Ask Me Anything: Answers

Only one reader has stepped up to participate in the “Ask Me Anything”:http://www.polytropos.org/archives/000389.html blogmeme so far. That’s OK; I’m sure the throngs are right around the corner, right guys? Guys? Right? Anyway, these questions come from “Ana”:http://winterfell.blogs.com/anacoqui/. See also Glen’s answers to my three questions over on “Immediacy”:http://www.engel-cox.org/iArchives/001473.html#001473.

_How much sleep have you had this week?_

As a mother of two, Ana knows to ask. The answer: about six hours a night. Ella generally sleeps through the night, so it ain’t that bad. Yes, I know I’m very lucky.

_Have you played Pre-historic Settlers of Catan?_

Ana is referring to “The Settlers of the Stone Age”:http://kumquat.com/cgi-kumquat/funagain/14002, Klaus Teuber’s latest offering. I’ve only played it once, at a demo table at Gencon. It was fun, but not run-out-and-buy-it fun; even when I saw copies for 30% off at the WOTC liquidation sale last month, I didn’t pick one up. I wish Teuber’s Settlers variants had a little more . . . variance, I guess. Still, I’d be happy to try Stone Age again given the chance.

_What is your pick for the movie of the summer?_

Qualifier: Not being plugged in to the upcoming movie clue train, I’m only considering Movies with Big Buzz.

Well, it’d have to be “Troy”:http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0332452/, because I think Brad Pitt’s going to make a _great_ Achilles.

Ha! I jest. Brad Pitt is too short and scrappy to be Achilles. He’d be all right for Paris (though Orlando Bloom fits well there too), but even better as Patroclus — if you know what I mean. Achilles should be played by someone bigger, more muscular, and _younger_ than practically everyone else on the field: the guy who played Colossus in “X2”:http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0290334/, or someone like that.

The real contenders:

“Spider-Man 2”:http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0316654/ — Great trailer. Loved the first movie. Sam Raimi’s the man.

“Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban”:http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0304141/ — I’m a big fan of the books but disliked the first two movies rather strongly. But this one has a “good director”:http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0190859/, so there’s hope. What’s the man behind _Y Tu Mama Tambien_ going to do with the Harry/Ron/Hermione trio? Insert off-color joke here.

“The Village”:http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0368447/ — The “trailer”:http://www.apple.com/trailers/touchstone/the_village/index.html is quintessential M. Night. Looks gorgeous. This one has the most promise of the three — it could be Shyamalan’s next big step, but it could also be _Signs_ redux. Ever the movie optimist, I have high hopes. I’ll call this one my official pick.