THE SIGNAL & THE NOISE: WHY SO MANY PREDICTIONS FAIL–BUT SOME DON’T By Nate Silver

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Nate Silver correctly picked Obama to win the 2012 Presidential Election. But, what’s more impressive is he predicted correctly how 50 out of 50 states would vote. Nate Silver’s FiveThirtyEight blog was must reading for political junkies during the Presidential Campaign. Now, in The Signal & The Noise Nate Silver explains his methods in making such accurate predictions. My favorite chapter is Chapter Eight where Nate introduces us to his friend Bob who makes about a million dollars a year (sometimes $3 million or $4 million) betting solely on NBA games. Bob uses methods similar to Nate Silver’s. Nate also tells us how he made $400,000 playing poker. If you’re a gambler, this book is must-reading. If you’re just curious about how you can deal with the Future more competently, The Signal & The Noise is well worth a look. I found the book and its message completely fascinating! GRADE: A

RECOMMENDATION #3: ROADS by Seabury Quinn

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The generous Scott Cupp sent me a copy of Seabury Quinn’s Roads and I read the slim volume within an hour. The story concerns a Barbarian working for the Romans a couple thousand years ago. The Barbarian gains his freedom and then embarks on some adventures. I also loved the Virgil Finlay interior illustrations. You can read Scott’s fine, more detailed review here. Roads is the perfect book for the Holiday Season! GRADE: A

JACK REACHER

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Jack Reacher is based on Lee Child’s novel, One Shot. A former U. S. Army sniper shoots five people in Pittsburgh (in the book, it was a city in Indiana). When arrested, the sniper says, “Get me Jack Reacher.” Tom Cruise shows up (which is shocking because Jack Reacher in Lee Child’s novels is 6’5″, 250 pounds of muscle). There are plenty of twists in the plot (both in the movie and the book) that will produce plenty of head-scratching. But, no matter. Jack Reacher is an effective action movie. If you’re up for some high-grade excitement, watch Jack Reacher. I saw this movie with a Free Ticket provided by Regal Theaters. GRADE: B+

ZERO DARK THIRTY

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Despite all the controversy about the torture scenes in Zero Dark Thiry, they seemed tame to me compared with some of the torture scenes I watched in 24. Zero Dark Thirty tells the story of the hunt for bin Laden through the character of a CIA analyst only referred to as Maya (played intensely by the striking redhead, Jessica Chastain). For a decade, the CIA hunts for bin Laden, but comes up empty. As set-back follows set-back, Maya becomes more and more obsessed with finding bin Laden’s location. And, once it’s found, director Kathryn Bigelow shows us the S.E.A.L. Team Six mission in Real Time. I was on the edge of my seat for the last half-hour. GRADE: A

NFL CONFERANCE CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES

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After Colin Kaepernick ran wild against the Packers last week, it’s hard to imagine the Atlanta Falcons winning this game. Especially after the Seahawks almost snatched Victory from the Jaws of Defeat against a sketchy Falcon defense. I’m going with the Niners in this 3 P.M. ET game on FOX. As a Bills fan, I would love to see the New England Patriots lose at home against the Baltimore Ravens. The Ravens almost upset the Patriots last year at this time, but former Buffalo Bill WR Lee Evans dropped the Game Winning TD catch in the End Zone. I think we’re looking at a New England Patriots vs. San Francisco Forty-Niners Super Bowl. What do you think?

DJANGO UNCHAINED/A MAN CALLED DJANGO/DJANGO & SARTANA’S SHOWDOWN IN THE WEST/DJANGO KILLS SILENTLY/DJANGO’S CUT PRICE CORPSES

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Quentin Tarantino grew up watching Django movies (there are more than 30 of these spaghetti westerns). Django Unchained is Tarantino’s homage to these violent movies. I hadn’t seen any of the original Django movies from the Sixties or the Seventies so I bought a couple of Django collections for $4 each. In A Man Called Django, a gang of outlaws burst into Django’s house and kill his wife. Django goes on a quest to kill everyone in the gang. In Django Unchained, Jamie Foxx searches for his kidnapped wife. Leonardo DiCaprio says he always wanted to play a Bad Guy. He gets his wish in Django Unchained. All of these Django films feature large body counts. GRADE: B (for all the Django movies)

FORGOTTEN BOOKS #204: TOTALLY MAD: 60 YEARS OF HUMOR, SATIRE, STUPIDITY AND STUPIDITY Edited by John Ficarra

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When I was a kid, I read every issue of MAD Magazine I could get my hands on. MAD was a wacky illustrated magazine that originally made fun of comic books. But over the years, MAD started making fun of EVERYTHING! This 60th Anniversary volume includes some of those early comic book critiques, but swiftly moves to the more snarky social commentary of TV shows and movies. This hefty volume charts the evolution of MAD humor over the decades. If you’re a fan of MAD this book is a must-buy. If you’re one of those people who always wondered what MAD was all about, look no further than this book!

LES MISERABLES

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Diane and I have seen the stage version Les Miserables four times: three Toronto performances and one touring company performance in Buffalo. We love the music (we have the CD of the Colm Wilkinson version of Jean Valjean from one of the Toronto performances). The music seems to be the biggest criticism of this movie version. Director Tom Hooper had the stars, Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Anne Hathaway, and Amanda Seyfried sing their parts instead of lip-syncing. That may have affected both the acting and the singing. No matter. I enjoyed the film. One of the highlights for me were the unscrupulous Thénardiers (Sacha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter) who provide comic relief. The big surprise was newcomer Samantha Barks who plays the love-sick Éponine. I’m hoping Les Miserables is successful so more musicals will be made. GRADE: B+

RECOMMENDATION #2: LIFE OF PI in 3D

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Patti Abbott recommended Life of Pi and you can read Patti’s brilliant review here. A young boy finds himself on a lifeboat in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Also in the lifeboat is a Bengal tiger. How the boy and the tiger coexist as their food and water run out powers this contemplative film. But, of course, there are Large Questions in the boy’s narrative. In the end, the viewer is asked to chose between two different stories. This is a movie you’ll be thinking about months after you see it. GRADE: A-

HYDE PARK ON HUDSON

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The best part of Hyde Park on Hudson is Bill Murray’s surprising performance. This is not the Ghostbusters Bill Murray or the Groundhog Day Bill Murray. Bill Murray delivers a controlled performance of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt who is on the eve of meeting the King and Queen of England with World War II looming. Laura Linney portrays Roosevelt’s cousin, Margaret Suckley, who enters into a love affair with the President. The movie is based on Margaret Suckley’s private journals and diaries discovered after Suckley’s death that detail the relationship. I liked the ensemble cast and the erotic dynamic in the plot. GRADE: B+