By Daniela Santos

Award season is upon us, and the deadline for 2013 films to qualify for next year’s Academy Awards is fast approaching.

Personally this time of the year is my favorite because, though the summer is the time for the action films and the raunchy comedies, winter time is when the amateur acting goes to hibernation and the career peaks blossom for all audiences to witness. Out of the numerous Oscar-worthy films that have been released these five choices are the ones to place bets on and watch on your own enjoyment.

Gravity: PG-13

Gravity is a suspenseful drama/thriller about a space expedition that goes haywire. By simply viewing the final ten seconds of the teaser trailer you begin to breath heavily while witnessing previous Academy Award winner Sandra Bullock squirm helplessly through the unknown territories of Space. Creating what could be someone’s nightmare turn reality, director Alfonso Cuaron (Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban) generates a critically acclaimed film (97% rating on Rotten Tomatoes) that may not only win a best actor and actress award to veterans George Clooney and Sandra Bullock but may also take the cake and earn the Academy Award for Best Picture.

12 Years a Slave: R

Brad Pitt fans can come just to watch him play another god-like role in this film but it is British actor Chitwetel Ejilofor who steals the spotlight in his Oscar-worthy portrayal of Solomon Northup, an African American musician in the 1800s who is kidnapped and forced to work at a plantation in New Orleans. This beautiful work of cinema follows the true story of Northup and audiences will feel each emotion that is unraveled in every scene. To add on to the long list of accomplishments this film has already made, it did also receive high praise at the Toronto International Film Festival. But be careful; graphic images, such as whippings, lynches and rape, are intended for a more mature audience.

Saving Mr. Banks: PG-13

Starring experienced Oscar winners Emma Thompson and Tom Hanks, this Disney production looks back nostalgically at the making of their own classic Mary Poppins. This film is based on the true story of how Walt Disney (Tom Hanks) tries to convince Mary Poppins’ author P.L. Travers (Emma Thompson) to allow the rights to create a the film that we now all know and love.  Receiving admiration from critics, Disney does a good job at not looking like it’s commemorating itself. Competing with darker films in theaters this holiday season, Saving Mr. Banks is a light-hearted film that is great for new and old Disney fans who appreciate the 1964 masterpiece and any history fan who wants to see how Tom Hanks portrays the one and only Walt Disney.

American Hustle: R

If you haven’t already seen Jennifer Lawrence play the tough heroine Katniss Everdeen in Catching Fire, you should go against the current and instead watch her play the hilarious, smart-mouthed and neglected wife Rosalyn Rosenfeld in American Hustle. Based in the time of ridiculous hair and fashion (the ‘70s), the film is about political corruption. In it Christian Bale plays a toupee-wearing, beer-gutted conman and acts alongside an all-star cast including Amy Adams, Bradley Copper and Jeremy Renner. Directed by David O. Russell (Silver Linings Playbook and The Fighter), this slick drama/comedy has the Academy Awards written all over it.

Frozen: PG

Disney magic makes a comeback by taking their own spin on The Snow Queen, but this time with double the princesses. Adorable and great for Disney fanatics, this film is about Princess Elsa who has put her kingdom in an eternal winter when she fails to control her icy powers and it’s up to little sister Anna (alongside mountain man Kristoff and comedic talking snowman Olaf) to bring back the warmth. Though Disney princess films have some aspects of predictability, temptations to smile and sing-along still remain abundant. Two-thousand-thirteen lacked decent children’s films, with sequels to both Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs and Smurfs seeming superfluous. Therefore Frozen is a frosty diamond in the rough, and there is no doubt that it will be one of the favorites for Best Animated Feature.