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?
August 27, 2004
Book of the Week: Dancing With DeBeauvoir: Jazz and the French by Colin Nettelbeck. An interesting look
at France and how the music of jazz has helped to shape that country's culture (and what it meant when the music
arrived)--this is the latest from Melbourne University Press. Everything from French cinema to art had some influence
coming from jazz and Nettelbeck runs it down for you. Fans of the genre will appreciate a read.
(UK)
Audiobook of the Week:
. Taken from the classic silent film, this audio adaptation stars a full cast led by John de Lancie (yes, that's
right: Q from the Star Trek series). de Lancie stars as a poet who comes across Dr. Caligari's setup at a fair one night.
There they run into a creature that's neither living nor dead, and the whole thing just means trouble for everybody
involved. This Blackstone Audio release is a well done dramatization that's perfect for being stuck in traffic.
(CAN)
Comic Book of the Week: The Losers #15
by Andy Diggle & Ale Garza. While Garza is no replacement for regular artist Jock, Diggle gives us a solo Aisha story, in
which she goes back to help out a friend and do so with the help of the CIA...kinda. This is actually a good plan, since
Aisha has been suffering from the syndrome of being an underdeveloped badass in a team of other badasses. Now we get to
see some more of her agenda and what makes her tick.
Graphic Novel of the Week:
. Alan Moore takes the alternate Earth of the title (which first appeared in the pages of his Tom Strong)
and runs with it. After being restored to the planet by Tom Strong and their own Tom Strange, the heroes of Terra Obscura
have a new threat to deal with: something appears to be shutting down technology...and it's spreading. Consider this
Alan Moore's play on the idea of Squadron Supreme, at least in a sense. Published by the America's Best Comics imprint,
it's handled out of the UK by Titan.
(UK)
(CAN)
TV DVD of the Week:
. Nothing says "just damn" like a nine-disc boxed set, and that's precisely what you get from Anchor Bay here.
Covering all twenty-two fourth season episodes, it features a buttload of special features:
interviews, commentaries, a monsters featurette, some dailies in another featurette, behind-the-scenes stuff, photo
gallery, and--yes, there's more--CD-ROM info with bios, trivia and production drawings.
(UK)
(CAN)
DVD of the Week:
. Fans of the film will want to check out Miramax's special edition if they haven't already. It's enough to
take up most of your weekend, with two commentaries, both with Minghella, one with producer Saul Zaentzand the other with
author Michael Ondaatje. You get a Master Class with deleted scenes, making-of docu, a "look at the real Count Almasy,"
a featurette covering the book's adaptation, and more.
(UK)
(CAN)
Anime DVD of the Week:
. For those who dig Sailor Moon and the Scouts, here's the fourth season, complete and uncut, from Geneon.
All thirty-nine episodes are here as our heroes take on an evil circus and the Amazon Trio, as the bad guys look around for
Pegasus, who's apparently hiding out in a girl's dreams. This iteration of the show is here across seven discs for fans who
need to grab it.
(UK)
(CAN)
Docu DVD of the Week:
. Jim Brown's certainly had an interesting life and career--and if you don't know why, then Spike Lee has got
the answer for you in his docu from HBO Video. From athlete to actor to activist, it's all here--backed up by friends
and associates of the man himself. Lee also provides a commentary track. Recommended for followers of the pigskin.
(UK)
Animation DVD of the Week:
Rex Steele: Nazi Smasher. If you want to
sneeze in the faces of those who think cel animation is dead, then grab one of the 2000 limited edition DVDs created
by Monkeysuit Press. Not only do you get some serious Nazi-butt kicking, but this damn thing's stacked: the short "In
the Bosom of Terror," three making-of docus, three commentary tracks, art gallery, pencil tests, animatics, design work...and
that's before you get to the soundtrack on Disc 2. Funny, sweet-looking, and better than anything Disney will put out
this year--believe it.
Music DVD of the Week:
. The folks who made Paul Simon's Graceland an album to remember return in this Docurama release. It's
the Academy Award-nominated docu that tells the story of Joseph Shabalala, the group's head burrito, and their story--how
they went from a musical competition in South Africa to being world music stars. This comes with two versions of the
film, an interview with the director, some really nice bonus singing footage, and filmmaker bios.
(UK)
(CAN)
TV Show of the Week: Dog the Bounty
Hunter. If you want to see a character who's more interesting in real life than most are in fiction, then check
out Dog. When he's not chasing down criminals who are on the lam, he's trying to keep his family together, which is comprised
of his wife and twelve children. Holy mackerel. Two episodes kick off the show this coming Tuesday. Check out the
official site for more info.
Music CD of the Week:
by Diam. This latest release from Real World Records is from the practically one-man band from Mauritania.
A sweet blend of folk, pop and world genres, it's great music to work by. It has the same tremendous feel of something
like Geoffrey Oryema's Beat the Border. If you want to sample it yourself, seek out
tracks like "Mi Malama" and "Hammadi." If only I knew what the lyrics meant so I could sing along properly.
(UK)
(CAN)