2011: Ileana Williams’ Best Movies of the Year

This supernatural thriller is actually a prequel to the first two. The final chapter of this saga had me jumping, screaming, and spilling my popcorn the entire time.

What can I say about Chris Evans portraying a really buff soldier with a heart of gold, except that he did a phenomenal job? As far as comic book movies go, this is the most loyal to the comics, or so I’ve been told by certain nerds.

Growing up I was always a fan of that lovable bear. I love that this film was done in the classic 2-D animation and that Zooey Deschanel sang all the songs. Plus it’s fun to talk about Pooh at any age.

Having read the books and watched the Swedish films, I had been eagerly awaiting David Fincher’s version. While Noomi Rapace did a great job with the character of Lisbeth, Rooney Mara is simply outstanding.

There are good and bad ways to reboot a franchise and this film is a great example of the good way to do it. The story was great as was the acting. In fact Andy Serkis deserves an Oscar for his portrayal of Caesar.

The main reason why this ranks higher than Captain America is the cinematography. The work that was done on the mythical realm of Asgard was breathtaking. Who knew Kenneth Branagh could pull off superheroes just as easily as Shakespeare?

I laughed, I cried, I cheered. I absolutely love the story as well as the entire cast. Simply put, this movie is great and everyone needs to see it.

I’m so glad that the world now knows that women can be just as raunchy as men. Kristen Wiig is great but the real star is Melissa McCarthy. Just thinking about the scene in the dress shop makes me giggle.

The reason I rarely go to “horror” movies is that they have become nothing but bloody soft-core porn. This movie however is the embodiment of scary. There is something so unsettling about the ghosts in this movie that I still get freaked out if I think about it too much.

After reading all the books and seeing all the movies over the past decade, Harry Potter has kind of become an extended member of my family. While I’m happy that he conquered evil once and for all, I’m sad to see him go. This movie was beautifully shot and was a faithful adaptation of J.K. Rowling’s final book.