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As a self-proclaimed movie-buff, I pride myself on seeing the latest movies on a pretty regular basis. The last six months have seen a handful of motion pictures that simply cannot be ignored. Here are my personal top five movie rentals that are sure to make a rainy (or snowy) night in a whole lot better.

5)“Django Unchained” - Rated R - If you’ve never seen a Quentin Tarantino film, this is full disclosure right up front. Anyone who is even a little squeamish should probably avoid his work. That being said, Django offers a glimpse into the life of a freed slave, Django (played by Jamie Foxx) as he seeks to exact revenge on the man who has his wife.

Be prepared for guns galore, explosions, blood and a star-studded cast. Leonardo DiCaprio joins Foxx, Christoph Waltz and Samuel L. Jackson in what is reminiscient of one of Tarantino’s best known films, “Pulp Fiction.”

4) “Skyfall” - Rated PG-13 - It’s hard to think if I’ve ever even seen a bad Bond film, and this surely is no exception. Daniel Craig, who at first I was hugely skeptical of as 007, is masterful. His performance throughout this latest installment in the franchise ranks among the best ever by any actor in the series, including Sean Connery and Pierce Brosnan.

The film follows Bond as he battles not only with physical enemies, but the mental anguish that has accompanied him for so long. Age begins to take a toll on the once prime agent, and he must decide to either rededicate himself to MI6, or risk losing everything and everyone he loves.

3) “The Hobbit” - Rated PG-13 - Director Peter Jackson, whose adaptations of J.R.R. Tolkien’s fantasy series The Lord of the Rings earned worldwide acclaim, returns with the prequel to the trilogy.

Met with mixed reactions from the fan and critic communities, Jackson has decided to release the prequel - which comprised just one book - into three separate films, thus leading him to stray slightly from the plot that Tolkien outlines in the text.

Hobbit Bilbo Baggins joins a much younger Gandalf the Grey and a band of dwarves on a journey to reclaim their lost homeland from Smaug the Terrible, a firebreathing dragon that decimated their world many years ago.

Get ready for a fantasy-epic that is enjoyable, even if you’re not a die-hard fan.

2) “Lincoln” - Rated PG 13 - Daniel Day-Lewis turns in the best acting performance of his career, and one of the best of all-time, period. His uncanny likeness to the nation’s 16th President still gives me chills when I see the film. 

The movie follows Lincoln and his family as the Civil War draws closer to a much-anticipated end, and his attention now turns to the issue of slavery.

Battling his own demons and working to hold a young nation together, Lincoln rises above to save the United States with the help of his many political allies.

1) “ARGO” - Rated R - Ben Affleck both directs and acts in this thriller based on true events from the 1980 hostage rescue in revolutionary Iran.

This keeps you literally on the edge of your seat, and there’s no question why this won the Best Picture over Lincoln. If you are the type of person that needs entertained, this is the film you must not only rent, but add to your personal collection.