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Summary: Not just for kids!
Review: My husband and I viewed this with our kids. We was not expecting much. We loved it!!! Great acting, great plot, great twist.
Rating:
Summary: Fine adaptation of a great book.
Review: You must have the basic plot by now from the write-ups and the other reviews. I just wanted to add my two cents in praise of this wonderfully crafted movie. While simply written ("understated" is a huge overstatement) there is a requirement to view it carefully. Each and every bit of story is carefully crafted and lovingly placed in just the right spot. Miss a minute and you miss a lot. Miss this moive and there will be a hole in your collection of great films.
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Summary: Disney Becomes Contemporary
Review: Disney has tried so very hard to become contemporary, and perhaps for the youngest family members they have become so. Disney has succeeded less well for teenagers and for adults, and most especially for boys. "Holes" marks a very different movie for Disney, containing aspects of traditional Disney movies while being more relevant and current without being cheesy. Our hero is Stanley Yelnats IV, wrongly accused of stealing a valuable pair of tennis shoes. Stanley is quickly zipped through the justice system and sent to a "camp" for boys rather than jail or prison. However, our story is told in bits and pieces in a fashion that requires the viewer to pay attention carefully to the movie. The story begins with Stanley Yelnats arriving at Camp Greenlake, which is neither green nor has a lake. In flashbacks throughout the movie we capture pieces of how Stanley ended up in Camp Greenlake. Overlaid with Stanley's flashbacks is a second story regarding the original Stanley Yelnats and how he came to be cursed by Madame Zeroni (played by the always awesome Eartha Kitt, whom some might remember as one of those who played Catwoman in the campy 60s Batman TV series). Another flashback is presented throughout the movie describing Sam the onion man and his relationship with Kissin' Kate Barlow, which relates to the history of not-so-green Greenlake. The central feature of the movie is the endless holes the boys must dig; one per day per boy, five feet deep and five feet in diameter. Any boy that finds something "interesting," which is defined about a third of the way into the movie, gets to have the day off. Our hero Stanley is the one who finds something interesting, and ultimately leads the way to the fun and tidy ending. With the four sets of stories the potential for confusion was high, but the direction and production were so well done that other than needing to pay attention, I was able to keep the story clear all the way to the conclusion where everything was nicely tied together. There are so many well-known actors in this movie that it would take pages to list their principal achievements and how well they did in this movie. At the risk of missing someone's favorites, Sigourney Weaver plays the warden of Camp Greenlake, Jon Voight is the head of security, Henry Winkler is Stanley's father, and Patricia Arquette is Kissin' Kate Barlow. The veteran talents in this movie were well-chosen and perform perfectly. The newcomers in the roles of the boys were amazing, and I believe that several of them will likely appear in future movies. Given that this was a Disney movie, Disney walked a fine line between keeping to traditional Disney values and yet making a contemporary movie. Thus there was constant temptation to add more violence, or more threatening situations. Director Andrew Davis and screenwriter Louis Sachar did an excellent job of keeping the currency of the subject matter to the point where you felt as though the characters could really have existed, and yet kept this movie accessible to all but the youngest members of the family, a very difficult task. This DVD contains an array of extras that, as with most extras, range from excellent to "why did they bother." The best extras (I thought) were the making of the movie and "On the set with Louis Sachar." The "Dig It" music video was okay, but way too short. The six deleted scenes contained some unnecessary scenes and some scenes really too violent to fit with the final cut, and I found them to of little interest. The commentary by the director and screenwriter were interesting, but unless you really want to know how the movie was made, you can skip the commentaries. The gag reel was weak. I believe boys will most especially like this movie. Girls may find some of the movie disgusting (the boys often behave as you might think boys typically behave), but the romance between Kissin' Kate and Sam may intrigue them, as well as the strength of her character. While the focus of this movie is the boys, there is an interesting balance between male and female characters. The warden and Kissin' Kate are very strong roles, balanced principally by Sam and Stanley, and by the bumbling of Mr. Sir (Voight) and the supposed therapist Dr. Pedanski (Tim Blake Nelson). I strongly recommend this movie for those families, particularly with children 8 and above.
Rating:
Summary: great
Review: I am so glad they didn't stray away from the story line in the book. It was fantastic.
Rating: 
Summary: Great movie, not so great extras.
Review: I loved this movie. I could watch it a million times and never get tired of it. Initially I was really excited about the advertised extras. But when I got it home, I was disappointed. The deleted scenes are mostly those that were too violent to make the final cut. For example, at least four of the scenes feature Shia Lebouf getting seriously beaten up. First by the cops, then by bullies, the by Mr. Sir, then by Squid. Also, the gag reel wasn't nearly as good as it could have been. Instead of the usual hilarious bloopers other dvd's put in their gag reels, this dvd features mostly stuff from the film. No mistakes, no 'gags.' This was my biggest disapointment. Also the commentary by the director and the author, Louis Sachar, one of my favorite authors, quickly became boring then tedious. On the other hand, the commentary by the boys is hilarious. Especially whenever they find out the shot they spent two days on was cut. Poor Jake, who played squid, was soooo disappointed when his only stunt fall was cut. Filled with tons of impromptu singing and the boys sighing over everything female in the film (Patricia, give Max a kiss when you see him), it is one of the best commentaries I've ever heard. With all these complaints, why four stars? Cause the movie is excellent and the boy's commentaries and interviews make up for anything that might have been missing.
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Summary: Could anyone not like this?
Review: .
THIS is the kind of family entertainment I wish I'd had as a child. It doesn't talk down to children with cardboard characters, and consequently neither children nor parents are bored by it. Every piece of the story fits well: there is no filler, and the screenplay has a constant forward momentum, thanks to the mystery of the various narrative lines which weave together. It's more complex than most children's movies, which may help explain its popularity. (A teacher I know tells me that some teachers use the book Holes as a carrot for the children to behave: we won't read from Holes today unless everyone behaves, and it works.) The actors are all really great, not just the adults (who really put a lot of effort into it: Jon Voight is hilarious as Mr. Sir), but also the kids in the camp. It's really really well done. Don't delay, buy it today!
Rating:
Summary: Holes.. A Great Book Made Into A Movie!
Review: I have read this book a couple of times and really enjoyed it... but when I found out that is was made into a movie, I knew I had to see it! I watched it twice so far and it was awesome! On the DVD it also includes a music video of "Dig It" -D Tent Boys. I highly recommend this movie, especially if you enjoyed the book!
Rating:
Summary: Great Movie for all ages
Review: This is a great movie for people of all ages, they can sit back and enjoy it. Its a change from the movies that are filled with nothing but killing and bad language. And it was kept pretty close to the book, but what movie is just like the book.
Rating:
Summary: An awesome book turns into an even better movie!
Review: This is one of the few films that is as good (if not better!) as the book. Holes is fantastic!! One thing I need to clarify: Zig Zag is a jerk towards the new kid Stanley, but...Stanley's a dorky new kid, and Zig Zag is a cute jerk!! He's also aCUTEly paranoid about stuff. But anyway: really awesome movie (especially zz), and I suggest it to anyone and everyone!!
Rating:
Summary: This Movie Is...
Review: This movie is excellent. I enjoyed it - it was a really good. Theres nothing more to say. Go. Buy. Rent. Watch. Enjoy. And don't forget to rewind ;)
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