Would you like to drop your blood pressure 5 points easily? Just drink a 4 to 6 ounce glass of V8 juice each day. The blend of vegetables will cause your systolic number (the top number, which is also the higher of the two BP numbers and measures the pressure in the arteries when the heart beats, i.e. when the heart muscle contracts)to go down. Your diastolic number (the bottom number, which is also the lower of the two numbers, measures the pressure in the arteries between heartbeats, i.e., when the heart muscle is resting between beats and refilling with blood) could also go down a few points. V8 comes in several flavors and sizes. I prefer the V8 Spicy Hot Juice (Low Sodium). If you buy the regular V8 with more sodium, the effect will be less.

This 2 DVD collection features four film noir classics from the Columbia vault: The Killer That Stalked New York, Two of a Kind, Bad for Each Other, and The Glass Wall. The “Bad Girls” are Evelyn Keyes, Lizabeth Scott, and Gloria Grahame. Each of these films was restored and re-mastered. Special features include the original theatrical trailer for each of the movies and Terry Moore discussing Two of a Kind. This box set provides 313 minutes of noir at a reasonable price. If you’re a fan of noir, you’ll want this set. GRADE: B+

George Packer’s The Unwinding won the 2013 National Book Award for non-fiction. He deserves it. Packer uses a format similar to the one John Dos Passos used in his U.S.A. trilogy by alternating stories to trace the decline of the U.S. economy and culture from 1978 to 2012. Tammy Thomas, auto parts worker, finds her middle-class job destroyed as General Motors and Delphi head into bankruptcy. Jeff Connaughton, a Washington lawyer, sees the political process become more dysfunctional. Dean Price, an entrepreneur in a tobacco state, finds his businesses ruined by the real estate and banking crisis. Peter Thiel, a billionaire, sees the U.S. sinking fast. I usually finish reading a book in a day or two. The Unwinding took me a week to read. I had to take “breaks” to stem the depression this book causes. Our country is in deep decline and The Unwinding shows how it happened. GRADE: A

Wes Anderson’s quirky romp, The Grand Budapest Hotel, has more cameos than March Madness has upsets. The main storyline features Ralph Fiennes as an amorous concierge of the Grand Budapest Hotel. One of the wealthy guests of the hotel dies and leaves the concierge a valuable painting. But the greedy son and daughters frame the concierge and send him to prison. The concierge has an ally in a Lobby Boy named Zero (played wonderfully by Tony Revolori) who assists in some wacky shenanigans. The concierge manages to escape from prison, but he’s hunted by an assassin played by William Dafoe. If you’re in the mood for an unusual movie with plenty of surprises, you might give The Grand Budapest Hotel a try. GRADE: B+

Divergent is based on Veronica Roth’s YA novel of the same name. Divergent is set in a dystopian future Chicago after a ruinous war. Chicago is a walled city where a caste system of “factions” keeps the peace. Sixteen-year-old Beatrice “Tris” Prior, played convincingly by Shailene Woodley (George Clooney’s daughter in The Descendants), chooses to join the warrior Dauntless faction. But Tris learns that she is “divergent” which means she’s really casteless and in terrible danger. Divergents are executed when discovered. Tris’ mentor, Four (Theo James), trains Tris to be a cunning warrior. But Jeanine (Kate Winslet), head of the scientific faction, plots to alter the government. If this sounds a bit like The Hunger Games, you’re right. As our local movie reviewer wrote: “Divergent is halfway between Twilight and The Hunger Games.” Fair enough. But Divergent held my attention and interest for 2 hours and 19 minutes. I’ll go see the sequel. GRADE: B

I read this Winston Science Fiction juvenile novel back in the 1950s. Danger: Dinosaurs! was published in 1953 and when I reread it, I was struck by Ed McBain/Evan Hunter’s progressive characterizations. One of the major characters is an African-American who plays a key role in the plot. I read most of the Winston SF series and I can’t recall another African-American character in any of them. Danger: Dinosaurs! also introduces a notion unique in time-travel stories: that events in the past can forgotten when the time-travelers return to the future. This story of a group who encounters problems during their visit over a 100 million years ago was thrilling when I was a kid. Even in this early novel, the strengths of Ed McBain/Evan Hunter’s story-telling were obvious. Ed McBain turned to writing crime fiction, but this science fiction novel has plenty of suspense and action.

Buffalo is hosting Rounds Two and Three of the NCAA Tournament. All the hotels are sold out and estimates predict a $14 million infusion of cash into our local economy from hosting the Tournament. The match-ups are Syracuse vs. Western Michigan, Ohio State vs. Dayton, Villanova vs. Milwaukee, and Connecticut vs. St. Joseph’s. Clearly, this is Syracuse country so if you’re watching the games on your HDTV, you’re going to see a lot of orange in the crowd. I think Florida will win the NCAA Championship. What teams are you rooting for?

I read Kem Nunn’s brilliant Tapping the Source back in 1984 when it was first published. The years went by and I haven’t read a Kem Nunn book until I happened on Chance. Dr. Chance is a neuropsychologist whose life is crumbling. He’s going through a bitter divorce. The IRS is auditing him (and he owes Big Bucks!) and Chance is selling his prized furniture to generate some money while he struggles with his problems. Chance goes from the frying pan into the fire when he engages in an intimate relationship with a patient with multiple personalities. Her abusive husband is a Homicide Detective with psychopathic tendencies. I kept turning the pages as Dr. Chance fell deeper and deeper into Big Trouble. It’s been a long time since I read a novel this suspenseful. GRADE: A-

The Venture Bros.: The Fifth Season is an animated series that appeared last year on the Cartoon Network’s “Adult Swim.” These episodes continue the fun and frolic and action of the previous seasons. The Venture Bros. series is a pastiche of the old Johnny Quest adventures. Imagine that Johnny Quest grew up to be super-scientist Dr. Thaddeus Venture. His teenage sons, Hank and Dean, resemble the Hardy Boys. The series makes fun (in an affectionate way) of Johnny Quest and other action-adventure series. The cover on this Blu-ray box looks like the artwork that used to be on Grosset & Dunlap’s Tom Swift books. I love the giant pterodactyl on the Venture jet! If you’re in the mood for some animated action blended with some humor, check out The Venture Bros. GRADE: A