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Fans of author Louis Sachar's bookHoleswill be delighted with this scrupulously faithful adaptation. After being wrongly found guilty of stealing a pair of sneakers, Stanley Yelnats (Shia LaBeouf) gets sent to Camp Green Lake, a juvenile correctional facility in the bed of a long-gone dry Texas lake. There--under the watchful eye of overseer Mr. Sir (a zesty Jon Voight), sneakily mean therapist Dr. Pendanski (Tim Blake Nelson,O Brother Where Art Thou?), and the cool and cruel Warden (Sigourney Weaver)--Stanley and dozens of other delinquents are forced to dig an endless series of holes that the Warden hopes will lead her to a precious secret left behind by a long-dead female outlaw (Patricia Arquette). Sachar's book is beloved for its vivid characters and suspenseful plot; by sticking close to its source,Holeshas become a dynamic, exciting, and surprisingly touching movie.--Bret Fetzer
Based on the book of the same name, "Holes" is a rare movie that follows the book pretty well. Stanley Yelnats IV goes to Camp Green Lake, a jail for young people. There's no lake at Camp Green Lake, it dried up a long time ago. Instead of a lake, there are countless holes. If a boy digs holes all day, that'll turn him into a good boy...according to Mr. Sir (played superbly by John Voight). The Warden of Camp Green Lake is none other than Sigourney Weaver. Why are the kids digging holes (which is 5 feet across and 5 feet deep) in the middle of a dry lake bed? Well, I leave to fill up the holes yourself
Diggin' Up A Treasured Past - Spoiler This was a great movie that I watched with my nephews. It was my favorite book for a long time; I have read and seen Holes so many times. I read the book for the first time in seventh grade and bought it when I found it. I have also lent it to people because it's such a great story to me. When I heard the movie was coming out I was excited, I saw it at the movies when it first came out then bought it. One reason the movie is so great is because the director did such a great job on making the movie to be so much like the book. That's important because if you change anything, it would throw off the whole story. I would definitely recommend this movie to anyone who first, loved the book, and second, to people who like fun twists in stories. A reason this stories so fun, is because it's about kids who think they're all better than the next. This is very amusing to see little kids try and think they're "all that" when in reality, they are just making themselves look stupid. They also try to make up "cool" nicknames, that turn out to be quite childish, like "Armpit" and "Zigzag," but they insist on being called by them. The things they fight about are so hilarious as well. For instance, when Stanley finds the fossil and they all thinks it's not cool except "Armpit." Another is X-ray, how he decided on his own that he's the leader and makes places in line for all of them. In addition to all this, something that's really amazing is that it has three different stories that all become one. This is fascinating because they are so diverse, but still so connected. The first story is all about Stanly 3rd, who was sent to a juvenile camp for a wrongfully convicted crime. While there he meets new friends and finds an old, odd relation. This was Zero. His story is with Stanley's, but he was a descendant of Stanley's great-great-grandfathers fortune teller, Madam Zeroni. In that story Elia Yelnats, Stanley's great-great-grandfather, wished to merry so Madam Zeroni helped, but in return he was to carry her up a mountain and sing to her while drinking from a stream. He was unable to merry this woman, and ran away to America leaving Madam Zeroni, so she cursed him and his descendants with bad luck. The last story that's portrayed is of Miss Katherine. She was a southern school teacher who had secretly fallen in love with a black man and kissed him; which was illegal for her lover at that time. When Trout Walker, the Wardens grandfather, found out he was furious and jealous, so he told the sheriff and the man was killed causing Miss Katherine to go crazy and become a murderer and thief. The way all of these odd stories come together is that the Warden is looking for the treasure Kissin' Kate Barlow, the outlaw teacher, had stolen from Stanley's great-grandfather, so she was having the children dig holes for her. Then the story with Zero and Stanley's family is the curse, which Stanley lifts be carrying Zero up a mountain and singing an old family song. It's quite interesting and amusing to see and have to learn as you go. This is such a great film with lots of hilarious scenes and characters. It had many stories that all intertwined to make a great plot. I think anyone would love the movie Holes and find it a fun watch with family, friends, or even alone.A Hole Lotta Good Times I think Holes is one of the best family-friendly movies that I've seen in the past few years. In the age of questionable jokes working their ways into family-marketed movies, I think any parent with a child over the age of 7 could feel comfortable with their kids watching this movie, as well as enjoy it themselves. It addresses issues such as greed and bigotry and rehabilitation of those deemed "hopeless" and the true meaning of friendship and perserverance without being preachy and too "after-school-special." I think adults can enjoy this movie alot, too- there's something timeless to the heart of this movie.
I personally enjoyed the pacing and how the flashbacks were done. A lot of movies get mired up in flashbacks, the flashbacks go on too long, tell too much story, but Louis Sacher did a great job with weaving the 3 different stories into one. I loved that the script was serious, but still funny. The humor was cute and subtle and the characters were very three-demensional and all very dynamic, even the villians.
I especially enjoyed seeing Eartha Kitt playing Madame Zironi. I thought she was a great addition to the cast with her character. Another thing that I felt was a character in itself was the lake. It was this beautiful, bustling little city in Texas that turned into a dry wasteland after a horrible act of greed, jealousy and hatred destroyed lives.
I first read Louis Sacher books when I was 7-8 years old,and they were quite funny, but difficult for me. I hadn't picked up any of them since. I saw this movie about a year ago and I am quite impressed with Mr Sachar, now.
