A Year of Movies and Music, Text and Television: My Favorite Art of 2009

By Josh Hornbeck

I love New Years. Not the holiday precisely, but the act of reflecting on the past twelve months, the highs and lows, resolutions made and broken, goals reached and still others yet to be attained. I like looking back at where I was those fifty-two weeks earlier and seeing where I am now. And, of course, I like thinking about where I’d like to be in another 365 days.

But one of the things I like most about the ending of each December and the start of each January, is reflecting on the art I’ve experienced – the movies and television I’ve watched, the books I’ve read, the music I’ve heard. I enjoy remembering the new worlds I’ve entered into through story and language, the emotions I’ve felt from an exquisitely composed image, the rapture of instruments and voices taking me away from my mundane life. I love returning to ponder the works which have meant the most to me over the last twelve months.

So here it is: My favorite art of 2009. Some my selections are timely, others are not. In some categories I have twenty or thirty titles, in others I only have two. Nothing is ranked. Each film or book is listed alphabetically. There is no “Number One.” After all, each and every book, film, television series, album, or piece of theatre on this list touched me and spoke to me in very different and very powerful ways. You may not agree with all of my choices, and that’s okay. It’s a personal list, and all of the pieces are here for personal reasons. But maybe my list will help you find a film or two that will move you, a book that will challenge you, or an album that will transport you. At least, that’s my hope. Enjoy.

My Favorite Movies of 2009
My Favorite Television of 2009
My Favorite Books of 2009
My Favorite Music, Theatre, and Visual Art of 2009

(Posted 01/11/2010)