December is here, the year is coming to an end and most importantly, this is the last chance for studios to release their 2013 award contenders. That said, it probably isn’t realistic for you to spend every day at your local theater watching every single release in hopes of finding the best ones. You likely have a job and other life commitments besides movies, so you’re faced with the daunting task of deciding which films are worth your time and money this month.In order to help you make up your mind, we put together this list of five must-see films releasing over the course of December. Out of the FurnaceStarring Christian Bale, Casey Affleck, and Woody Harrelson. Directed by Scott Cooper. Need we say any more?Those are three of the best actors working today. Affleck rarely chooses a less-than-stellar movie, Harrelson has been better than ever recently, especially as a villain and when was the last time Bale let you down? With that alone working for it, ‘Out Of The Furnace’ would probably be a hit, but it’s got a heck of a story behind it as well.Inside Llewyn DavisPeople are really excited for ‘Inside Llewyn Davis’ for a variety of reasons. First of all, it’s a Coen Brothers film, so you should probably be sold right there. Also, critics have been raving about it since it appeared on the festival circuit a few months back, with the film currently holding down a 93% Tomatometer score. Plus, the cast is phenomenal. What more could you want?The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug‘The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey’ released last December and proved to be a worthy follow-up to ‘The Lord Of The Rings’ trilogy. ‘Granted, The Hobbit’ is nowhere near the story that ‘The Lord Of The Rings’ is, but it’s still a great one in its own right, and because of that, we’re pretty excited for ‘The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug’.American HustleSo the cast of ‘The Fighter’ meets the cast of ‘Silver Linings Playbook?’ You have our attention. We think David O. Russell’s last two movies are also two of the best films we’ve seen in the past couple of years, with gripping stories, incredible performances, and a tone that is neither too heavy nor completely lacking in weight. So when we heard that he was merging those two casts for another period piece, well, we couldn’t have been more excited. ‘American Hustle’ is one of the most anticipated movies of the entire year, and with each preview, the film looks better and better.The Wolf Of Wall StreetOf all the movies people have been talking about this year, the best may not be coming until the very end. Christmas Day, 2013 Martin Scorsese’s ‘The Wolf Of Wall Street’ finally hits theaters, and we could not be more excited. It features a phenomenal cast, the previews so far have been as exciting as any, and, in case you weren’t clear, it’s a Martin Scorsese film.So those are our picks for movies to see this month. Which ones will you be watching?