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?
May 2, 2003
Book of the Week:
by Jasper Fforde. It's 1985, and in the world of Thursday Next (yes, that’s her real name), dodos
have been brought back from extinction as pets, the Crimean War is still being fought, and literature is really
important to people. And, unfortunately, there is a literary terrorist kidnapping characters from beloved novels and
ransoming them. Thursday steps in to try and quash the efforts of the aptly named Acheron Hades while dealing with
the ridiculous world in which she lives and her own personal demons. Cleverly written and appealing to bibliophiles
everywhere, it’s a great ride.
Audiobook of the Week:
by Max Barry, read by Patrick Frederic. Speaking of characters with great names, try this on for size: Hack
Nike. Yup, in yet another wild world, your surname is the name of the company you work for. Basically, this book is what
happens when you take Neal Stephenson, Chuck Palahniuk, and just a dash of Hunter S. Thompson, then puree for several
minutes. Our man Hack signs a deal with his company to work on a bizarre marketing scheme that involves kids buying
athletic shoes and then getting killed. Enter the titular character. A great listen, it's wild, terrifying and funny
all at once.
Graphic Novel of the Week:
by Ron Marz & Greg Land. Definition of a bad place to find yourself? How about as the protagonist of
the one CrossGen book where the bad guy's got the sigil--and you don't? That's exactly what happens to Arwyn, our heroine. She's murder with a bow, especially
after losing her family--and what has she got to back her up as she takes on this uber-baddie, who, incidentally, has
come back from the dead? She gets her bow, some arrows, a guy with an eyepatch and her trusty dog. To help her out a
bit, though, her bow can convert arrows to these lovely little destructive bolts of energy. Oh, and she's drawn by Greg
Land, who kicks complete ass. Sweet fantasy mayhem ensues, so enjoy.
DVD Boxed Set of the Week:
. Shame this set doesn't come with more in the way of extras, but we'll just take the fact that you've got
three discs to spread out the goodness (so the video quality is noticeably sharper). So the continuing adventures of
Paul & Jamie (Paul Reiser and Helen Hunt) is here, and a few choice episodes of this set is just what you need to get you
through the trauma of the work week. Funny and light, it's low calorie sitcom humor.
DVD of the Week:
. Oh, come on. It's freaking Speed Racer, people. Do I really need to explain this to you? You've got the
first eleven episodes, some features and--I dig the hell out of this--the cover is made of rubber with a tire tread on it.
It's a limited edition set, so you should pick one up if you're a fan or for sheer nostalgia purposes. Or at least rent it
and remember back when you wanted your own Mach-5. Hell, I still do.
CD of the Week:
. While we wait for some musical goodness to actually street so I can tell you about it, let's go back a ways
to this killer soundtrack. Sure, the movie was a bit
of a brain blender, but the soundtrack transcended. Angelo Badalamenti's score, Trent Reznor's production and additions,
a little bit of Bowie, a little bit of Marilyn Manson, and a little Rammstein? Oh yeah. Creepy as hell and great to work
by.
Book of the Week:
by Jasper Fforde. It's 1985, and in the world of Thursday Next (yes, that’s her real name), dodos
have been brought back from extinction as pets, the Crimean War is still being fought, and literature is really
important to people. And, unfortunately, there is a literary terrorist kidnapping characters from beloved novels and
ransoming them. Thursday steps in to try and quash the efforts of the aptly named Acheron Hades while dealing with
the ridiculous world in which she lives and her own personal demons. Cleverly written and appealing to bibliophiles
everywhere, it’s a great ride.
