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?
October 8, 2004
Book of the Week:
by Simon Winchester. One of the greatest volcanic explosions in the history of the planet gets some extreme
focus from Winchester, taking you up to the destruction of the island of Krakatoa, the effect it had on the world, and what
can be found at the site at the present day. Using ship logs, historical records, journals, and the like, it's truly a
fascinating look at what Mother Nature can do when she gets really agitated.
(UK)
(CAN)
Audiobook of the Week: The Curse
of Chalion by Lois McMaster Bujold, read by Lloyd James. Lord Cazaril, once betrayed by the rulers of Chalion,
now finds himself a tutor to Princess Iselle, and also in the unenviable position of trying to save the entire land
from the titular curse. Unabridged like all Blackstone Audio releases, this thing is fifteen CDs worth of listening,
more than enough to take you through the weekend--and with the capable reading by James, it won't feel like fifteen CDs,
that's for sure.
(UK)
(CAN)
Comic Book of the Week: Y: The Last Man #27
by Brian K. Vaughan & Pia Guerra. Welcome to San Francisco. Apparently some modicum of civilization is still in effect
there, while Yorick and his companions try to figure out just how in the hell he survived the Event which wiped out every
other male on the planet (except for Ampersand the monkey, of course). However, some former badass associates of Agent 355
are in town as well, and they're after something of hers...with unintended consequences.
Graphic Novel of the Week: Dead@17: Blood of Saints
by Josh Howard. The bad guys had a Plan B? Holy crap! That's right, backup schoolgirl Violet is targeted for death and
transformation by Bolabogg and she's a little less inclined to fight the power than our heroine, Nara. That's right, it's
time for an...undead schoolgirl catfight! Okay, it's more involved than that. And there's zombie ass to be kicked. So it's
all the carnage you've come to expect and then some. Viper brings the goodness. As always.
(UK)
(CAN)
TV DVD of the Week:
. All six episodes of the first season of this funny as hell British import are on DVD thanks to folks at HBO.
It features the ultimate wanksta, Ali G, as well as Borat, reporter from Kazakhstan and the Austrian fashion guy, Bruno.
You get Ali G's Hollywood pitch, extra footage of Bruno, audio commentary with Ali G's alter ego, Sacha Baron Cohen and
producer/scribe Dan Mazer, as well as an Ali G glossary. Seriously, it's milk-out-your-nose funny.
(UK)
(CAN)
DVD of the Week:
. A lot of Region 2 features finally make their way across the pond in this Fox two-disc special edition. For
fans of the film, they'll want to check this out: you get audio commentary by director John McTiernan, text commentary
with just about everybody, deleted scene, updated docu, a slew of featurettes which cover everything from Jesse
Ventura's cannon (Old Painless) to a memoriam for Kevin Peter Hall, outtakes, effect shots with the original red suit
Predator, photo gallery and more.
(UK)
(CAN)
Docu DVD of the Week:
. Docurama continues to crank out great docus and this is no exception, thus we present it here for your benefit.
It's the tale of Rigoberta Menchú, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, and also the story of a Guatemala torn by
the government on one side and the Native American population on the other, as they are dealt blows by deprivation and death
squads. This is fairly stacked for a docu release, with a comentary by the directors and editor, an epilogue with
Menchú, filmmaker bios and more.
(UK)
(CAN)
Adverse Video of the Week: . Richard Harris vs. a killer whale. Yup, that's basically it with this Jaws clone. But hey, it's amusing enough to see a killer whale try to go all Frank Castle on Harris' ass. Also has Bo Derek and Robert Carradine among the cast members, hopefully having enough sense to be embarrassed. No features to help it along, but it's a great, funny entry in the "animals attack" genre. (UK) (CAN)
Family DVD of the Week:
. Let's face it: whatever you think of the direct to video Disney sequels, kids will enjoy them. As this wraps
up the "Lion King Trilogy," it does have a nice juicy array of features to keep the rugrats busy for the weekend. There's
a new animated short film, some "Find Out Why" shorts starring Timon and Pumbaa playing Beakman, a making-of featurette,
a featurette on lions, a pop-up fact track, a "virtual safari," games, and more.
(UK)
(CAN)
Anime DVD of the Week:
. Well, for those that would like to find out how that huggable, lovable sociopath/assassin Ichi got started,
this release from Central Park Media will satisfy your curiosity...and then some. Chocked full of sex and violence (jam
packed with it considering the flick is only forty minutes long), if that's your bag, then this animated prequel to the
live action flick is for you. Its only feature is an art gallery and, again, it's not for the easily squeamish.
(UK)
(CAN)
DVD Boxed Set of the Week:
. Well, this 35th Anniversary Edition is truly a boxed set, since it tests your abilities: not only can you watch
the film, but you can read the British Film Institute Modern Classic book on the movie by Lee Hill. And if you're feeling
really frisky, you can dig out the exclusive song-track CD with the film's tunes. Can you handle the sensory overload?
Anyway, the DVD itself comes with its original features, a making-of docu, production notes and a commentary by director/scribe/helmer
Dennis Hopper.
(UK)
(CAN)
Yakuza DVD of the Week:
. Home Vision is throwing some great yakuza flicks your way, so if they're your bag, thank HV by spending some
quality time this weekend with director Kinji Fukasaku. Apart from bringing you madness like Battle Royale he made
films like this one, in which the uberthug Rikio Ishikawa descends into pure chaos and nihilism. It comes with a
twenty-minute video essay, an interview with the assistant director and trailers.
(UK)
(CAN)
Music CD of the Week:
by John Williams. This six disc set doesn't have a great deal of newness for you, that's clear. However, the
hardcore audiophiles among you will note that it's been remastered in DSD now. And the really hardcore fans of the franchise
will appreciate the lenticular covers for each of the films (which are badass, admittedly) as well as the screensavers that
come on the discs. If you have the previous editions (with their booklets), you're in good shape, but if you've put off
getting the soundtracks so far, quit and enjoy these.
(UK)
(CAN)