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 21, 2005
Book of the Week:
by Andy Riley. Comedy for the sickos among you or a manual for Tobias? You must decide. This is a series of
delightfully morbid illustrations of bunnies who have just had enough. And my God, they're hilarious. When you put a bunny,
a see-saw, a colander, and a bowling ball all into a mix...there's so many ways that the little furry guy can bite the big
one. Hey, why is everyone staring at me like that?
(UK)
(CAN)
Audiobook of the Week:
The Compleat Gentleman: The Modern Man's Guide to Chivalry by Brad Miner, performed by Christopher Lane.
What does it take to be a real man? This unabridged Blackstone Audio release has an interesting take on it, going back to
the old tradition of real men, who know when to fight, know how to treat the women in their lives, and strive to know truth
and knowledge. From knights in armor to the guys who stood aside on the Titanic to let women and children go first, the
whole thing might sound dry as a bone, but it's worth checking out.
(CAN)
Comic Book of the Week: Wanted #6 by Mark Millar & J.G. Jones. So it took a little while to get to the end of
this thing, but we think the wait was worth it. The Killer meets his maker--as literal as you can get without Millar himself
showing up in the book--as the entire scheme is unfolded finally. Say what you want about the origins of the story or the
fact that the guy's got Eminem's face, but there's nothing like some visceral brutal villain fun to spice up your weekend.
Comic Book Collection of the Week:
by Warren Ellis & John Higgins. When I read this Constantine story arc upoin its initial release, I was distracted
by how disturbing the entire thing was. And when Ellis wants to twist at your guts, believe me, there's no help for it.
Now reading the entire thing collected it's easier to get past all of the mutilated corpses and pulped faces and get to
the story, and I appreciate it a lot more. If you don't mind getting the willies, then check it out for yourself. It'll
be a lot better than the movie, that's for sure. Published in the UK by Titan.
(UK)
(CAN)
TV DVD of the Week:
. No, for the record, this has nothing to do with a time-travelling Kid n' Play. Instead, it's what happens
when ten men and women from the present day subject go to an estate and take part in a house party setup to mirror what
courtship was like during the Regency period, two hundred years ago. Consider this the absolute antithesis of shows like ABC's The
Bachelorette.
(UK)
(CAN)
DVD of the Week:
. As long as you can deal with the fact that Alfonso Cuaron is sprinting through the film, you might be able
to get past that and enjoy the world that he absolutely nails for Harry. This Warner Brothers release also sports a
reasonable about of bonus goodies: some unfinished scenes, interviews with pretty much anybody and everybody involved,
games, a tour of Lupin's classroom and Honeydukes, an animal training featurette as well as an effects featurette and more.
Check out the official site here.
(UK)
(CAN)
Family DVD of the Week:
. This animal film from Universal has some intense stuff, but mostly anything with big cats is going to be a
hit with the kiddies. Guy Pearce plays a character who is responsible for a pair of tiger cubs getting nabbed. As time
goes by, he tries to free the titular kitty characters. There's a director's journal and commentary track, as well as a
bunch of tiger featurettes, and some focus on costuming and scouting for locations.
(UK)
(CAN)
Anime DVD of the Week:
. Zombies, spies, plagues and bandits, oh my! Yup, for Miaka, when it rains it pours. For the good of her
kingdom and her friend, she's on her mission if she can just survive this volume from Geneon. On the track of another
Suzaku warrior, what are you supposed to do when you find out the guy you need is taking the celestial dirt nap? Well,
wake him up, of course! No features.
(CAN)
Docu DVD of the Week:
. If you want to get some perspective on your own home and/or family life, then pick up this docu from Docurama.
Susan Tom lives out in California and decided as long as she had four kids to contend with, she might as well adopt some more.
Try eleven more. And all of them are special needs kids. This comes with a filmmaker's commentary,
deleted scenes, interviews, a look behind-the-scenes, and a trailer.
(UK)
(CAN)
Sports DVD of the Week:
. Racing fans will want to pick this up because Barry Pepper has been done up right to play Earnhardt. In the
glasses and hat and whatnot, I probably couldn't tell the difference between the two. This is available from Buena Vista
Home Video in a two-disc set, containing the film, exclusive interviews with Earnhardt from ESPN, a docu on
Earnhardt, race footage, a making-of featurette and more.
(UK)
(CAN)
Music CD of the Week:
by Stina Nordenstam. While it's been out for a long time, there's still a lot of people on this side of the pond
who don't know Nordenstam, since the most exposure I was ever aware of her getting was a track on the
Romeo & Juliet soundtrack. You get that song,
"Little Star," including other choice tracks like "When Debbie's Back From Texas" and "Hopefully Yours." Her voice takes
some getting used to, but once you're in, you're in.
(UK)
(CAN)
Toy of the Week:
The Flintstones' Flintmobile. For the fan of the series, this is definitely something to grab over the weekend.
This Joyride release is a 1:18 die cast scale replica of Fred and Wilma's vehicle of choice. You get both families, Flinstones
and Rubbles, plus Dino and luggage that can ride up top (with Bam-Bam). The thing actually rolls and the top is actually
"primitive" cloth. Nice details make this a must-have.