rednoW Favorites 2009

Year-end "lists" are a funny thing.  They often say more about its contributor(s) than it does than the very thing it is hoping to promote.  We are okay with this.  It has been our mantra since the inception of rednoW to simply point others to experiences of wonder.  These two lists (music, film) are attempting to do nothing else.

Albums

Music has always possessed a certain transcendent quality about it.  Whether it be the captivating sounds or the thought-provoking lyrics, these albums have lured us in enough to hit repeat. If you are looking for a way to bring a little wonder into your ear buds, allow us to make a few recommendations from the year that has been.

Compiled by the rednoW team (and friends), our Albums of Wonder 2009 are listed by US release date rather than some ranking of 'greateness' - if they made the list, we think they are worth your time and money.

Think we missed something? Tell us what and why....we're all ears.

More often than not commentaries and interpretations tend to direct one to think about specific ideas and messages being conveyed through a movie. Or, we are forced to consider how well a mainstream (read that “POP”) commercial release covered the seriousness of a subject while maintaining a high level of entertainment value to keep the viewers attention, often at the cost of the “message”. I find that it is rare for a film to come along that one can engage with on a level that simply makes one feel good; to experience a visceral moment of happiness. My Date with Drew is that movie.

At the onset of 2009, a few of the writers here at rednoW decided to embark on a little experiment: See 100 films. In the midst of this endeavor, we could not help but rethink what rednoW is all about. It has been our hope not to simply point others towards film and music (of wonder) per say, but to also begin to rethink how we are actually experiencing such mediums.

Something we often felt throughout the so-called "Centurion Project" is that we wished more people were seeing some of the same films in order to have additional outlets to discuss.  In other words, we were longing for a bit more of a communal experience.

So, what are we proposing?

Join us in 2010.

For the upcoming year, we are inviting you to delve "into the dark" with us - a project inspired by rednoW's de facto sage Craig Detweiler - and his latest book Into the Dark. In short, we are inviting you to experience 60 films this year (5 films per month). We are by no means intending to be exclusive in who is a part of this project, but we are hoping for a committed group.

How it will Work...

In the routine of our daily life, it is doubtful there is anything more powerful than our words.  By words we are loved, destroyed, comforted, frightened, molded, and inspired.  Words spoken have often changed history.  Words greatly define the reality in which we live and the identity we take.  It is true in our politics, our religion, and our relationships.  Words and our humanity are inextricably enmeshed.

But, can the power of words be lost?  What happens if it is?  And how is that power restored?

A few years ago at the Sundance Film Festival (2006), I encountered the film "Forgiven."   On the surface, the film appears to be about a Southern, Jesus-talking, small town D.A. named Peter Miles, who is running for the U.S. Senate.  His life becomes jarred by the last minute release of Ronald Bradler, a poor, black, death-row inmate he had improperly prosecuted.  But it is quite evident that Paul Fitzgerald (who wrote, directed, and starred in the film) is pressing deeper than the issues of capital punishment, racism, or corruption.

He is exposing the emptiness of our words.  And with that, quite possibly, the emptiness of ourselves.  Do we really feel the words we say?  Do we really comprehend, feel, taste their significance?