X3

Over the weekend I saw X3. Actually, I saw it twice.

This movie's pretty good, bordering on great, though in some way it just doesn't live up to the expectation of X2 (or maybe X2 was just that damn good).

The Beast was well done and played well by Kelsey Grammer. Juggernaught was also really cool, as was Kitty Pride and Collossus.

One oddity I noticed was that Phoenix has absolutely no fire powers, it's all levitation and tearing things apart, all while looking like some sort of soulless undead creature. I'm not sure why they changed that, but think it may have something to do with how they concluded the story...and I'll stop there before giving anything away.

Lacuna Coil

A couple of weeks ago, I heard the song Our Truth by a band I'd never heard of, Lacuna Coil. I was really impressed, so tonight after work I sampled then purchased their album Karma Code, where this song appears.

This group is interesting but hard to pin down, except to say it's a form of rock. If I were to describe them in the form of comparison, I'd have to say it's like combining Evenescence with Korn. The B&N music information lists them as a goth/metal combination, which I guess is accurate.

They're an Italian group, though they sing in English. They're rock is a lot like Evenescence, except it's heavier and perhaps a bit darker. Personally I like one or two songs by Evenescence, but after a while the album gave me mild headaches...I think it has too much trebel for my taste. Anyway, Lacuna Coil (which is Italian for "empty spiral" BTW) has a lot more bass to it, also the music has many moments that have a dramatic feel.

I really dig it, and encourage others to check it out.

Fourty

Saturday was my 40th birthday. Yah me!

I've heard it said by others that they don't "feel old", and I have to report that this is exactly the case with me. I don't feel any older than I did when I was 30. Other than my hair loss, being a bit heavier, and the fact that I now have seasonal alergies, this seems to be the worst of it.

Given that I've been on this planet 40 years and that's the worst of the wear-and-tear, I think I've got a good run ahead of me. That is very comforting.