AFS Cinema
Volume 29, Number 18
features
2009 TOP 9S
Top 9 Letters of 2009
BY MARK FAGAN
news
Headlines
Naked City
News briefs from Austin, the region, and beyond
Res Publica
Citizens' calendar,
Dec. 31-Jan. 6
Dec. 31-Jan. 6
Dems' District 10 Disappointment
Jack McDonald dashes Dems' hopes for unseating Michael McCaul
BY LEE NICHOLS
2009 NEWS TOP 9S
Top 9 Quotes of the Week 2009
Top 9 Local Stories
BY MICHAEL KING, LEE NICHOLS AND RICHARD WHITTAKER
City Hall Hustle: Top 9 City Council Stories
BY WELLS DUNBAR
Top 9 Cap Metro Derailments
BY LEE NICHOLS
Top 9 State Stories
BY LEE NICHOLS, RICHARD WHITTAKER AND AMY SMITH
Top 9 Lege Stories
BY LEE NICHOLS AND RICHARD WHITTAKER
Top 9 Media Stories
BY KEVIN BRASS
Top 9 Developing Stories
BY KATHERINE GREGOR
Top 9 Enviro Stories
BY AMY SMITH AND NORA ANKRUM
Top 9 Austin Weirdnesses
Top 9 Final Exits
Top 9 Criminal Justice Stories
BY JORDAN SMITH
Top 9 Joints
BY JORDAN SMITH
The Hightower Report
Pouting Political Funders; and Nutty for Health Care
BY JIM HIGHTOWER
food
2009 FOOD TOP 9S
Top 9 Savory Bites of 2009*
From the Driskill Grill to Flying Falafel & Po-Boys, Austin is far from lacking in savory delights
BY VIRGINIA B. WOOD
Top 9 Sweet Bites of 2009*
Cacao and cake balls and pie, oh my!
BY VIRGINIA B. WOOD
Top Austin Food Blogs
Kate Thornberry on Austin's most delicious food blogs
BY KATE THORNBERRY
Top Sandwiches of 2009
In this economy, sandwiches are a guy's best friend. Even when it's a torta.
BY MICK VANN
Top Cocktails of 2009
Claudia Alarcón's quest for unique signature drinks
BY CLAUDIA ALARCÓN
Top Tequila Blancos
Wes Marshall's faves for 2009
BY WES MARSHALL
music
2009 MUSIC TOP 9S
Number Nine, Number Nine, Number Nine
Were the Beatles reissues the last albums of our time?
BY RAOUL HERNANDEZ
National Top 9s
Texas Top 9s
Critics Poll
Off the Record
Handicapping the decade in Austin music and playing favorites for the Chronicle Music Poll
BY AUSTIN POWELL
screens
2009 SCREENS TOP 9S
Let the Wild Rumpus Begin
The Chronicle's film critics count off their favorites of the year
BY MARJORIE BAUMGARTEN
2009 GAMING TOP 9S
In Praise of Binge-Watching
TV we consumed in dangerously large quantities
TV Eye
TV Eye picks her favorite shows of the year. No surprise: No. 1 looks good in dark suits and Brylcreem.
BY BELINDA ACOSTA
Film Reviews
arts & culture
2009 ARTS TOP 9S
More Than Survived
In dismal 2009, Austin's arts scene fared better than you might think
BY ROBERT FAIRES
Top 9 Theatre Productions of 2009 That Did Ascend the Brightest Heaven of Invention
A year of failed romances, Greek myths, and more that were staged so ingeniously
BY ROBERT FAIRES
Top 9 Dance and Classical Music Treasures of 2009
Uncommon beauty and power danced a potent duet in the music and movement of 2009
BY ROBERT FAIRES
Top 9 Creative Arts, Ah, Things I Was Lucky Enough to Experience This Year
Theatrical and cartographic deconstruction plus improv pwnership equals a fine '09
BY WAYNE ALAN BRENNER
Top 9 Most Memorable Locally Produced Live Performance Offerings That I Chanced to See in 2009
A theatre year of crazy families, love lost and found, and lots of dancing
BY BARRY PINEO
Top 9 Ways to Decorate a Set
Looking back at 2009 through its most memorable scenic designs
BY ELIZABETH COBBE
Top 9 Funny Ha-Ha 2009 Notables (In No Order)
The things that kept us laughing through the Great Recession of Aught Nine
BY STEVE BIRMINGHAM
Top 9 Lasting Impressions in Dance From 2009
Recalling a year in which cranes became dancers and dancers became stars
BY JONELLE SEITZ
Top 9 (Plus One) Moments of Bustin' Out in '09 (In No Order)
In the art scene, 2009 saw many breaking out of old roles and building new ones
BY MADELINE IRVINE
Top 9 (Plus Three) Memories & Best Happenings in 2009
2009 was a good year for artists, young and old, getting their props
BY RACHEL KOPER
Arts Reviews
Charles Dickens Unleashed
Schmaltzy Victorian costume-drama improv, gamely and rather adroitly rendered
'Teresita Fernández: Blind Landscape'
When you look at the art in this solo exhibition, it's all about the light
columns
Page Two: You Go Where You Have to Go
Welcome to the new year ... same as the old year?
BY LOUIS BLACK
Letters at 3AM: My Top 10 of All Top 10s
A list of the Top 10 cultural artifacts that have shaped my life
BY MICHAEL VENTURA
After a Fashion
Your Style Avatar counts to nine and back again
BY STEPHEN MACMILLAN MOSER
Gay Place
The good, the bad, and the fugly of Gay 2009
BY KATE X MESSER
Day Trips
Looking back at 2009, it was a year of drought, change, and some exciting new opportunities for day trippers
BY GERALD E. MCLEOD
Mr. Smarty Pants Knows
Cardinals, tapeworms, and much more
BY MR. SMARTY PANTS
Luv Doc Recommends: The Gourds New Year's Eve Masquerade Ball
ND Austin, Thursday, December 31, 2009
BY THE LUV DOC
Feedback
Letters to the editor, published daily
sports
2009 SPORTS TOP 9S
Top 9 Local Sports Stories of 2009
It's all about Colt and the boys
BY MARK FAGAN
Soccer Watch
Top 9 Soccer Stories of 2009
