Why does ADD always get a bad rap?

I mean, don't you get more done if you don't spend more than 30 seconds on anything?

I've let a lot of movies pile up in the last few weeks, and since I'm going out of town this weekend, let's turbo through them as quickly as possible. We're going for speed, not art here, people.

The Treasure of the Sierra Madre
I had never seen this movie known mostly for one line, and while considered a classic, I was prepared to be disappointed. I was wrong. Solid story, if a bit slow to get going, and a great, different role for Humphrey Bogart. He's not the best guy in this tale of three guys chasing gold in Mexico -- Walter Huston as the grizzled prospector gets that honor. But it was fun to see Bogey go overboard and be shadier than you expect. Compared to this, Rick from "Casablanca" was a choirboy. Heck, he probably wouldn't even ask to see any stinkin' badges.

Melinda and Melinda
Woody Allen movies? Not so much. But this one seemed interesting enough, and I was pleasantly surprised that I liked it. Maybe it was because it's sort of two movies in one. We open with two guys at dinner debating whether a basic outline of a story would make a better comedy or tragedy, and then we see their respective visions play out. It's not a bad idea, and the stories weren't as boring as the typical Woody yakety-yak. ("Annie Hall" = overrated.) Also notable, given my disappointment with "Talledega Nights," was Will Ferrell, who -- as I've suggested time and again -- plays it subtle and dispenses with the yelling in this ensemble cast. He's not bad as a bumbling guy who falls in love, and it really wouldn't kill him to consider keeping the volume on low in more roles like this.

Bad Day at Black Rock
I had never heard of this movie before it came on TCM recently. It's a nice, tight little suspense pic from the 1950s, although it looks at least 10 or 15 years newer. That's because it's MGM's first film in Cinemascope. Great opening shot of a train screaming across the desert, and the plot has Spencer Tracy as a mysterious stranger trying to get some answers in a speck of a dusty town. When nobody talks, things get interesting. Villains include a young Lee Marvin, who's lanky but threatening, and Ernest Borgnine, who's definitely not lanky but also menacing. The showdown between him and Tracy is particularly entertaining. Like I said, a solid little movie, only 81 minutes long.

The Lost Weekend
Another classic that started out more cute than scary but ultimately paints a stark, convincing picture of one man's madness, thanks to that devil liquor. That this came out in 1945 is all the more impressive. (Billy Wilder ... wow.) Our story has Ray Milland as a struggling writer who just can't shake the bottle. We follow him through the weekend, from the high times in his local NYC bar to the desperation when he can't find money for booze. The scene where he tries to pawn his typewriter -- yes, that's how low he has sunk -- is particularly powerful, as is the downward spiral that ultimately sends him to the nuthouse. Like I said, it seems a little cute at first -- oh look, he's hiding a bottle -- but Milland goes all-out, and it's truly pathetic. But, you know, in an impressive way.

Robocop
I bought this for cheap not long ago as part of a double-DVD set that also included "The Terminator." Love this movie -- the story, the effects, the villains, the tongue-in-cheek Paul Verhoeven touches. Maybe best of all is seeing both Red Forman from "That '70s Show" -- whom I met ... nice guy -- and Dr. Romano from "ER" as bad guys. And you know, it's not a stretch to say I'm a Verhoeven fan. Consider what came after "Robocop": "Total Recall," "Basic Instinct," "Showgirls," "Starship Troopers" and "Hollow Man." All good? No way. Any of them boring? Not by a longshot. Hey, I even have "Showgirls" on VHS. It's funny!