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 9, 2003
Book of the Week:
by Robert Anton Wilson. This series of books by RAW is absolutely priceless. Part story of his life and
experiences with mind-expansion, part
gonzo history of conspiracy and coverups, part serious discussion of absolute weirdness--it's a great brain-opener. Many
of his non-fiction books are good for provoking thought, but none are quite so all over the place as the Trigger.
Over the course of the series he will deal with a death in his family, the Vatican, and some very mysterious pancakes--just
to name a few incidents and tales. Fascinating--grab the first one and start your own whacked out journey vicariously
through RAW.
Audiobook of the Week:
by Stephen King, read by various. Christine 2: Cars United? Nah, not highly. It's about a particular
cadre of Pennsylvania State Patrolmen who have custody of a very, very strange automobile. Nothing quite like a really
snazzy car that is a way into another dimension and has nifty little critters to boot--bizarre and good for you. Well
written, it's also well read by a group of actors including James Rebhorn (a prick in many a film including ID4)
and Bruce Davison (X2). Unabridged, it's almost
fourteen hours of audio goodness.
Graphic Novel of the Week:
by Brian Michael Bendis & Michael Avon Oeming. I always tried to explain this series thusly: "Top Ten
is Hill Street Blues with superpowers. Powers is NYPD Blue with superpowers. And it's true--as the
series gets more and more insane in its ongoing monthly march, it's time for those of you who haven't checked it out yet
to do so. Comes complete with great cop attitude and an ending that's just creepy as shit. Bendis is my guardo camino.
Comic Book of the Week:Exiles #26
by Chuck Austen & Clayton Henry. I'm a bit stunned, to be perfectly honest. Finally, Chuck Austen writes something that
doesn't make me physically ill to read. His War Machine series was twelve miles of arse and everything else has been
pretty rank as well...but here I'm very surprised. Now that Blink is gone and Magik has taken her place, the team is sent
to a reality where they basically have to make sure that Japan gets perforated by Moses Magnum. Harsh. Damn harsh and I
must admit I dig it.
DVD Boxed Set of the Week:
. Before Lion King, before Four Weddings, before...okay, well, afterBlackadder,
comes...this show. Rowan Atkinson at his silliest and, strangely, most quiet. With odd noises, an even odder walk and
an unnerving Muppet-like voice...and a teddy, Mr. Bean gets into all manner of insane situations. It's kind of like
the feature film, but you know, actually funny. A&E rocks
the house with all fourteen episodes, a docu, Comic Relief skits and more. Fans must own.
DVD of the Week:
. The Funk Brothers are the center of this docu. They're the musicians that basically provided the foundation
for the success of Motown--unknown by many until this film hit. It comes in a very worthy disc set from Artisan that
brings you director/producer commentary, a trivia subtitled track, a nice healthy dosage of featurettes and biographies
of just about everybody you could desire one for. Fans of the Motown sound will love the hell out of this.
CD of the Week:
by Apocalyptica. Okay. I don't even like Metallica. Seriously. Drove ten hours round-trip to see a Lollapalooza
for the sake of Rage, The Ramones and Soundgarden--Metallica headlined, the moment they hit the stage, I was in the parking
lot beating feet home. But I'm a sucker for cool strings--so take four classically trained string musicians with a love
of heavy metal, and you get this group. Personal favorite tracks: "For Whom the Bell Tolls," "Fade to Black" and the
Faith No More cover, "From Out of Nowhere."
Book of the Week:
by Robert Anton Wilson. This series of books by RAW is absolutely priceless. Part story of his life and
experiences with mind-expansion, part
gonzo history of conspiracy and coverups, part serious discussion of absolute weirdness--it's a great brain-opener. Many
of his non-fiction books are good for provoking thought, but none are quite so all over the place as the Trigger.
Over the course of the series he will deal with a death in his family, the Vatican, and some very mysterious pancakes--just
to name a few incidents and tales. Fascinating--grab the first one and start your own whacked out journey vicariously
through RAW.
