Oscar season

Kate Winslet must be favourite to win an Oscar at this year's awards ceremony.

She has been nominated on five separate occasions, but has yet to pick up a statue.

This year she is up for an award for her role in The Reader, a film where she plays a former Nazi death camp guard who has a fling with a school boy from Germany.

In that category she is up against Anne Hathaway (Rachel Getting Married), Angelina Jolie (Changeling), Melissa Leo (Frozen River) and Meryl Streep for (Doubt).

This year's Oscar ceremony, which will take place on February 22, is a good one for Britain. A total of 20 directors, technicians, producers and actors from this country have nominations.

One of the biggest UK hopes on Oscar night will be for Slumdog Millionaire, directed by Britain's Danny Boyle. The film is up for 10 awards.

The film, which has received rave reviews, is about an India orphan who goes on the country's version of Who Wants to be a Millionaire.

The highest nominated film though is The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, which has 13 nominations. Though let's not hope it's unlucky for some.

Also up for an award in the supporting actor category is the late Heath Ledger for his crazy portrayal of the Joker in The Dark Knight.

Now is one of the best times to go to the cinema, with many of theses films just being released, coincidentally, to coincide with Oscar season.