Films seen so far this year: 473
Films seen this fortnight: The Reader, Trade, North Face, Love and Honour, Revolutionary Road

The Twilight Phenomenon: Be afraid. Be very afraid. (But not of the vampires.)
If you've spent any time on the internet at all recently, you're probably aware of the imminent arrival of Twilight, based on the cult "vamp lit" novels by Stephenie Meyer. Essentially, the film is about a teenage girl (Kristen Stewart) who falls in love with a vampire (Robert Pattinson) who happens to be really, really good-looking. True love ensues, only they can't, you know "be together" (that's a euphemism) because then he'll lose control and bite her. Oh, and there are some Bad Vampires (led by someone who used to bully Ryan in The O.C.) that Pattinson has to save her from.

But that's not the scary part. The scary part is the whole Twilight Phenomenon thing, which is set to explode at a cinema near you from Friday 19th. Basically, if you're planning on seeing it on opening weekend, be prepared to share the cinema with hordes of screaming teenage girls. Now, that's scary - at least if the premiere was anything to go by. At the press screening I attended they had bussed in a crowd of fans (some dressed as vampires) and they screamed a) when Pattinson's name came up on the credits and b) during his - admittedly impressive - entrance scene. There was also audible swooning during the more romantic moments.

There are several theories behind the Twilight Phenomenon, but my favourite is that its core of devoted readers is made up of ex-Harry Potter fans who have now grown up a bit and moved on to more adult themes. (By a happy coincidence, Pattinson was hitherto best known for playing Cedric Diggory in The Goblet of Fire.) You have to feel sorry for Pattinson and Stewart though – in all the premiere photos I've seen, they both have that rabbit-in-the-headlights look where they're clearly freaked out by all the rabid fan attention (Pattinson says that he now gets 7-year-old girls asking him to bite them) and wondering what they've let themselves in for. Anyway, if you fancy a bit of fan-baiting, you could repeat the arguments in this article and see if you can goad them into trying to bite you...

Films I'm Looking Forward To: Terminator: Salvation
I'd been trying very hard not to get excited about the new Terminator movie (Terminator: Salvation) because, well, because McG was directing it and I didn't think much of the teaser trailer. However, a Japanese version of the full trailer has found its way onto YouTube (God bless the internets) and it's safe to say I'm officially excited – check out the trailer here. Without giving too much away, the ending of that trailer made me go "Whoa," Keanu-style. I also think Bale's going to make a great John Connor and I'm delighted to see that Bryce Dallas Howard appears to have a decent part in the film too – something I hadn't realised before. Another thing that's been whetting my appetite for the new movie is the Sarah Connor Chronicles TV series, which is getting better and better in a way that, say, Heroes, isn't. Anyone else watching that?

Top 10 Films On Release This Week (as recommended by me):
It's another big week this week, with eight new releases, three of which make it into the top ten: Israeli drama Lemon Tree (starring The Visitor's Hiam Abbass), German mountaineering drama North Face and bizarre shaggy dog story Dean Spanley, which you should see before someone spoils it for you. Elsewhere, I've Loved You So Long is still hanging in there on its second run and may pick up some renewed interest if Kristin Scott Thomas starts receiving Oscar buzz – it is, after all, Top Ten Season.

1. Trouble the Water
2. Waltz With Bashir
3. I've Loved You So Long
4. Hunger
5. Quantum of Solace
6. The Baader Meinhof Complex
7. Lemon Tree
8. Summer
9. North Face
10. Dean Spanley

DVD of the Week: Wild Child (out now, RRP £17.99)
This week's DVD of the Week is Wild Child, a fish-out-of-water teen drama starring Emma Roberts (niece of Julia) as a spoiled Malibu rich girl who's exiled to an isolated English boarding school. Basically, this is Mean Girls meets St Trinian's and if you're a 12-year-old girl, Wild Child has a good chance of becoming your all-time favourite film. However, beyond its obvious appeal to its target audience, it's actually a surprisingly entertaining teen flick, thanks to likeable performances (particularly from Juno Temple and Kimberley Nixon) and a script that highlights the importance of friendship. There isn't much in the way of extras (a 10 minute Making Of and four short featurettes) but the cast are a lively and funny bunch and there's plenty of footage of everyone larking about between takes. Highlights include three of the cast scaring each other by daring themselves to walk down a scary corridor and a featurette about school memories.