It is hard to believe 2011 is halfway over. The year began with “True Grit” leading at the box office after a late December release. “The Green Hornet” and “No Strings Attached” were the top draws among the January releases. Other movies that the public turned out for in droves were “Unknown,” “Limitless” and “Rio.” This summer’s blockbusters –“The Hangover Part II,” “Thor,” “X-Men: First Class” and “Green Lantern” – have attracted record crowds.

The highly anticipated “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2,” the eighth and final chapter in the best-selling “Harry Potter” series by J.K. Rowling, opens nationwide at midnight July 15. It has taken a decade for the boy that laid the golden cinematic egg to finally graduate from Hogwarts. Having not read any of the books, I am expecting a showstopper and can’t wait to see how it all ends. Will Harry prevail in the final battle with Lord Voldemort?

In order to initiate some discussion and reflect on the movies released so far, I am willing to stick my neck out on behalf of our faithful readers throughout Johnson County by selecting my favorite films of the first half of 2011 as well as those that I disliked the most. The list is limited to movies opening Jan. 1 through June 24 in metropolitan Kansas City.

Last year, my No. 1 mid-year film was the 2010 box office champion “Toy Story 3” and the bottom feeder was “Greenberg.”

Mid-Year 2011 Top 10 Flick Picks

1. Incendies (Canada)
2. Midnight in Paris
3. Source Code
4. Barney’s Version
5. X-Men: First Class
6. Rabbit Hole
7. Mars Needs Moms
8. The Adjustment Bureau
9. Cedar Rapids
10. Rio

Mid-Year 2011 Bottom 10 Flick Picks

1. Somewhere
2. Kaboom
3. Road to Nowhere
4. Biutiful (Mexico)
5. Meek’s Cutoff
6. The Greatest Movie Ever Sold
7. Rubber
8. Cold Weather
9. Everything Must Go
10. Unknown

Review By:
Keith Cohen "The Movie Guy"