HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

RECS

You could probably guess it by the title. Here be my recommendations. You know, with me, it's recommendations most of the time, anyway, because I totally don't have the heart to more or less publicly criticize anybody - I'm not worthy. :-) So, here I recommend you some writers, movies and music. Why? Oh well, as one certain drummer woul say, "Why not?!"

NOTE: All the people and things I recommend here, I love equally or almost equally, so the order in which I bring them up doesn't matter. If someone is at the top or at the bottom of the list, it doesn't mean a thing. Peace, dude.

WRITERS | MOVIES | MUSIC

WRITERS

AUTHOR IS KNOWN AS	AND HE/SHE RULES BECAUSE
STEPHEN KING	He is insanely talented. And talentedly insane. And, what's also important, he tells the truth. He knows how to scare you, and in his books people are invariably scarier than monsters. Besides, he's highly quotable. That said, I'm talking about early King stuff. I can't tell you anything about his recent stuff because I, in all honesty, never found the patience to force my way through any of his post-1994 books with the sole exception of "Rose Madder". It probably says a lot about my mental abilities, and nothing at all about King's recent books, but the fact remains the fact
CLIFFORD SIMAK	He wrote "Goblin Reservation". In fact, I haven't read a single book by Simak that was bad. I suspect there are none. But "Goblin Reservation" has a special place in my heart. And what I love about his writing in general is hope. Because according to Simak, even for the ugliest-acting humanity, there's hope. It's a nice thing to believe in.
RAY BRADBURY	He loves us. No matter how bad we might seem. And he constantly tries to warn us. "Martian Chronicles" are all about warning. And "Something Wicked This Way Comes" and "Dandelion Wine" are all about love. Ray is painter kind of writer - he paints with words, and his paintings are mesmerizing, even if you don't like them. And also he has those short stories that make Stephen King look like a children's writer - "The Small Assassin" anybody?
ED McBAIN	He writes from life. Nobody has ever described the everyday life of a busy city and the routine of a police precinct the way McBain did. But it's not the main thing. The main thing is that he writes about people. And these people come alive in his books. McBain's books aren't just well-writen or interesting - they're real. The right kind of mystery books. And the whole 87th Precinct series will step forth and confirm what I just said.
ROGER ZELAZNY	He's so snide!!! Dark humor, one of a kind, nowhere to be found! "A Night in the Lonesome October" is the peak of that, and it's a must. And if you're tired of laughing, read his short stories. Say, "Divine Madness". Just to see that a man doesn't really know how to laugh if he hadn't learnt to cry at first.
LYNN FLEWELLING	She created Seregil. This fucker is simply irresistible. Awfully attractive - when he's good, he's good, and when he's bad, he's even better! Besides, she put him in a very vivid and detailed world, and at least two first Nightrunner books have a great plot as well. It's that very rare case, when a femal writer wrote a not-quite-heterosexual character that I believe in. I don't believe in Tanya Huff's bi guys, I don't believe in Judith Tarr's bi guys, but I do believe Lynn. Seregil forever!
AGATHA CHRISTIE	She also tells the truth. You're gonna laugh, guys, but it's the same thing as with Stephen King. When you read good ole Agatha, you understand that humans are the scariest creatures in existance, and it takes a human to overpower a human. And you believe her, too. Because she tells it in such a calm, quiet little voice, and you just know that she isn't lying. It's really so. It's the way things are. And it's considered totally normal. Scary. The level of psychology in Christie's books is incredibly high. Also, she's about the only writer with whom I buy that specific British kind of humor. And, everything else aside - her books are just a very interesting read. Oh, and if you don't believe me on 'scary', try "Crooked House".
GEORGE MARTIN	He's got the best language I've ever seen. Really. No, I mean, apart from language, he's an ace, too. He plays with multiple storylines simultaneously, as well as with numerous characters, and no storyline ever turns weak, as well as no character is ever underdeveloped. All that and a wonderfully detailed and believable world. Respect. But the language... Ah! The language! It's impeccable. IMPECCABLE. You know, about everyone makes mistakes. Stephen King, for once, is guilty of many tautological repetitions. But Martin? No. No mistakes at all. Impeccable, beautiful, dazzling language, and it looks like it just comes naturally and isn't calculated. George Martin rules as a writer. Period.
BRET EASTON ELLIS	He can get you anywhere. And I mean it. Bret is an exception here, I don't like Generation X authors - I'm not much for experiments in general, I'm awfully conservative. But Ellis's books posess an unusually powerful atmosphere. He makes you feel you're there. He makes you see through the characters eyes. And makes you love him or hate him for that, because through those eyes, he can show you everything, including the ugliest things you can think of. My personal favorite is "The Informers", but that's because I love LA. And Ellis's book is the only chance for me to visit it.
HOWARD P. LOVECRAFT	He can write beauty. His stories - the ones that have nothing to do with horror, such as "The Quest Of Iranon" and "The Cats Of Ultar" - they are nothing short of beautiful. So, for Shub Niggurath's sake, let sleeping Cthulhus lie. Read those stories. They are wonderful.

