Only one paltry release worth buying this week, but it’s an award winner! And for those of you not interested in a Forrest Gump redux we have plenty of rentals to keep you busy…

We continue our jaunt through the world of film in 2008 by taking a turn for the worse — toward the bottom of the barrel. For every great movie there are at least ten bad ones released in a given year, and 2008 was no exception.

The American Film Institute (AFI) responsible for those “100 Years, 100 _____” lists that get people riled up every year have come out with their list of 2008′s top films.

Kevin Carr looks at The Day the Earth Stood Still, Nothing Like the Holidays, Slumdog Millionaire and Wendy and Lucy, in theaters this week with the FSR Report Card.

Kevin and Neil are overwhelmed with the impending awards season, feverishly trying to watch all the films at press screenings and on studio-provided DVDs. They know this makes you jealous, but such is the life of illustrious film critics.

This afternoon the nominations for the 2009 awards were announced, with films such as Courtney Hunt’s Sundance Grand Jury Prize winning Frozen River, Jonathan Demme’s critically acclaimed Rachel Getting Married and Darren Aronofsky’s Toronto gem The Wrestler leading the way.