2009 was a great year for music, movies, and books, but which ones really stood out to me? There were a lot of good releases, but which one’s were great. Well, after much deliberation I have finally narrowed down my top ten music, movie, and book releases of 2009.

So, without further ado here is the 2009 HardcoreFaith rundown…

MUSIC

10. TFK “Welcome to the Masquerade” – To be honest the honor of this spot was between this album and Skillet “Awake.” However, I thought this album had the edge. A true hard rock release from one of the best bands out there.
9. Jars of Clay “The Long Fall Back to Earth” – I’ve not really listened to Jars of Clay since their 1997 release “Much Afraid”. However, this 80’s inspired pop-rock release had me listening over and over.
8. Kutless “It Is Well” (P&W/Rock) – Kutless are a hit and miss band. Their last attempt at a rock/P&W hybrid album, “Strong Tower”, was a serious let down. “It Is Well” on the other hand is a brilliant work from a band that is hopefully maturing passed their Nu-Metal phase to become a solid hard rock band.
7. Phil Wickham “Heaven & Earth” – Reminding me of U2 when they’re at their best, Phil Wickham follows up his brilliant album “Cannons” with another great release.
6. Steven Curtis Chapman “Beauty Will Rise” – An emotional roller coaster of an album in which Mr. Chapman remembers his daughter, Maria Sue, who died in a terrible accident aged 5. Challenging yet very inspiring.
5. U2 “No Line On The Horizon” – U2’s best album since “All That You Can’t Leave Behind.” Sure to become a classic in time.
4. Photoside Cafe “The Beauty of Innocence” – Progressive rock with touches of ethnic and Celtic sounds thrown in for good measure. Sounds like a Celtic Dream Theater… minus the heavy drums and soaring guitars.
3. Casting Crowns “Until the Whole World Hears” – Another sure to be classic from one of the giants of the Christian music scene. Every track soars. An album sure to inspire you in your faith journey.
2. Pillar “Confessions” – A lot of bands released great rock/metal albums this year including Red, Decyfer Down, blessthefall, Skillet, and The Almost, so there are many contenders for this spot. But in my opinion to Pillar’s latest “Confessions” is worthy of spot 2 in this Top Ten countdown. Flat out hard rock similar in style to many of the afore mentioned bands this album kicks!
1. The number one spot goes to………… Narnia “Course of a Generation” - I love Narnia. This album is both heavy and melodic and one of the few metal albums to blow me away in 2009!

Note: Although my music listening preference is more on the heavy side, I have tried to give a variety in this Top Ten countdown. With that said, other heavy releases worthy of mention include Skillet “Awake”, Stryper “Murder By Pride”, Echoes The Fall “Bloodline”, and the debut albums from Thy Bleeding Skies and Fires of Babylon, but to be honest there are soooo many!

MOVIES
Note: This top ten is based on the movies from 2009 I have actually seen… there are plenty of 2009 release I want to watch but haven’t yet.

10. Race to Witch Mountain - Despite the title there’s not a witch in sight. Instead there is plenty of thrills, action, and explosions on offer. A great action movie for all ages.
9. 17 Again – Trying to avoid all the Zac hype, this was an excellent movie that was funny and had many a good point in the morals dept. Good one to watch with the family.
8. Xmen Origins: Wolverine - What else is there to say except sit back, turn off brain, and press play… BOOM!
7. G-Force – Who’d have thunk that a movie about talking guinea pigs (the G in “G-Force”), hamsters, and moles would actually be a fun filled action extravaganza? Great movie about friendship and loyalty.
6. Terminator Salvation- Action packed fourth (third if you forget #3) installment of the Terminator series. The movie that Terminator 3 only dreamed of being.
5. Aliens In the Attic – I seriously thought that this was going to blow… big time. However, “AITA” turned out to be a wildly funny movie in the style of “Gremlins” and “Critters”.
4. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen - Not as good as the first this sequel to the 2007 blockbuster is an F/X extravaganza that rocks!
3. Star Trek - It’s a shame that the entire history of Star Trek has all but been wiped from existence, but I suppose it had to happen. Great acting, great action, great story, this movie is Trek for a new generation!
2. Up - This sad, funny, uplifting, and sweet movie is Pixar’s finest movie to date. Not as action packed as some of their other releases, this movie is a sweet tale of hope, love, and the pursuit of adventure.
1. The number one movie of the year….. Knowing - Not expecting much, this movie blew me away! The story was fantastic and was filled with issues of faith and hope. The ending was specacular. A visual assault on the senses and a spiritual message I just didn’t expect.

BOOKS
Note: Not necessarily books released in 2009, but ones I finally got round to reading.
10. “Field of Blood” by Eric Wilson – The first Christian vampire novel. Very creepy and well written.
9. “Why Mike’s Not A Christian” by Ben Young – Apologetics for the PoMo crowd. A great little read that gives answers to some of life’s hard questions.
8. “Why Not Women?” by Loren Cunningham – A look at women in church leadership. A great read for anyone interested in this subject.
7. “The Righteous Among The Nations” by Mordecai Paldiel – Over 200 accounts of people who saved Jews from the Nazi death machine in World War 2 Europe. Inspiring read.
6. “Lord Save Us From Your Followers!” by Dan Merchant – A funny and poignant look at Christianity. This book is great for ministers and lay person alike to look at themselves in a fresh light.
5. “Mark’s Story” by LaHaye and Jenkins – Yes the “Left Behind” boys are back with yet another series. This time they are working through the lives of the Apostles. This is the second in the series and was a very inspiring novel.
4. “In the Presence of My Enemies” by Gracia Burnham – Ok, I’m a little behind in my reading, but this book should be read by every Christ-follower to show them the true cost of following Jesus. A sad yet hope filled story.
3. “Mr Monk and the Dirty Cop” by Lee Goldberg – I know, this is not a Christian book. I love the TV show “Monk” and I think that the all new novelizations are brilliant. Highly recommended for those who enjoy the escapades of Mr. Monk.
2. “Preaching to a Shifting Culture” Editor: Scott Gibson – Being a preacher at least one preaching book had to make it onto my list. Good insights from some of the finest preachers around.
1. Of course the winner is… The Holy Bible - 2009 was a great year in that I took time working through various books of The Bible. The Bible is year in year out the best book I have read and that’s true of millions of people around the world… period!

Thank you for reading my rundown of the stuff I liked in 2009!
Enjoy!
Chris

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