MOVIES

THE MOVIE'S CALLED	WHY WATCH IT
NATURAL BORN KILLERS (directed by Oliver Stone, starring Woodie Harrelson and Juliet Lewis)	To try yourself. The movie won't be everybody's favorite, that's obvious. Tons of violence and, it seems, no moral at all. So try yourself. Can you look though all the trigger-happy fun and see what the movie REALLY is about? And who is the REAL monster? The movie, to be frank with you, is really good. And it's one of the very few smart movies that I like.
ADDAMS FAMILY (+ADDAMS FAMILY VALUES) (directed by Barry Sonnenfeld, starring Anjelica Huston, Raoul Julia, Christina Ricci, etc.)	To see the best role Christina Ricci has ever played. To reassess your family values. To understand that everyone is alike just as much as everyone is different. To see the merciless depiction of the American system of priorities (in the second movie). And to have a good fuckin' laugh, dude! It's still the best dark comedy in the world, after all!
THE CROW (directed by Alex Proyas, starring Brandon Lee)	To understand the romanticism of the goth subculture. Because The Crow does emo-goth in a very aesthetically satisfying way. The bad thing that his followers can hardly keep up with him, but what can you do if they don't understand it... This is a beautiful movie, a cult movie, an easily quotable movie. This is a fairy tale. And it does have a happy-end - in a goth way. The only decent screen adaptation of the original comic strip concept. And don't look for the scene where Brandon was shot. It really was edited out of the movie.
HOMEWARD BOUND (directed by Duwayne Dunham, starring Ben, Rattler and Tikie)	To understand how Disney Pictures got to be the mightiest studio in the kid movie business. Yep, this story is absolutely cheesy. And were it about people, I wouldn't have even watched it to the end. But you see, it's not about people. And that changes everything. It is... kind.
MAD MAX II: THE ROAD WARRIOR (directed by George Miller, starring Mel Gibson, Vernon Wells, etc.)	To bury the world as we know it for an hour and a half. The Road Warrior is the epitome of the postapocalyptic movie at its prime. All the elements of a postapocalyptic movie are present here and are almost absurdly distinct. Post-Nuclear Wasteland? Check. The remains of the Civilized? Check. The Barbarians? Check. And the Hero Between Two Worlds, check, played by young Mel Gibson, verrry convincing in this role that isn't quite positive. Bonus for slash writers: the Mighty Wez (Wells's best role, dude!) and his Golden Youth. ;-)
THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS (directed by Jonathan Demme, starring Anthony Hopkins and Jodie Foster)	To see the most real, scary and charismatic maniac you can see in a movie. Doctor Hannibal Lector - not a shaking, terminally insane creature with bloodlust in his stare, but an intelligent, respectable, smart and absolutely reasonable middle-aged man, instantly likeable... the man, to whom you're nothing but sweet meat. What can I say, I never really trusted psychiatrists. :D Lector is horribly and attractive, you can't but feel scared - and you can't but like him. Oh well, the movie didn't win its 5 Oscars for nothing. And - Hopkins just plain RULES.
KILL BILL 1-2 (directed by Quentin Tarantino, starring Uma Thurman)	To see the best choreography of fights in modern mainstream; to see Uma Thurman turn from a so-so wench into a strikingly beautiful woman by changing nothing but the expression in her eyes; to see numerous references to old Golden Harvest movies and smile, and smile, and smile. The movie's good. The things that are usually listed as its drawbacks were done on purpose - it's all a huge joke. But the main plotline and the ending make it almost a masterpiece - at least in my totally amateur eyes.
TERMINATOR II: JUDGMENT DAY (directed by James Cameron, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Edward Furlong, Linda Hamilton, etc.)	To get the message: there is NO FATE but what we make for ourselves. The whole movie is set to prove it. And I won't even mention that it's one of the two really good roles in the career of the latest Governor of California. And I won't even mention the amazing acting by the very talented but not very lucky Edward Furlong. And the scaringly convinving half-insane Sarah Connor done by Linda Hamilton. And that it's just a very clever and kind movie. For just because of this NO FATE motto - the movie is worth watching.
CHICAGO (directed by Rob Marshall, starring Renee Zellweger, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Richard Gere, etc.)	To see how it all works. You might laugh at me for that, but I'll tell you anyway: I don't know about the original musical, but this movie shows show business just as it is, in every ugly or glamorous detail. Both the tinsel and the shit. And it doesn't matter that show-busines isn't confined to Chicago any more and has more or less moved to Hollywood. It is shown in the movie, how this monstrous thing works, and I haven't seen it shown so well anywhere else. Never distracted by telling side stories about love, mysteries or saving the world - no, just an honest, acid, cynical recollection of the main principles that rule in this dirty business. I applaud.
THE CRAFT (directed by Andrew Fleming, starring Robin Tunney, Fairuza Balk, etc.)	Dude, just because. To look at cute chicks - how's that for a reason?.. Okay. Actually, it's the only teenage movie that I like and that I recommend to you. There used to be that kind of movies: "I Was A Teenage Werewolf", "I Was A Teenage Frankenstein" - well, this is a "I Was A Teenage Witch" movie. But the strangest thing about it is that it isn't half bad. Nice visuals, spooky or beautiful, each in the right time. Interesting characters. Almost all the leading actresses try their best, especially Fairuza who totally steals the movie (just don't even look at Neve Campbell, not even at he tits - she CAN'T act her way out of her bra, that's true, because she totally murdered a really promising character). It even has a message, easily readable and right. And they even did their homework on witchcraft, because there aren't as many mistakes in the movie as usual. A really nice movie. Even though it's a teen movie, yeah.

