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?

April 18, 2002

Book of the Week: Practical Demonkeeping by Christopher Moore. Twisted goodness, just what you need to recover from yet another week, slaving in hell. Take a demon who likes to eat people. Add the young man he's been bonded to for seven decades. Throw in a cafe owner named Howard Phillips, the King of the Djinn, and various other insane characters and plot bits, and you've got a decent read. Fun and satisfying.

Graphic Novel of the Week: JLA: New World Order by Grant Morrison & Howard Porter. In honor of the fact that this title has been dropped from my pull box due to the hideous shadow of its former self it has become, we go back to the story arc that kicked off the renewed JLA title and kicked us all in the arse. Original ideas that make sense coupled with seriously cool dialogue and a writer who understands the characters--that's what makes a comic good. Drop the title too, quit crying and go back to classic goodness. Trust us.

DVD of the Week: No Man's Land. The Oscar-winning film is a decent black absurdist comedy regarding a very unfunny situation: modern war. It's the Bosnian conflict, and two men from opposing sides wind up stranded in a trench in the middle of no man's land. They're in a miniature version of the standoff between two sides, both pissed off at the other, and both blaming each other for the whole stinking mess. Throw in some useless U.N. personnel, frustrated soldiers and media parasites and shake well. But not too well, because there's a guy lying on a mine. Moderately intense and quite thought provoking.

Off the Beaten Path VHS of the Week: Looking for Richard. Sad, but true: not on DVD. Al Pacino, always a fave, wants to bring Shakespeare to the masses, poor guy. But even though the masses might not understand a thing about The Big Shake--the film is a fascinating dissection of Richard III. Showing scenes in their "final" versions, along with read-through sessions and rehearsals--the play is performed in both civvies and period dress. Friends Alec Baldwin, Kevin Spacey, Winona Ryder and Aidan Quinn are along for the ride, with appearances by many disciples of Shakespearean Theatre, trying to figure out what makes the man's plays tick and stay vibrant. Great, great flick.

CD of the Week: Jinx by Quarashi. Read about these in a magazine. Iceland's answer to the Beastie Boys, they were called. So, of course, I had to track down their CD (which unfortunately took more doing than it should have). And... yeah, that's a pretty good description. Three guys screaming into mics while one guy runs the samplers and whatnot. Nice and hard and in your face. "I'm on the mic like a fascist." Oh yes.

Beverage of the Week: White Chocolate Mocha by Starbucks. What goes best with caffeine and strong coffee? Sugar, of course. This frothy concoction (because it would be a crime to get it sans whipped cream) is heavenly if you need a nice, sweet pick-me-up. Or even if you're already picked up and just want to get vaulted into the rafters. Righteous.