Maybe you're already out shopping, maybe you've got a little extra spending money, maybe you've got a houseful of relatives... whatever the reason, it's a great time to go to the movies, as the studios release the films on which they've hung their Oscar hopes, as well as a few surefire blockbusters.

Playing for Keeps (Dec. 7)
Gerard Butler is an ex-professional athlete who starts coaching his son's soccer team and soon finds himself being tempted by his players' moms, played by Jessica Biel, Uma Thurman and Catherine Zeta-Jones. Sounds like a real problem.

The Hobbit (Dec. 14)
"Lord of the Rings" mastermind Peter Jackson returns with the first chapter of a prequel trilogy (prilogy?) about Bilbo Baggins' adventures with 13 dwarves as they try to retake Lonely Mountain -  and the treasure therein - from the dragon Smaug.

Save the Date (Dec. 14)
Lizzy Caplan plays a young woman who rejects her boyfriend's proposal and soon finds herself in a rebound romance while her sister (Alison Brie) is busy planning her own wedding.

Zero Dark Thirty (Dec. 19)
Director Kathryn Bigelow and writer Mark Boal, the Oscar-winning duo behind "The Hurt Locker," team up again for this look at the hunt for Osama bin Laden, and his death at the hands of SEAL Team 6.

The Guilt Trip (Dec. 19)
Barbara Streisand and Seth Rogen go on a mother-son road trip. It's the first time we've seen Streisand on the big screen since 2010's "Little Fockers," and once again she inhabits the role of a meddlesome mom who only wants the best for her boy.

Monsters, Inc. (3-D) (Dec. 19)
In this Disney 3-D re-issue, the monsters who generate the power for their city with children's fears find their world thrown into chaos when a kid finds her way into their realm.

Jack Reacher (Dec. 21)
Tom Cruise stars in this adaptation of the Lee Child thriller "One Shot," as an ex-military cop out to find the truth behind a sniper shooting that leaves five people dead.

This Is 40 (Dec. 21)
Judd Apatow writes and directs this "Knocked-Up" spinoff starring Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann as a couple struggling with the challenges of marriage, parenthood and aging. Co-stars John Lithgow, Megan Fox and Albert Brooks.

Django Unchained (Dec. 25)
Quentin Tarantino writes and directs this revenge epic about an escaped slave, played by Jamie Foxx, who teams up with a bounty hunter, played by Christoph Waltz, to hunt down the man (Leonardo DiCaprio) who still "owns" his wife.

Les Miserables (Dec. 25)
Hugh Jackman steals a loaf of bread, Russell Crowe is a total jerk about it and Anne Hathaway is a prostitute in the thirteenth film adaptation of Victor Hugo's beloved novel, this one - featuring songs from the hit stage musical - directed by Tom Hooper ("The King's Speech").

Parental Guidance (Dec. 25)
Billy Crystal and Bette Midler are a married couple who agree to take care of the daughter's three kids, and find that a lot has changed since they were raising their own.

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