Best and worst movies of 2011

1) “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II”:
The final showdown between Harry and Voldemort is a thrilling and genuinely emotional finish to one of the best film and novel series of all time. Because Part I of the seventh book was made into a separate film, Part II was able to focus on a fourth of the final book instead of the whole 784 pages. The cast, a group we have seen grow since the first movie, delivered a perfect performance that deserves its recognition and satisfies Potter-fans’ needs.- 5 Stars

2) “Hugo”: Based on the New York Times bestseller, “The Invention of Hugo Cabaret” by Brian Selznick, this film is the leader in the Oscar race with 11 nominations. “Hugo” is thrilling, elegant and Academy Award-winning director Martin Scorsese brings this powerful tale of childhood innocence to life in his first ever 3-D movie. 4.9 Stars

3) “Crazy, Stupid, Love”: This hilarious romantic comedy starring Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling, Julianne Moore and Emma Stone is light-hearted and filled with elements of marriage and love. Much of the movie’s appeal comes from the witty humor, character dynamics and Jacob (Ryan Gosling) and Cal’s (Steve Carell) changes in attitude regarding love. – 4.7 Stars

4) “Drive”: Ryan Gosling, who is quickly becoming one of Hollywood’s most unique stars, once again delivers a powerful performance in this action-drama about a man who works as a Hollywood stunt driver by day and a getaway driver by night. Filled with adrenaline rushes and hypnotic slow-motion shots, “Drive” is intelligently creative with a pace similar to that of a steady getaway driver. The movie continues to escalate in terms of violence, so only watch if you can take the rush. – 4.5 Stars

5) “Moneyball”: This movie is a fantastic representation of the Oakland A’s franchise history and their ability to be successful without loads of money. Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill are sharp, funny and charismatic in this movie based on a true story about the toughness of major league baseball, and working around the traditional system to outsmart richer teams. – 4.2 Stars

6) “War Horse”: This Oscar front-runner (six nominations) directed by Saratoga High graduate Steven Spielberg follows the extraordinary journey of a young horse named Joey who changes the lives of all those he meets after being separated from his owner, Albert (played by Jeremy Irvine). The film takes place during World War I and is emotional, breathtaking and vivid in every way imaginable—the way almost every Spielberg movie is. 4.6 Stars

7) “The Descendants”: George Clooney gives the performance of his life in this comedy/drama film as an indifferent father of two daughters who must re-examine his life after his wife suffers head trauma from a boating accident near their home in Waikiki. “The Descendants” has a refreshingly original, yet depressing, script, and is one of the front-runners in the Oscar race with five nominations including Best Picture, Best Actor in a Leading Role and Best Director. – 4.8 Stars

8) “The Rise of the Planet of the Apes”: The Oscar-winning visual effects team that created the worlds of “Avatar” and “Lord of the Rings” captures every minute detail and expression of the CGI apes in this visually appealing sci-fi action drama about a war of supremacy between men and apes. The unprecedented effects give each ape his own personality, and the central plot is gripping and intelligently creative in this prequel to the earlier “Planet of the Apes” films. – 4.5 Stars

9) “X-Men: First Class”: A well-rounded cast including James McAvoy as Professor Xavier and Michael Fassbender as Magneto delivers an engaging performance about the beginning of the eternal war between the heroes and villains of the mutant world. “X-Men: First Class” is fast-paced, extremely entertaining and a perfect film for action-junkies, comic-lovers and/or fans of the past “X-Men” movies. – 4.2 Stars

10) “The Adventures of Tintin”: This animated adventure film directed by Spielberg and produced by the illustrious Peter Jackson hits home for those of us who spent hours in the elementary school library reading the amazing comics series. The plot revolves around the young journalist, Tintin (voiced by Jamie Bell), who puts himself in a situation of danger and adventure for a good story. – 4.4 Stars

Worst:

“Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows”: This movie was a hyped sequel to the well-reviewed original movie that was released in 2009. With Robert Downey Jr. starring as Sherlock Holmes and Jude Law as Doctor Watson, this movie made for a somewhat exciting movie, but the plot was poorly executed and left fans of the first movie and of the original Arthur Conan Doyle stories wishing they had a little bit more. 3.2

