As January continues to drag itself on and midterms slowly rear their ugly heads toward us, you’re probably hoping to go outside and enjoy the weather or something similarly boring.

Well tough luck, ‘cause it’s rain season baby!

Therefore you need to do the next best thing, which is to get a couple of friends or maybe a loved one and hit up the local cinema.

I’ve decided, however, before you go off and stand in line for what probably will be several long and arduous minutes, I should give you the lowdown on what will be showing up in the next few months.

So sit back, grab a bowl of snacks and start marking your calendars — these are the must-see movies of the 2007 winter season:

Pan’s Labyrinth **** – This movie has already seen a limited release and should be seeing its nation wide release in the next couple weeks. Directed by Guillermo Del Toro, who was behind the helm for Hellboy and Blade 2: Bloodhunt, Pan’s Labyrinth tells the story of a small girl in WWII Spain who uses her imagination to cope with the troubled times she faces in her everyday life. Raved by critics, it’s already won several awards for Best Foreign Language Film and has been nominated for a Golden Globe under the same category. Those looking for a deep and thoughtful film that is dark and visually stunning should definitely check this one out.

Smokin’ Aces *** – For anyone who just wants to see stuff being blown up, check out Smokin’ Aces, which is expected to be released the week of Jan. 26. The story revolves around Buddy Israel, a magician who suddenly becomes the target of the mob. The FBI decides to hide him in Lake Tahoe but word spreads and soon everyone is out to get his bounty. This movie has a stacked cast, including Ben Affleck, Jeremy Piven and…Alicia Keys? It even gets props for resurrecting Ryan Reynolds’ acting career. It definitely looks to be a bloody good time.

Black Snake Moan *** – What happens when you take Samuel L. Jackson, add Christina Ricci as a sex-crazed maniac and throw them in a house? An instant classic. By the way, from what I’ve heard there are no snakes in this one. The director of Hustle & Flow is behind Black Snake Moan so expect another great film with lots of musical influence. It’s due out the week of Feb. 23.

Zodiac *** – – My favorite horror movie of all time is Se7en. It is disgusting, scary and has one huge plot twist after another. That and Morgan Freeman is the man, even if he is now narrating a story about penguins. With that aside, the director behind Se7en is back with another haunting tale, this time based on the true story of the Zodiac Killer who terrorized the San Francisco Bay Area for years. It stars Jake Gyllenhaal and Robert Downey Jr. and is due out the first week of March.

300 **** – If you haven’t seen the preview or trailer for this movie, stop reading this article and go check it out. I’ll wait. So yeah, this movie looks absolutely amazing. Frank Miller’s take on the Battle of Thermopylae is Sin City meets Gladiator and should be one of the best movies of the year. Make sure you’re free the week of March 9.

— Eric Uthus

ericuthus@thedaily.washington.edu.