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No surprise: It’s men behaving badly

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Times Staff Writer

If you love watching a grown man having his backside branded with a hot iron, or sitting naked on an ice sculpture, or being chased down a street by a herd of angry bulls, then the unrated version of “Jackass Number Two” (Paramount, $30) fits the bill and then some.

Johnny Knoxville, Steve-O, Bam Margera, Wee Man and the rest of the daredevil crazies from the popular MTV series return in this sketch comedy of bizarre and disgusting stunts.

Extras include 29 segments deemed too gross for the theaters, 16 deleted scenes, outtakes, a “making of” featurette and commentary with Knoxville and his cohorts and director Jeff Tremaine that sounds as if it was recorded in a locker room.

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Brian De Palma directed “The Black Dahlia” (Universal, $30), a disappointingly arid adaptation of James Ellroy’s novel revolving around the notorious unsolved 1947 murder of would-be actress Elizabeth Short in Los Angeles. Joseph Hartnett and Aaron Eckhart play two L.A. cops investigating the murder. Scarlett Johansson and Hilary Swank also star. Though set in Los Angeles, the majority of the film was shot in Bulgaria. Extras include a historical look at the Short murder -- there are several graphic photos of her body -- and a by-the-books production documentary sponsored by Volkswagen.

Despite a fine cast led by Zach Braff of “Scrubs,” the romantic drama “The Last Kiss” (Paramount, $30) didn’t catch fire with critics or audiences.

Paul Haggis adapted the script from the original Italian film; Tony Goldwyn directed. Extras include a four-part production featurette that treats the film as if it were as significant as “Citizen Kane,” deleted scenes including two alternate endings and a gag reel that’s quite funny thanks to Braff’s inspired shenanigans. Goldwyn and Braff supply an enjoyable laid-back commentary, though the second track with the director, Braff and several of the other actors is too frenetic for its own good.

Blood and gore flow freely in British writer-director Neil Marshall’s “The Descent” (Lionsgate, $29), a female-driven horror flick. Shauna Macdonald and Natalie Mendoza headline the thriller about female friends who get trapped in a dark, scary cave where they soon learn they are not alone.

Extras include a production documentary, deleted scenes, a surprisingly goofy gag reel, the British ending of the film, technical commentary with Marshall and members of his crew, and a breezy discussion with the filmmaker and several of the stars.

susan.king@latimes.com

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