MUSIC

NOTE: I won't recommend something that goes without saying. I won't list The Beatles or The Rolling Stones here, I won't list Alice and Ozzy, and I won't even list The Sex Pistols. Those are a must to listen to at least once, in my opinion, and if you don't care for my opinion, then what are you doing at this page, anyway? So here are my very own favorites. Not as historically significant... but genuinely loved by yours truly. :)

WHO	THE ROCKING FACTOR
MOTLEY CRUE	Attitude. Attitude, attitude and more attitude. No-one has put just as much energy into giving this world the finger as these four LA dudes. I personally think that their music is damn fine just as well - they have one of the best drummers in rock music, an instantly recognizable vocalist (who's also a very charismatic frontman), a really good guitarist and a bassist who writes great songs, even if his playing is a little sub par. And still the attitude is the main thing about them. Those who don't know them might think they're posers. Those who know them... well, those who know them need no explanations at all. The style has gone through various changes, but mostly it's hard'n'heavy.
SHAKIRA	No, not the ass. The ass is great, no kidding, but she has more to her than just a cute bum. First, she has a really strong and unusual voice. Second, she writes her own songs - and those are good songs. And third - she is very sincere. Which is a drawback for a showbiz professional, but a great thing for an artist. MTV did her a good turn and a bad turn. A good turn when it made her music available all over the world, and a bad turn because now everyone things she's a pop tart. You know what, I have a video of her live show in Amsterdam - she is anything but a pop tart, and it is seen even before she goes into that AC/DC cover. She's one of the best live rock performers I've seen in my life. Style: soft rock, and fuck off if you don't agree.
BLACKMORE'S NIGHT	Magic. There's that soft, nice kind of magic to this band. Maybe because Candice is simply magical. Unearthly, kind of. It's even heard in her voice, and when you see her, you know it for sure. Heartfelt and beautiful music, and everything they do is just this way, too. Heartfelt, magical, beautiful. Unearthly at times. I won't bet my last dollar that it's the same backstage - after all Blackmore is Blackmore, and he is to diabolical a creature for me to be so sure. But does it really matter? Here're the tunes for you, here's the guitar for you, here's Candice smiling for you. Why would you need anything else? Style: rennaisance.
SKID ROW	Baz's voice. No kidding. I do love hard rock and long-haired dudes, but generally I couldn't care less for another band with a girlishly pretty lead singer with an IQ score of a Pamela Anderson on dope... if it weren't for the lead singer's voice. Fuck, Skid Row has once of the best voices in the world... or, rather, used to have. Because a) they don't have him anymore and b) it looks like he's been having major vocal troubles. But their first two albums are something else, man. The classic line-up of Skid Row is something else, in itself. They have a way better - and smarter - song catalog than it's usually presupposed. Especially if we're talking "Slave To The Grind." Style: hard rock.
PINK	Rock'b'roll. Yes, this is THE Pink who sings "Get The Party Started", and no, I'm not kidding. It's just that nowadays pop stars are often more rock'n'roll in attitude than guys who like to call themselves rockers. Pink rules. She's got a great voice, she's got the looks that kill, she's not clean, she's totally fucked in the head, and she can kick your ass. By the way, when I say great voice, I'm not kidding either. On her album "Try This", there's this one blues song - find it, hear it, feel it. I liked her before hearing it, now I'm a fucking fan. It's not so often that someone sings good ole blues so well these days. Style: pop, pop rock, pop punk, whatever she wants to do.
