It's been one helluva ride emotionally this past year, especially finding out my entrepreneurial spirit is not dead, nay, it's alive and kicking fiercely. But that, my bro's is a post for another time on another day, so let's get started...
The aim of these awards for me is to reward the teams that have either broken the mould in terms of ways to entertain, or have just been purely worthy of recognition. So I'm going to start with my first award and that is Movie of the Year.
MOVIE OF THE YEAR
At the end of it, this comes down to either one of two choices; Man of Steel or Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters. One suffered from poor, blurry CGI and 3Dfx, whereas the other was a rollercoaster ride of the senses that was put out there as a follow up to a film that you either liked or didn't.
Now, as ambiguous as those responses are, for they can both be described as heralding from unsure predecessors and the like, it boils down to one question; which movie did it for me?
The answer? The Dark Knight's conqueror; Superman the aforementioned 'Man of Steel'!
Why? I've already reviewed the film itself so go here for that, but simply put, though the 3D was largely lost upon me and I thought it a rather disappointing effort, the film itself was near faultless (apart from the embarrassingly bad movie mistake of darkness on all sides of the planet at the same time, and incorrect shadowing on the troops as Superman hovered there for all to see!) and was about time someone took it to the Christopher Reeve highlights of yesteryear.
Zack Snyder did not necessarily have a lot to live up to because his repertoire so far had included the likes of "300" and Watchmen, so you could say automatically it was expected that this one would be great, given that the previous attempts to bring the hero back from the pages of his comic book hadn't exactly been vintage, had they?
You could say that sounds a tad biased because I imply as though, for Snyder, he poops rainbows and his creativity knows no bounds. But that's not necessarily my words, you just look at what hype was built into this when it was revealed that he was not only donning the director's helm for this one, but planned on changing Kal-El's costume (removing the red trunks is cardinal, dontcha know? Shock horror numpties abound!). He also took the interesting choice of completely removing Henry Cavill's cape and adding it digitally to fully enhance the 3D effect (about the only thing that really worked for me, bro's!).
That being said, it was a truly sensational film, telling the origins and for once dedicating a worthy amount of time (get a brew and settle in because this one's drawn out) to it, unlike others that seem so obsessed on getting to the good stuff (think Spidey in the original reboot) that they skimp on the origin details and risk pissing all over a dynasty that upsets even the diehard comic book fans.
Thus ends that award.
VIDEOGAME OF THE YEAR
The next one is 'Videogame of the Year' and there is only one real contender and winner for this, though I will pay another mention to a hearty and fun game that was the runner-up.
It was rumoured that this would be treading over familiar territory, allowing us to relive San Andreas in glorious high definition along with tackling some activities that had never before been seen in a GTA videogame. Tennis, golf, scuba diving and the like all further added to the cinematic spectacle that Rockstar were promising in the months toward September of this year.
One particular Youtuber, Gtchy1230 was instrumental in keeping me up-to-date for this as he seemed to have all the relevant news I Was interested in before the game launched as he had people Facebooking and tweeting comments and questions to discuss. Respect brother!
I was not planning on buying this until I saw the review on the BBC programme 'Click' and decided that day, a mere four days after release, that I would be investing in it.
Shoot yeah I was not disappointed!
Since then it has been responsible for many a late night (one even as late as 7am the following morning it's THAT good!) as I sought to unpack the content from this game and explore all that Rockstar had re-imagined for this game. Who can forget the immense fun of upsetting the gangs and then getting a chase off them? Or flipping off a bus driver and having him snap and chase you around the city in his bus!
I've already reviewed this piece of awesomeness so I won't bother gushing too much more, bro's, because it was well worth the years of waiting and to hear that they have content for years to come is a bonus too!
Onto the game I said I'd mention...
Granted it's not from this year, but as I only bought it this year it makes it into the list: -
Bulletstorm
This has to be one of the most fun to play games I have ever come across and yes, whilst it is uber-violent in places, the fact that the game slows down time so you can kick someone off a ledge just NEVER gets old bro's!
The bracelet is one of THE BEST weapons I have ever used in a videogame and whilst I would not say the game is perfection, the fun element of the combat makes this a shedload more fun to play than the latest crappy Call of Duty (say that with an American accent and you're closer to what I think of them!) titles that by now all look samey and don't really try anything new (take note from Battlefield, bro's!).
Onto the next award...
HOME ENTERTAINMENT HIGHLIGHT
I'm picking an easy one here, because this is easily the best home release I've seen this year (though it originally came out in 2010).
Black Swan
This film, despite being criticised by some for its content, is a work of masterpiece as it skilfully depicts the descent from 'White Swan' to 'Black Swan' (or goody-goody to Miss. Don't-Mess-With-Me-Lest-I-Scratch-Your-Eyes-Out!) of main character, Nina Sayers, played to perfection by Natalie Portman.
In it, she goes from nice and loveable to feisty and fearsome as she bids to overcome the Black Swan played by the sultry and sexy Mila Kunis (come off it, you cannot NOT think that!).
Kunis it was who starred in the film 'Friends With Benefits' alongside JT, my favourite singer of late, and here she depicts what some might say as the darker side of the conscience, compared to Portman's lighter side.
For those of you that questioned the content between Kunis and Portman I ask you one question, did it develop the story or was it more for just show or shock value? If you agreed with the latter then I ask you to merely watch it again and watch what it adds to the story... if it were shoehorned in, there wouldn't just be one 'questionable scene'. Case closed. Discussion over.
TV HIGHLIGHT
This is an easy one and is simply the 50th anniversary episode of the long running series, Doctor Who and was the episode entitled 'The Day of the Doctor'.
I don't have the time nor the inclination to review it fully, but needless to say I was blown away by the production value of this as it was like Steven Moffat was putting a cherry on the top of all the years of the Doctor's legacy, with helpful homages at just the right points to Doctors past and present along with a glimpse into what the future holds with Peter Capaldi due to take over in three days' time!
Jeez, is it that time already? Don't go Matt, don't go! It reminds me of David Tennant's last words as the Doctor (SHEE-IT! I'd forgotten how heart-breaking that scene is!)... so sad! :( :( :(
If I think of any more for these awards I'll be sure to create an addendum for it, but for now that's it, bro's!
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you all, and to you all a good night!
The Lanky Penguin
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