ShockYa is doing our own “Best Of” list for mid-2011, but also taking inventory is MSN’s “FilmFan.” This week, Sami Jarroush had his pal Glenn Kenny, movie critic for MSN Movies, on with him to discuss the big films of the first half of the year.

One film Kenny did not like at all was “Thor,” which he felt was too gimmicky, what with Thor (played by Chris Hemsworth) winking at his mom Frigga, played by Rene Russo. The comic book superhero movie he did like, though, was “X-Men: First Class.” He did admit that there are a lot of bad moments in the film in which one has to suspend their disbelief, but overall, there were enough fantastic moments, coupled with the general feel of the movie, to make this one of the top superhero movies of this year.

He also talked about one of the most talked-about films this year, “Tree of Life” by Terrence Malick. This film has divided audiences down the middle, but Kenny love this film and how it tackled explaining the universe through the story of a Waco, Texas family. The film, starring Brad Pitt, should be taken seriously according to Kenny, and he also believes that it will be up for several nominations come award season.

Another stellar film was “Midnight in Paris,” in which Owen Wilson takes a charming turn as the lead in a Woody Allen film. For Kenny, the cinematography was very well done, much better than Allen’s other film, “You’ll Meet a Tall Dark Stranger.”

For the rest of the year, Kenny is going to be looking to upcoming film festivals for the next best picture, and he’ll also be on the look out for some films that have not gotten distribution in the U.S. yet, such as Lars von Trier’s “Melancholia,” David Cronenberg’s “A Dangerous Method,” and Nicolas Winding Refn’s “Drive.” However, he expects these films to eek out into the theaters by the time fall rolls around.

For all of the FilmFan videos, including this week’s video, check out their MSN page.

*This is a sponsored content article that is a part of the MSN FilmFan blogger program.