With the Golden Globe award winners announced the other night we are right at the beginning of the movie award season. With the exception of Avatar I think this year’s crop of English-language films in contention for awards is somewhat disappointing although I know this trend is becoming a little routine with Slumdog Millionaire stealing the show last year at Oscars and beyond. Despite the impressive list of foreign language films that have come out this year, Avatar will win the Best Film Oscar (although deservedly) because Hollywood really loves to celebrate its own.

George Clooney’s latest, Up in the Air, is in contention for awards this year. It is a good film, the script is competent and the movie wins on timeliness thanks to the story’s focus on the recession and how it effects various people. The film also documents well the soullessness of business travel and Mr Nespresso delivers a personality of someone who’s life is somewhat drained of any happiness. It is, however, not a great film. The characterisation of the female leads I found to be rather unbelievable and the film delivers only a little sympathy when aiming for big heart-filled moments. A film in contention for awards should offer a lot more surely? Rocking soundtrack though.