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Holes (Full Screen Edition)

Holes (Full Screen Edition)

List Price: $19.99
Your Price: $17.99
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Sucked
Review: Weak characters. Retarded plot. Who are the people giving this 5 stars?? Have you ever seen a good movie? FYI, this is not one of them.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Pretty Good!
Review: "Holes" is not just your run-of-the-mill film adapted from a kids' book. It is a fascinating story filled with twists that keep the audience wondering what they will find out next. For those who love the book, they can appreciate that the screenplay was also written by the author. Newcomer Shia LaBeouf has much potential (if only he can stay away from movies like "Dumb and Dumberer"), and I hope to see him develop his talents. Not-so-good performances by Sigourney Weaver and Jon Voigt, however. Regardless, it's great movie for the family, but also fun to just watch by yourself. Enjoy!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Great
Review: This has got to be one of my most favorite films. It has two or three plots going on at once. This young kid Stanley gets sent to a reform (...) correctional camp for young kids, where they dig holes way way down in the ground, "supposedly to make a man out of ya and give ya discipline:(yeah right) anyhow, Stanley becomes friends with this little fella(who has a part to play in all of this too)and it goes from there and ties a real neat tidy bow. what a movie. You can't help but love it.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: (In Fact 3.5): Engaging Idiosyncrasy; Needs Distinct Style
Review: Many say the film "Holes" is good, and the original book is even better. Though I have not read the book, I can sense the feelings these people have towards the beloved original. And the film is carefully made with that kind of love, I think. So, read this review as the one from a non-reader of Louis Sacher book, but as just a moviegoer.

One thing is certain; the kids featured in the central story are fantastic. "Holes" starts with a boy Stanley Yelnats IV (read backward), who is falsely accused of stealing a pair of shoes presented by a celebrity. Now Stanley must work at the correctional camp for boys.

The camp itself is very unique. In the middle of the hot desert, Stanley has to dig a hole every day, to mould a newer and healthier character. And while there, he meets another boy called Zero, with whom he becomes a friend, and embarks on another adventure, which ends in an unexpected way.

In the meanwhile, Stanley's family has been, he claims, cursed from the great-great-great-grand dad, who neglected a promise with an old lady Eartha Kitt. Beside this sub-plot told in flashbacks, we have another sub-plot about the life of "Kissin' Kate Barlow" (Patricia Arquette). These subplots, it will be clear, have something to do with the present-day story about Stanley and Zero.

But the charms of the film come from its characters. Though Sigourney Weaver (as the warden of the camp) is top-billed in the film, it is the friendship between Stanley and Zero that really attacts us, and the good acting of the kids is strongly recommended. This is not to say that Ms. Weaver is bad; but when we have to wait for one hour for her to appear, it is hardly possible to say that this is her movie. You also get John Voight as the warden's second, and Tim Blake Nelson as "doctor," plus Henry Winkler as Stanley's father. They all give appropriately quirky and even crazy acting, in particular that of John Voight, who reminds me of his eccentric turn in "Anaconda."

The film is Disney's, and the company decided on an uncomfortable mixture of myth and reality. Andrew Davis ("The Fugitive") is not the right choice for directing this kind material (it's Alfonso Cuaron) that requires more magical touch to make every scene edgy and mythical.

And Disney is guilty of one thing: too much polishing up. The boys in the camp sometimes show nasty and mean attitude, but they are never evil; the violence is suggested (in the flashback), but not explicitly shown on the screen; Sigourney Weaver's warden should look more self-centered, but she actually lacks the menace this kind of character might have. In short, the film is too clean, and it doesn't bite. Even the dirt looks clean, and Sigourney Weaver's phoney droll accent comes and goes.

The last point is the sole reason of my star rating. But the characters are interesting, and if you endure the first half of the film (in which too many flashbacks come and go), you will be slowly sucked into this strange world of "Holes."

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: This is a great movie!
Review: When Stanley Yelnats IV (played by Shia LaBeouf of "Even Stevens") is struck in the head by a pair of dropped shoes, and is subsequently tried for stealing them, his family is not surprised. The family has been cursed by bad luck, since Stanley's great grandfather (Stanley Yelnats I) failed to fulfill his end of an agreement with a gypsy (Eartha Kitt!). And so, Stanley finds himself whisked off to a juvenile corrections camp, where the young inmates spend their days digging holes - 5' diameter, 5' deep holes.

There's something awfully strange going on here. The warden (Sigourney Weaver) and her goons are looking for something, something that they dare not reveal. But, what is it? Ah, destiny is at work here and curses upon curses, and only one Stanley Yelnats can set things right! [Color, released in 2003, with a running time of 1 hour, 57 minutes.]

