sirdizzy
Apr 22nd, 2003, 01:47:21 PM
Holes (2003)
Kids/Family, Crime/Gangster, Thriller and Drama 1 hr. 51 min
MPAA Rating: PG for violence, mild language and some thematic elements.
Starring: Shia LaBeouf, Sigourney Weaver, Patricia Arquette, Rick Fox, Khleo Thomas
Directed by: Andrew Davis
Stanley Yelnats IV comes from a family of long traditions from his name Stanley which all the males in the family are named because is his last named spelled backwards, to the bad luck they seem to all have because of a curse set on his great grandfather by a witch. His bad luck comes to a head when he is accused of stealing a pair of tennis shoes and has to go before a judge. The judge gives Stanley a choice he can either go to jail or he can go to a boy’s reformatory at Camp Green Lake. He opts to go to Green Lake where he instantly finds out he might have better off going to jail. The camp is run by a hard-nosed foreman Mr. Sir and an evil warden. The kids are put to task to dig holes in the desert 5 feet deep and 5 feet wide all day long as a from of punishment. There at came Stanley meets a motley group of youngsters who all go by nicknames from X-ray, to Armpit to a quite boy named Zero whom Stanley befriends. There two back stories begun to unfold one about Stanley and his pig stealing grandfather and the other about the lake itself and a wild west thief named Kissin' Kate Barlow and how they all seemed to be intertwined. So Stanley finds himself uncovering a story about himself and his family’s misfortune, and another story about a once prosperous town all the while he serves a sentence for a crime he did not commit. But the warden has some secret plan and she could ruin Stanley’s life forever before he can uncover the truth.
Based on the popular children’s book by the same name the movie unfolds a fanciful tale of mystery and intrigue that enthralls you. Lately it seems a lot of the really great stories have been written for children and have translated so well over to the adult audiences like Harry Potter and this movie. The movie is fun, comical, entertaining, enthralling and dramatic all at the same time. Like Harry Potter the characters seem to be full of life and so real that it is hard not to imagine them and be entertained by them. The movie is character driven and the story seems to just revolve around it. Each of the characters have their own idiosyncrasies that make them so much fun to watch. And the story steals you away as you try and figure out all the little plot twists and the connections they have each to each other. The acting was quite good as the kids played very believable parts and did a good job at keeping you interested in who they were. I did get the feeling though that the movie left off a lot of their development as characters that the book probably covers very well. That in itself might make the book worth reading. Well worth the viewing as the story and plot are quite entertaining and the movie does a great job at enthralling you.
4 stars out of 5
Kids/Family, Crime/Gangster, Thriller and Drama 1 hr. 51 min
MPAA Rating: PG for violence, mild language and some thematic elements.
Starring: Shia LaBeouf, Sigourney Weaver, Patricia Arquette, Rick Fox, Khleo Thomas
Directed by: Andrew Davis
Stanley Yelnats IV comes from a family of long traditions from his name Stanley which all the males in the family are named because is his last named spelled backwards, to the bad luck they seem to all have because of a curse set on his great grandfather by a witch. His bad luck comes to a head when he is accused of stealing a pair of tennis shoes and has to go before a judge. The judge gives Stanley a choice he can either go to jail or he can go to a boy’s reformatory at Camp Green Lake. He opts to go to Green Lake where he instantly finds out he might have better off going to jail. The camp is run by a hard-nosed foreman Mr. Sir and an evil warden. The kids are put to task to dig holes in the desert 5 feet deep and 5 feet wide all day long as a from of punishment. There at came Stanley meets a motley group of youngsters who all go by nicknames from X-ray, to Armpit to a quite boy named Zero whom Stanley befriends. There two back stories begun to unfold one about Stanley and his pig stealing grandfather and the other about the lake itself and a wild west thief named Kissin' Kate Barlow and how they all seemed to be intertwined. So Stanley finds himself uncovering a story about himself and his family’s misfortune, and another story about a once prosperous town all the while he serves a sentence for a crime he did not commit. But the warden has some secret plan and she could ruin Stanley’s life forever before he can uncover the truth.
Based on the popular children’s book by the same name the movie unfolds a fanciful tale of mystery and intrigue that enthralls you. Lately it seems a lot of the really great stories have been written for children and have translated so well over to the adult audiences like Harry Potter and this movie. The movie is fun, comical, entertaining, enthralling and dramatic all at the same time. Like Harry Potter the characters seem to be full of life and so real that it is hard not to imagine them and be entertained by them. The movie is character driven and the story seems to just revolve around it. Each of the characters have their own idiosyncrasies that make them so much fun to watch. And the story steals you away as you try and figure out all the little plot twists and the connections they have each to each other. The acting was quite good as the kids played very believable parts and did a good job at keeping you interested in who they were. I did get the feeling though that the movie left off a lot of their development as characters that the book probably covers very well. That in itself might make the book worth reading. Well worth the viewing as the story and plot are quite entertaining and the movie does a great job at enthralling you.
4 stars out of 5