Ella Enchanted (2004)

Um. Cute, but my theory is that someone started reading the book, got three chapters in and said, "This would make a great movie!" and went off to make the movie, thereby forgetting to finish the book. It follows the story with only a few deviations (well, and a minor plothole) for a short time. Then suddenly we've got a heroine with an enormous interest in politics of the kingdom, an elf who wants to be a lawyer, Mandy's boyfriend who has been turned into a magical book, an evil advisor-to-the-soon-to-be-king, a really creepy-looking talking snake... not to mention the abundance of song-and-dance scenes (although they DID sing "Let Me Entertain You" which was a plus). And the many, many pop culture references. Hello! Whatever happened to the Gail Carson Levine version? There's very little reference to the original story after the first ten minutes, and while it's mildly entertaining, the fairy tale atmosphere is mostly gone, as is the original plotline, and we're left with a style more along the lines of Shrek than Cinderella. 1 star.

Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)

What a strange movie. It's a cut above sci-fi B-movies as far as effects go, but plotwise? I don't think so. I mean, that main woman...I wanted to strangle her. What kind of a mom is she? If my kid were acting like hers was, I would NOT be acting like her! Yeah, she really, really bugged me. 2 stars.

Breakfast At Tiffany's (1961)

Wow. I liked this movie. Holly is a fascinating character and the movie did a great job of building on that. Overall, a very good film. I'd watch it again, definitely. Oh, and "Moon River" also goes on my list of reasons to like the movie. 4 stars.

Call Northside 777 (1948)

Jimmy Stewart always rules. But apart from that, this movie was pretty unmemorable. To tell the truth, I can't even remember what it was about. 1.5 stars.

Another Thin Man (1939)

As murder mysteries go, it was pretty mediocre, but Nick and Nora are so great together and play off of each other so well, it was still incredibly easy to watch. Please note that, yes, this is exactly the same review as I wrote for The Thin Man. With these, you've seen one, you've seen them all - but they're fun anyway. 3.5 stars.

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1920)

Fascinating story. I've always loved it. This version is pretty high-quality, although I don't care much for silent films - I can never resist making up new lines for them. Oh, and I do have two questions. One: Was that Italian girl supposed to be dancing? And two: What was with the Hyde-spider?! 3 stars.

Cheaper By the Dozen (2003)

Gosh, I hope our family doesn't turn into them. Talk about out of control. He had to hire help for three days? When he had two teenagers to help him out? With that in mind, however, there were a few genuinely funny bits, making it good for the one viewing. There's no reason to watch it again. 1.5 stars.