In Knoxville’s latest, jackasses will be jackasses

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In theaters

“JACKASS: NUMBER TWO,” directed by Jeff Tremaine, 92 minutes, rated R.

The first skit in the new “Jackass” movie is called “Puppet Show,” in which a little sock is made to look like a little mouse. That sounds almost unbearably cute, though do take heed – it’s likely best not to bring the little ones to this particular show.

The puppet, after all, is attached to a rather sensitive part of the male body, and it’s offered for consumption to a snake, which coils on cue, strikes and bites with a savagery that’s so wince-inducing, it will leave some of the men in attendance crossing their legs.

Welcome to “Jackass: Number Two,” which is about as far removed from your everyday comedy as you can get. It comes, after all, from Johnny Knoxville and his “Jackass” team, who are still tough to top when it comes to pulling the sort of outrageously stupid stunts that inspire laughter as well as shock.

To say their new movie isn’t for everyone is a colossal understatement. In order to satisfy fans, the movie had the pressure of besting elements of the last movie, which included testicular electrocution, the consumption of “yellow snow cones,” bungee wedgies, nipple-nibbling crocs, and a man walking into a hardware store to publicly use one of the display toilets. Charming stuff, for sure, but much of it was undeniably funny.

The same is true for the sequel, though those easily offended by, say, watching folks eat horse dung or attach leeches to their eyeballs should stay away. Far away. The Gulf of Mexico would be a good place.

Actually, it wouldn’t. In the film, the Gulf is where Steve-O pokes a rather substantial hook through his cheek and is cast overboard, where he offers himself up as shark bait and nearly is taken down as such.

Not all of the skits are quite as dicey. John Waters, for instance, appears in a comparatively harmless scene in which a naked, 400-pound woman belly-flops on the dwarf, Wee Man. The idea is to make Wee Man disappear. Waters succeeds.

Other skits hit more often than they miss, such as “Firehose Rodeo,” “Mini Loop,” “The Brand,” “Lake Jump,” “Bad Grandpa,” “Beehive Limo” and “Medicine Ball Dodgeball.” I could have done without “Butt Chug,” “Anaconda Ball Pit” and especially “How to Milk a Horse,” which almost made me hurl – but, hey, that’s just me.

Like its predecessor and the canceled MTV show on which both are based, “Jackass: Number Two” is essentially about grown men exploring and celebrating what it means for boys to be boys – especially if the boys in question happen to be deranged, self-destructive, insane fools willing to do anything to get a laugh while testing the limits of the human body. Irresponsible? Sure. But for the most part, also funny – and that’s the point.

Grade: B

On DVD

“THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS: TOKYO DRIFT,” directed by Justin Lin, written by Alfred Botello, Chris Morgan and Kario Salem, 105 minutes, rated PG-13.

The last time we visited the “Fast and Furious” franchise, it was with John Singleton’s “2 Fast 2 Furious,” the location was Florida, and audiences were given a rather jarring education about exactly what it means to be too fast and too furious.

For instance, we learned that it went beyond merely having the right muscle car or, for that matter, the right muscles. Apparently, there’s a dress code involved: Miami-tramp contemporary seemed to work best for the ladies while cabana-boy casual worked for the men.

We also learned that regardless of gender, hair should be tipped, teased and tousled, as if you just hopped out of bed – preferably somebody else’s. Tattoos and implants were encouraged, as were body piercings and sun-kissed skin, the latter of which was necessary to best show off one’s bleached orthodontia.

In the series’ latest offering, “Tokyo Drift,” the necessity of possessing an individual style still proves true, though it’s with a pop Asian twist and, better yet, it’s never the most interesting part of the movie.

From director Justin Lin, the film is a fine, slick break in form from Singleton’s dreary, disappointing take, which decided it needed to be about something meaningful, thus putting the sugar in its own gas tank.

“Tokyo Drift” brings back the muscle, the stupidity and the camp, embracing the idea that this series should only ever be about fast cars, faster car races, fast women and lobotomized, testosterone-soaked men, with just enough menacing villains glowering in dark rooms to make things entertaining.

The plot is beautifully uncluttered – 17-year-old Sean Boswell (played by 24-year old Lucas Black) can’t stay out of trouble in the States, so he’s shipped to Tokyo, where soon he gets hooked up with an underground circuit of young men and women who “drift” dangerously through the busy streets and winding hillsides of Tokyo.

The girl who catches Sean’s eye is secretive Neela (Nathalie Kelley), whose boyfriend, DK (Brian Tee), has one of the most powerful uncles in the city, Yakuza boss Kamata (JJ Sonny Chiba). Since DK isn’t about to give up Neela, all of this builds to a street-racing war between them, with Sean’s newfound friends, Han (Sung Kang) and Twinkie (Bow Wow), occasionally paying the price for their friend’s reckless pride.

As was the case with the original “Furious,” “Tokyo Drift” is essentially an homage to the hot rod films of the 1950s. It has no pretensions, which is a relief, and it courts plenty of cheap melodrama, which is a release. As such, the movie delivers precisely what its target audience wants: great-looking cars and car races first, great-looking, one-dimensional characters second – and it does it well. On those terms alone, the movie succeeds.

Grade: B

Visit www.weekinrewind.com, the archive of Bangor Daily News film critic Christopher Smith’s reviews, which appear Mondays in Discovering, Fridays in Happening, and weekends in Television. He may be reached at Christopher@weekinrewind.com.

The Video-DVD Corner

Renting a video or a DVD? BDN film critic Christopher Smith can help. Below are his grades of recent releases in video stores. Those in bold print are new to video stores this week.

Akeelah and the Bee – B+

ATL – B-

Basic Instinct 2 – D+

The Benchwarmers – D

Big Momma’s House 2 – D

Breakfast on Pluto – B

Brokeback Mountain – A-

Capote – A

Cheaper by the Dozen 2 – C-

Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe – A

The Constant Gardener – A-

Curious George – B

Date Movie – D-

Derailed – C+

Double Indemnity – A

Eight Below – B+

8th & Ocean: First Complete Season – C-

Failure to Launch – C-

The Family Stone – D

The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift – B

Freedomland – C-

Friends with Money – B

Hart to Hart: Complete Second Season – B

The Hills Have Eyes – D

A History of Violence – A

How Art Made the World – A

Howl’s Moving Castle – A-

Inside Man – B+

Jayne Mansfield Collection – C+

Junebug – A

Kinky Boots – B+

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang – B+

Last Holiday – B

Laurel & Hardy Collection – Vol. 2 – B-

The Libertine – D

Lucky Number Slevin – B

The Matador – B+

Match Point – A

Munich – A-

Nanny McPhee – B-

North Country – C

Paradise Now – A-

Poseidon – B

Pride & Prejudice – A

The Producers – B+

Red Eye – B+

Rumor Has It… – C-

Saving Shiloh – B

Scary Movie 4 – D+

The Shaggy Dog – C-

Shakespeare Behind Bars – A-

Silent Hill: Blu-ray – C-

16 Blocks – B

The Squid and the Whale – B+

Stay alive – D-

Syriana – B+

Take the Lead – C-

Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines – HD DVD – B+

Transamerica – B

The Unit: Season One – B-

United 93 – A

Walk the Line – A-

Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit – A

The Warrior – B

X-Men: The Last Stand – B-