It is finally December, and for avid moviegoers, that means the final push for big-budget and top-quality movies is beginning. The next couple of months are sure to have some of the best movies of the year. Here are Cadenza’s top picks.

“Hyde Park on Hudson”

Dec. 7

‘Tis the season for…historical movies? Bill Murray may not be the method actor that Daniel Day-Lewis is in “Lincoln,” but he is sure to delight as President Franklin Delano Roosevelt in “Hyde Park on Hudson.” Based on historical events, the film focuses on a weekend in 1939, before the start of World War II, when the king and queen of England (read: lovely British accents) visited the president’s country estate in upstate New York. Laura Linney stars as FDR’s distant-cousin-turned-lover (let’s hope “distant” really means “distant”) who keeps everyone sane as FDR and the king become allies and friends. With lush, 1939-themed visual candy and a stellar cast, this movie screams study break but still makes you feel like you’re being productive because it’s historical. –Jamie Gottlieb

“The Hobbit”

Dec. 14

Peter Jackson is returning to Middle Earth. “The Hobbit,” for those of you who don’t know, is the story of how Bilbo Baggins originally finds the one ring that ends up being fairly important in “The Lord of the Rings.” The film stars Martin Freeman (a wonderful British actor who plays Watson in the BBC’s “Sherlock”) as Bilbo and brings back Ian McKellen as Gandalf. The rest of the cast is made up of less recognizable names, but they’ll all be wearing beards anyway as they play the dwarves traveling with Bilbo. Jackson decided to turn “The Hobbit” into three movies to be true to the mythology (that is, make more money). But as long as they are as good as “The Lord of the Rings,” then I will gladly see all three. –Trevor Leuzinger

“This Is 40”

Dec. 21

What could be better than spending the weekend before Christmas going to see another Judd Apatow movie? I think practically nothing. “This Is 40” follows Pete (Paul Rudd) and Debbie (Leslie Mann), a couple looking back over their marriage, family and lives as they head into their forties. Billed as a sort-of sequel to “Knocked Up,” the movie looks extremely different but just as funny. “This Is 40” has a stacked cast beyond the two main characters that includes Jason Segel, Melissa McCarthy, Megan Fox and Lena Dunham. Humorous moments abound in the trailer as the couple tries to remember why they got married in the first place, how they’ve gotten to this particular place in their lives and how they’re going to change to make things different. The movie looks to be a heartwarming, romantic comedy—classic Apatow. –Alieza Schvimer

“Jack Reacher”

Dec. 21

Tom Cruise stars in the film adaptation of Lee Child’s 2005 novel “One Shot.” Reacher, a former military police officer, is personally called back to duty by James Barr, a military sniper who has been arrested for killing five innocents. The action film thrusts Cruise back into an Ethan Hunt-like role with Reacher unconstrained by the law, and instead of taking the typical path of uncovering Barr’s set-up, he first attempts to convict the sniper. After some investigation, he begins to doubt the case against Barr and endeavors to find and combat the perpetrator. The film is directed by Christopher McQuarrie. –Glenn Harris

“Les Misérables”

Dec. 25

“Les Misérables” tells a deeply emotional story of broken dreams, love, passion and redemption in 19th-century Paris. Its newest incarnation, directed by Tom Hooper (“The King’s Speech”), is based on Victor Hugo’s novel and the Broadway musical of the same name. Starring Hugh Jackman (Jean Valjean), Russell Crowe (Inspector Javert), Anne Hathaway (Fantine), Amanda Seyfried (Cosette) and many others, the cast of “Les Misérables” is full of big-name stars. All of the actors do their own singing as the film features a unique sung-through style, in which the actors sing the music on set while acting and being filmed. This style creates a truer performance with audible emotion in the songs. In addition, the movie stays true to the operatic nature of the musical with very little dialogue. Sure to be a popular version of the classic, preliminary screeners and reviews already exalt the film. –Caroline Gutbezahl

“Django Unchained”

Dec. 25

Continuing down the alternate history path that he started with “Inglourious Basterds,” Quentin Tarantino turns his wacky, creative eye on slavery. “Django Unchained” is the story of a slave who teams up with a bounty hunter to rescue his wife from a villainous plantation owner. Tarantino has assembled yet another star-studded and prestigious cast, including Jamie Foxx as the titular character, Christoph Waltz as the bounty hunter and Leonardo DiCaprio as the diabolical Calvin Candie. As always, the movie looks to be full of gunfights and Tarantino’s trademark dialogue. See it with “Les Miz” for the strangest Christmas-day double feature in history. –Georgie Morvis

“Quartet”

Jan. 4

Absolutely the first movie I will be seeing in the new year, “Quartet” is sure to be a crowd-pleaser. It stars the incomparable Maggie Smith as a former opera diva living at a retirement home for former opera singers. Each year the home puts on a concert, but Jean (Smith’s character) wants no part of it because of the presence of her former husband, Reginald (played by Tom Courtenay). Directed by Dustin Hoffman in his first go behind the camera, the movie is a comedy and will undoubtedly have a happy ending. Hoffman’s job is made easier given the stellar cast, which also includes the magical Michael Gambon (Albus Dumbledore). Just watching the trailer is enough to make me excited to grow old. –Trevor Leuzinger

“Promised Land”

Jan. 4

“Promised Land” tells the story of corporate salesman Steve Butler (Matt Damon) as he attempts to buy the rights to drill for natural gas in McKinley, a rural farming town. Corporations trying to barge into individuals’ lives? You can taste the drama, especially when Dustin Noble (John Krasinki), a grassroots organizer and Butler’s rival, steps onto the scene. Noble reminds Butler, who grew up in a farming community, that the town is “fighting for people,” not the land. But who can we trust? There is drama and conflict; the drilling appears to be hurting the land, and Butler didn’t get out of town quickly enough for his superiors. But if you aren’t into the drama, the movie is educational, highlighting fracking as a means of natural gas extraction. –Elena Wandzilak

“Gangster Squad”

Jan. 11

“Gangster Squad” certainly has its bases covered—judging by the trailer, it has a perfect balance of fast-paced, explosion-filled crime drama and gratuitous shots of Ryan Gosling’s face. The film is based on the true story of the Los Angeles Police Department’s mission in the ’40s and ’50s to rid the city of gangsters. Nick Nolte plays Bill Parker, the police chief who heads a squad of detectives aimed at keeping the mafia (including the infamous mob boss Mickey Cohen, played by Sean Penn) out of LA. Gosling and Josh Brolin star as two of those detectives while classy-as-ever Emma Stone plays Gosling’s love interest. Originally slated for a September release, the film had to be partially re-shot and re-edited in the wake of “The Dark Knight Rises” tragedy in Aurora, Colo., to remove a scene involving a theater shooting. Now coming out in January, “Gangster Squad” will start 2013 off with a (quite-literal) bang. –Katharine Jaruzelski