So that is us half-way through 2012 and the past week has seen a number of half-year polls popping up in the press and online. We sure do love to categorise our culture/prove how clever we are/fill space with meaningless polls, don't we? So now it's my turn (maniacal laugh). Disclaimer: there will be a distinct lack of 2012 releases mentioned below, these are a selection of my own personal cultural highlights.
The Why Didn't I Watch This Before Award
Community
The best US sitcom since Arrested Development and similarly under-appreciated.
The Hoop Dreams Award for Best Documentary
We Were Here
An exceptionally tough category to choose from, honourable mentions have to go to The Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975, Into the Abyss and Benda Bilili!, but the award has to go to We Were Here, a documentary that recounts the AIDS epidemic in San Francisco by those who were there. This was shown on BBC4 during January, so keep an eye out for a repeat.
The Pearl & Dean Award for best cinema visit
The Artist
I don't get to the cinema as often as I would like these days and it was a toss up between this and The Muppets. It's been a few years since I watched a silent film on the big screen and while The Artist may be a faux silent (and not as good as the OSS 117 films from the same team) it was still a joy to see something a bit different at a multiplex.
Best DVD release of 2012 (so far)
The Devils
While it is not the definitive release that we would want to see (the restored version, including the rape of Christ scene, is still sitting in a Warner Bros vault somewhere), the fact that the original X certificate release is now available is a cause for celebration. We miss you Ken.
The Deep Cult Award
Branded to Kill
Criterion recently released this and Tokyo Drifter as part of their collection series and I happened to come across a few of Seijun Suzuki's films in a second hand shop around the same time. I love synchronicity, and I love Branded to Kill even more than the delirious Tokyo Drifter which was my only exposure to his films before this. Highly recommended.
The Sarah Lund Award for best Scandinavian film
Haxan
I only included this award so I could rave about finally seeing Lukas Moodyson's Together but then I remembered that Haxan is a Swedish film, and therefore wins the award. A silent 'documentary' about witchcraft through the ages, Haxan is a film that defys easy categorisation.
Best Album of 2012 (so far)
Django Django - Django Django
Beta Band meets Battles in a superb debut album that will be soundtracking lifestyle programmes and sports highlights packages for the rest of the year.
The WTF? Award for craziest film
The Last Circus
The films of Alex de la Iglesia are normally pretty crazy but The Last Circus is batshit insane. The story of two clowns fighting for the affections of a trapeze artist, this film still hasn't been released in the UK continuing the under-appreciation of de la Iglesia in this country.
Best film of 2012 (so far)
Avengers Assemble
Not much to choose from for this category, so the award goes to Avengers Assemble by default. Far surpassing the quality of previous Marvel movies, this was the most purely enjoyable popcorn tent-pole since Inception.
The Prometheus Award for best sci-fi film about a scientific expedition gone wrong
Planet of the Vampires
See what I did there?
Best TV show of 2012 not called Community (so far)
Game of Thrones
Nuff said.
