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. Hey, come on, we can't be totally selfless in
this, can we?
February 21, 2003
Book of the Week:
by Tim Burton. Ah, the brilliant sickness of the man who brought you Beetlejuice and Edward
Scissorhands. We'll just keep Sleepy Hollow
and his later cinematic works a secret, shall we? Anyway, this is a lovely book of poetry
with Gorey—esque sensibilities. You have such classics as “Stick Boy and Match Girl in Love” and “The Boy with Nails
in His Eyes"--and they all come complete with descriptive illustrations which are sure to bring tears to your eyes
and, hopefully, lots of uncomfortable laughter at the plight of these sad little Burton creations.
Art Book of the Week:
. You know we're always a sucker for big books, but once we're done hefting them for weight we like them
with good content, too. For fans of Picasso, this book is a must-see, because it contains a number of images from the artist
that are held in private collections and thus don't get out much. Not only that but it contains some costuming images that the
artist created as well, which most people don't know about. About three hundred or so illustrations inside, it can't be beat.
It's like a gallery in your hand. Well, two hands--remember, it's heavy.
Comic Book of the Week:Queen and
Country #14 by Greg Rucka & Jason Alexander. The more of this we read, the more we like. Imagine Law & Order,
but played out in a secret ops agency. Oh, and the players being British and all. The current storyline progresses apace
as Tara and company try to get behind an attempt by the French to blackmail a media magnate. Alexander's artwork is always
choice. If you're not reading this book, you should start now.
Graphic Novel of the Week:Y: The
Last Man, Vol. 1 by Brian K. Vaughan & Pia
Guerra. This is the title that inherits the legacy of classics like Transmet and Preacher. Yes, it's
that good. Every time I read the first issue it sends little rabid chinchillas up and down my spine. But, of course,
watching the entire male population of the planet suddenly cough up blood and die will do that to you, whether you're in
possession of a penis or not. But I'll be damned if every single issue doesn't leave me out there hanging going, "Oh
crap, now what?" I haven't been this excited about a book in aeons. Buy now and buy often.
DVD Boxed Set of the Week:
. Okay, it's like this. Classic sci-fi television that shows you can thrill while on a budget. When you've got
people like scribe Joseph Stefano (Psycho) and cinematographer god Conrad Hall
(Road to Perdition) on board, not to mention
performances from Martin Landau to Robert Culp to Leonard Nimoy...you're going to hit them out of the park more often than
not. Thanks to MGM for slapping these suckers together in a nice big box.
DVD of the Week:
. You know, when you go to a film's IMDB entry,
and the Oscar awards and noms info takes up almost two whole screens, something's got to be going on. And something was
and still is. The star of the film is the script, which is just as apt today as it was more than half a century ago.
The performances are so solid to be downright bulletproof with Bette Davis leading the charge. And Fox has given
everyone a reason to rejoice: excellent looking video, two commentary tracks and interviews. God bless classic movie
special editions that are actually special.
CD of the Week:
by The Soundtrack of Our Lives. A great hole in the musicians that I like to listen to opened up when Kula
Shaker became no more. Now, although they don't have quite the eastern flavor of K.S., Soundtrack of Our Lives I think
will assuage that wound nicely. "Infra Riot" is so good, I just want to write a movie that it can open up, and another
great track is "Mind the Gap." Tasty.
Book of the Week:
by Tim Burton. Ah, the brilliant sickness of the man who brought you Beetlejuice and Edward
Scissorhands. We'll just keep Sleepy Hollow
and his later cinematic works a secret, shall we? Anyway, this is a lovely book of poetry
with Gorey—esque sensibilities. You have such classics as “Stick Boy and Match Girl in Love” and “The Boy with Nails
in His Eyes"--and they all come complete with descriptive illustrations which are sure to bring tears to your eyes
and, hopefully, lots of uncomfortable laughter at the plight of these sad little Burton creations.
