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?
March 11, 2005
Book of the Week:
by Joe McCabe. Interviews out the wazoo are what you get out of this Fantagraphics release, not just with
The Neil himself, but also the army of folks who have worked with him over the years. Everyone from Sandman co-parents
Sam Kieth and Mike Dringenberg to Dave McKean to Yoshitaka Amano talk about their work with the black leather-jacketed one,
so this is a perfect opportunity for all those unfamiliar with one aspect of Neil's work to get psyched about all the others.
(UK)
(CAN)
Audiobook of the Week:
by Frank Delaney. Well, St. Patrick's is coming up, so we would be remiss if we didn't include something green,
so that the web people don't come by and pinch us. Or something. A young boy's encounter with a storyteller who
weaves tales of the country's history forms the basis for a life of loving stories, and as the boy tries to find the storyteller
once more, he too absorbs more stories of Ireland. This unabridged audiobook is read by the author and comes to you from
Harper Audio.
(UK)
(CAN)
Graphic Novel of the Week:
by Takahashi Hiroshi. Welcome to Suzuran High School, where the show is run by tough guys who compete to see
who's going to be the big enchilada. Hana has just arrived in the big city from the provinces, and has no idea what awaits
him there. Here, the Freshman's Battle is on the horizon, the aforementioned competition where much ass-whupping will take
place. If Hana can survive his boarding house, maybe he can handle anything. This first volume is from Digital Manga.
(UK)
(CAN)
TV DVD of the Week:
. Well, BBC has dropped this on DVD--the uncut British versions of the episodes, not the chopped up ones we
get here statesside--and I'll be damned if they haven't gotten us hooked. Basically, if you like Queen and Country,
you'll dig the hell out of this too. Half the episodes come with audio commentaries, there's featurettes out the ying-yang,
interviews and deleted scenes as well. Very sweet.
(UK)
(CAN)
DVD of the Week:
. This Anchor Bay release is of a film that's near and dear to our hearts. There's just something so wonderfully
visceral about Charles Bronson getting chased by Lee Marvin into the woods, which is like throwing Brer Rabbit into the
briar patch...except that, you know, Brer Rabbit is one mad mofo who's armed. No bonus bits but the trailer but we just
to want to have a cabin so we can pull that stunt with the floor.
(UK)
(CAN)
Animation DVD of the Week:
. When a bear's cub dies, the father bear goes and steals a human kid to replace the poor furry little tyke.
However, the human child is still of two worlds...which one will he eventually pick to stay in? This Central Park Media
offering comes with interviews with the U.S. cast, an art gallery, background info and an Arctic trivia quiz. It also happens
to be from Les Armateurs, the production company behind Triplets of Belleville.
(UK)
(CAN)
Anime DVD of the Week:
. Ever say, "That guy's got a head full of rocks"? Well, here you find a guy who did have a rock in his head--and
it killed him. There's also the guy who you can lop his head off as many times as you want, apparently, he'll just keep
coming back for more. These and other horrific bits are present in Geneon's release of the third volume, which comes with
two art galleries and three episodes.
(CAN)
Adverse Video of the Week:
. I know what you were thinking: man, when is somebody going to make another snowboarding movie with a bunch of
scantily clad women? Boy, are you in luck! A guy decides to become a professional snowboarder and winds up...well, let's
face it. If you're in this for the women, who cares about the plot. Because there's not much going on there. Comes with
some deleted scenes and a making-of featurette, if you just can't get enough.
(UK)
(CAN)
Family DVD of the Week:
. All we can say is: kids up to a certain age don't really care about story and character development and all.
So it's for you parents out there we offer this up: we know your kiddies just want to see the funny little dragon again.
And Disney agrees. So this comes with a voice cast featurette, deleted scenes, a tour of China, a game, and
the dreaded, obligatory music video.
(UK)
(CAN)
Docu DVD of the Week:
. For those of you who didn't appreciate Alexander's mullet--worn by either Richard Burton or Colin Farrell--then
we humbly suggest this release from A&E Home Video. Peter Woodward, host and narrator extraordinaire, takes you
through his life and swath of conquest that Alex visited on the world, and you also get a making-of featurette as a bonus.
(UK)
(CAN)
Music CD of the Week:
by Regina Spektor. After getting pointed to her site by The Warren, I've decided that Regina's music is a kind of memetic virus. I can't get it out of my head or
off my iPod--not that I'm trying very hard, mind you. Tracks like "Us" and "The Flowers" and "Somedays" are just amazingly
powerful and reminds me a bit of Tori before she went to Obtuse Imagery Hell and left a lot of us behind. Highly recommended
and comes with a DVD--bonus.
(UK)
(CAN)
Toy of the Week:
by McFarlane Toys. Everybody likes dragons. Everybody with any sense likes the sculpts from McFarlane Toys.
Put the two together and you've got a line of kickass and surprisingly reasonably priced creatures. Dig the Fire Clan
Dragon we've got here. Bone and ash white scales with a wicked skull-like demeanor, a respectable amount of points of
articulation (considering it's a dragon), and a nifty base--and we dig it. Click here
to get more photos.
Book of the Week:
by Joe McCabe. Interviews out the wazoo are what you get out of this Fantagraphics release, not just with
The Neil himself, but also the army of folks who have worked with him over the years. Everyone from Sandman co-parents
Sam Kieth and Mike Dringenberg to Dave McKean to Yoshitaka Amano talk about their work with the black leather-jacketed one,
so this is a perfect opportunity for all those unfamiliar with one aspect of Neil's work to get psyched about all the others.
(UK)
(CAN)
