Loosely based on the FBI ABSCAM sting operation from the 1970s, American Hustle captures the nuttiness of those times. I was impressed by Christian Bale as a cunning con-man. Amy Adams plays a character 180 degrees opposite of her usual “good girl” roles. And Jennifer Laurence continues to be a chameleon as she becomes an all too believable high-maintenance wife in this movie. Bradley Cooper veers close to going over the top as an ambitious FBI agent. If you’re a fan of twisty plots and surprise endings, American Hustle is the movie for you. The bizarre hair-styles are worth the ticket alone! GRADE: B+

It’s been nine years since Anchorman arrived to mock the television industry. The sequel, Anchorman 2, is in theaters now, but I suspect it won’t be as funny as the original. Will Ferrell created “The Legend of Ron Burgandy” with this comic movie. This Blu-ray version of Anchorman includes commentary by Will Ferrell and the other major actors, bloopers, 36 deleted & extended scenes, the “Afternoon Delight” video, and an ESPN SportsCenter audition by Ron Burgundy. If you want to laugh watch Anchorman. It’s still funny after all these years.

AMAZON continues to discount box sets of Blu-rays and DVDs. I was motivated to buy the first four seasons of Star Wars: The Clone Wars by the discount: the $59.99 list price was discounted to $24.99. If you have a Star Wars fan on your gift list, they’ll love these episodes. I found the story-telling more sophisticated than the average animated feature. Great stocking stuffers!

Rookie QB E.J. Manuel is injured for the third time this season so Practice Squad QB Thad Lewis gets to start this week against the Dolphins. This game has Playoff implications for the Dolphins while the Bills are just playing out the string. Bills fans were hoping for a blizzard to intimidate the Miami Dolphins, but instead both teams will be playing in cold rain. The temperature should be around 50. This game didn’t sell out (shocking!) so it’s blacked-out in Western NY. How is your favorite NFL team going to do today?

For the political junkie on your gift list, there’s this wonderful box set of House of Cards on sale at AMAZON.COM for $19.99 (list price is $65.99). That’s a 70% discount! You get 4 disks (674 minutes!) of political shenanigans at a bargain price! If you haven’t seen House of Cards, buy a set for yourself! Kevin Spacey is astonishing in this NetFlix original series. It doesn’t get much better than this!

Robert Barnard makes fun of academic life in Death of an Old Goat. An elderly visiting lecturer from Oxford University has his throat slit in his motel room. The police suspect that the murderer is a member of the Dummondale University faculty. Barnard shows the professors to be catty, jealous, and constant drinkers. If you’re interested in a satirical, acidic academic mystery, Death of an Old Goat delivers.