FIELDS OF THE NEPHILIM	Originality. I generally don't like goth bands, but this one is the only goth band I know that based their looks on Wild West imagery and built their songs around country-like riffs. Just think of it, while every US goth out there was crazy for old English ghost stories, these Brits played around with the New World mythology! That alone deserves some notice, but in addition to that, Carl McCoy can sing. Sure enough, he'd be much better if he weren't singing to that goth music (which, even built around country riffs, is still rather boring), but he does have a very deep voice. Out of the goth bands, my definite favorite. Style: didn't I mention it? Goth rock.
VAIN	Sensuality. Okay, does anyone but me even remember these guys anymore? Heh, probably not. But there was such a band in late 80s, and they had that album called "No Respects", and then maybe they did something else, but I can't really know because they kind of disappeared, like so many bands of the kind in those times. But unlike all those other bands, these guys had Davy Vain as their lead singer. And when Davy sang, it sent instant shivers down my spine. Because his voice... when I heard this voice going, "Feel the fever... one thousand degrees... I wanna TOUCH YOU!" - I believed it. Immediately and unthinkingly. Their music is pretty simple, but it hits your senses. All five at once, and probably the sixth, too, if you only have it. Style: hard rock.
LITA FORD	Toughness. Because the lady's tough. She's hundred percent the real deal. You don't want to mess with Lita. Lita totally won't take any shit from you, no. Lita is officially the best female guitarist in the world - and is, in my opinion, better than many male ones. Lita writes great songs and you sure as hell have heard at least one of them, because that's her collaboration with Ozzy Osbourne. Lita's voice is instantly recognizable. Lita isn't quite what you call ladylike, but she is undeniably attractive. Lita isn't bitchy in the slightest and is a rather peace-loving person, but you don't want to piss her off. Lita deserves every kind of respect. And is respected - by many. Me included. Style: hard rock.
L.A. GUNS	The vibe. That something people call 'atmosphere'. This band has a very fitting name, because LA is what they're all about. It has become at tradition to compare them to Guns N'Roses, because both bands share their roots. It has also become a tradition to say that Guns N'Roses are teh win, and LA Guns aren't, and that's why they are a second rate band that never quite made it. Me, personally... I like them better than Axl's band. To me, they're a little more down-to-earth and real. And the same goes for their music: straighforward, down to earth, simple and... good. Just good. Maybe it's not awfully sophisticated, but it's solid. Style: hard rock.
GUANO APES	The scream. Their girl, Sandra - she can scream. A killer throat, that one. To hear that voice, one would never guess that it comes out of so skinny a body. It's not so often that I like a modern band these days, but I like Guano Apes, because they are not boring. They got good tunes, catchy, they got some pretty smart lyrics that I can relate to, and they got Sandra's voice. She can rip it in the studio, she can rip it live, and I like the way she does it. By the way, she can sing, too. Scream and sing - in the first song I ever heard by them, "Lords Of The Boards", she does both quite well. Style: er... rock?..

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