How to Train Your Dragon

You know the drill by now. This film has all the standard characteristics of today's CGI animated wonderworks--enough so that it shouldn't rise anywhere above run-of-the-mill status. And yet, somehow, it does. There's something in this piece that gives it more life than the usual fare. The art direction, the voiceover acting, the setting...I don't know; it's something ineffable that leaves the viewer thinking, "I enjoyed that more than I should have." Maybe I shouldn't trust that result, but I think we can get away with it here.

Superbad

This one comes out of the gate like a house afire, then glides down the back stretch and final turn with a little bit of fade. Still, you get a comedy that delivers a lot of great, laugh out loud moments and finishes near the top of the leader board. For a teen comedy, it's hard to expect more than that.