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 16, 2003
Book of the Week:
by Gregory Maguire. A very interesting read, the conceit alone would be enough to carry it. That's because
it's exactly what the title claims: the Witch's side of the tail. Sure, it goes a little wonky towards the end, but like
I said--the concept will get you through. Very interesting and bizarre take on Baum's creation. Worth a read.
Audiobook of the Week:
by Richard Price, read by Michael Boatman. Ray Mitchell's been having a hard go of it. First, he was doing
pretty good for himself writing for the boob tube--but that ended with a quickness. So, trying to make lemonade, he returned
to Jersey and attempted to make a life for himself. Then he was found nearly dead in his apartment after being beaten.
The detective--a friend from Ray's past--assigned to the case is trying to get Ray to spill the beans on his assailant...but
he won't talk. Why? Thus unfolds the story--and it's a very interesting one--brought to your speakers capably by Boatman.
Again, good distraction from rush hour traffic.
Graphic Novel of the Week:
by Ron Marz & Bart Sears. Marz continues to write an incredible story that's equally packed with action,
carnage, and soul searching as Obo-San works towards finally figuring out just what the heck he needs to do. I mean,
pop quiz, hotshot: your brother's dead, your faith's been shattered, you've got a mark on your back that means you can make
like Jesse Custer and you've got a weapon that can decimate whole armies--what do you do, huh? What do you do?
Well, luckily, we don't have to make such decisions. We can just dig on Sears channeling Walt Simonson to unheard of
samurai perfection. Buy lots.
Comic Book of the Week: Scars #5
by Warren Ellis & Jacen Burrows. Ellis continues to astound with this very gritty and harsh series, which is my personal
favorite of the many mini-series he's got bouncing about right now. This setup for the final issue has the promise of
even more cringeworthy moments to come. Even if for some reason you didn't dig the contents, Steven Grant's afterword
regarding glass and the nature of horror is worth the price of admission.
DVD Boxed Set of the Week:
. This series from PBS gets the really sweet boxed set treatment from Fox. It's the story of Edward James
Olmos as the patriarch of a Hispanic family and sports an impressive cast, including Sonia Braga, Raquel Welch, Jay
Hernandez and Rachel Ticotin. And fans of the series will love this: the DVD is nice and widescreen and contains commentaries,
along with deleted scenes and a family tree for the characters. Nicely done--if only all series carried this much in the
extras department.
DVD of the Week:
. A gorgeous and inspiring way to spend seventy-eight minutes, Luc Besson provides a visual feast of underwater
denizens. That's right, you just get a parade of sea life--sharks, dolphins, octopi, the works--set to some incredible music
by Eric Serra. Shot over a period of three years and released by Columbia-Tristar, it's a great way to relax and enjoy the look of a completely different
world.
CD of the Week:
. Hip-O Records provides a nice primer of Bollywood film music, bearing fifteen tracks--spanning from the early
70s with bits from Tere Mere Sapne and Julie to more recent flicks like
Devdas. If you're unfamiliar with the works of Alka
Yagnik and Kishore Kumar, just to name a couple, then this disc is exactly what you need for some different listening
over the weekend.