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 18, 2001

Book of the Week: Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman. When a normal everyday guy from London Above gets sucked into the world of London Below, things are able to get a little dicey. The "writer's cut" of the BBC miniseries that Gaiman wrote, it's a nice fantastical romp that's even Americanized to explain a bit to us whackos on the left side of the pond. What a deal.

Graphic Novel of the Week: Fortune and Glory by Brian Michael Bendis. So funny and outrageous, you'd think it was fiction. But frighteningly--it's not. Join the true story of Bendis as he tries to break into Hollywood--and the very strange animals that he finds there. One of the most hilarious graphic novels ever.

DVD of the Week: Harold and Maude. One of the sickest, darkest, funniest, most heartfelt and endearing comedies ever. If you've seen the film, you're nodding in agreement right now. If you haven't, you're wondering how all of those little adjectives could be used to describe a single movie. I strongly suggest you go find out.

Off the Beaten Path Rental of the Week: Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead. Out of print, not on DVD. Just like the rest. This spin on Shakespeare's Hamlet not only has Tim Roth and Gary Oldman acting their asses off, but Dreyfuss does the Bard. Righteous. Adapted for the screen by playwright Tom Stoppard, it's a marvel. If you can find it, watch for us once, will you?

CD of the Week: Beat the Border by Geoffrey Oryema. From Peter Gabriel's Real World Label (from whom we'll buy anything they put out), comes this Ugandan ukeme (thumb piano) player. Sound simplistic? It's not. Songs in both his native Acholi and also in English are moving and make great music to work by. Final track, "Nomad," all a capella, is a personal fave.

Beverage of the Week: Water Joe. For you freaks out there who don't like the taste of coffee, here's why we here at Needcoffee.com have the cleanest kidneys on the continent. Bottled water that has all the caffeine of a cup of coffee. You heard me. Keeps you awake, and keeps you hydrated. You just gotta love that.

Ice Cream of the Week: Festivus by Ben and Jerry's. Not only is this the ice cream equivalent of crack cocaine (but much tastier with pie than crack cocaine, I might add), it also makes for a great parody of a Bob Marley song. "Festivus!...movement to the freezer...Festivus!...movement to the freezer..." Come on, sing along, you don't know the words.