As the summer movie season officially closed at the end of August, we have reached the beginning of of awards season. Many films such as The Master, Argo, The Sessions, Life of Pi, Zero Dark Thirty, Lincoln, Cloud Atlas, and Django Unchained are vying for the coveted Oscar. After the jump, I run down for you all of the films, in my opinion, you should look forward to the for the rest of the year.

Not all of these picks are going to be award worthy, but are films I believe will be of high interest, entertaining, and worth your money in to venture to theaters for. For those of you following awards season or those just looking to have a good time in the movie theaters, this list is for you.

September

Although September is almost over, there are still many films that have released and will release that you must see! Already in theaters is [REC] 3: Genesis (limited release), Finding Nemo 3D (the 3D is very pretty) and The Master (a big Best Picture nominee contender).

Dredd 3D – September 21. This new take on the classic Stallone sci-fi adventure has been buzzing with positive reviews ever since a screening took place at Comic-Con 2012 this past summer. I’m highly excited to see this as it bears similarities to The Raid: Redemption. I’ve also heard the 3D is pretty fantastic.

End of Watch – September 21. Starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Peña, End of Watch looks to bring high intensity cop drama with great action beats. Seems like there’ll be two law enforcement movies facing off this weekend, but who will incarcerate the most movie goers?

House at the End of the Street – September 21. Although I find the name of this movie simply deplorable, I find Jennifer Lawrence to be a terrific actress. I am mostly looking forward to what she can bring to the horror genre. Hopefully it won’t be just a throwaway experimental film for her.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower – September 21. Based off the popular novel and directed by Stephen Chbosky, TPBW has Emma Wastson at the peak of her stardom right after her tiny stint with Harry Potter franchise. Can the actress go beyond the wizarding world, or will this be pretentious indie trash with no heart?

Looper – September 28. Director Rian Johnson (Brick; The Brothers Bloom) seeks to gain the attention of mainstream audiences this year with this one of a kind time traveling thriller starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Bruce Willis.

Won’t Back Down – September 28. I personally don’t think this film looks that great; it’s more like this year’s The Blind Side than anything else. It’s a by the books, cookie-cutter film brings nothing new to this genre. But I wouldn’t count out Viola Davis for another potential Oscar nomination.

Pitch Perfect – September 28 (Wide release Oct. 5). Now I know what you’re thinking, “he’s crazy,” but I can tell you, I’ve seen this film and it is nothing like the trailer. Well sort of. Pitch Perfect is far more raunchy than the goofy trailers lead on. The cast has great chemistry; it resembles a lot of the fun comedic work the women from Bridesmaids were able to capture. Don’t expect a miracle out of this film, but it is a jolly good time.

October

Taken 2 – October 5. Do I even need an explanation as to why you should go see the sequel to one of the best, most ridiculous action thrillers overplayed on FX?

V/H/S – October 5. I cannot exactly say how long I’ve been waiting for this film, it feels like forever, but I have a hunch that it will be one of the best horror films of the year.

Argo – October 12. Ben Affleck has returned to the director’s chair post The Town to deliver Argo, a story based off true events of an Iranian revolution during 1979. It is already being highly sought after as Oscar bait.

Sinister – October 12. You have to have more horror in Shocktober! After I accidentally saw the trailer for this little horror flick at Comic-Con this summer, this film stuck with me. This will either be a big surprise hit like Insidious or an over hyped stinker like The Possession.

Seven Psychopaths – October 12. Collin Farrell, Woody Harrelson, Christopher Walken, and Sam Rockwell, need I say more? No actually, this film might suck, but I want to see this cast in this strange dark comedy from the director of In Bruges, Martin McDonagh.

Paranormal Activity 4 – October 19. Like the Saw franchise before, it just wouldn’t be Halloween without a Paranormal Activity movie. The series have always upped the ante on scares, but can they deliver a story that actually ties-in with the previous entries?

The Sessions – October 19. I still am not sure what to think about the premise of this film, but it has been getting Oscar buzz for Best Picture, Lead Actor Jonathan Hawkes, Supporting Actor William H. Macy, Supporting Actress Helen Hunt, Writing, and Direction by Ben Lewin. If that doesn’t entice you, then you obviously don’t care about the Oscars now do you?

