toothsome fish attack, only to come apart when the cops move too fast. Genius. Given director Alexandre Aja’s ability to find dark humor in the macabre, perhaps it is too soon to judge “Piranha 3D” from these snippets. Stay tuned.
As for “Saw 3D,” Lionsgate also went offsite to the UA Horton Plaza 14 Cinemas unspool a first look at what is being billed as the final chapter in the blockbuster horror franchise. To celebrate, a representative from the Guinness Book of World Records was on hand to confirm the "Saw" franchise as the most successful horror film series in motion picture history.
After showing the trailer attached below, Jigsaw himself, the great Tobin Bell, director Kevin Greutert and producer Oren Koules & Mark Burg were on hand for a Q&A to discuss the film. Among the revelations, "Saw 3D" has the most amount of traps than any other film in the series, in addition to the return of Cary Elwes as Dr. Gordon.
Now a horror icon, Bell proved the central focus of the discussion. As funny as he was articulate, when asked about leaving the character behind after seven films.
"I think he's complex," Bell stated near the end of the panel. "That's what actors look for, to play characters like that. Will I miss playing him? Of course. He's a good character. He's a strong character."
Then, the audience was instructed to don their stylized 3D glasses anew and bear witness to the first seven minutes of "Saw 3D." While still a work in progress, not having a more finished sequence actually diminished some of the impact sought. Fans of the series can rest assured, however, that the "Saw" mystique is very much intact. After viewing Elwes crawl without one foot through a corridor, fans cheered when he cauterized his bloody stump right before the end of the opening credits. Then, the famed morality games designed by Jigsaw took over with a public scene that finds an unfaithful woman paying for her romantic manipulation of two friends.
How will the famed series end? Find out when "Saw 3D" bursts onto screens on October 22.
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The game is coming to an end: Among the surprises still to be witnessed in "Saw 3D" now, the return of Dr. Gordon (Cary Elwes) and more.
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