There is a lightness and levity to Pixar’s latest animated spectacle Elio that kept me smiling for every moment of its interstellar comedic adventure.

Call it “How to Train Your Dragon (Dean’s Version)”; you wouldn’t be too far off the mark if you did.

Though far from a dream come true, this Snow White isn’t without its enjoyable aspects. I watched it with a smile and a song, every bluddle-uddle-um-dum somehow injecting my heart with joy, often when I least expected.

My opinion on Constantine has moved considerably from where it was when I first saw the film 20 years ago. I still don’t think it entirely works, but the positives do significantly outweigh the negatives.

This return to the realm of Rohan won me over. These riders still know how to awaken primal forces lurking within my soul, and I cheer every impossible charge against the forces of evil they make. Forth Eorlingas!

This superpowered comic book origin story could easily be mistaken for the dictionary definition of “meh.”

Moana 2 is hardly smooth sailing, but it does have its charms. I’ll leave it up to the passage of time to discover how lasting they are, and just how far this sequel can ultimately go.

As much as I wish the filmmaking team had refrained from splitting the story into pieces and delivered one three-hour musical adventure, Wicked: Part One won me over. There is magic here — elements that defy conventional cinematic gravity — and I’m not about to let my reservations bring me down.

While I am as cynical about the current state of the human condition as anyone, Red One taps into something honest and hopeful. Right now, with all that’s going on in the real world, those aren’t emotional states of being I want to take for granted. More importantly, I’d like to believe I’m not the only one who feels that way.