the intro post!

Hi! I'll be making double-feature recommendations here every month. If I have the time, I might post more often. Maybe I'll throw in a music or food item or two.

Here's some info so you can get an idea of what kind of person is making these recommendations.

Favorite films include: the Star Wars Original Trilogy, Le Samouraï, Laura, Fulltime Killer, Grave of the Firefiles (Hotaru no Haka), M, Night and the City, Eyes Without a Face (Les yeux sans visage), The Leningrad Cowboys Go America, The Descent, Brother (Брат), 28 Days Later, Zodiac, Roman Holiday, A Little Princess, Kill Bill, Psycho, and more.

The recent releases I enjoyed most were District 9 and Inglourious Basterds. For the former, I'm glad to see Neill Blomkamp's first feature do well; I've been a fan of his short films and ads for a while. Three directors who make movies I like are Jean-Pierre Melville, Danny Boyle, and Johnny To. I'm looking up more stuff by Guy Maddin, as well as more works from female directors. Kenji Mizoguchi's female-centered melodramas Sisters of the Gion (Gion no shimai) and Osaka Elegy (Naniwa Elegy) are great stuff.

I like TV, theater, dance, sport (especially soccer), nature, life, food, and other things.

Some of my favorite books are Kamikaze Girls (Shimostuma monogatari) by Novala Takemoto, World War Z by Max Brooks, Sacco and Vanzetti Must Die! by Mark Binelli, The Devil and the White City by Erik Larson and I, Claudius by Robert Graves.
I enjoy reading anything by Shirley Jackson, Kazuo Ishiguro, H.P. Lovecraft, China Miéville, and Thomas Ligotti.
I also like classic Chinese and Japanese poetry and literature in translation.
The supernatural stories of Henry James are cool too.

I also like comic books, manga, magazines, and any other printed/illustrated works.

My 20 favorite songs of 2009:
1) "The Fire and the Thud" - Arctic Monkeys feat. Alison Mosshart
2) "Purexed" - P.O.S.
3) "I Walk Alone" - Music Go Music
4) "Percussion Gun" - White Rabbits
5) "Hurt Feelings (Reprise)" - Flight of the Conchords
6) "Hold The Line" - Major Lazer
7) "Angus" - Pintandwefall
8) "Heads Will Roll" - Yeah Yeah Yeahs
9) "Heavy Cross" - The Gossip
10) "United States of Eurasia" - Muse
11) "Come Wander With Me" - British Sea Power
12) "Baptized By Fire" - Spinnerette
13) "Fog" - Nosaj Thing
14) "Bonsai Hada (Ordinary Skin)" - Shiina Ringo
15) "Gaman (Frustration)" - Tokyo Jihen
16) "Rocking Horse" - The Dead Weather
17) "Undelivered Letter" - Quantic and His Combo Barbaro
18) "Too Fake" - Hockey
19) "Mannequin (Overthrill remix)" - Noah
20) "People" - Chester French

Welcome. Feel free to correct my grammar at any time.