barely fatal

Avrel and I went to see X-Men 3 last night. Because some people at fs.de had mentioned the allegedly thin storyline, I was double-curious. I really liked part 2 and I was hoping for another great movie.

And I wasn’t disappointed. The movie is different, it has another pacing and a much darker, pessimistic ‘background noise’. While slower in many scenes, the end battle makes up for the few weak dialogs. Speaking of which, lets not forget that it’s a comic movie. It’s supposed to be exaggerated and funky. Part 2 managed to feel closer to ‘reality’, part 3 shows a lot more mutant power action. Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellan both do a great job acting (as usual). Gean Grey turns out to be not so dead as expected. I really missed Nightcrawler though, such a great character. And Magneto’s army looks more like a hobo class reunion commanded by characters from The Matrix (Reloaded). But as Magneto says, those are just pawns, just distraction.

Many people die in this flick. Humans and mutants alike, including … no I can’t say that, it would be too much of a spoiler. Lets just say, the good guys have some casualties, too. It’s so bad, I lost all hope for another sequel until … Well, when the end credits started to scroll, most people jumped and left the theater as fast as possible the usual lemming-like way. We decided to wait for the masses to clear the exit, and it was a wise choice. When the credits ended, there came another short scene. No X-Men 4? HA-HA!

So it does have a story, and I think it’s not so thin after all … but don’t forget: It’s an X-Men movie, not a Kubrick film. If you liked the other two it’s really worth watching. If you didn’t like Star Wars EP III, hate the Spiderman movies, got bored by Batman Begins and think of Wolverine as a Canadian weasel, then maybe this movie isn’t for you.

Update:
One more thing I forgot. Can somebody explain to me this: When the Baddies, err, replace Golden Gate Bridge it’s sunny and obviously daytime. One scene later, when they storm the island it’s late at night, i.e. dark, dark, dark. What did they do, have a tea party on that bridge?

Ok, just one thing to start with. Just a small, quiet little plea I have for you. YOU, that’s all those football-loving guys and gals currently on the fritz in your home countries and soon here in Germany:

I have nothing against you (nothing that actually works, anyway). But please, please CAN’T YOU JUST LET ME ALONE, M’KAY?

I don’t know if you know how it is in Germany so shortly before the Soccer WorldCup, but for me non-interested, even latently despising anti-football guy it’s hell on earth. You cannot switch on a TV or radio, cannot read a newspaper (not even on the net), cannot take a foot out of your door without being drowned in WorldCup ads, news, fan accessories.

Maybe – maybe – the retarded football player on that 5-meter-tall poster helps selling Sony Computers, I think he is still just a guy running behind a small ball with his friends trying to kick it, and for no obvious reasons. Worse, the even more retarded (present readership excluded) fanbase has not yet arrived, since the stupid “World Event” has not yet started. And at my workplace, some people are bending to get offtime at those days with early matches.

I mean, do what you want, okay? If the most popular sport on earth was to stick toothpicks through eyelids, be it. Have a party, drink yourselves to death, drool over 22 men running around, whatever. You have a right to exist on this planet, too (unfortunatly). But why can’t you let ME out of this? I’ll buy less, watch less, read less of anything with a WorldCup sticker on it. I probably won’t make a difference, but heck, I have a right to not like football as well, don’t I?

Update:
Sorry, only for German readers: Artikel in der Faz

Update 2:
On tickets and security (English)

So I saw most of the E3 trailers and here are my personal highlights for this year:

Thumbs-up games

Dark Messiah
The possibilities … the moves, the physics …

Spore
It’s fresh … it’s revolutionary … hopefully. This is a wonky candidate.

Crysis
Oh man, this is the reason for me buying my next PC.

Gothic 3
Gee I’ve not seen much, but it’s GOTHIC.

Splinter Cell Double Agent
Chaos Theory was soooo cool. More, bigger, better!

Bio Shock
Well I haven’t seen anything, but everybody who has writes this is gonna be IT. So I go by the public opinion. This time.

Unsure about these

Stranglehold
Big big BIG action, but fun and story?

Dark Star One
Due this week, colourful, but any good?

Hellgate London
FSP-RPG hybrid – will it work? Is it just a 3D-Diablo?

Star Trek Legacy
I really want this to be any good.

Quake Wars
Hopefully more Enemy Territory than Quake.

Alan Wake
The trailer didn’t catch me. Hm.

Thumbs-down games

Lord Of The Ring Online
Looks like a WoW clone set in Middle-Earth.

Battlefield 2142
Looks like an expensive BF2 map pack with a few new units.

Call Of Duty 3
More generic germans to shoot. More target practise.

Test Drive Unlimited
Graphics totally plastic-like. Also I’m sick of racing games.

Did I forget anything?

Update:
Yes I did: Prey, Rise Of Legends, Gears Of War, Hitman: Blood Money, Medal Of Honor: Airborne, Rise And Fall, Huxley, C&C 3 … and then a few

Yahoo, back online. And there it comes, the flood. Emails … and of course: E3 game trailers. Switch to leeching mode …

In the meanwhile I can talk about my successful move. I’m almost back-to-normal. I bought a washing machine and before it gets delivered next Saturday I have to figure out how to “interface” it with the “net”. Either I get it right or I’ll have a real flood. And the neighbours one floor down, too, I guess.

Ok that’s it for today. I’m hungry, tired and need a break. So more to come in the next days. Upcoming interesting things: X-Men 3, E3 reviews, Soccer Worldcup and more.

I hate waking up next to piles of boxes.