It’s that time of year again everybody! No, we’re not talking about the day when you fill yourself full of turkey and cranberry sauce – although in Hollywood right now, plenty of big-name celebs do indeed have something to be thankful for.

After the calm before the storm that is always the months of August and September (post-summer blockbusters), Awards Season is once again upon us. And the Oscar wannabes are already putting their best foot forward and throwing themselves to the mercy of the critics.

While Ben Affleck’s critically-acclaimed third directorial effort “Argo” has been an oft-cited candidate for Oscar love the past month or so (the end credits, with Jimmy Carter explaining the significance of the film, practically feel like an awards sales pitch), it hasn’t faced much  competition yet because most of the heavy hitters are only now beginning to get released. It’s also an interesting film because although it screams Best Picture and Best Screenplay nominations, none of the actors seem particularly worthy of being singled out.

Now, the tide has begun to change, as films like Steven Spielberg’s epic “Lincoln” and David O. Russell’s indie festival darling “The Silver Linings Playbook” have opened with solid reviews and approving audiences. The former is everything you’d want from a movie about one of our country’s most beloved leaders, and while you may expect some sweeping Spielbergian drama, the film is as serene and contemplative as you can imagine the man himself being. Not only does it seem to have a great shot at a Best Picture nomination, but it could clean up the acting categories as well, with past Oscar winners Tommy Lee Jones and Sally Field both chewing up every scene they’re in. And Daniel Day-Lewis…well, he’s Daniel Day-Lewis. Honestly, every actor in Hollywood must groan a little on the inside during any year in which he has a movie coming out.

Not to be outdone, however, “Playbook” displays the formidable talents of Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence and Robert DeNiro (Yay! Welcome back to the land of good reviews, Bobby!), and it has been dazzling the critics since it opened in limited release this past Friday. The film, which follows Cooper’s mentally unstable character Pat as he returns home from a stay in a mental ward, is – according to Manohla Dargis at The New York Times – a film “that does almost everything right.” From what I hear, everyone’s favorite bow-wielding heroine could be on her way to her first Best Actress statue for this one.

Obviously, it’s still fairly early to place firm bets on anybody – even the biggest, most vocal “Awards Season Experts” haven’t seen half the movies and performances they’re prognosticating, and as past Awards-season duds like “The Shipping News” and “The Four Feathers” have shown us, ultimately the proof is in the pudding.

This coming week will bring the arrival of another potential Oscar nominee entering the race, the Anthony Hopkins-led ensemble “Hitchcock” (although if you ask Hopkins about the awards race, he’ll tell you that the whole thing is rather “disgusting.”) And Christmas will bring us one of cinema’s greatest gifts: A new Quentin Tarantino movie. The “Reservoir Dogs” and “Pulp Fiction” director’s wild card “Django Unchained,” hopes to finally give perpetually-snubbed Leonardo DiCaprio some much-deserved gold, among other potential nominations.