More listage! Happy new year!

This year we watched a serious stack of films and television, so it would be remiss not to compose another list for your curious eyes. Again, like the music list from a few weeks ago, it's an entirely subjective list of my favourite fillums and TV from the year.

Before any pedantic nerds get uppity about release dates or anything like that ("Hey that was out in 2011 you buttfox!"), I say this: "Suck my buttfox".

Top Ten Favourite Films of 2012 by Jarf for you to read now

1) Amour
2) Moonrise Kingdom
3) Take Shelter
4) Once Upon a Time in Anatolia
5) Martha Marcy May Marlene
6) Pirates! In an adventure with scientists
7) Monsieur Lazhar
8) Headhunters
9) Weekend
10) Looper

There were loads of others that we watched last year that were released on DVD in 2012 so they didn't make it (the Oscar ones - The Descendants, The Artist, etc). Maybe they should have been eligible, I dunno. I'm confused.

I enjoyed the big blockbusters of the year too (Avengers, Dark Knight, Prometheus, Skyfall), but they were all just too silly to make it into the lists. Entertaining, but ultimately lacking in EMOTIONAL DEPTH. I included Looper because the plot was just more interesting than the others.

Elite Squad II was released on DVD this year too - definitely worth watching to see how scary the BOPE police force are around these parts. The other day I got a bus with two officers casually sitting at the back, just holding their guns on their laps. They really are just Terminators.

On reflection, there's loads of others that didn't make it either, but I'd still recommend - Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, The Skin I Live In, Holy Motors, and I'm sure there's others too. Like I said, we watched STACKS this year.

So, on to the Top Ten Televisual Treats.

1) Hunderby (Series 1)
2) Homeland (Season 1!)
3) Boardwalk Empire (Season 3)
4) Louie (Season 3)
5)The Bridge (Season 1)
6) Walking Dead (Season 3)
7) The Killing (Season 3)
8) Nurse Jackie (Season 3)
9) Modern Family (Season 4)
10) Parks & Recreation (Season 5)

Our favourite discovery of the year was definitely Adventure Time though. It's the funniest, most creative and inventive thing I've seen for years. Hugo picked Downton Abbey as his number one choice this year - I didn't watch it, although from what I've seen in the background NOTHING HAPPENS IN IT? Nothing needs to happen for it to be good though, I suppose.

And so, on to the final, most important list of the year....

Top 3 Apples of 2012

It's been a strong year for apples, and it was going to have to be after last year's resounding victory for the Pink Lady. I'm focusing on shop-bought apples here, so connoisseurs may cock a snook but to them I say "good day!".

1) Fuji
2) Argentina
3) Red Delicious

But who are we kidding? This was the year of the pineapple, the mango, the banana, and the grapefruit!

Here's to 2013
x (with tongue)

Music List 2012 ! Lists Lists Lists!

You need more lists, right? It’s the one thing that’s really lacking at the end of the year, isn’t it? Without lists we’d all be screwed. I mean, how else would we remember to gather our leaves and twigs, or tidy under our beds, unless these were carefully recorded on a list of things to do? THEY’D SIMPLY NEVER GET DONE. NEVER EVER!

Alrighty then, this year I’ve definitely been getting my groove on over here in Brasil with lots of new musics, albeit disappointingly lacking in South American material. A new year’s resolution should really be to find out some local stuff to get my teeth into.

I’ve compiled a list of my 20 favourite albums of the year. I could’ve incuded many more, and there are still loads and loads that I wanted to listen to but haven’t had a chance just yet, as obviously it’s impossible to cover everything (unless you’re Steve Roberts of course).

One of the main things I noticed this year was how many strong female-led albums there were. From Jessie Ware to Cat Power and that one from Beach House, stacks of the albums I listened to had really strong girlywirly vocals. I think 6 or 7 out of my top 20 had female singers. Aww.

There was also a great deal of nostalgia in my favourites too – from Dinosaur Jr sounding, well, just like they always do, and Neil Young still pulling some great tunes out of his Crazy Horse, it sounded just like my 90s again. Throw in Beta Band copyists Django Django, the obvious electronecessities (John Talabot/Ulrich/Hot Chip), some psychenonsense (Goat), and good old acoustic guitars (First Aid Kit/Woods) and you’ve got yourself a winner.

There were a great deal of bands that I love that didn’t make my cut this time round –Tindersticks, Lambchop, Mark Lanegan, Dirty Three, Walkmen, Tallest Man, The Shins, Sun Kil Moon, Sigur Ros, Gravenhurst, M Ward, etc, etc, etc . All these albums were good, but I didn’t find myself wanting to hear them again and again and again, and again and again, unlike some of their earlier albums. Maybe they’ll grow on me a bit more.

There were several I wanted to hear but haven’t heard yet too – Godspeed!, Neil Halstead, Lee Ranaldo, and many more, so maybe these guys would have made it onto the list too. Who the hell knows, eh?

Anyway, I’m rambling like a crazy old peach, so I’ll get on with it. Lemme know what you thinksy.

1) Django Django – Django Django
2) Sharon Van Etten – Tramp
3) First Aid Kit – The Lion’s Roar
4) Swans – The Seer
5) Woods – Bend Beyond
6) Chilly Gonzales – Solo Piano II
7) Guided by Voices – Class Clown Spots a UFO
8) School of Seven Bells - Ghostory
9) Goat – World Music
10) Spiritualized – Sweet Heart Sweet Light
11) Hot Chip – In Our Heads
12) Efterklang – Piramida
13) John Talabot – Fin
14) Neil Young & Crazy Horse – Psychedelic Pill
15) Smoke Fairies – Blood Speaks
16) Ulrich Schnauss & Mark Peters – Underrated Silence
17) Dinosaur Jr – I Bet on Sky
18) Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti – Mature Themes
19) Young Magic – Melt
20) Jessie Ware - Devotion

I’ll post again with a list of my favourite fillums and TV shows for the year too, since myself and Hugo have managed to watch an incredible 110 films this year so far, mostly down to regular lazybastard Sundays with 3 or 4 fillums in a row. Nice.

Also, for other, better informed lists and music links and stuff, check out these guys:

http://sanyo815.blogspot.co.uk/2012/12/the-ultimate-best-tunes-of-2012-by-dj.html

http://www.last.fm/user/old_man_bourner

http://www.last.fm/user/drdinnermint

http://www.last.fm/user/dansroberts

http://www.mixcloud.com/djdavidtabalipa/  (Some great Brasilian musics here)

Oh, and finally – Frank Ocean didn’t make it above, most probably because I have no soul.