Top 3 Movies of the Summer: 2013 Version

Another summer movie season has come and gone, and I've decided it would be fun to list the three movies that I enjoyed the most. Like with any list on the internet, it is based solely on my personal opinions and don't take it personally if a movie you like doesn't show up. With that out of the way, here are my three favorite films of the summer (in alphabetical order). 

1. The Conjuring

Directed by James Waan, The Conjuring is a horror movie staring Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga as Ed and Lorraine Warren investing a haunted house in Rhode Island in 1971. Like Waan's previous film Insidious, The Conjuring doesn't rely on loud noises and jump scares like many modern horror films and focuses more on character, story, atmosphere, and tension. It is easily one of the best horror films that I have seen in years and I would recommend it to anybody who's looking for a horror movie that actually knows what its doing. 

2. Pacific Rim

Pacific Rim is Guillermo Del Toro's love letter to Giant Robot and Kaiju films. When the majority of the big-budget action films coming out nowadays seem to be "grim-dark" films that do everything to suck out as much color and life as it possibly can, it is a breath of fresh air to see a film that is simply fun. I felt like a five year old seeing Godzilla or Robot Jox for the first time again. It didn't hurt that Pacific Rim was also well-written, well-acted, and well-shot, but that's to be expected from a Del Toro film. 

3. The World's End

The final entry in Edgar Wright's "Three Flavors Cornetto Trilogy", The World's End is easily one of the best comedies I have seen in awhile. While I personally think Hot Fuzz was the best of the three, I loved every minute of The World's End and I'll be picking it up as soon as it comes out on DVD. Anyone who enjoys well-written comedies and loved Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz will adore The World's End. 

While these three films are my personal favorites, there were a few other films that I enjoyed as well or thought was decent enough. Here are some "honorable mentions": Oblivion, Star Trek Into Darkness, Iron Man 3, and Evil Dead.