Each Thursday, 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?

October 11, 2001

Book of the Week: The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman. It introduces you to a world of theology, magic and animal daemons. The story itself concerns a little girl named Lyra in this universe whose carefree existence gets exchanged for a journey with a purpose. Looks like a kid's book--ain't completely so.

Graphic Novel of the Week: The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen by Moore and O'Neill. Allan Quatermain. Dr. Henry Jekyll. Mina Murray. Captain Nemo. Dr. Hawley Griffin. You know them from literature--but here in this book, they're united to save all of Britain. A must read, it's dense and filled with adventure. You'll thank us, and so will your English teacher.

DVD of the Week: Rushmore: Criterion Edition. Not only is it one of the best films of its particular year, and not only does it have the best Bill Murray role ever (yes, I said ever), the disc also has the prized Max Fischer Players productions from the 1999 MTV Movie Awards. Not to mention a very amusing commentary.

Off the Beaten Path Rental of the Week: Noises Off. Again, if you can find it--rent it. Based on the play, you have Michael Caine, Christopher Reeve, Carol Burnett, John Ritter and others in this 1992 film that is a must see for anyone of the theatre. Funny as hell and out of print. Weep.

CD of the Week: You'd Prefer an Astronaut by Hum. Mumbling, backed by a strange shifting morass of acoustics and electrics, and basically depressing lyrics that are really esoteric and strange. When you want to be filled with an uncertain malaise, look no farther than this album. Nice.

Candy Bar of the Week: The Wonka Bar. Beware. A chocolate bar packed with bits of graham crackers, you won't give a rat's ass if there's no golden ticket. You'll just eat them and go back for more. Handle with care, but do eat them.