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?
June 18, 2004
Book of the Week:
by George R. R. Martin. That's right, I won't rest until you're all addicts of the series like myself. And
a good number of the staff. In a world in which the seasons are completely hosed and winter can last literally a lifetime,
two major houses are about to be brought into the King's court together and unwittingly cause the entirety of the Seven Kingdoms
to descend into a shitstorm. That's the haiku version, I wouldn't want to give anything away. It's the best, most involved
fantasy I've read since the other guy with two Rs for initials. So buy it, already.
Audiobook of the Week:
by Karen Armstrong. This Harper Audio release is a biography of the three-thousand-year-old city, and, as the
title states, its role as the epicenter of three mythoi and what effect that has had on the city through the ages. Nicely
done, it doesn't hesitate to take the religions in question to task for not practicing what they preach and treating others
who hold the city in esteem with the respect they deserve. Go figure. Armstrong's reading of her own work is quite apt
and it makes for very informative listening.
TV DVD of the Week:
. Fans of the show have reason to rejoice now that the third season is on DVD from Paramount. They should
rejoice that the show actually survived its first season thanks to a drought of shows on its network at the time, but that's
another story. Here you get all twenty-five third season episodes (including the first ones with Kelsey Grammer as Dr.
Fraser Crane and the last ones with Nicholas Colasanto as "Coach," as he sadly passed away following these shows), some
clip montages, and a tour of the set with the art director.
DVD of the Week:
. While it's not the best baseball flick out there, it is still loads of fun for sports fans and non-fans alike.
Syrupy fun, granted, but fun nonetheless. This Columbia Tristar release supplants the original no-frills version with
a decent load of stuff: an audio commentary with director Penny Marshall and others, deleted scenes, a docu, and a Madonna
music video for "This Used to Be My Playground." Watching that last bit is strictly voluntary.
Anime DVD of the Week:
. This Bandai release features four episodes of the series in which witch hunters take on rogue witches to bring
them to justice. Man, that was almost a tongue twister. Anyway, the problem here is that the witch hunter headquarters
seems to be getting attacked an awful lot--perhaps there's a traitor in the ranks? You get two voice actor interviews,
liner notes and a reversible cover.
Docu DVD of the Week:
. Docurama releases this look at the first year on the job for five teachers in Los Angeles public schools and
the struggles they undergo to simply do their jobs: fighting bureauracy, lack of fundage, and the attitudes of the kids
themselves being just a few. Narrated by Elisabeth Shue, it comes with a commentary track from the teachers on the film,
as well as additional footage with commentary, profiles on the teachers and the promo video "TEACH." Winner of a Peabody,
it's worth checking out.
Animation DVD of the Week:
. Fox brings you this animated feature from Ralph Bakshi, who's sick to damn death by now, no doubt, of being
known as the other guy who did Lord of the Rings flicks. It's a bizarre mishmash of robots, elves, Nazis, fantasy
and magic in which a wizard goes up against his evil twin for the sake of the world. And it's got features, too, which is
nice: a commentary with Bakshi, trailers, TV spots, a featurette on Bakshi, and a still gallery.
TV Show of the Week:Family Plots
on A&E. You can't get much more reality television than the reality of death. The setting is a family-run mortuary
in San Diego, and the mix of humor and pathos is only possible in real life. You'd need the Coen and Zucker brothers to try
and make this stuff up. Recent episodes involve the three daughters who work at the mortuary signing their father (who's
also behind the wheel of the hearse) up for an online dating service, as well as one in which their mother comes to
help out (although she's still pissed at her ex-husband). Episodes air on A&E every Monday at 9PM EST. Twisted reality
television that's not annoying.
Music CD of the Week:
by Jim Brickman. This release from Windham Hill features fifteen tracks from pianist/songwriter Brickman,
and some of his collaborations with artists like Martina McBride, Michael W. Smith and Jordan Hill. As a straight ahead
solo pianist, his instrumental stuff works the best, I think. When you bring in a vocalist for an overbearing love song,
it's a lot like post-Cetera Chicago, and not the sort of thing I'm used to hearing from Windham Hill. However, for soft,
smooth piano instrumentals, Brickman is a winner.
Book of the Week:
by George R. R. Martin. That's right, I won't rest until you're all addicts of the series like myself. And
a good number of the staff. In a world in which the seasons are completely hosed and winter can last literally a lifetime,
two major houses are about to be brought into the King's court together and unwittingly cause the entirety of the Seven Kingdoms
to descend into a shitstorm. That's the haiku version, I wouldn't want to give anything away. It's the best, most involved
fantasy I've read since the other guy with two Rs for initials. So buy it, already.
