Films of 2012: 21 Jump Street

Jonah Hill is the most likeable he's been in a comedy for ages, but Channing Tatum steals all the scenes he's in, sending up his beefcake image and showing a natural ability for physical comedy and timing.

Films of 2012: Argo

Ben Affleck is often the butt of many of Kevin Smith's jokes - but with Argo he is now 3 for 3 in films that are better than anything Kevin Smith has ever done.

Films of 2012: Avengers Assemble

The most fun of the superhero blockbusters this year - if you can overlook the fact the first 20 minutes are a bit dull and that the whole plot kind of contradicts everything that happened in Thor, The Avengers was an experience made to be enjoyed on the big screen.

Films of 2012: End of Watch

End of Watch is everything Michael Mann's 2006 remake of Miami Vice should have been. There's actually chemistry between the two leads, an exciting plot and a shooting style that complements the down to earth, gritty feel.

Films of 2012: Headhunters

Lumped in with the rest of Nordic Noir, Headhunters is actually a welcome return to those 90s films where Tommy Lee Jones was always hot on someone's trail.

Films of 2012: The Hunger Games

While other franchises aimed at the teen market have struggled with their first films, The Hunger Games nails it right from the start, with plenty of thrills that never patronise - and another great performance from Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss.

Films of 2012: The Imposter

I would normally say this documentary's story is so good they should make a movie out of it, but it appears that there was a movie where the story was so good, they made a documentary out if it.

Films of 2012: Moonrise Kingdom

Despite casting Bruce Willis and Ed Norton, who've been more used to roles in action movies as of late - Wes Anderson has still managed to master his craft that he's still able create the most typically Wes Anderson film of his career so far.

Films of 2012: The Muppets

The feel-good family film of the year. the Muppets doesn't try and reinvent the series, realising the timeless appeal of Jim Henson's characters.

Films of 2012: Skyfall

Skyfall manages to mix the modern Bond with enough flashbacks to its 60s & 70s heyday to make this the best film so far in the rebooted series. Javier Bardem steals the show as the flamboyant counterpart to Daniel Craig's stern-faced spy.

Albums of 2012: ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead - Lost Songs

As striped-down as your ever going to get from Trail of Dead, Lost Songs is more punk than prog and sounds all the better for it.

Albums of 2012: Dinosaur Jr - I Bet On Sky

Pretty mellow for a Dinosaur Jr. album, I Bet On Sky still contains plenty of fuzz and J Mascis guitar solos with a surprisingly upbeat feel.

Albums of 2012: DZ Deathrays - Bloodstreams

It might be a bit obvious to call them DZ Death from Above 1979 - but for anyone awaiting the return the Canadian duo this will tide them over nicely.

Albums of 2012: Frank Ocean - Channel Orange

For anyone whose missed The Neptunes and N*E*R*D since the drowned under Pharrell's ego, Frank Ocean has taken a similar spaced-out R&B formula and improved it so it actually works over the course of an album.

Albums of 2012: Graham Coxon - A+E

Graham Coxon albums usually come in one of three forms: folk, the best albums The Libertines never made or Weird & Noisy. This album falls into the latter category with lots of synths, feedback and angry guitar growls all over the place.

Albums of 2012: Hot Chip - In Our Heads

Thought of as a cool dance act, there's always been a poppiness to Hot Chip's sound to suggest they're actually more Pet Shop Boys than Pitchfork.

Albums of 2012: Japandroids - Celebration Rock

Bands like The Gaslight Anthem, The Hold Steady and even Fucked Up have led the growing number of bands that owe an increasing debt to Bruce Springsteen in their sound - Japandroids are the latest with The House That Heaven Built sounding like The Boss fronting The Hives.

Albums of 2012: Nada Surf - The Stars Are Indifferent To Astronomy

Sounding completely different to the band that wrote Popular, Nada Surf now can be relied on for another album of Anglophile-influenced sounds.

Albums of 2012: Smashing Pumpkins - Oceania

The two most surprising returns to form in 2012 were the new series of Red Dwarf not making you want to bleach your eyes - and this latest album from The Smashing Pumpkins. Unlike the over-produced dirge of Zeitgeist, you can actually hear this time that Billy Corgan can still write a good song when he puts his mind to it.

Albums of 2012: Tame Impala - Lonerism

As with The Black Keys' El Camino, there's a stomping glam rock quality alongside Tame Impala's usual prog sound that makes it a lot of fun to listen to.