X3: Pretty Good, Actually

The reviews have not been kind to X3, and to be honest, it's not Oscar material, and it's really not necessarily better than X2. On the other hand, it's better than X1, and I really enjoyed it.

There are lots of effects. There are lots of mutants. There's death and moral dilemmas, and oh, yes, there's even the occasional Fastball Special.

If you've never watched an X-men movie, this is not the place to start. If you're looking for pathos and real character development, this is not your movie. If you're looking for punchlines that work all the time, well, c'mon, you know how that worked in X1.

If you're looking for action, though, and a 4-color comic book plot, X3 delivers. Yoko, my darling wife and litmus test for whether something is too geeky, thoroughly enjoyed it.

As noted elsewhere, stick around until the credits are done. There's more. And it's worth waiting for.

del.icio.us

My good friend tinymammoth convinced me to try out del.icio.us. I'm listed there as erikred. Feel free to add me. Then I'll add you.

And watch that spiral go!

Eurovision: Um, wow?

Finland's Lordi wins Eurovision 2006. (Check out the video of "Lordi meet the press.")

Let me put that in perspective for my fellow Americans: imagine GWAR* getting onto American Idol.



And winning.

(* Disclaimer: Lordi are not GWAR, and I'm not saying they're good. I'm just saying they're dressed up as monsters, they're wielding guitars, and they do, on occasion, rock.)