Cloud Atlas – October 26. My prediction is that this will be the most polarizing film of the year, much like The Tree of Life from 2011. You are either going to love it or hate it. It feels like it’s going to be very convoluted, yet has tons of ambition. Adapted from the best selling novel written by David Mitchell, the Wachowski brothers (The Matrix Trilogy) return to bring audiences a sci-fi, fantasy spectacle like you’ve never seen before.

Silent Hill Revelation: 3D – October 26. Bringing you yet another opportunity to see Sean Bean die violently, is there any other reason why you should see this flick? I liked the first one because of the haunting imagery the video game adaption was able to achieve. I expect, from the trailer, it will accomplish the same feeling.

Fun Size – October 26. This just looks like a better, more well executed version of The Sitter, but with an attractive lead and a more fun time. The premise looks very kiddy, but the trailer for Fun Size, I feel, is hiding a lot of adult situations that border on Mean Girls territory.

November

Wreck-It Ralph – November 2. After I gushed about my anticipation for the movie after the first theatrical trailer released, I have no doubt that this film will be one of the best animated pictures of the year, if not the best.

The Man with the Iron Fists – November 2. Not quite sure what to think of this wacky, ultra-violent, Kung Fu action movie, but I do know that I want to see Russell Crowe in one of the most far-out-there movies of his career.

Skyfall – November 9. Secret agent 007 is back and he appears to be better than ever. With Javier Bardem as the villain, there is no doubt in my mind that this will be a great entry to the Bond franchise that we’ve been waiting for since Casino Royale. Sam Mendes, director of American Beauty is helming the project so I want to believe.

Lincoln – November 9. Stephen Spielburg is directing Daniel Day Lewis as our nation’s 16th president with Joseph Gordon-Levitt in a supporting role. Done and done.

Anna Karenina – November 16. Fighting against the Twihards, Kiera Knightley is thrusted back into yet another period piece. (She must have a contractual obligation where half of her filmography must consist of period pieces.) She is always one to watch for Oscar season as she continually stands out in these sort of films.

Silver Linings Playbook – November 23. I’ve never heard of this film until a few days ago, but it has gotten praise for hosting a lot of Oscar potential. This film stars Bradley Cooper and the lovely Jennifer Lawrence, and is directed by David O. Russell (The Fighter). For some reason I smell Chris Tucker getting a Supporting Actor nod…

Life of Pi – November 23. Ang Lee films are hit or miss. With the adaptation of such a celebrated novel,we should expect great things from Life of Pi. From the trailer, first time actor Suraj Sharma also looks to be fairly promising. This is a visual spectacle I’m looking forward to in 3D.

December

Hyde Park on Hudson – December 7. Bill Murray is portraying FDR as he takes a weekend getaway with the King and Queen of the United Kingdom. Could Murray receive more Oscar attention; he’s due right?

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey – December 14. No explanation needed here. This is a must 3D IMAX adventure. The trailer for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey just brings me chills every time I watch it. Let the next Peter Jackson trilogy begin!

Les Misérables – December 14. Hugh Jackman returns to his theatre roots with Russell Crowe, Anne Hathaway, and Helena Bonham Carter and is directed by the Academy Award winning director Tom Hooper (The King’s Speech).

This is 40 – December 21. Judd Apatow is bringing a late entry to close out 2012 with a spin-off sequel to Knocked Up. Here we check-in on the life of Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann’s characters. I don’t expect to see a cameo from Seth Rogen and especially not one from Katherine Heigl, but I can dream can’t I?

Zero Dark Thirty – December 21. And then Kathryn Bigelow (The Hurt Locker) swoops in to knock the wind out of all the other Oscar contenders with her film that captures the decade long events leading up to the assassination of Osama Bin Laden.

Monsters, Inc. 3D – December 21. I did not get a chance to see this film on the silver screen originally and Finding Nemo 3D was a good time despite all the obnoxious children in the theater.

Django Unchained – December 29. Did you think Quentin Tarantino would lay low for long? This project has been looked at as one of the most highly anticipated films of 2012 and it just barely squeezes in with days left. Hopefully the Mayans were wrong because I have been waiting for this film forever.

The Guilt Trip – December 29. Oh I know this will be bad, but how could a road trip film with Seth Rogen and Babs herself, Barbara Streisand, acting as his mother be terrible?