'Holes'
(Sigourney Weaver, Patricia Arquette, Henry Winkler / PG / 94 mins / Phoenix Pictures)
Overview: Based on the award-winning children's book of the same name, Holes tells the story of Stanley Yelnats, a teen sent to a detention camp in Texas for a crime he didn't commit. The warden, a cruel woman who uses snake venom to paint her nails, forces the boys to dig holes as punishment and to build character. Her motives seem unusually sadistic, until the boys discover her secret …
Verdict: 'Holes' is one of those rare kids movies that really does appeal to a wide audience - a 'shaggy-dog saga' that is sometimes hectic but always surprising and never easy, predictable or false. Basically, 'Holes' is a tale of youthful pluck with a professionalism so smooth as to lack any annoyingly dumb sub-plots. So, the intention is a good one, but the blending of disparate ingredients under Andrew Davis' direction is often jarring. Yet, 'Holes' is definitely a sweetly entertaining fable and easy to 'dig'!! [Editor: Sorry about that joke. We'll try and not let that kind of cheap humor spoil any further reviews!!]
'Holes'