“Thor”: The well-known comic book company, Marvel, produced quite a character in this action film. With a fast-paced and well animated story, this movie, at times, brought viewers to the edge of their seats. Thor (Chris Helmsworth) appealed to much of the audience and after the movie, people were seen mimicking Thor’s toughness and abilities. However, once all was said and done, many movie watchers were disappointed by the lack of storyline. This movie had the action, but it just needed further story development to keep the audience interested. 2.6

“Hanna”: This movie was unique and well thought out. Starring Saoirse Ronan as Hanna, an intelligent girl trained to be an assassin by her ex-spy father, the film brought entertainment to the viewers. This movie showed some potential in its general design, but in execution, it failed to meet expectations. The movie is instead ruined by its predictability and the lack of a proper story to interest the audience. 3.0

“Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked”: This movie was a kid’s movie that made even the kids left unsatisfied. In this movie, the Chipmunks crashed their cruise on an island and were forced to find their way out. Plagued by overused chichés and hideous chipmunk voices, the movie was one that will not be remembered anytime soon. This was a movie that wasted 90 perfectly good minutes from the life of all those that watched it. 1.4

“Smurfs”: Though this movie starred the popular Neil Patrick Harris as a main character, it still didn’t seem to please the audience. The plot was lack-luster; the Smurfs in this movie were transported from their home into New York City and are being chased by an evil wizard. Along with the dull storyline, the movie itself was boring, annoying, and left many viewers feeling blue. Not much is to be remembered from this movie besides the amount of times the characters say “smurf.” It would be more fun to count the number of times the movie says “smurf” than to actually watch the movie. 1.5

“Transformers: Dark of the Moon”: With the return of Shia LaBeouf to the popular series, this movie was strangely similar to the previous two movies; the same robots fighting and the fate of the universe once again at stake. However, one thing that was different was the change in cast. Instead of Megan Fox starring in the movie, it featured the model Rosie Huntington-Whiteley. This movie was a reflection of the effort that was put into writing the story, meaning that the movie was incomplete, uncreative and drawn out. Although this movie brought nostalgic memories of the original transformers and the previous movies, Transformers 3 was quite awful. 2.4

“The Green Lantern”: This movie starring Ryan Reynolds features a lot of aesthetically pleasing visual effects and an underdog character. In the movie, the Green Lantern was changed from an average Joe into a superhero who fights evil in the intergalactic world. The movie had potential to be a crowd favorite, however, the movie’s plot just seemed to fall short. The movie was one of the worst in the crowd of superhero movies that has flooded in over the past few years. The audience has pretty much already seen it all, and this hard-to-follow movie was nothing special. 2.1

“Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tide”: After the loss of Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley, Johnny Depp still managed to produce a somewhat decent movie. However, the plot was thin after the depth of the first three movies, and it seemed as though the movie lost a bit of its charm that was present in the past movies. Like many of the other movies featured on this list, the lack of a proper storyline seemed to kill this movie. 2.7

“The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1”: First of all, what does the Twilight series think it is, the Harry Potter series? What is up with the parts 1 and 2? But besides that fact, the film was a bit too dramatic causing the movie to feel like a soap opera. Between Bella’s (Kristen Stewart) constant poker face and star Robert Pattinson’s own public hatred of the series, the films seem to make even the actors miserable. The movie did not live up to the expectations of even the most die-hard Twilight fan, and a traumatizing birth scene disgusted movie-watchers everywhere. The only thing good about this movie was the fact that the series is at the verge of ending. 1.8

“Jack and Jill”: Not much was expected from this movie and not much was given. The Adam Sandler movie was a disaster filled with awful jokes and comedy. The audience laughed at the lack of humor found in this comedy. Though many sat painfully through the duration of the movie, I wouldn’t be surprised if whole audiences left early. Immature jokes and a horrendous storyline destroyed this movie, even for children, and it will be remembered as a movie that wasted time and money. 0.7