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?
December 5, 2003
Book of the Week:
by Charles Murray. It takes a lot of balls to write something that purports to be ostensibly a resume for the
human species. But Murray has done just that in this HarperCollins release, talking in regards to who's important and why, publishing laundry lists in
scores of different fields. He also asks the question on everybody's mind: is human excellence slowing down?
Art Book of the Week:
, edited by Bhob Stewart. Wood's one of those artist whose work you've no doubt seen, although you may not have
known it at the time. And we're not just talking about his stuff for Mad--you can find his work in the pages of
DC, EC, Marvel and a slew of other publishers. This book from TwoMorrows features drawings and such from Wood's own estate,
along with never before published paintings and such. Personal favorite: his unpublished work for an edition of Chocolate
Factory that never came to pass.
Audiobook of the Week:
, performed by the author, Jane Alexander & Edward Herrmann. Anybody who's been reading this site for any length
of time knows that we're of the opinion: nobody reads an author's work like the author his or herself. And thankfully,
Caedmon provides a slew of opportunities to hear such things. Alexander and Herrmann, not green readers themselves, back
Updike up when we don't get him. Worth a listen.
Comic Book of the Week: The Ultimates #12 by Mark Millar & Bryan Hitch. You know, when they can finally get
this book out, it's pretty damn good. As the Ultimates try and take down the plans of the Ulty Skrulls--which involves
an Authority level threat, we get to see Captain America deliver one of his greatest lines ever, Thor cut loose
and also see what their "nuclear option" is. Get it and enjoy it--but
no rush, we won't see the next issue for months, probably.
Graphic Novel of the Week:
by Greg Rucka & Brian Hurtt. You know, one of the easiest books out there to like these days is this title.
Rucka is a superb scribe, and does a lot of things well, but he does the Brit spy business better than a lot of films or
novels manage to. This time out you get a bunch of backstory for one of the lead characters--stuff that's still having
reprecussions in the monthly mag. Excellent reading from Oni Press.
DVD Boxed Set of the Week:
. You know, we make a lot of jokes on this site about the Uber Mongo edition of DVDs--but this joins the
ranks of the few titles that actually qualifies. This set has gone plaid, ladies and gentlemen. What the hell takes nine
discs? Well, first up you get all four movies, two discs each, with commentaries, extended and theatrical cuts, featurettes
and docus out the wazoo, and the ninth disc which features trailers, TV spots and even more ginormous amounts of behind the
scenes stuff. This is a month of weekends in a box, people.
DVD of the Week:
. Who knew Disney could actually pull off a (decent) screen adaptation of an amusement park ride? The exception
to the rule was a hoot and they're making the most of it with this DVD release. Two discs in all, you get three
commentaries (with Depp, Knightley, Verbinski and others), featurettes, a blooper reel, and a slew of deleted scenes.
The movie's fun enough to own and Disney DVD's made it easy to talk yourself into this one.
TV DVD of the Week:
. Ah, the 80s. Back then, television was so much simpler. One misunderstanding could equal a half-hour of comedy.
And the main reason it never seemed to get old was the late, great John Ritter's mastery of physical comedy. Not to
mention the (extremely humorous now) sexual underplay: a guy and two girls staying in an apartment together! No way! Anchor
Bay provides the first season (six episodes and the pilot) on this disc. Face it, you thought the show was a hoot; dig in.
Anime-Related DVD of the Week:
. Anime fans know director Mamoru Oshii. He's brought us Avalon, Ghost in the Shell and
Patlabor, just to name a few. This set of three flicks (and a bonus soundtrack CD), however, is all live action
released in the late 80s/early 90s, and it's that surreal, whacked out kind of live action that will make you wonder. If
you ever wanted to see what one of your favorite anime directors would do if he got a hold of real people, this is worth
spending your time on.
Holiday DVD of the Week:
. So it's basically It's a Wonderful Muppet Life. Sure. Granted. But come on, even a bad Muppets flick
is better than most holiday family fare--so you're set here, since this isn't half bad. It's not the most special edition
around, but this release from MGM does have an Inside the Actor's Studio spoof hosted by Pepe the Prawn, and Pepe
comes back to introduce the range of bloopers.
Adverse Video of the Week:
. Sometimes you just need a bad or cheesy movie. And the people in the fab (as in "fabricated") pop group,
S Club, do not disappoint--as evidenced in this Columbia Tristar release. Sure, if you like them you'll probably enjoy their cute little flick, but for the most part it's
strictly for that audience. What happens when S Club learns that clones of themselves are touring the
States? Hijinks, of course! Granted they get points for not laboring under the mistake that they've produced Citizen
Kane, as they state in the features, but still.
Music CD of the Week:
. Let's face it. There are a slew of downsides to the holiday season--one of the main ones is the music. You
go to a relative's house and you're hearing the same old tired crap as last year and ten years before that. One of the
albums that can fix that is this release from Lost Highway, featuring some extremely sweet acoustic versions of classic
Christmas songs. Some favorites: Willie Nelson covering "Please Come Home for Christmas," Ralph Stanley doing "Christmas
is Near" and Norah Jones tackling "Peace." Bonus: buying this helps out Special Olympics, so there's certainly no reason
not to arm yourself with it.
Magazine of the Week:
. As always, there's something interesting in this mag. You may not always agree with the opinions, but they're
damn well worth reading. The latest issue features a look at the state of communications in modern America, with a special
eye towards the Clear Channel monster, and what it takes to put paved roads in the Trans-Siberian Gap. And you thought it
was a pain to keep up your driveway. Anyway, there's always the Harper's Index, which is one of our favorite bits.
Snack of the Week Natural Cheetos White Cheddar Puffs. Sounds gross? Guess again. Completely
natural and thoroughly addictive, this new snack is anything but bland. Move away from Yellow Number 5 and partially
hydrogenated whatever to real white cheddar cheese for a tasty treat. You don’t have to go to the health food store
to get them, either. Just pick up a bag at your local supermarket and dig in.