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 13, 2002
Book of the Week:
by Ashley Kahn. There are a few jazz albums that stick with me and work no matter what I need on my CD player.
Brubeck's Time Out is one. Milt Jackson's Sunflower is another. And there's the granddaddy of them all,
this album of Miles. Kahn's book takes you beyond the origins of this classic, recreating how the process worked admirably
considering that there's one only surviving member of those sessions. Fans of Miles will want to give this a read, and
non-fans of Miles should get the hell off our site.
Comic Book of the Week:Mek #2 by
Warren Ellis & Steve Rolston. I gotta admit--Ellis' three-part story regarding post-human culture in the future and their
"mek" enhancements will read much better as a trade paperback than in serial form. It just needs to be eaten all at once,
I feel. But regardless, this wild variation on some of the whacked out tech themes in Transmet looks like it's going
to be an interesting ride when all is said and done.
Graphic Novel of the Week:London's Dark by James Robinson & Paul Johnson. I understand that Robinson used to write really good comics
before he decided to do such great Hollywood deeds as create a screen-friendly lobotomized version of Alan Moore's
League. With this graphic novel, I can see what all the fuss is about. A nice story set in World War II London, it tells
a tale of a woman who can contact the dead, the air warden who gets involved with her--and the murder that gets them both in
trouble. Nice to see this from our friends at Titan Books in the UK.
DVD Boxed Set of the Week:
. Granted, there's no frills to be found on this set--but fans of the show aren't going to complain too loudly.
Twenty-two episodes are here, including the pilot, and it's a nice look at the show before it began to evolve. But regardless,
the scripts are still funny, Reiser and Hunt are still perfect in their roles--it's worthy.
DVD of the Week:
. The disc is a bit of a disappointment, considering that it's pan and scan with no features. But still, the
silver lining is that at least we have the thing in DVD form now. Miyazaki's in fine form, creating believable and
adorable young girls as characters that...wonder of wonders, actually act like real young girls. It's just downright
masterful and warm and magical--so let's pray we magically get a better release soon. Tide yourself over with this for
now.
CD of the Week:
. Piano as blunt instrument. Ben Folds, now without his Five, recorded an album's worth of live stuff on his
last tour, and this CD does a very good job of capturing what the live show was like. Complete with "Tiny Dancer," a couple
of improvised songs, and some choice tracks from both new and old material--it's a sweet little disc.
Book of the Week:
by Ashley Kahn. There are a few jazz albums that stick with me and work no matter what I need on my CD player.
Brubeck's Time Out is one. Milt Jackson's Sunflower is another. And there's the granddaddy of them all,
this album of Miles. Kahn's book takes you beyond the origins of this classic, recreating how the process worked admirably
considering that there's one only surviving member of those sessions. Fans of Miles will want to give this a read, and
non-fans of Miles should get the hell off our site.
Comic Book of the Week:
Graphic Novel of the Week:
London's Dark by James Robinson & Paul Johnson. I understand that Robinson used to write really good comics
before he decided to do such great Hollywood deeds as create a screen-friendly lobotomized version of Alan Moore's
League. With this graphic novel, I can see what all the fuss is about. A nice story set in World War II London, it tells
a tale of a woman who can contact the dead, the air warden who gets involved with her--and the murder that gets them both in
trouble. Nice to see this from our friends at Titan Books in the UK.
