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, both in the US, the UK and Canada.
Hey, come on, we can't be totally selfless in this, can we?
July 23, 2004
Book of the Week:
by Penn Jillette. Sometimes we get titles in here that just recommend themselves. Take this one from St.
Martin's Press, for example. Penn (yes, the guy who hangs
with Teller) has written a murder mystery in which a serial killer is stacking up the bodies in New York City. It's up to
our hero to stop him: a NYPD diver who was in love with the first victim. The narrator? The diver's sock monkey. No, I'm
serious. Crazed and very worthwhile, and that's no bullshit.
(UK)
(CAN)
Audiobook of the Week:
by Lincoln Child, read by Barrett Whitener. Eden, Inc. has a great track record for finding you a partner
for life. In fact, if you're not satisfied, you get your money back. But no one's ever been dissatisfied. At least until
the Thorpes, considered the perfect couple (like all of Eden's end results), end up as a double suicide. What the hell is
going on? This Blackstone Audio unabridged book read by veteran reader Barrett Whitener isn't high lit, but it's a decent
read/listen if you want a relatively light mystery.
(CAN)
Comic Book of the Week:Daredevil #62
by Brian Michael Bendis & Alex Maleev. Matt's back. Mostly. His wife's left him and the Black Widow is hanging around and
being her usual rampagingly sexy self. Plus Jigsaw is running about. So that's fun. Bendis continues to make this series
worth continuing to buy monthly books for, and Maleev's art is fantastic. Check out the major ass-getting-kicked spread
in the middle of the ish if you don't believe me.
TV DVD of the Week:
. Well, the wait's over. Universal tapped this thing for DVD and the first season's worth of episodes play out
across three discs. Long before he was riding the Trek franchise on its descent into the dusty annals of sci-fi history,
Bakula left a mark on the genre with this series, in which he leaps around in time, constantly finding himself inside a
person, with no idea what to do, except fix whatever needs fixing so he can move on and maybe someday get home. Main
bonus bit is a featurette, but the fans won't care: they should wipe away the slather and buy.
(CAN)
DVD of the Week:
. Bruce Campbell is Elvis. Ossie Davis thinks he's JFK. They team-up to take on an ancient undead gunslinger.
Do you really need to know anything else? Hmm? Okay, fine. This MGM special edition is truly choice: two commentaries,
one by Bruce Campbell in character, trailers and TV spots, Joe R. Lansdale reading from the original story, deleted scenes
with commentary, and a mini-slew of featurettes. Priceless.
(UK)
(CAN)
Anime DVD of the Week:
. The second volume is here and the game is back: in fact, this go-round it's being played at a nuclear power
plant that's defunct but still up and running (yeah, that would have been my first pick too). When asskicking begins in
the virtual world, the real world has to worry about glowing in the dark as the plant's about to go China Syndrome. ADV
brings you this, the only feature being clean opening and closing animation.
(UK)
(CAN)
Docu DVD of the Week:
. Well, if this release from the History Channel and A&E Home Video proves anything, it's that the really cool
stuff got left out of your history class. Did you know about the salt mine in Merkers, Germany that contained all of the
Nazis' captured loot? Did you know that the Japanese had working submarine aircraft carriers in 1945? Did you know there
was another fuhrer after Hitler died? Hell, we sure didn't. This two-disc set comes with two bonus programs as well. Fascinating
stuff.
(UK)
Adverse Video of the Week:
. There have been many bad sequels made; this one is the stuff of legends. The planet Zeist, Connery looking
terribly embarrassed, and other such fun is all to be had here. And indeed, this edition is nicely stacked, for those
wanting to delve further into the suck: they've redone the soundtrack and over one hundred of the effects, branching featurettes,
docus, interviews, more featurettes, deleted scenes, an alternate ending and the original promo reel for Cannes.
Check out the official site for more
info.
(UK)
(CAN)
DVD Boxed Set of the Week:
. Let's face it: recent Tarzan flicks have left something to be desired. So what can we do? Go back to the
classics, of course. And we're talking human fish Johnny Weissmuller, and the six films he did in a loincloth for MGM.
All six (from 1932 to 1942) are collected here in this relatively choice boxed set from Warner Brothers. Not only do you
get the six movies across three discs, but disc four comes with a docu on the cinematic lord of the jungle, as well as
some vintage shorts. Know your history. For more info, check
out the official site.
(UK)
(CAN)
Kung Fu DVD of the Week:
. The youngish son of a nobleman gets trained to be a master of the fu...or so he thinks. In reality, the father
hired a bunch of fakers to teach his son, and when the son goes to fight, it's always rigged. So of course, the first time
he gets into a true fight, he gets his ass handed to him. Our hero decides to seek out said asshander and learn the fu
from a real teacher this time around. Sweet choreography and fight scenes make this Fox release worth watching.
(UK)
(CAN)
Music CD of the Week:
by Rizwan-Muazzam Qawwali. This group of Qawwali singers from Pakistan is led by nephews of the great Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan,
Rizwan and Muazzam, naturally. This recent Real World release is a definite for people who liked the elder Khan's style
and enjoy traditional Qawwali songs. Tracks to sample: "Light of My Life," with lyrics by Rumi, and the title track,
"Day of Colours." This is their fourth release on Real World Records and should not be missed.
(UK)
(CAN)
Book of the Week:
by Penn Jillette. Sometimes we get titles in here that just recommend themselves. Take this one from St.
Martin's Press, for example. Penn (yes, the guy who hangs
with Teller) has written a murder mystery in which a serial killer is stacking up the bodies in New York City. It's up to
our hero to stop him: a NYPD diver who was in love with the first victim. The narrator? The diver's sock monkey. No, I'm
serious. Crazed and very worthwhile, and that's no bullshit.
(UK)
(CAN)
Comic Book of the Week: Daredevil #62
by Brian Michael Bendis & Alex Maleev. Matt's back. Mostly. His wife's left him and the Black Widow is hanging around and
being her usual rampagingly sexy self. Plus Jigsaw is running about. So that's fun. Bendis continues to make this series
worth continuing to buy monthly books for, and Maleev's art is fantastic. Check out the major ass-getting-kicked spread
in the middle of the ish if you don't believe me.
