RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK, TEMPLE OF DOOM, THE LAST CRUSADE, and KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL: sure, the second and fourth movies are clunkers, but the first movie and the third are classics. And now these wonderful films are in sharp, colorful Blu-ray the way they should be enjoyed. I expect plenty of these sets will show up under Christmas trees this year. Every home should have one! ” Special features include a six-minute introduction by Spielberg and Lucas, who discuss the grail as a metaphor for bringing Indy and his estranged father together and agree that Crusade is the funniest of the three films; “Indy’s Women,” an American Film Institute tribute with leading ladies Karen Allen, Kate Capshaw, and Alison Doody each discussing her character (Capshaw candidly describes Temple of Doom’s Willie Scott as “whiny, petulant, and annoying”); “Indy’s Friends and Enemies,” a look at the films’ various villains and sidekicks; plus storyboards and photo galleries. ” GRADE: A+

After last week’s 48-38 beat-down by the Jets, the Bills had a week of soul-searching. Bills’ fans, on the other hand, indulged in an orgy of blaming the coaches, players, and the media for the team’s collapse. Fans demanded the coaches all be fired, all the Buffalo Bills players be traded, and the banning of all sports media in Western New York. Against this backdrop, today’s game against the Chiefs looms large. The Kansas City Chiefs display some dismaying similarities to the Bills. Although the Bills are 3-point favorites, no Bills fan feels confident in the outcome of this game. How will your favorite NFL team do today?

Frank (Frank Langella) is an aging jewel thief with early dementia. Frank’s son, Hunter (James Marsden), decides his father needs a robot to help him with routine tasks around the house like cleaning and food preparation. But Hunter buys a very advanced model robot. Frank, despite his declining mental health, teaches the robot how to pick locks, case a potential site of a robbery, and how to carry out a robbery. This is all great fun, but everything is framed by Frank’s frequent memory lapses. Liv Tyler and Susan Sarandon, two of my favorite actresses, aren’t given enough to do. If you’re in the mood for a bittersweet movie, I recommend Robot and Frank. GRADE: B+

Gil Brewer is one of those underrated noir paperback writers from the 1950s and 1960s. Gil Brewer is best known for his novels: A Taste for Sin, Satan Is a Woman, 13 French Street, and The Girl from Hateville. This recently published collection is the first to make Gil Brewer’s short stories available. Redheads Die Quickly includes 25 short stories, a bibliography of all of Brewer’s short fiction, notes on the texts, and David Rachels informative Introduction to Gil Brewer and his works. As a bonus, there’s a blurb by Bill Crider on the back cover! If you’re a Gil Brewer fan, this is a must-buy!
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
With This Gun— (Detective Tales, March 1951)
It’s Always Too Late (Detective Fiction, April 1951)
Moonshine (Manhunt, March 1955)
My Lady Is a Tramp (Pursuit, May 1955)
Red Twilight (Hunted, October 1955)
Don’t Do That (Hunted, December 1955)
Die, Darling, Die (Justice, January 1956)
The Black Suitcase (Hunted, February 1956)
Shot (Manhunt, February 1956)
The Gesture (The Saint Detective Magazine, March 1956)
Home (Accused, March 1956)
Home-Again Blues (Pursuit, March 1956)
Mow the Green Grass (Pursuit, March 1956)
Come Across (Manhunt, April 1956)
Cut Bait (Pursuit, May 1956)
Matinee (Manhunt, October 1956)
The Axe Is Ready (Trapped, December 1956)
On a Sunday Afternoon (Manhunt, January 1957)
Prowler! (Manhunt, May 1957)
Bothered (Manhunt, July 1957)
Smelling Like a Rose (Mr., July 1957)
Death of a Prowler (Trapped, April 1958)
Getaway Money (Guilty, November 1958)
Redheads Die Quickly (Mystery Tales, April 1959)
Harlot House (Mystery Tales, August 1959)

Diane thinks I have a Big Problem. I have owned and enjoyed Murray Perahia’s box set of The Complete Mozart Piano Concertos, the one with the purple cover, since it was released in 2006. Now, SONY has released the same box set with a new cover, the white one with the muddy picture of Perahia, at a lesser price without the notes included in the original version. And, the other major difference is that the 2006 CDs are 20-bit recordings, the new 2012 set are 24-bit recordings. I, of course, bought the new box set, too. Diane thinks the 2006 set of 12 CDs is “good enough.” I insist this new 2012 box set “sounds better.” Do you buy two versions of the same thing? Should I be attending Shoppers Anonymous?

Not a day goes by without someone asking me an economic question. “Does the Ryan Budget make sense?” (No.) “Should I buy gold stocks” (Yes.) The U.S. educational system does an abysmal job teaching economics. Paddy Hirsch’s Man VS. Markets is a breezy introduction to the basics of supply and demand. Hirsch also explains the stock market. Through a series of cartoons and humorous examples, Hirsch manages to convey complex concepts. Check out Hirsch’s approach to interest rates below. If you find that interesting, check out Man VS. Markets. GRADE: A-

Brave is another one of those movies we missed while I was recovering from surgery this summer. It’s the story of a feisty princess called Merida who is skilled with a bow and arrow. The King and Queen decide it’s time to marry Merida off to one of the local princes so they invite three clans to an archery contest. Two of the princes are inept, but the third hits the bulls-eye. Then Merida enters the competition. You can probably guess what happens. But what you won’t guess is Merida going to a witch to get a spell to change her Fate. I didn’t see that coming. And, with all magic spells, there are unexpected consequences. Brave is a little too complicated and a little too dark for its target audience. Pixar considers Brave an under-performer. But I found it surprising and subtle. You will too. GRADE: B+

Last week, Diane and I drove down to Pittsburgh to watch Patrick defend his dissertation at Carnegie-Mellon University. The defense was held in a large classroom. About 50 faculty members and students showed up to watch Patrick talk about the privacy issues he studied for the past six years. One of the requirements of the defense was putting up at least 10 posters announcing the event. If you want to see more and read more of Patrick’s work, click here.

Patrick delivered a 45-minute PowerPoint presentation. Then there were 20 minutes of questions from the audience. Then 30 more minutes of grilling by Patrick’s doctoral committee. Then we all had to empty the room except for the committee. After some deliberation, the committee told Patrick that he had successfully defended his dissertation. Patrick has to tweak his dissertation a bit before he submits it to the Graduate School, but for all intents and purposes, he has earned his dissertation. Patrick will be “hooded” at a graduation ceremony in May. Congratulations, Patrick! We’re very proud of you!

The Real Games begin for the Bills and the Jets today. Both teams (and their fans) are jacked up with high expectations. The Bills signed Mario Williams and now have a legitimate pass rush–something missing for the past ten seasons. The Jets signed Tim Tebow. ‘Nuff said. For either team to make the playoffs, one team will have to dominate the other in their two meetings. Fourteen of the 16 opponents on the Bills and Jets 2012 schedule are the same. The differences: the Jets play the Steelers and San Diego. The Bills play Cleveland and Kansas City. Other than those two team variables, the Jets and the Bills have identical schedules. I know it sounds pretentious, but the result of today’s game may decide the Fate of both of these teams this season. Hope your favorite team wins today!