Four movies, zero in common

I've actually seen some real -- and really good -- movies lately. And it's not like the movies below are bad. Far from it. But for now ... take one slacker, add a growing list of viewed movies and too much other crap going on, and abracadabra ... here's the latest roundup.

Vantage Point

I liked this trailer quite a bit, and we even rented this once before from the Redbox but had to take it back before watching it. So when my wife was out of town for the weekend, I went to the Uptown Cabaret ... er, back to the Redbox and took another shot at this.

Our story: The President is at some kind of rally in Spain when he gets shot. The gimmick: We see this episode from a half-dozen points of view over the first 45-50 minutes. There's the TV producer (Sigourney Weaver), the Secret Service agent (Dennis Quaid), the local cop (don't know), the hitman (some Latin guy in a lot of stuff lately), a tourist (Forest Whitaker), the President (William Hurt), and so on and so forth. Neat trick, but it did stray into the "we get it already" category after a while.

Still, I wasn't bored, and even if it was a glorified version of "24" -- how about this twist! -- I kept watching until all was revealed. The performances were competent, and we were never lacking for action. So yeah, not too bad.

Torn Curtain

And now, a little slower pace. Paul Newman is a U.S. scientist who defects to Germany in this Alfred Hitchcock film. Shelley Winters is his assistant and lover, and a little confused about his switching sides. But a-ha! Newman is merely trying to get nuclear secrets, not trampling on Old Glory. I mean, it's Newman, for goodness sake.

Compared with other Hitchcock movies, this one is way below the radar. And some of it is pretty middling. But two scenes tipped it into the "not bad" realm for me: (1) A death scene that was shot -- successfully so -- in a way to show how hard it is to actually kill a man, and (2) the scene when Newman gets the info he needs. Put it this way ... if you thought he was a good liar in "Cool Hand Luke" and "The Sting" ...

24 Hour Party People

I thoroughly enjoyed this movie when it came out six years ago and jumped to watch it again recently. In short, it's a look at the Manchester music scene of the '70s and '80s through the eyes of a guy who nurtured it to the big time, despite his stumbles.

Steve Coogan plays Tony Wilson, and he's hilarious in a dry, doltish Brit way. He and the movie-- and hell, the music -- are most definitely an acquired taste. But for those who know The Sex Pistols, Joy Division, New Order, et al, Coogan and director Michael Winterbottom present a compelling and highly amusing chronicle or how this beat got off the ground.

Then again, if hearing oh-so-superior Brits drop c-bombs left and right isn't your cup of tea, I'll understand.

Eight Men Out

Not quite as much swearing here, but plenty of bad behavior all the same.

The last time I saw this couldn't have been too long after it came out 20 years ago. My take then: well-done, but a little slow. I'm older now, though, and figured I'd appreciate it more. I guess I did, but I was struck more by how it actually wasn't that slow at all, and really compresses a lot of stuff into a couple of hours.

As you probably know, the story is the Chicago White Sox throwing the 1919 World Series. Good as they were, the Sox felt underpaid by owner Charlie Comiskey, making them vulnerable to bribery -- even some of the decent guys. The scandal led to eight guys being banned from baseball, including "Shoeless" Joe Jackson, who some say was the best ever.

All-star cast here: John Cusack, David Strathairn, D.B. Sweeney, Charlie Sheen, Michael Rooker, Christopher Lloyd, Clifton James. Throw in Medavoy from "NYPD Blue" and Studs Terkel, plus director John Sayles as Ring Lardner, and it's quite an ensemble.

A couple of problems with that. None of the actors stands out with a "wow" performance. Strathairn probably was the best. Cusack -- as Buck Weaver, sort of caught in the middle -- was annoying after a while. And while things move along somewhat briskly during the series, I ended up a little wanting at the end. I guess to do much beyond them being banned would be a whole other can of worms, but it seemed to shortchange the impact a bit, even with the Joe Jackson thing at the end.

Still, a pretty good and easily digestible take on this dark moment in baseball history. Can't wait until Sayles gets the movie rights for "Juiced" by Jose Canseco.