The world is full of fascinating stories, and not all of them have to end with a call to action; some, like the documentary 45365, just help us see the world through someone else’s eyes.

Our panel of two sat down for an epic virtual discussion of our absolute favorites of 2009 — in every category we could think of — and set about explaining why each one made the list.

By week three, there have been some noticeable effects. I’ve had to bump up the treadmill a couple notches, and I’ve raised my movie standards a bit too. Also features ‘The Bourne Ultimatum’, ‘Tyson’, ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ and ‘Dial M for Murder’.

As with any new routine, a strong start, and then a few hurdles after the initial burst of enthusiasm. Includes ‘Hancock’, ‘Reprise’, ‘Perfect Blue’, ‘Manhattan’, and ‘Laura’.

Brian and Spencer discuss Animal Collective, The Decemberists, and The Thermals in concert, plus new albums by The Dirty Projectors and Coalesce. Also, the movies Drag Me to Hell, Dead Snow, Anvil: The Story of Anvil, Tyson, and Dreams with Sharp Teeth.

Shane Acker’s feature debut gets added to a list of animated films to see this year, ‘Objectified’ follows up from the ‘Helvetica’ team, and free best of Club Bootie tracks.

Our panel of two sat down for an epic virtual discussion of our absolute favorite things of the year, in every category we could think of, and why each one made the list.

A trailer for ‘Died Young, Stayed Pretty’, Maynard Keenan tours (wine tastings?), Taibbi reflects on the election, and some crazily detailed Austin City Limits Photos.