Zathura: A Space Adventure (2005)

I'm not a fan of Jon Favreau's earlier directing efforts ("Made" and "Elf"), but with this movie, he won me over. I was especially impressed with the sure hand he had in directing children -- so many directors seem not to know what to do with them and, apparently, give up on a scene before natural behavior has been captured on film.

I picked the movie (it was my birthday and my family were stuck watching whatever I chose). Despite initial skepticism, my husband, two teenaged sons, and I all were surprised by how entertained we were. What a fun and exciting film.

B+