Weekly Recommendations...from Needcoffee.com

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, in the US, the UK and Canada.

Hey, come on, we can't be totally selfless in this, can we?

December 17, 2004

Book of the Week:

by Peter Lord & Brian Sibley. Originally begun as a how-the-hell-do-they-that tome regarding stop motion/claymation from those magnificent whackos at Aardman, this latest version has been updated to show their usage of the latest computer technology and is a great primer for anyone wanting to get into the business. Or, more likely, anyone wanting a reality check so they can stay out of the business. Me, I can't imagine having that much patience. Anyway, this release comes from your friends at Harry N. Abrams. (UK) (CAN)

Audiobook of the Week:

by Washington Irving, performed by Ralph Cosham. A travelogue recounting not only the time Irving spent in Granada and the castle that gives the book its name, but also much of the legends and stories that he heard while there. A nice blend of mythology and historical fact, it's brought to life quite well on Blackstone Audio CDs by both a background of Spanish guitars and the performance by Ralph Cosham.

Comic Book of the Week: Ex Machina #7 by Brian K. Vaughan & Tony Harris. While DC is sucking rocks all over the place in other titles (Identity Crisis, anyone?), they are occasionally doing something right. Publishing this book, scribed by the man behind Y: The Last Man, is a nice example. The world's first superhero--who can talk to and instruct machines--has become the mayor of New York City. And you've never met an arch-villain like public policy. Digging this immensely.

TV DVD of the Week:

. MGM brings you all twenty-two episodes of this show's seventh season on five discs. Fans were pleased to see Michael Shanks return in this season as his character Daniel Jackson. Each episode comes with audio commentary by both cast and crew, some episodes bring featurettes as well, and individual characters get the focus in "Beyond the Gate" segments. (UK) (CAN)

DVD of the Week:

. Buena Vista finally got their act together and released this, and we still don't know what the holdup was. But whatever. One of Burton and Depp's finest collaborations, it also had Bill Murray towards the beginning of his new life as a renowned character actor. You get commentary from Burton, Landau, the scribes, the cinematographer and the costume designer; deleted scenes; behind-the-scenes featurette hosted by Depp; a featurette on the creation of the Bela character; a production design featurette, a theremin featurette (of course!); and more. (UK) (CAN)

Docu DVD of the Week:

. If you're one of the teeming millions who stayed away from the feature film in droves, then perhaps you'd like to focus on the real thing instead of Colin Farrell with a bad mullet. This four-hour monster docu is hosted by Michael Wood, as he retraces the steps of Alexander on his grand march--that means crossing twenty thousand miles and sixteen countries. This PBS release is for hardcore and armchair historians alike. (UK) (CAN)

Adverse Video of the Week:

. Poor Elizabeth Berkley. When your breakout hit turns out to be one of the funniest movies (albeit inadvertantly so) of the last twenty-five years, it's kinda hard to recover. You seem to find yourself in fare like this: where the government is using mind control to solidify their hold on the world. Adam Baldwin plays the unwitting pawn in all of this, Berkley is his wife, and Tony Todd is along to overact, which he's good at. Funny stuff. (UK) (CAN)

Anime DVD of the Week:

. Random attacks are not so random, as it turns out. The victims and the detectives on the case--something's up with everybody. But you knew something was weird when the assailant is a kid with a baseball bat who runs around on in-line skates. Geneon provides this first volume, and the bonuses are nice: storyboards of the entire first episode along with an interview with director Satoshi Kon. (UK) (CAN)

Sports DVD of the Week:

. For those of you who have a penchant for crotch rockets, check out this two-disc set from New Video. It's two seasons worth of the Motorcycle Grand Prix--where these loonies fly around the track at 200mph--and the entire thing is chock full of interviews with the sport's grand masters. Narrated by Ewan McGregor, you also get additional scenes and interactive race footage. (UK) (CAN)

Western DVD of the Week:

. If you want a little bit of Western action, then how can you not enjoy Charlton Heston and Jack Palance at each others' throats? Heston was raised by Apaches and Palace is the war leader of the Apaches, and while heading for their new reservation home in Florida, oh, the fur will be flying. This Paramount release is devoid of features, but there's just something to be said for lots of scenery-chewing. (UK) (CAN)

Yakuza DVD of the Week:

. If you realy want to bring out the blades this weekend and enjoy some serious yakuza fun--I mean, if you're not screwing around--then this Home Vision boxed set is exactly what you need. You get all five movies of Kinji Fukasaku's epic series, plus a sixth disc packed with bonus stuff like crazy: a remembrance of the director, behind the scenes footage, an interview with Fukasaku, a talk with director William Friedkin about the influence of the films on Hollywood in the 70s, and a to-die-for booklet/guide to the series. Too, too sweet. (UK) (CAN)

Music DVD of the Week: Bob Dylan World Tours 1966-1974. The name Barry Feinstein may not ring any bells, but know this: he was the tour photographer when Dylan went on the road in 1966 and 1974. As a result, he was able to get shots and insight like no one else. This docu takes a look at the tours, along with Dylan's life in between, and a slew of Feinstein's photos are along for the ride as well.

Music CD of the Week:

by Angelo Badalamenti. You might know Badalamenti from his work on the films of David Lynch, although there isn't much here to give himself away...apart from the fact that the musical score here is just as haunting as his previous creations. This Nonesuch release gives us yet another reason to want to go check out the film, as if Jeunet and Tautou reuniting wasn't enough to get us pleased. (UK) (CAN)

Magazine of the Week: Backissue! #7. TwoMorrows' mag wraps up the year with a look at super-teams, which outlines the history of Brave and the Bold, a ginormous roundtable discussion of Fantastic Four, a look back at DNAgents, including craploads of pencilwork by your favorite artists. TwoMorrows publishes the best comic magazines out there. Period.