While I was at the Cinematexas Film Fest in Austin, we broke away for a moment and had a double-feature of Jackass 2 and a rough cut of Mel Gibson’s Apocalypto at the “Fantastic Fest.”

It might have been the art mood I was in for CTX, but there were all these similar themes between the two films. Even the same shots. This isn’t really a stretch.

• naked men in thongs
• human sacrifice
• slow-motion shots of men running from wild animals
• snake attacks
• gnarly hooks through cheeks
• burning sensation on someone’s penis
• giant set pieces reminiscent of old Hollywood
• the nascent world created by total experimentation, bravery and fundamental values
• tattoos and fukked up teeth

Spoiler! The start of Gibson’s film has some of the characters literally playing a prank, a group of guys making another guy eat a boar’s balls.

I’m not even trying to slam Gibson’s film (or Knoxville’s, for that matter). I’m just saying it’s been a weird day. I should’ve asked Mel about it in his Q&A but was too scared.