Today's Topics

Hope you're feeling combative:

Violence is never the answer... unless you've just asked Quentin Tarantino what he thinks movies need more of. We chart his career so far.
Why people are punching each other a lot less in Ice Hockey.
How the 2020 Democratic Primary is shaping up after some fierce debates.

The numbers behind the numbers:
3 charts, 751 words, 4 mins 25 seconds to read.

The controversial figure of Tarantino is back, and on good form. His latest film "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" has hit the cinemas in the US, and according to data from Box Office Mojo and IMDB, is already proving a hit with both the critics and the box office.

For Tarantino it marks the latest chapter in an incredibly consistent career. His complex characters come armed with guns, knives, sharp dialogue and - at times - almost cartoonish levels of violence.

It may be unusual but that formula has proved incredibly reliable so far. 5 of Tarantino's films break into the Top 100 highest-rated of all time according to IMDB, and since his low-budget breakthrough with "Reservoir Dogs" almost every film has been a resounding financial success. To top it off there is the cult classic Pulp Fiction, which whatever his latest effort achieves, will probably remain the jewel in his portfolio.

Once upon a time Quentin Tarantino was a relative outsider to Hollywood, with little budget to work with and a controversial subject matter. A lot has changed since then. 🎥

A few years ago if you really wanted, for whatever strange reason, to watch grown men punch each other, you were probably better off switching on Ice Hockey, rather than waiting to tune in to a boxing bout.

To those not familiar, fighting has been a part of Ice Hockey pretty much since its inception. Fights were often used to try and break the momentum of the other team and they weren't always classless affairs; check out Georges Laraque wishing his opponent "good luck" before their fight.

There are repercussions for having a brawl in the middle of a game, with those involved being given what's called a major penalty. But those penalties are really not that major - it's actually just 5 minutes of sitting in a box on the side of the ice rink. Not much of a deterrent.

In the last decade however, things have been getting a bit more civilised on the ice. In the 2001-02 season, there were an average of 0.65 fights per game. So far in 2018-19 there have been just 0.19.

One argument for why there's less fisticuffs is improved awareness around the risk of concussions, and long-term brain damage. Another is that the general skill level has improved and the game has simply moved on to a point where it's no longer enough to just be an "enforcer". 🏒

This week saw the second of the Democratic Party debates in the US. That means that 20 Democratic Presidential candidates have now taken to the stage at some point to tell America why they are the best person to beat Trump next year.

Thanks to data compiled by Real Clear Politics we've plotted the polling averages of the 5 major contenders over the last few months, and in truth they tell only one story. That at the moment this is Joe Biden's race to lose.

Even when polling at his worst a month ago Biden still had roughly a 10 point lead over his closest challenger. These days that is more like a 15 or 16 point advantage over his closest rival Bernie Sanders. That advantage even showed in the debates so far, with Biden getting to speak more than any of the other 20 candidates.

Biden is seen by many as "too moderate" or a continuation of the "status quo". For Joe he'll be hoping that the status quo remains just a while longer - enough for him to stay on top and win that nomination. 🇺🇸

Data Snacks

1) A 16-year-old won $3m to be crowned world champion of the video game Fortnite.
2) Five years ago £1 would buy you $1.68 USD. Earlier this week that exchange rate dipped below 1.21, near its all time low. Any Brits going to the US on holiday this year? Save your pennies before you go.
3) Want to be on Love Island? Get an agent. Of the 36 that appeared on the show this year, a whopping 30 of them got in via casting agencies.
4) "The Lion King" officially crossed $1bn at the Global Box Office, making it Disney's fourth movie of the year to hit that milestone. "Toy Story 4" will likely be their next one; it's already over $900m.
5) The US Federal Reserve lowered the Federal funds rate by 0.25% this week. It's the first rate cut since the GFC of '09.

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That's all folks.
Catch you (and all the friends you've sent this to) next week.

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