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 28, 2004
Book of the Week:
by Bart D. Ehrman. The early Christian church was a bit of a hodge-podge of various different factions. They
were all over the map as far as what was considered canon, the various bits of doctrine, who created the world, what level
of divinity Jesus had (still debated today, actually), even how many gods there were that folks needed to worship. This
Oxford University Press gives a nice overview over the beginnings of a religion which didn't get solidified until the
fourth century C.E. And whether or not it's solid is also still debated, actually.
Audiobook of the Week:
by Patrick Robinson, performed by David McCallum. Schlocky pulp? Yes, but sometimes you just crave some
literary junk food, especially when it comes to the military/techno/thriller variety. It's the near future and China is
making its move: trying to box in the world's oil and screw up the world's economy. But they have something even more
sinister in mind: dun dun DUN. Particularly amusing is the bit with the U.S. Navy captain who's out of his mind.
Admirably (no pun intended) performed by McCallum (yes, the dude from
Great Escape and UNCLE), it's fun if you need
that sort of thing.
Graphic Collection of the Week:
by Brian K. Vaughan & Pia Guerra. Vertigo's #1 series in the wake of Transmet's departure continues
and only gets weirder. Following a plague that wiped out every male on the planet, Yorick and his monkey (an actual monkey,
cool it) are the only two left. They make their way to a town in Ohio, only to be pursued by the whackjob unibreasted
Amazons. And Yorick is going to get a bit of a surprise. If you're not reading this already, slap yourself and get started.
TV DVD of the Week:
. A&E brings the entire twenty-two episode run of the fourth season to DVD (in the order the producers intented
them to be shown), with the whole shmeal playing across
six discs. Some characters have stepped out and some new ones have entered, but it's still the same damn good show. It's
yet another damn good boxed set as well, as you get commentary on one episode along with a slew of interviews.
DVD of the Week:
. The Studio Classics line from Fox is back and this time they're covering this John Ford-helmed, Henry Fonda-starring
classic. This Steinbeck adaptation contains an audio commentary from a pair of scholars, one film and one Steinbeck, the
prologue from the U.K. giving context about the Depression to the Brits, Movietone News, an episode of Biography
on producer Darryl F. Zanuck and a comparison restoration.
Anime DVD of the Week:
. Convicts rehabilitated with the threat of explosives is the basic theme of this OVA, the second piece of which
is available here from Central Park Media. Goggles, one of our trio of protagonists, finds himself faced with an old
parner of his, who had valuable information--information the military wants back. Once Goggles figures out what the shot
is, it's on him to save the entire city.
Docu DVD of the Week:
. If you want to get the true skinnee on June 6th (sixty year anniversary is upon us), then this release from
Rhino will help you out: narrated by John Hurt, it's packed with color footage that delivers. And it's packed with bonus
stuff as well: "The Overlord Experience" is comprised of veterans talking about what it was like to be there, "Media & War"
is about pretty much what it says, footage of airborne troops in Normandy, interactive maps, diaries, biographies
and a timeline.
Adverse Video of the Week:
. From the "Oh Man, Why Is That a Franchise?" Department, this third film in the series is the most tepid of the
bunch. Apart from a couple of scenes involving some exposed flesh, it's about as risque as something you'd find on
the Lifetime Channel. And cruel? Cruel is teasing us thinking that some cold bloodedness is going to reign like it did in
the previous two. Again, tepid and silly. A fourth Poison Ivy would have been a better investment. Rent this if
you feel like frustrating yourself.
Animation DVD of the Week:
. While the critics tore the live action film a new one, audiences turned out for it. And don't even try to
deny it--the box office elves didn't magically give it $220 million in worldwide take. Here from Universal is a short animated prequel
to the feature film in which Van Helsing (here voiced by Jackman) takes on Mr. Hyde. For features, you get a making of
for the feature film, the video game, and also some storyboards.
Music DVD of the Week:
. Martin Scorsese loves the blues. This is not news, seeing as how there's been PBS docus out the yin yang,
executive produced by Marty S. and featuring some great stuff. This disc from the overall collection, released by Universal
Music, is no exception. It's basically following Chuck D and Marshall Chess (yes, of the family behind Chess Records)
going through Chicago to talk the classics of blues. Bonuswise, you get five full-length performances that aren't in
the film, an interview with and a commentary by director Marc Levin, and a menu option that will take you straight to all
the music. Nice.
Music CD of the Week:
by Sleep Station. It's honestly been a while since I've run across a new concept album. Maybe I'm just not
looking in the right place or maybe it's just a rare type of release, I don't know. However, on this Bardic release, Sleep Station takes the idea
and nails it, delivering a work that's probably the best meditation on war we're going to get now that Roger Waters seems
to have fallen silent. Recorded using a great deal of period equipment, Sleep Station captures the wide range of emotion
that went with the events of World War II. Doubt me? Find and check out "Caroline, London, 1940" or "A Final Prayer 2"
to sample it for yourself.
Book of the Week:
by Bart D. Ehrman. The early Christian church was a bit of a hodge-podge of various different factions. They
were all over the map as far as what was considered canon, the various bits of doctrine, who created the world, what level
of divinity Jesus had (still debated today, actually), even how many gods there were that folks needed to worship. This
Oxford University Press gives a nice overview over the beginnings of a religion which didn't get solidified until the
fourth century C.E. And whether or not it's solid is also still debated, actually.
