What was 2013 in Movies? It was great and not great.

Best Ending

Oh and Fair Warning: extremely minor spoilers await!

This is a nail biter!

Worst Place: The Call. This movie was okay, for a meaningless, empty thriller, but that ending … ruined every drop of goodwill that might’ve been left at that point.

Runner Up: Don Jon. I think that some may disagree here, but I personally loved the arc of the character and the eventual epiphanies. Worked damn well indeed.

And the winner is … Spring Breakers, which may also be a bit controversial, but that ending was basically perfect.

Best Comedy

A comedy is theoretically a simple thing — it’s a movie with mostly funny lines that wants to make you laugh.

This is a nail biter!

Worst Place: Identity Thief. Nothing funny to see here, move it along.

Runner Up: The World’s End. Funny movie, a touch of pathos, some good action. A fine movie all around.

And the winner is … This is the End. Purely in terms of a laugh percentage, this movie beats out all others, including those that might seem like better “films.” This apocalyptic absurdist meta-tale was hilarious.

Best Action/Thriller

A thriller is a movie that keeps you on the edge of your seat, wondering just what will happen next. Could be pure action, could be dramatic thrills.

This is a nail biter! I mean really, there were all sorts this year, from Iron Man 3, Man of Steel, Red 2, The Wolverine, The World’s End, Thor 2, Catching Fire, The Hobbit, American Hustle, Wolf of Wall Street … the list goes on. However …

Worst Place: A Good Day to Die Hard. I don’t need to harp anymore on this mess of a movie. Nothing good here, nothing at all.

Runner Up: Pacific Rim. This movie might’ve taken the top spot if the characters were more fleshed out and the plot made more sense. Still, giant robots and giant monsters? Loads of fun.

And the winner is … Gravity. You know, it seems cliched to say it … but this movie was a tense, brilliant thrillride that perfectly drew you in.

And Finally … Best Feel-Good

Sometimes you just leave a movie feeling great. That’s the charm of the “feel-good movie.” Sometimes I look forward to this more than anything else.

This is a nail biter!

Worst Place: The Big Wedding. An attempt to be filled with emotional beats and payoffs, but instead we get Katherine Heigl moping and Topher Grace mugging. No thanks.

Runner Up: The Spectacular Now. This was a REAL close one. I did love this movie, with its sweet story and appealing main characters, but …

And the winner is … Her. Had a bittersweet sort of ending, but so wonderfully aching and triumphant too. Loved it.

Here’s to 2013, that had some amazing movies that really let you forget all those … lesser ones.