As we lurch forward into the glossier side of awards season — with critics’ associations giving way to glitzy Golden Globe and Oscar talk — Slate is keeping its dignity with this year’s edition of The Movie Club, a round-robin conversation between house writer Dana Stevens and a selection of critical luminaries.

This year, Roger Ebert, Stephanie Zacharek, Dan Kois and Wesley Morris are the participants, and they’re already getting into some fairly thorny issues — like, oh, how “Precious” really doesn’t hold up as anything more than misery porn, and how “Crazy Heart” really just plays out another standard alcoholic-hitting-bottom arc, with the only difference being that Jeff Bridges is the one doing the bouncing.

I do suggest you read along. And for something a little lighter, take a look at this splendidly written AV Club post about the Big Gay Battle between John Barrowman and Neil Patrick Harris that’s currently raging on the interwebs. It’s cold outside, and stories like this will leave you with a nice, warm feeling.