Each Thursday (or Friday, since some weeks we seem to be running behind on everything), Needcoffee.com's staff of whackos will wrack our brains to give you interesting and new things to do over the weekend. Books, movies, whatever. We'll throw them out, you do with them what you will. And hey...if you have something you want to recommend--whatever it is--drop us a line.
Incidentally, we've provided links where we can for you to buy the stuff or find out more if you're interested, courtesy of those Amazon types, in the US, the UK and Canada.
Hey, come on, we can't be totally selfless in this, can we?
January 14, 2005
Book of the Week:
by Tom Root & Andrew Kardon. Well, we loved the first one and now we're pleased as hell to see Titan release
the second volume, this time bringing you the skinnee on the craft from everybody from Bendis to Andy Diggle, and Mark
Millar to Mike Mignola. It's a little amusing to see Kevin Smith among the folks, since he's appeared in Wizard
more often than he's actually published a book, but hey whatever sells. A must for every comic fan.
(UK)
Audiobook of the Week:
by Ian Caldwell & Dustin Thomason, performed by Jeff Woodman. Four friends at Princeton who are about to graduate
get caught up in the riddle of an ancient manuscript when new clues surface that could lead them to the solution. A mystery
that's all over the map (more figuratively than literally) it's a lot like The DaVinci Code only, you know, good.
This Simon & Schuster Audio release comes unabridged (and is a big honker), and read capably by Woodman.
Comic Book of the Week: Simon Spector #1 by Warren Ellis & Jacen Burrows. We enjoyed the hell out of The Warren's
Apparat experiment. We've said it before, we'll say it again: we wish that he had just launched the damn things like
an ABC line for Avatar, writing the first issue, then consulting and turning over the reins to someone else. But no...we
regret we only have one experiment to lay down our coin for. This one shot regarding a sleuth who is able to
speed up his brain processing power--for a price--is nice and spicy. Read it, but do it slowly, because there's no more
coming.
Comic Art Book of the Week:
. Kevin Nowlan is one of those artists whose stuff doesn't look like anyone else's. The first time I read his
and Moore's Jack B. Quick in Tomorrow Stories, I knew it was Nowlan from panel one. For fans, TwoMorrows releases
this latest in their series of focus books and covers his entire career, using an excellent interview with the man himself
plus a veritable shitload of art, a great deal of it never before published. Sweet.
(UK)
(CAN)
TV DVD of the Week:
. The only thing we have against the Brits for their television is that it's always the best shows who have
the least number of episodes. Granted, they're all winners, but we just want the goodness to keep on flowing, you know?
Anyway, BBC Home Video has collected both series and the special in one set, handy for weekend watching. As far as bonus
bits go, this four-disc set comes with a directors' commentary on the special, a making-of docu, deleted scenes
and outtakes, a video diary, and more.
(UK)
(CAN)
DVD of the Week:
. Well, if you need a reason to approach this disc, which we admit is a bit obscure, then here's the cast:
Vanessa Redgrave, Ian Holm, Judi Dench, Tom Wilkinson, Joely Richardson. Now that you're awake, we'll tell you that this
drama hits DVD from the folks at Home Vision and involves a dinner party guest who decides to kill himself and, as you could
imagine, this has an effect on his host and the other guests. The director gives an intro, plus there are also bios and
an essay.
(UK)
(CAN)
Family DVD of the Week:
. When this thing took forever to see the light of day after being completed, L'Engle fans were afraid. And
the purists among them will probably still hang their heads now that it's out. But it's here and it's not offensive. For
"family viewing," it will work fine. Bonus stuff is a convo with Madeline L'Engle herself, a making-of featurette,
and some deleted scenes.
(UK)
(CAN)
Anime DVD of the Week:
. Well, it's Kiichi versus Iron Kiba in the final disc of this series, hitting DVD in the States from Central
Park Media. With Kiichi's dad in the hospital, it's up to Kiichi to fight for honor, truth and not getting his own ass
handed to him. Anyone looking for a fighting series with a mildly original slant should give this a look. Comes with an
art gallery as a bonus.
(CAN)
TV Show of the Week:
The French Revolution. Stop building
that barricade in your front yard and listen for a second. The History Channel's special covering when France the nation
got its ass kicked by its own people hits Monday night--do that click thing to find out when for your area. You've got
the rise of a republic, "The Terror," and a big shiny blade that descends very rapidly.
Music CD of the Week:
. Damn good movie, excellent damn soundtrack. The song from the trailer, Frou Frou's "Let Go," is here, as well
as The Shins, Remy Zero, Iron and Wine covering The Postal Service, Nick Drake, Coldplay and possibly the best usage of a
Simon & Garfunkel song we've seen since The Graduate. See the movie first, then grab this disc.
(UK)
(CAN)
Toys of the Week:
Mini-Muppets Series 3. Yup, the Muppets are alive
and well on the toy front if not anywhere else. Thank Palisades for that, and their runs of Mini-Muppets, available from
their Palisades Direct online store. While Series 3 of the
figures comes with Doglion, Kermit with banjo, Scooter on a skateboard and the Swedish Chef with a chicken in a pot, our
favorite is still Beaker and Dr. Honeydew. Beaker is standing in a puddle of water, while the good doctor has a battery
and some jumper cables on hand. Is it any wonder Beaker's head can go up and down?