While some people are planning their Thanksgiving feasts and counting down the days until Santa Claus comes to town, movie fanatics are preparing themselves for the round of award shows approaching. Critics have already begun examining possible nominees for the Oscars and Golden Globes.

An obvious choice for nomination is the Sandra Bullock and George Clooney powered “Gravity” because it was seriously out of this world. Another sure fire is Steve McQueen’s “12 Years a Slave,” currently in theaters, that left most critics swooning.

Tom Hanks starred in two films that could be possible contenders. “Captain Phillips,” based on the true story of the 2009 hijacking of a United States container ship garnered reviews of being “the most powerful acting Hanks has ever done” from Rotten Tomatoes. Then there’s “Saving Mr. Banks,” with Hanks portraying Walt Disney during the 1964 production of “Mary Poppins.”

Another hopeful film is David O Russell’s “American Hustle.” Featuring his usual round of actors (Jennifer Lawrence, Bradley Cooper, Christian Bale, and Amy Adams), the movie chronicles the FBI ABSCAM operation in the late 1970s. It’s set to hit theaters in December.

There can’t be an award show without the mention of Martin Scorsese, and he’s teamed up again with Leonardo DiCaprio on “The Wolf of Wall Street,” hitting the big screen Christmas day.

Other possibilities are “Inside Llewyn Davis,” directed by brothers Joel and Ethan Coen, and “Dallas Buyers Club,” a true story of Ron Woodroof’s smuggling of anti-viral medication to help AIDS patients, including himself.

The prediction list couldn’t be complete without the Forest Whitaker and Oprah Winfrey biopic “Lee Daniels’ The Butler,” which tells the story of a White House butler that served eight United States presidents.

Of course, these movies mentioned are merely predictions and the Academy voters could go a totally different direction.

Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, the hosts of last year’s Golden Globes, will host again on January 12, 2014. Oscar nominations will be announced on January 16, 2014, followed by the broadcast on March 2nd, hosted by Ellen DeGeneres.