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. Hey, come on, we can't be totally selfless in this, can we?
November 14, 2003
Book of the Week:
by Gregory Maguire. From the man who previously brought you the Wizard of Oz remix Wicked comes
another fairy tale turned on its ear. Let me give the one line that made my ears perk up: Lucrezia Borgia is the wicked
stepmother. Yes, that's right: you heard me. Updating the tale to that time period is just the tip of the iceberg, it
gets weirder from there--but it never gets boring. Let Maguire mess with your head this weekend.
Audiobook of the Week:
by Frances Mayes, read by the author. A bit of a different pick, this memoir of Mayes' goes through her time
spent living in a villa in rural Italy. For those who know the country and those who wish they knew the country, it's a
great listen and a nice bonus to get the author reading it for you herself. Forget the home fixit shows for a weekend and
instead give this a shot.
Graphic Novel of the Week:
by Grant Morrison and various. The first time that everybody sat up and took notice of Morrison was when he
pulled a first--he put himself in the story. And we're not talking the cute way that Stan and Jack used to--he literally
had himself in the story, did it to prove a point and to put a helluva finale on his run on this title.
Amazing stuff which makes you ask not only who's reading your life, but hell, who's writing it?
Comic Book of The Week:
1602 #4
by Neil Gaiman & Andy Kubert. Know what's going on yet? Nope, neither do we. But at least as Neil answers (or at least
hints at some answers) some questions, he's raising others. And the whole thing's very interesting--so we're grateful for
that. In the wake of the Queen's death, Doom is making his moves and getting some help from an unexpected source. Kubert's
art works nicely as well. Hop on board and get confused with the rest of us, we'll make a party out of it.
DVD Boxed Set of the Week:
. Even those who may not have liked the series must give credit where credit is due: this packaging looks cool
as hell. It's a Cylon head, for Christ's sake. Fans of the show will wet themselves over that alone--but there's more.
You get all twenty-four issues spread out over six discs, plus three hours of deleted and alternate scenes, a packed
commentary on the pilot episode, and a making of docu--just to name a few of the things. And did we mention this Universal
boxed set has a Cylon head on the front? You can hear the thudding noises as geeks swoon across the world.
DVD of the Week:
. Head trip? Sure thing. Director Godfrey Reggio takes images that you're familiar with and then mucks them
up to create something entirely new. Backed by a musical score by Phillip Glass, it's visually stunning like nothing you've
probably ever seen. This Buena Vista release also comes with a panel discussion on the film and a convo with Glass and
cellist Yo-Yo Ma.
Anime of the Week:
. This title from Bandai brings you the OVA and the sequel, along with some bonus story material. It's about
a shrinking device, a group of men trying to make it to Mars, and the 50s feel of sci-fi that would allow for such madness
to transpire. Definitely a nice change of pace from clanging mecha, this Bandai release is something that will please any
sci-fi fan.
Documentary of the Week:
. A classic documentary from 1952, it comes in twenty-six episodes spread over four discs in this 50th
Anniversary boxed set from The History Channel. Packed with great footage that takes you right to the front along
with an incredible musical score, this is a must see for anyone either
wanting an introduction to World War II or just wanting to relive this show from when it first aired.
CD of the Week:
. Ah yes--if you need some R&B/funk napalm to drop on your weekend and set fire to the foliage, this two disc
set from UTV is right up your alley. Fifty--count em--fifty songs on here from The Godfather and, well, let's face it--JB
on a bad day is better than a lot of musicians on their best. The set spans from "Please, Please, Please" to "Static" and
rocks all the way through. Necessary.