As the monotony of everyday life pounds a year into a humdrum cycle, the greatest triumphs of human creativity often fall to the wayside in favor of the next day’s worries. This fact of human nature is what makes the end of a year so special. People finally take a moment to recognize the ups and downs of the past 365 days, remembering not only their favorite memories, but their favorite art and entertainment they experienced.
Many Hellgate students were interviewed for this article about their favorite works of art they consumed over the last year. Some students had many things to say, and others were less than confident in their favorites of 2025. They were asked about their favorite films and albums of the year, with comments on TV seasons and video games being open to anyone who wanted to comment on them.
In the category of film, “Sinners,” directed by Ryan Coogler, is the recognized favorite of the year, with many Knights citing it as the film that they enjoyed most. “F1” was also a crowd pleaser, notably starring Brad Pitt and Damson Idris as charismatic professional racers. Other films included “Eternity,” “Weapons,” “One Battle After Another,” “28 Years Later” and “Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery.” Notably, “Marty Supreme,” a film that many students have discussed since its release, came out after students were interviewed for this article.
For albums, “MUSIC” by Playboi Carti, “Man’s Best Friend” by Sabrina Carpenter, “Alfredo 2” by Freddie Gibbs and The Alchemist, “Let God Sort ‘Em Out” by Clipse, “Son of Spergy” by Daniel Caesar and “Private Music” by Deftones were all referenced. Rap is still definitely the dominating genre for students’ listening if favorite albums are any indication of Hellgate’s preferences, but there is plenty of love to be had for pop, R&B and rock as well.
In the less common comments on this year’s TV shows and games, “Severance” and “Andor” both received recognition from students, while others cited the return of “Stranger Things” as one of their favorite moments for media this year. “Clare Obscure: Expedition 33,” “Arc Raiders” and “Ghost of Yotei” were also mentioned as impactful games for Knights this year.
However, a greater throughline between all of these responses isn’t found in the responses, but rather the difficulty behind students’ answers. Almost everyone interviewed for this article stated that they had difficulty identifying a piece of art that stood out to them this year. A couple students even said that they would have had an easier time engaging in the exercise if it was last year, which to many students felt like a better year for art.
At the same time, however, last year was not devoid of wonderful art. In 2024, “Dune: Part II,” “The Substance” and “Challengers” were arguably the most culturally significant films of the year. Is it insane to say that “Sinners” and “Superman” were just as significant? Were the moments of 2024’s music scene that much more bombastic than 2025?
The answer to these questions is “probably not.” While 2024 was an undeniably good year for art, 2025 was a contender as well. The idea of “great years” and “bad years” is a binary measurement of an entire year’s artistic value, something incredibly difficult to do. Unless a world event like the pandemic makes it difficult to continue to make art, every year has endless choices to pick from when looking for examples of truly wonderful, impactful, important art. It might simply be the audience’s own ability to pick out the gems that dictates what constitutes a “great year.”
It’s easier to look at the reasons why a year might not influence an audience to consume as much art as they have in previous years. 2025 was an incredibly tumultuous time, with the country’s news serving as a sort of strange performance for Americans itself. Many more Hellgate students might have been able to consider their most memorable political moments of they year, as the politics of the country were put on full display far more than any film, album or game. It’s difficult to continue to consume art when the world is so chaotic.
However, the consumption of art is always an important venture, and a duty to citizens. In fact, the more difficult it is to consume art, the more necessary it is to do so. Throughout history, the creation and consumption of art has been one of the greatest forums of protest and debate, the clearest way for a feeling felt by many to be heard. Many times, when the world gets darker, voices get louder through their creative endeavors.
Many people are optimistic about 2026 despite the signs of chaos carrying over from 2025. This is a good outlook to have, making this year a year for improvement and positivity despite a tumultuous world. In 2026, people should make the commitment to consuming and even creating art, an increasingly important duty in these times.
