Cinema scene

Johnny Knoxville embarks on the biggest stunt ever for MTV’s “Jackass” franchise, dressing up as an 86-year-old widower who gets up to all sorts of painful shenanigans in “Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa”.

Donning elaborate makeup that took three hours to apply, Knoxville puts himself through many torturous situations, which include getting his privates caught in a vending machine and flinging himself through a glass wall. He’s accompanied by an eight-year-old boy, playing his grandson, who heaps more abuse on the (fake) old man.

Critical reception is mixed, but surprisingly positive. “Bad Grandpa” is even an Academy Award nominee, believe it or not, beating out “American Hustle” to score a nod for best makeup and hairstyling.

 

Also opening

l “Dallas Buyers Club” – Get the skinny on this much-acclaimed drama at left. It’s at Apex Siam Square and SF Cinemas.

l “I, Frankenstein” – Having tackled vampires and werewolves, the creators of the “Underworld” franchise turn their attention to another classic literary monster. Aaron Eckhart is Adam, the man Victor Frankenstein stitched together and brought to life. He's caught in a centuries-old conflict between demons and gargoyles. Bill Nighy, Yvonne Strahovski, Miranda Otto and Jai Courtney also star. Stuart Beattie, scribe of “Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl”, “Punisher: War Zone” and “GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra”, directs.

l “Firestorm” – Andy Lau is back in action in this gritty Hong Kong crime tale.

l “Jai Ho” – With nothing to do with the song of the same name from the movie “Slumdog Millionaire”, this Bollywood action drama stars Salman Khan as a former military man who fights a one-man war against against corruption. It’s at Major Cineplex Sukhumvit, Rama III, Pattaya and Chiang Mai Airport Plaza.

 

Also showing

l The Friese-Greene Club – The finalist entries of last year’s 9FilmFest screen tonight. Tomorrow, it’s 1982’s “The Thing” by John Carpenter. And Sunday combines two of this month’s tributes into one, honouring the recently departed Peter O’Toole and director David Lean with 1962’s epic-of-epics, “Lawrence of Arabia”. Shows are at 8pm. Reservations are a must. For details, check FGC.in.th.

l Goethe Institut – Four screenings remain in the Goethe’s annual Open Air Cinema series. Next Tuesday it’s “Night Train to Lisbon” by veteran Danish director Bille August. Jeremy Irons stars as a Latin professor who stops a young woman from killing herself, which then leads him on a life-changing journey. The show is at 7.30pm on Tuesday at the Institut on Sathorn Soi 1. For details, check www.goethe.de/ins/th/ban/enindex.htm

l Alliance Française – The month of comedies wraps up with “Le Nom des gens” (“The Names of Love”), about a free-spirited young woman who uses sex as a weapon to manipulate conservatives. The show is at 7pm on Wednesday. For details, check www.afthailande.org.

 

Sneak preview

l “The Wolf of Wall Street” – Martin Scorsese’s epic tale of hedonistic stockbrokers in the 1980s is playing in nightly sneak previews at most cinemas before moving to a wider release next Thursday.