I must admit that when my kids wanted to see this movie in the theatre, I was more than happy to send them off with a cousin, as the movie did not look interesting to me. Well, I sure am kicking myself now! This is a great movie!

I loved the story of this movie, which seemed complicated at first, involving as it does so many flashbacks, but quickly sorted itself into a pattern which brought the story along quite nicely. Also, the anti-racism subplot was very well designed. I enjoyed the acting ability demonstrated in the movie (and now think that Shia LaBeouf has quite a future ahead of him!). And, I enjoyed the scenery. Overall, I must say that this is one fine movie, mainly designed for youngsters, but a great movie for adults, too.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Good Enough for Kids to Enjoy & Adults to Tolerate
Review: If you want a live-action family film that adults and teens can tolerate but pre-teens will enjoy, HOLES might fit the bill. Even though most of the action is set in a detention camp for young offenders, very little bad behavior is on display. There's no cursing, nudity, sex, violence (other than a couple of shoving matches) or other material similarly objectionable for children. The story is pitched at the average 10-year-old's level of sophistication, though even younger kids will get most of it, and the slow pacing is not so tedious as to prevent most adults from staying awake.

The production values and acting performances are generally first-class. Grown-ups might even enjoy the adult performances more than kids--especially Jon Voight's over-the-top camp guard and Henry Winkler's goofball inventor. Nevertheless, to award even three stars to this movie is rather charitable. Perhaps the many 4 and 5 star ratings reflect approval of family-oriented features in general, rather than the quality of this particular film. Surely those who've rated it so highly don't really believe that it compares with BABE or SHRECK or FINDING NEMO or BIG or THE SHAGGY DOG or any other truly good family film?

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: What a treasure!
Review: "Holes" is the kind of odd little movie that can restore your faith in family movies, book adaptations, and creativity all at once.

"Holes" is an extraordinary book, beautifully structured and realized. It's a must-read for kids and adults. "Holes" the movie may not be quite as satisfying - how could it be? - but it captures so many elements of the book that it feels like the pages have come alive. "Holes" the movie is funny, offbeat, surreal, deep, romantic, tense, adventurous, and thoroughly entertaining.

Shia LeBouf is, thanks to "Project Greenlight," a cult hero now, and shows wonderful presence and poise as Stanley Yelnats, the boy from an odd household who is unfairly conficted of stealing an NBA great's shoes from a charity. He's sent to one of the more bizarre detention camps you can imagine, and the story begins.

Or rather, the story continues. We learn in an alternate story about a doomed interracial romance and a legend that seems to ring true, and we see how the sins of the past have led to this strange present. Director Davis cuts back and forth between these two threads with uncommon skill - we never feel like the thrust of the story is interrupted.

The performances are uniformly good. Tim Blake Nelson, Sigorney Weaver, and Jon Voight have all kinds of fun digesting the scenery, while the unknown band of boy convicts perfectly fill the richly-defined roles from the book. And the whole thing builds to a completely satisfying and thought-provoking ending.

I haven't raved about a movie this much in a long time. See "Holes." Bring the kids. Read the book. And forget your troubles and enjoy yourself.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Amazing flick...I am getting the DVD as soon as I can!
Review: For those of you have who read the book "Holes" but haven't seen this movie, what is wrong with you! Every time I read the book, I thought about what an awesome movie it would be. Picking Shia Labeouf to play Stanley Yelnats was the best choice the casting directors could've made in a million years. He is my favorite actor, and I hope he rises to fame. The performance by Sigourney Weaver is definitely different than her normal roles, but its not bad. I saw this movie in theatres, and I was so happy I did. I just bought a DVD player, and I almost got this for my first DVD, but went for another movie. I plan to make Holes my second DVD. In short, get it, watch it, join the millions who love it. You won't regret it.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Good Family Movie
Review: Holes, based on the best-selling and award-winning children's book by Louis Sachar, is a clean, wholesome adventure that is sure to please every movie-lover in your family.

Fans of the book will appreciate the effort made to keep the movie true to the book. They did a great job with this, perhaps because the author is also the screenwriter.

The story is easy to follow even for the youngest in your family (my four year old daughter loved it). The story is simple, yet exciting and captivating enough for the older crowd.

I highly recommend this movie to anyone looking to add a good family picture to your movie collection.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: GREAT! A++
Review: REALLY GREAT FILM! THIS MOVIE HAS A GREAT STORYLINE, AND WAS AN AWESOME DEBUT FROM SHIA LABEOUF!
HIGHLY RECCOMENDED!!!!!


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