Here’s the Blu-ray set I want for Christmas which includes 15 classic Hitchock films (loaded with extras): Saboteur / Shadow Of A Doubt / Rope / Rear Window / The Trouble With Harry / The Man Who Knew Too Much / Vertigo / North By Northwest / Psycho / The Birds / Marnie / Torn Curtain / Topaz / Frenzy / Family Plot. Many of these Hitchcock flims have never been released in Blu-ray format before this set is released. I have most of these movies in DVD, but now I want them in Hi-Def.

Few TV dramas have given me so much pleasure as watching Copper on BBC America this Fall. Tom Fontana (St. Elsewhere, Homicide, OZ, is one of the producers and writers of BBC America’s first original scripted series. Copper is set in 1860s New York City. The 10-part drama centers on Kevin Corcoran (Tom Weston-Jones), an intelligent but ruthless Irish-American cop working the city’s notorious Five Points neighborhood. Corcoran is obsessed to learn the truth about the disappearance of his wife and the death of his daughter while he was fighting in the Civil War. Tom Fontana provides a compelling story arc the builds suspense. The cast is excellent. Other story-lines concern a young girl named Annie who was sexually abused. There’s also a Confederate conspiracy to burn down New York City. Plenty of plot twists and turns pop up in this fine series. If you missed it, BBC America will be rebroadcasting the series. Or, you can obtain this great Blu-ray set that goes on sale tomorrow. GRADE: A

Last Sunday, the Bills managed to pull off a lucky win over the Arizona Cardinals in Overtime. This week, the Bills are taking on a team that on paper they should be able to defeat. But, as all long-suffering Bills fans know, the team either loses big or wins a close game. No in-between this season! Next week is the Bills’ bye-week so it would be advantageous for them to beat the Titans and go into the bye with a winning record. But, who knows? How is your favorite NFL team going to fare?

The Postate-Specific Antigen (PSA) Test was developed right here in Buffalo, NY at the Roswell Cancer Center. It remains the best test to predict prostate cancer in men, despite its flaws (false positives, false negatives, etc.). A PSA score of 4.0 and under is considered normal. I’ve been getting PSA tests yearly for the past 12 years. October or November has been the time I usually get a script for PSA blood work. Last week I went in and had blood drawn and this week I received the results. My PSA score is 1.0. For the past dozen years, my PSA score has been right around 1.0, give or take a couple tenths of a point. I attribute this nice low score to eating plenty of pizza. The lycopene in the pizza sauce seems to protect the prostate. So guys, order a pizza tonight because it’s healthy! And don’t forget your yearly PSA test!

Most readers of this blog have probably read most, if not all, of the classic science fiction novels in these wonderful Library of American volumes. No matter. These novels were the books I read growing up as a science fiction fan. Yes, I’d quibble about some of the inclusions. I might have chosen other novels by authors like Murray Leinster and Edmund Hamilton. But these titles are the basic building blocks of a science fiction collection. I bought these tomes for the usual Library of America quality and in the hopes the financial success of these volumes might lead to future volumes that take more risks with the choice of material. You should check out the dedicated LOA website for these SF volumes here and especially check out the cover artwork gallery!
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
Volume ONE:
Frederik Pohl & C. M. Kornbluth’s The Space Merchants
Theodore Sturgeon’s More Than Human
Leigh Brackett’s The Long Tomorrow
Richard Matheson’s The Shrinking Man
VOLUME TWO:
Robert A. Heinlein’s Double Star
Alfred Bester’s The Stars My Destination
James Blish’s A Case of Conscience
Algis Budrys’ Who?
Fritz Leiber’s The Big Time

Tomorrow night, Nikita returns for its third season. Maggie Q plays the feisty assassin perfectly. I like the supporting cast, especially Melinda Clarke as the sexy but deadly Amanda. Since 24 was canceled, there really isn’t much in the action-adventure genre worth watching on TV other than Nikita. Nikita has improved over the past two seasons with better scripts and production values. I’m hoping Season Three, which starts Friday night at 9 P.M. in my area (check your local listings for the time in your area), is Nikita’s breakthrough year when the audience really grows. Check it out.

I’ve read excellent books about the war in Iraq. Thomas Ricks’ Fiasco and Imperial Life In The Emerald City by Rajiv Chandrasekaran come to mind. But fiction about the Iraq war has been disappointing. I started Kevin Power’s The Yellow Birds with high hopes. After all, it was on the front page of the New York Times Book Review a couple weeks ago. But just a few pages into the book, I realized this was not the “classic” a blurb on the back of the book claimed it was. The story is simple: a young soldier promises to take care of a younger soldier. You can guess what happens next. Yes, Bad Things happen. The book jumps back and forth in time from the fighting in Iraq to the attempt to adjust to civilian life. As I was plodding through The Yellow Birds to the end, I was thinking: “This would be a much better book if Jack Higgins, Tom Clancy, or W.E.B. Griffin had written it.” GRADE: C

The Master is a quirky movie with several fine performances. Loosely based on Scientology, “The Master” played by Philip Seymour Hoffman conducts Q&A sessions with his followers while his wife, played ably by Amy Adams, tries to keep her moody husband under control. Into this mix falls Freddie Quell (Joaquin Phoenix), an alcoholic deranged World War II veteran. Freddy and The Master have a contentious relationship. Each man has mental problems. Each man seems attracted to the other. Yet the lack of any sort of a plot weakens this film. The movie lurches back and forth in time. It’s hard to work up any sympathy for these very cultish, flawed characters despite the high level of the performances. GRADE: B

Once Kyra Sedgwick shut down The Closer, questions about the spin-off, Major Crimes, have been swirling around. TNT network put those questions to rest by renewing Major Crimes for 15 episodes in 2013. The ensemble cast attracts many viewers. Who can resist Provenza and Flynn? Mary McDonnell’s character was softened and became more appealing. I’m still not a fan of Rusty, the troubled teenager, but the writing for this series improved with each episode. I’ll be watching Major Crimes when it returns next year. The final episode of this first season will be broadcast tonight on TNT at 9 P.M. Check the time for your area.

After two dismal losses, 52-28 to the Patriots and last week’s 45-3 beat-down by the 49ers, the woeful Bills face another team who could make mincemeat out of them. A Vegas odds-maker has made Bills Head Coach Chan Gailey the favorite to be the first NFL coach to be fired this season. The Bills are only 4 1/2-point underdogs in this game. I would have put the spread at 14 1/2-points! How is your favorite NFL team going to fare today?