A Few of My Favorite Things from 2009
Monday, December 28th, 2009In no particular order, and for no particular reason, here are a few of my favorite things from the world of culture in 2009. (Caveat: not a “best of,” mind you, just some stuff I liked.)
(Book) The Song is You - Arthur Phillips: A book about music, passion, relationships and family that felt completely contemporary; completely now; without overtly being about now. A beautiful and unique novel.
(Film) (500) Days of Summer: A fresh, sharp and stylized take on romance that was above all else, fun. I’d watch it again, and again.
(Film/Concert) Anvil: The Story of Anvil / The Anvil Experience at the Belcourt: Easily one of the best documentaries, and maybe movies in general, about rock ‘n’ roll. But then add the band performing after it, and it was truly an amazing experience. My wife on her feet shouting “Metal on Metal” was alone worth the price of admission.
(Concert) Leonard Cohen at TPAC: A dream, really, to see and hear Cohen perform, in what may have been one of the best sounding-concerts I’ve ever been to in a large venue. It was everything I had hoped for, and so much more.
(Film) Prodigal Sons: This film will be rolled out nationally over several months in 2010. Yes, it’s about a transgendered woman going home to be part of her high-school reunion. Yes, it has something to do with Orson Welles. That’s only the half of it. Ultimately, it’s about love and family, and the lengths we go to, to keep that family intact. Kimberly Reed’s heart is huge.
(Concert) The Non-Commissioned Officers at the Nashville Film Festival Closing Night Party at Mercy Lounge: Though not the official closing-night event (that belonged to the excellent Long Players performance of the “Easy Rider” soundtrack), the Non-Comms performance at Mercy Lounge was triumphant. Make-Out With Violence, the film for which the band composed the music, had won the top prize at the Festival. The soundtrack won the best music-in-a-film prize. The guys in the band were in the movie. Someone’s mom got up to sing. It was a celebration. It was thrilling.
(Film) Adventureland: As far as major releases go, this one slipped under the radar. A completely charming coming-of-age vignette worth a viewing, or multiple viewings, if you missed it. Excellent performances all around.
(DVD) The Hold Steady - A Positive Rage: A short documentary packaged with a live-record from a band that made me believe in rock ‘n’ roll again. It’ll make you smile, especially when the band and the audience start fast-clapping.
(Essay/Book) Eating Animals - Jonathan Safran Foer: The first chapter of this book was excerpted in the New York Times Magazine, which I where I first read it. The chapter stands alone as a beautifully-written essay about our relationship to food. The book itself alters that relationship.
(Television) Mad Men Season Three: While season two moved slower in order to better develop the characters, season three was a roller-coaster ride. The final episode made it worth the trip. I’ve had a theory that the majority of us are either Don or Betty. This season moved me closer to a better understanding of my own theory.
(Television) Masterpiece Mystery / Wallander: A gorgeously-shot series based on the Henning Mankell novels that was so well done, you could easily get lost in the photography and forget anyone was killed. Kenneth Branagh was brilliant as the down-and-out lead character.
(Concert) Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band at the Sommet Center: What can I say? I’m certain the Boss and the Band are only getting better. This may have been the swan song for the E Street Band on tour. They played Born to Run in its entirety. I wanted to come out of my skin. It was transcendent.
(Film) Food Inc.: If you eat food, or know someone who eats foods, or are responsible for the food that someone else eats, this is a must-see-film.
(Songs): “”Give Me Tomorrow,” Willie Nile; “Wilco (The Song),” Wilco; “Hysteric,” The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, “I and Love and You,” The Avett Brothers; “Queen of the Supermarket,” Bruce Springsteen, “The Fixer,” Pearl Jam; “Haven’t Met You Yet,” Michael Buble*.
*I feel I need to clarify this last one a little, because it seems a little not like the others. I was in Italy in the Fall on vacation, and this song was everywhere, so I think I associate it with a wonderful memory. But it’s also a perfect slice of pop songwriting and production, with pessimism giving way to optimism in the lyrics, the indiscriminate use of the word “kid,” and a trumphet solo — a friggin’ trumphet solo! — in the middle. How can that be bad?
Bonus - (Book) Let the Great World Spin - Colum McCann: Although, as of this posting, I haven’t finished Let the Great World Spin, I’m almost certain I’ll have it read by the end of the year. I’m also almost certain, based on what I HAVE read, that it will be one of my favorite things of the year, and maybe the decade.
