College students, I know your money is valuable. Summer is here and if you’re like me, you’re not doing anything exciting other than working your summer jobs and saving up for this fall semester. Thankfully, this summer has some awesome new movies coming out where you can escape from your incredibly bland life for a couple hours. There are giant aliens from the sea, monsters going to college, and a bunch of stoners trying to survive the apocalypse.

Here’s a list of movies that I plan on seeing this summer, and here’s why you should too.

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Animation:

Epic (May 24)

There is a lot going on in this film. For one thing, there are so many actors (Amanda Seyfried, Colin Farrell, Josh Hutcherson, and Christoph Waltz just to name a few) that it’s like an animated “New Year’s Eve”. Then there are “Leaf Men” protecting the forest world, along with our world as well, against goblin-looking villains. There is action, a little bit of romance (Seyfried and Hutcherson? Come on), and Waltz doing what he does best: playing the villain.

Monsters University (June 21)

Your friendly childhood monsters Mike and Sully are back, only in this Pixar prequel we get to see how their friendship all began. Billy Crystal and John Goodman return as the dynamic duo along with Steve Buscemi as Randall. A few new voices will be heard from Helen Mirren, Nathan Fillion, Aubrey Plaza, and John Krasinski. Expect to get hit in the feelings as Pixar has a way of bringing out the tears in the best of us (“Toy Story 3,” anyone? “Up”? Better bring the tissues).

Despicable Me 2 (July 3)

Gru (Steve Carell) is leaving his villain life behind and becoming a good guy in the sequel to 2010’s “Despicable Me.”  Agent Lucy Wilde (Kristen Wiig) recruits a reluctant Gru for The Anti-Villain League, a group of good guys whose job it is to stop the bad guys. Gru’s adopted daughters Margo (Miranda Cosgrove), Edith, and Agus are along for the ride as well as those adorable, gibberish speaking yellow Minions.

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Action:

Star Trek: Into Darkness (May 16)

Two words: Benedict Cumberbatch. This British actor from the BBC series “Sherlock” looks badass as the new villain and is already receiving rave reviews from his co-stars and critics. The crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise captained by ambitious Captain Kirk (Chris Pine) will be back in this action packed J.J. Abrams movie. There will be lots of action, lots of special effects, and hopefully lots of fazers.

Man of Steel (June 14)

Marvel isn’t the only one with a superhero movie this summer. DC has its new Superman movie “Man of Steel”,  and it looks to have better potential than 2006’s “Superman Returns.” You’ve got Russell Crowe as Jor-El, Amy Adams as Lois Lane, and Henry Cavill as the Man of Steel himself, Clark Kent. This movie looks like a winner. It’s not all about how physically indestructible Superman is but his inner struggle to hide or find out his true potential.

Pacific Rim (July 12)

Aliens invade Earth in Guillermo del Toro’s new film, but they don’t come from outer space. No, these huge, dinosaur-like creatures come from the bottom of the Pacific Ocean and are looking for a fight. So how does the world plan to stop them? By creating giant robots who are operated by two pilots working as one. I am in! I can’t wait to see giant robots fighting equally giant monsters.

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Thriller/Horror: 

Purge (June 7)

In future America, life is perfect. Crime is down and the unemployment rate is low because once a year for 12 hours, crime is legal. Fun, right? But when your home is supposed to be a secure fortress, you don’t expect anyone to get in, let alone a bunch of crazy people in masks. Suspenseful? You bet. I plan on yelling “Look behind you!” every time those crazy people pop out behind the family members. Or at least in my head.

World War Z (June 21)

This action/thriller is about the beginning of World War Z – the outbreak of a virus that turns people into zombies. But not just any zombies, ridiculously fast movie zombies that come at you like a tidal wave. And Brad Pitt is there for the whole thing. I’ll be taking mental notes on how he survives this thing. The world is at war, and the more people they save, the less dead people they’ll need to fight.

The Conjuring (July 19)

Set in the 1970s, a family movies into a new house when freaky stuff starts happening. Doors slam and children’s whispers are heard but no one is there. So the family seeks two “ghost hunters” to try and figure out why all this weird stuff keeps happening. There are paranormal bumps, frights and creepy flashes of a woman in a dirty, torn nightgown. This is the movie to see if you want to sit in a dark movie theater and get scared. Really scared. Won’t sleep that night scared.

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Drama:

The East (May 31)

It’s not just a direction. The East is an “ego activist” group that targets the leaders of companies harming the environment. These are not your regular hippies – these people mean business, by breaking into people’s houses and poisoning corporate leaders. “The East” has undercover agents (Brit Marling) and some really good-looking activists (Ellen Page and Alexander Skarsgård).

Much Ado About Nothing (June 7)

Who doesn’t like a little Shakespeare during the summer? Joss Whedon’s new film about two friends who both claim to hate love is a nice break from all the action and CGI. Filmed at Wheldon’s awesome house in original Shakespearean dialogue, the film follows Beatrice (Amy Acker) and Benedick (Alexis Denisof) as they are tricked by their friends into revealing their love to one another and all sorts of drama ensues. Some of it funny, some of it a little life threatening.

The Bling Ring (June 12)

Fame obsessed teenagers rob celebrities’ homes while they’re away in Sofia Coppola’s new movie, “The Bling Ring. Sound familiar? That’s because this movie is based on the actual break-ins that happened by the “Hollywood Hills Burglars” from October 2008 to August 2009. Lindsay Lohan, Paris Hilton, and Orlando Bloom are just a few celebrity victims whose houses were broken into and robbed by the teens in 2009. In the movie, these self-absorbed teenagers (Emma Watson, Katie Chang, and Israel Broussard to name a few) eventually get what’s coming to them: fame.

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Comedy:

The Hangover part 3 (May 24)

The “Wolf Pack” (Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, and Zach Galifianakis) is back for their third, and hopefully last, adventure together. Seriously, how do these guys keep getting into trouble? Back in Vegas and with Doug (Justin Bartha) taken as a hostage, the three must find Chow (Ken Jeong) and the money he owes John Goodman. Yep, John Goodman is in this too. I can’t wait to see how the last movie will end. From Las Vegas, to Mexico, to Vegas again, it’s sure to be a wild ride.

This is The End (June 12)

The stoner movie of the summer. Any movie with James Franco, Seth Rogen, Jonah Hill, Jay Baruchel, and Craig Robinson will be over the top funny. The night starts with every celebrity in Hollywood (like Rihanna, Michael Cera, and Mindy Kaling) living it up at a party at Franco’s house. Then shit goes down. There’s fire, earthquakes, and freaking aliens? Thank god the guys have water, beer, weed, shrooms and a Milky Way bar to survive this apocalyptic party killer. “This is The End” has a lot of big names being thrown around, but even with all the celebrity cameos, the film has a solid base of jokes and action sure to entrain.

The Heat (June 28)

Oh Melissa McCarthy. We loved you in “Bridesmaids.” Now you are showing us just how outrageous you can get with Sandra Bullock in “The Heat.” Bullock plays Sarah Ashburn, a no-nonsense FBI agent who is sent to Boston to bust a dangerous drug lord. There she encounters tough cop Shannon Mullins (McCarthy) who is not afraid to do or say anything for her job. There’s just one problem; the two have never had a partner, let alone any friends. These funny females kick ass and take names and I’m glad to see it’s not just a man’s world when it comes to action/comedy movies.