Tuesday, April 29, 2003
Member since:
March 2002
March 2002
On a delightfully eventful weekend with my daughter I was so cleverly roped into seeing the latest kid's movie at my local screening hole. If you were to ask my daughter what she thought of Disney's newest effort, HOLES, she'd tell you it was an all thumbs-up-five-star event! As for me, well, I might agree ever so slightly. It does manage to tell an enchanting heart felt story, and with as much enchantment as you would expect from a family film. From what I have heard, HOLES was a best-selling book by author Louis Sachar. I can't say I've ever heard of it since I stopped reading years ago, and, because of that, it certainly reflects in my writing. To me, that's the beauty of movies; you're in-n-out in a couple of hours with reading little more then a few rolling credits. As you might imagine, even writing this review is boring me to tears, and you might even ask why I do it? The only reason I can think of, quite simply, is because I love movies . . . and that's about it!
HOLES is the story of a young lad, Stanley Yelnats (Shia LaBeouf), who ends up in a juvenile camp in the desert landscape of Texas. He winds up there due to an unfortunate event that pins him as a young boy who stole a pair of collectable basketball shoes from an orphanage. Of course, he really didn't do it and we find out soon enough that he is actually carrying a family curse passed down from his great-great grandfather. Stanley's father (Henry Winkler), in the meantime, is less interested in his sons' problems and more focused on finding a cure for foot odors. When we first arrive at Camp Green Lake, we are introduced to our adult characters, Mr. Sir (Jon Voit) the camp redneck, Mr. Pendanski (Tim Blake Nelson) the camp counselor, and the camp warden (Sigourney Weaver). Stanley soon makes friends with a ragtag crew of boys who only go by their nick names, Armpit, X-Ray, Squid, Zig-Zag, and a special case named Zero (Khleo Thomas). Every day the boys are sent into the desert to dig as many holes as possible, and as anyone might guess, our camp leaders are obviously on the search for something big. Along the way, Stanley makes a special bond with his friend Zero, and we learn later that they both share a unique connection. Now, as all of this is going on, we are constantly interrupted with the story of how Stanley's great-great grandfather caught the dreaded family curse; which only seems to affect the men in the family. The story of the past reveals to us what the camp leaders are really after, but not without dealing with the peril of the deadly, yellow spotted, lizard. Let me point out that I kept expecting the crocodile hunter to show up every time the deadly lizard exposed itself. Pay close attention and you'll see, as I did, that these two tales collide in the end only to redeem us into the usual happy ending we all expect to see in a Disney production. I mean really, a Disney movie with a sad ending . . . well, there is OLD' YELLER, no? I'm sure the popular book ended on a happy note, but since I can't read, I'll never know?
Overall, HOLES does entertain the senses to a degree that only Disney assumes the average family in America expects. Our adult characters are played as corny, cheesy, and overacted as one would expect from this type of film. In fact, I thought the kids out acted the adults, mainly because they acted like real kids. The adults were just plain-stereotype, Disney cheese, that we've all seen countless times. I can't see why Disney film makers think if they dummy down the adults that kids will relate with them better? In real life children's parents don't act like complete boneheads, and their teachers don't act like idiots, either. I really feel that if the adults had acted like real adults this film would have had a higher rating from me. It's unfortunate because the story is enchanting and warm hearted. Had it not been for the wonderful story, and the way the pieces all fit together in the end, this film might have been a complete flop. As it is, HOLES, from a kids point of view, is a rather fun and entertaining movie. As an adult . . . well, I laughed, I smiled, and left the theater feeling redeemed, but not without feeling a little conflicted over my intelligence being insulted from time to time. I'm sure I should just brush it off and accept that this is just the way kids movies are, however, after watching HARRY POTTER, and seeing that adults can act like real adults, I just can't do it! Nevertheless, HOLES does at least attempt to be a sure-fire winner for the family, and it's certainly worth the price of admission if you're looking to kill a couple of hours from your kids hyperactivity. [:)]
Rating: 7/10
traynor1964@netzero.com
HOLES is the story of a young lad, Stanley Yelnats (Shia LaBeouf), who ends up in a juvenile camp in the desert landscape of Texas. He winds up there due to an unfortunate event that pins him as a young boy who stole a pair of collectable basketball shoes from an orphanage. Of course, he really didn't do it and we find out soon enough that he is actually carrying a family curse passed down from his great-great grandfather. Stanley's father (Henry Winkler), in the meantime, is less interested in his sons' problems and more focused on finding a cure for foot odors. When we first arrive at Camp Green Lake, we are introduced to our adult characters, Mr. Sir (Jon Voit) the camp redneck, Mr. Pendanski (Tim Blake Nelson) the camp counselor, and the camp warden (Sigourney Weaver). Stanley soon makes friends with a ragtag crew of boys who only go by their nick names, Armpit, X-Ray, Squid, Zig-Zag, and a special case named Zero (Khleo Thomas). Every day the boys are sent into the desert to dig as many holes as possible, and as anyone might guess, our camp leaders are obviously on the search for something big. Along the way, Stanley makes a special bond with his friend Zero, and we learn later that they both share a unique connection. Now, as all of this is going on, we are constantly interrupted with the story of how Stanley's great-great grandfather caught the dreaded family curse; which only seems to affect the men in the family. The story of the past reveals to us what the camp leaders are really after, but not without dealing with the peril of the deadly, yellow spotted, lizard. Let me point out that I kept expecting the crocodile hunter to show up every time the deadly lizard exposed itself. Pay close attention and you'll see, as I did, that these two tales collide in the end only to redeem us into the usual happy ending we all expect to see in a Disney production. I mean really, a Disney movie with a sad ending . . . well, there is OLD' YELLER, no? I'm sure the popular book ended on a happy note, but since I can't read, I'll never know?
Overall, HOLES does entertain the senses to a degree that only Disney assumes the average family in America expects. Our adult characters are played as corny, cheesy, and overacted as one would expect from this type of film. In fact, I thought the kids out acted the adults, mainly because they acted like real kids. The adults were just plain-stereotype, Disney cheese, that we've all seen countless times. I can't see why Disney film makers think if they dummy down the adults that kids will relate with them better? In real life children's parents don't act like complete boneheads, and their teachers don't act like idiots, either. I really feel that if the adults had acted like real adults this film would have had a higher rating from me. It's unfortunate because the story is enchanting and warm hearted. Had it not been for the wonderful story, and the way the pieces all fit together in the end, this film might have been a complete flop. As it is, HOLES, from a kids point of view, is a rather fun and entertaining movie. As an adult . . . well, I laughed, I smiled, and left the theater feeling redeemed, but not without feeling a little conflicted over my intelligence being insulted from time to time. I'm sure I should just brush it off and accept that this is just the way kids movies are, however, after watching HARRY POTTER, and seeing that adults can act like real adults, I just can't do it! Nevertheless, HOLES does at least attempt to be a sure-fire winner for the family, and it's certainly worth the price of admission if you're looking to kill a couple of hours from your kids hyperactivity. [:)]
Rating: 7/10
traynor1964@netzero.com
