Answering questions at Boston College O’Neill Library
One of my helpers, who very much enjoyed Michael Bond’s books, was seriously disappointed by the first film’s action focus, and did not watch the sequel. By the numbers, Paddington 2 beats the earlier film. On IMDB it’s 7.9 vs. 7.2; on Metacritic 88 vs. 77 – all very good scores, so maybe you will enjoy them more than my helper!
It sounds to me like a matter of preference & taste. Though Overwatch has won more awards, League has more players & draws a bigger audience for competitions. Do you prefer a multiplayer battle arena game, or a multiplayer FPS? Do you like medieval/fantasy style or futuristic, post-apocalypse style? A gamer has told me it’s easy to understand game play as a newbie in Overwatch, though challenging, skill-wise; conversely, they said of League, “I was basically just pressing buttons fast & winning, and I didn’t know what was going on.” As to why Overwatch has won so many awards, it sounds like the development team was small, nimble, and had an unusual degree of creative freedom.
An open mic night sponsored by SLAM! and The Laughing Medusa will be at the McMullen Museum on October 11 6:30-8:30pm. BC Music Guild hosts open mics every other Thursday at the Chocolate Bar, and Jammin’ toast every other Saturday. More music guild info: bit.ly/bc-mguild. If you’re looking for off-campus events, try openmicboston.com/
Many films have attempted to address the meaning of life by taking the perspective of the afterlife. Well-known American ones include A Wonderful Life, A Christmas Carol, or for a more comical take, Heaven Can Wait, or an existential version involving second chances, Groundhog Day. The Japanese Wandafuru Raifu (Wonderful Life, also titled After Life, in O’Neill Library at circulation and in the video collection, PN1993.5 .J3 W36 2000) is likely a direct reference to the American classic, but certainly an original riff. I haven’t seen it myself, but it sounds worthwhile!
Okay, bye…
Well…you are in the middle of Pats country. I think rooting for any team other than the Patriots would put you in the crosshairs. The Bills’ recent records have provided plenty of opportunity to tease. But take heart: you utterly destroyed one of the best defenses in the league on Sunday and are going into a game with a compromised Packers team next Sunday. Josh Allen looks more and more like the real deal. Things look good for the Bills.
If Yelp isn’t cutting it for you, you could try Boston Magazine’s Best of Boston lists. http://bit.ly/bc-bob. Improper Bostonian has one that includes a little more on clubs: http://bit.ly/bc-ib
Sure! But could we maybe wait a few weeks?
I’ve never thought of music as a competition. Who’s better, Bach or Handel, Fats Waller or Fats Domino? They’re all good, and create music that appeals to different people.
“I won’t dance, don’t ask me.” (bit.ly/Iwontdance)
Honestly, I can’t keep up with them. But if I had my back up against the wall – right, I guess I do – I’d vote for Kourtney’s son, Mason…
Pika… chu! You are welcome in the library, but please keep your lightning zaps under control. There’s a lot of paper in this building.
I suppose it depends on who you ask. One of my acolytes reports that he used to think so, but now doesn’t. Garfield Minus Garfield, on the other hand, is pretty dark. http://bit.ly/bc-garfield. President Garfield, maybe also not so funny. bit.ly/bc-president-garfield
The way to contact any celebrity is through their agent. It’s hit-or-miss, of course. Amy Poehler is represented by William Morris Endeavor (WME): wmeentertainment.com/expertise/comedy/. According to another website (www.wrhammons.com/poehler-agent-contact.htm), her agent there is Sharon Jackson, but I have no idea how authoritative that website is.
The 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia is in the midst of the knockout round of 16. Half the games have been completed with Uruguay facing France, and Russia facing Croatia in the quarter-finals. The other two quarter-final matches will be determined with games today and tomorrow. Watching the competition so far, it has been exciting to see some of the underdogs finding success where Messi (Argentina) and Ronaldo (Portugal) have failed. France, Uruguay, and Croatia have been playing fast, high-energy, creative games – any of these three could be taking home the World Cup this year!
I happen to be acquainted with a game theorist. He applies game theory to football pools and wins big every year. Hardly anyone will let him into their pools any more, because word has gotten around that with him in the pool, nobody else stands a chance. But he never bets on baseball. He says there are too many variables: too many games, too many potential pitcher-batter match-ups, winds & humidity that affect home run potential, minor injuries… I mean, a hangnail can kill a pitcher’s ERA! There’s just no way to tell, which is why baseball is the best sport: just as in life, you never know what will happen. Go, Sox! (In the meantime, I why not read The fix is in: A history of baseball gambling and game fixing scandals, by Daniel Ginsburg. O’Neill Library GV863.A1 G58 1995.)
Of course. LeBron is a monster. A generational talent. Arguably (and there’s lots of argument) the best ever. LeBron will make any team better. BUT, we need to consider the Celtics locker room. Kyrie left Cleveland, ostensibly to get away from LeBron, so bringing LeBron here would probably bode poorly for how well the team gels. I also don’t know how coach-able LeBron is these days, having basically coached the Cavs himself for the past few years. Personally, I would be excited to see him come, but I also think there would be a lot of adjustment early in the season.
There are so many options for a bucket list, it is tough to contain them to the size of a post-it! Visit the Boston Harbor Islands, go to the beach, head to a Red Sox game. On a hot day, stay cool inside by visiting a museum or the aquarium. Play tourist and walk the Freedom Trail. Plan your own food tour or pub crawl. To see what is happening on a particular day or over the weekend, check out thebostoncalendar.com.
Warriors. The wall is a big fan of LeBron (not a hater at all) and his ability to get to the finals through sheer force of will with what is actually a D2 college team coached by a high school BB coach. But championships should go to the better team, and the Warriors are for sure the better team and more fun to watch. Plus, the Celtics deserve to be there anyway.
It was a heckuva weekend to be a Gator, the Wall’s gotta say. Good luck in the tournaments! bit.ly/bc-gators
