Talk about losing your head ... and hand ... and leg ... : "Sin City"

Hey, look at me! Going out to the movies! Against all odds -- and setting aside a to-do list that makes "War and Peace" look like a Post-It -- I managed to sneak away to Ye Olde Cinema over the weekend. There, I succumbed to "Sin City," and it was good.

I had seen the impressive trailer a few months ago and read a bit about this comic book adaptation. (Oh, I'm sorry, they're "graphic novels" now. Whatever happened to Jughead and Veronica?) Wasn't sure if it would be my cup of tea, but this definitely seemed like something to see on the big screen. Yes, this logic sometimes backfires, and while I still haven't seen "Schindler's List," I did pay good money to watch "Supernova" and "Cabin Fever" in the theaters. Take that, Ebert.

Anyway, once I got over the family with three toddlers a few rows back -- um, is it the nudity or the violence you want to scar them forever? -- "Sin City" was a great ride. You definitely have to accept the whole comic book format, but it wasn't hard to do with actors eating up these roles. (And in one case, each other. Say it ain't so, Frodo.) The movie basically is three stories, each with guys trying to protect or avenge women. Sounds a little like a '40s detective movie, right? Yeah, with more boobies and beheadings. Not that I'm complaining.

In the end, I liked almost everything about "Sin City," mainly because I didn't take it seriously in the slightest. Some pretty creative scenes, even if most of them were shot against a blue screen. Also good to see B-list actors get just as much time as the big names. Bruce Willis? Give me Mickey Rourke, perfectly playing an ugly lug with a sackful of ass beatings. Jessica Alba? Sure, I've loved her since "Idle Hands" (there's an ironic title), and the woman knows how to wear leather chaps. But right there with her was Carla Gugino, who had some odd aversion to wearing clothes, god bless her.

The list of favorites goes on. Rutger Hauer ... Michael Madsen ... Powers Boothe. Powers Boothe! Hey, he may never match his "Red Dawn" turn ("You think you're tough? You eat beans every day? There's a handful of scarecrows left in Denver give anything for a mouthful of what you got!"), but good to see him break his straight-to-cable streak. Like I said, good stories, great look, solid cast. And did I mention Jessica Alba in leather chaps?