August is half over. Come mid-August, students are preparing to return to college while parents are using up that last bit of vacation time and going away or taking the kiddies back to school shopping. Regardless of the reason, movie attendance is traditionally down come August. Because of the shrinking audience numbers, it is a time of year when studios dump films they have little faith in, hoping that they will fade quietly and find a new life on DVD or basic cable. As a result of that trend, the "Summer Movie Season" tends to run from the first weekend in May to the first or second weekend in August. That being said, The Summer of 2011 was indeed an exciting one for a movie lover like myself. Below I've listed my 10 Favorite Films of the past four months.

1. HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS PART 2 - The Potter franchise came to an exciting, satisfying close while staying pretty faithful to the book.
2. SUPER 8 - A little bit of E.T. mixed with The Goonies and Stand By Me.
3. RISE OF THE APES - This was a surprise for me. I didn't expect to love this movie about a brilliant chimp leading an ape revolution but I did! 4.
4. X-MEN: FIRST CLASS: The story of how a bunch of teenagers and young adults became the X-Men did its job; washed out the bad taste left by X-Men 3 and Wolverine.
5. BRIDESMAIDES - It was funnier than The Hangover 2. 'Nuff said.
6. THOR - A worthy entry into the Marvel movie universe.
   
7. MIDNIGHT IN PARIS - A small movie with big ideas, directed by Woody Allen and put out during the summer amongst big-budget blockbusters. Made for a fraction of the cost but just as enjoyable as any action or comedy put out this season.
8. CAPTAIN AMERICA - The previews looked really cheesy but the film was actually well done. Captain America plays the perfect hero fighting against the world's most perfect villains - The Nazis.
9. COWBOYS & ALIENS - This film worked for me. I love westerns and alien films so I was definitely interested in the product. I'd classify it as a 3.5 star western weighted down by a 2.5 star alien film making for a 3 star movie. Lots of fun.
10. HANGOVER 2 - Just because The Hangover 2 was not the funniest film of the summer and not even close to as funny as part one, that doesn't mean I didn't enjoy it. I laughed out loud and had a good time. That's all I ask of these types of films.
    

Did I leave out your favorite summer movie? Do you disagree with my choices? Feel free to comment below or e-mail wgogolya@middletownpress.com.