Well, we’ve officially reached the halfway point of 2011, so it seems like a good time to take a quick look back at what we’ve seen in theaters so far this year.
In all, I caught 60 movies at Essex Cinemas and from January 1 through July 2– including 17 in 3D. I also saw two at Cumberland 12, and they were both good: The Company Men and Take Me Home Tonight.
‘Wow, that’s a lot of movies,’ you say, but there were actually four movies at Essex Cinemas that I didn’t make it to: Big Momma’s Like Father Like Son, Insidious, Madea’s Big Happy Family, and Atlas Shrugged, Pt. I.
So here they are: the boffo and the busts, the barely watchable and the best of the best.
Best testosterone-fueled flick: Fast Five
Runner up: The Mechanic
Sometimes testosterone isn’t enough: Battle LA
Best ‘scary’ movie: Scream 4
Runner up: The Rite
Worst: The Roommate
Best kids movie: Cars 2
Runner up: Rio
Worst: Mars Needs Moms
Most adult-friendly kid flick: Rango
Runner up: Gulliver’s Travels
Sorry, adults: Judy Moody and the Not-Bummer Summer
Most refreshingly ‘nice’ movie: Soul Surfer
Runner up: Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules
More stale than week-old bread: Hoodwinked: Hood vs. Evil
Best tween flick: Justin Bieber: Never Say Never
Runner up: Monte Carlo
Eh, not so much: Prom
Smartest movie: Hanna
Runner up: Kung Fu Panda 2
Dumbest: The Green Hornet
Best use of 3D: Transformers: Dark of the Moon
Runner up: Carmen
Worst: Gnomeo and Juliet
Man, those Brits know how to make movies: The King’s Speech
Runner up: Jane Eyre
Man, those Farrellys have forgotten: Hall Pass
Most surprisingly good: The Lincoln Lawyer
Runner up: Limitless
Most surprisingly bad: The Dilemma
Best superhero movie: X-Men: First Class
Runner up: Thor
Worst: Green Lantern
Movie you skipped but shouldn’t have: The Eagle
Runner up: Jumping the Broom
Movie you didn’t skip but should have: Hop
Loved it though the critics hated it: Sucker Punch
Runner up: Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
Didn’t love it though the critics did: Paul
Best ‘old stars still got it’ flick: Larry Crowne
Runner up: Mr. Popper’s Penguins
Worst ‘these young stars never will’ flick: I Am Number Four
Most inventive movie: The Adjustment Bureau
Runner up: Source Code
Ack. This again? Arthur
Best over-the-top carnage: Drive Angry
Runner up: Priest
Worst: Season of the Witch
Most romantic movie: Water for Elephants
Runner up: No Strings Attached
Tried to be but failed miserably: Red Riding Hood
The title says it all (good): Just Go With It
Runner up: Bad Teacher
The title says it all (bad): Something Borrowed
Not as good, now that I think about it: The Hangover Part 2
Runner up: Sanctum
Even better now that I think about it: Unknown
and finally…
Best movie: Super 8
Runner up: Bridesmaids
Worst movie: Your Highness