Films seen so far this year: 4
Films seen this week: The Spirit, Defiance, Gran Torino, Bride Wars

OscarWatch: The Golden Globes and the Producer's Guild Awards
With the Golden Globe awards due to be aired this coming Sunday, awards season has officially kicked off for 2009 (well, 2008, but you know what I mean). Of course, the only awards anyone really cares about are the Oscars (nominations are due Thursday Jan 22nd – they've been delayed two days because of President Obama's inauguration on the 20th and the Golden Globes are one of the best indicators as to what this year's nominations might be. The full list of Golden Globe film nominations is here but the Best Motion Picture (Drama) nominees are Frost/Nixon, The Reader, Revolutionary Road, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Slumdog Millionaire. Best Motion Picture (Musical or Comedy) nominees are Burn After Reading, Happy-Go-Lucky, In Bruges, Mamma Mia! and Vicky Cristina Barcelona.

The only one I haven't seen from those lists is Benjamin Button, which I'm trying to rectify as we speak, although I've now seen at least four different trailers for it, so I feel like I've seen the whole thing (basically it's David Fincher's Forrest Gump). Anyway, the Golden Globes give a good idea of the flavour of this year's Oscars, but the Producer's Guild Awards are often a better guide to the final five and this year, they've gone for Benjamin Button, Frost/Nixon, Slumdog Millionaire, Milk and The Dark Knight, which is interesting because they've shut out both Kate Winslet films. It remains to be seen whether The Dark Knight will make it onto the Oscar shortlist, but I'm rather dreading the fanboy explosion when it doesn't. Or does, come to that. For what it's worth, I think Slumdog Millionaire will win the Best Picture Oscar this year. Remember, you heard it here first...

Films I'm Looking Forward To: Monsters vs Aliens
I was going to post this after seeing the first trailer alone, but the newest trailer for Monsters vs Aliens (see below) is even better. It's a brilliant concept (a group of monsters are recruited to save the world from invading aliens), the characters look fabulous and the voice cast includes Seth Rogen (of course), Will Arnett, Paul Rudd, Reese Witherspoon, Rainn Wilson and Kiefer Sutherland. The trailer is laugh-out-loud funny and for once, it doesn't look as if they've spoiled all the best jokes. (Incidentally, the first trailer, which is completely different and has some more great gags, is here. The UK release date is April 3rd and, frankly, I can't wait that long. Genius tag-line, too: "Ooze Gonna Save Us".

Top 10 Films On Release This Week (as recommended by me):
It's all change this week with Danny Boyle's sure-to-be-Oscar-nominated Slumdog Millionaire, The Sure Thing meets Road Trip teen sex comedy Sex Drive and bizarre thriller Stuck all making it into the top ten. It's also well worth making the effort to see Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson (one of the best documentaries of last year), before it disappears from screens altogether, as it's already on its second run. (To be fair, most of this week's other releases – Defiance, Role Models, yes, even Bride
Wars - could just as easily be in 9th and 10th place, but I enjoyed Sex Drive and Stuck slightly more).

1. Slumdog Millionaire
2. Waltz With Bashir
3. I've Loved You So Long
4. Quantum of Solace
5. The Baader Meinhof Complex
6. Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson
7. The Reader
8. Che – Part One
9. Sex Drive
10. Stuck

DVD of the Week: Standard Operating Procedure (released 12th January, RRP £19.99)
This week's DVD of the Week is director Errol Morris' Standard Operating Procedure, which investigates the truth behind the Abu Ghraib abuse scandal. The majority of the story is told in the words of the soldiers themselves, including the infamous Lynndie England, who featured in some of the most shocking photographs and who, incidentally, was the subject of an interview in last week's Guardian. Under Morris' expert direction, this is an engaging and powerful documentary that demands to be seen, ideally in a double-bill with Alex Gibney's recent Oscar-winning documentary, Taxi to the Dark Side. The extras aren't bad either – aside from the trailer, you get nine additional scenes and - the holy grail for documentary DVDs - a commentary from director Errol Morris. Recommended.