Holes (2003) |
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Holes (2003) |
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| BUY IT |
| General | Extras | ||
| Category | Family |
Main Menu Introduction Main Menu Audio & Animation Audio Commentary-Cast Audio Commentary-Director And Writer Featurette-The Boys Of D-Tent Featurette-Digging The First Hole Deleted Scenes-6 Outtakes Music Video-D-Tent Boys - 'Dig It' |
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| Rating |
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| Year Of Production | 2003 | ||
| Running Time | 112:33 | ||
| RSDL / Flipper | RSDL (78:01) | Cast & Crew | |
| Start Up | Language Select Then Menu | ||
| Region Coding | 2,4 | Directed By | Andrew Davis |
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Studio
Distributor |
 Walt Disney Studios Home Ent. |
Starring |
Sigourney Weaver Jon Voight Tim Blake Nelson Shia LaBeouf Khleo Thomas Jake M. Smith Byron Cotton Brenden Jefferson Miguel Castro Max Kasch Noah Poletiek Zane Holtz Steven Kozlowski |
| Case | Amaray-Transparent-Secure Clip | ||
| RPI | ? | Music |
Byron Cotton Brenden Jefferson Max Kasch |
| Video | Audio | ||
| Pan & Scan/Full Frame | None |
English Dolby Digital 5.1 (448Kb/s) Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1 (384Kb/s) French Dolby Digital 5.1 (384Kb/s) English Audio Commentary Dolby Digital 1.0 (96Kb/s) English Audio Commentary Dolby Digital 1.0 (96Kb/s) |
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| Widescreen Aspect Ratio | 1.85:1 | ||
| 16x9 Enhancement |
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| Video Format | 576i (PAL) | ||
| Original Aspect Ratio | 1.85:1 | Miscellaneous | |
| Jacket Pictures | No | ||
| Subtitles |
English English for the Hearing Impaired Spanish Danish French Finnish Swedish Icelandic Norwegian Spanish Titling French Titling Spanish Audio Commentary Danish Audio Commentary French Audio Commentary Finnish Audio Commentary Swedish Audio Commentary Norwegian Audio Commentary Spanish Audio Commentary Danish Audio Commentary French Audio Commentary Finnish Audio Commentary Swedish Audio Commentary Norwegian Audio Commentary |
Smoking | Yes, Very briefly |
| Annoying Product Placement | No | ||
| Action In or After Credits | Yes | ||
Stanley Yelnats IV is a very unusual boy who comes from a very unusual family, and this is a rather unusual kids' film. Stanley (Shia LeBeouf) and his family have all apparently been living under a curse since great great grandfather made an omission in his mission for Madame Zeroni (played gloriously by the inimitable Eartha Kitt.) As his father (none other than Henry Winkler) dejectedly continues his search for the perfect solution to foot odour, Stanley finds himself accused of the heinous crime of stealing a pair of shoes from a baseball hero which were destined for auction in a children's charity event.
Despite his protestations of innocence, he finds himself in court and off to an 18 month stint at Camp Green Lake - a detention camp for troubled youth. Here, Stanley and his bunch of mates suffer under the hands of Mr Sir (John Voight), Dr Pendanski (Tim Blake Nelson) and the brutal Warden (Sigouney Weaver), who has an ulterior motive for making the boys dig eternal numbers of holes that goes way beyond her interest in building their character. This film interweaves a number of tales - Stanley's trials at the camp, the saga of his great great grandfather, and the mysterious connection with Kissin' Kate Barlow warp and weave through the story until all is finally revealed in its denouement.
The source material for this film comes from a book by Louis Sachar which apparently was a sensational hit with the preteen American market. Wisely, director Andrew Davis seconded Sachar to write the film script as well. I confess to not being a great fan of the kind of genre that Davis normally produces, wham bang pieces like Collateral Damage and The Fugitive are not my preferred choice; and perhaps some of the subtlety that was potentially in the story may have been lost. But what Davis does understand is action, pace and teen vernacular and, with a few notable hiccups, this movie does roll along at a cracking pace. Voight, Nelson and Weaver all seem to be having a fine time, and there was a cheeky soundtrack nod for fans of O Brother Where Art Thou (in which Nelson shone) by the inclusion of the song Down to the River to Pray.
Seeing a distinctly greying Winkler was also a timely reminder to all that time is a'passin'!
All in all, this is a better than average kids' movie, aimed predominantly at the prepubescent market.
The transfer is presented in an aspect ratio of 1.85:1 16x9 enhanced.
The print is generally clear and clean, with good levels of luminance and shadow detail. Low level noise is nonexistent and grain levels are generally fine and very acceptable.
The colour palette is well-defined and clean with no halation present.
With the exception of some minimal aliasing and mild motion blur, this print is very clean and free of MPEG or film artefacts.
Subtitles are clean, clear and accurate.
This disc is an RSDL disc, with the layer change placed at 78:01. There is virtually no disruption to the presentation.
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| Overall | |
There are four audio tracks on this DVD. The default is English Dolby Digital 5.1 with additional main audio offerings in Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1 and French Dolby Digital 5.1. The commentary is available in English Dolby Digital 1.0.
The dialogue was clear and easy to understand at all times.
Audio sync was not a problem at all with this transfer, and was completely spot on.
The musical score is a rollicking good ride. Aside from the cheeky references previously alluded to, there are original contributions from the young cast members themselves in a lively and varied soundtrack.
Surround presence throughout the film was excellent - with a very distinct soundscape immersing one in the action.
Subwoofer activity was similarly appropriately present, providing several good booms to keep you on your toes.
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| Overall | |
A generous selection of extras are on offer.
The menu design is themed around the movie. It is 16x9 enhanced. The main menu features an animated clip from the movie and Dolby Digital 2.0 surround-encoded audio.
A little love fest of interviews and behind the scenes snippets. Jolly good fun really.
A behind the scenes look at the film.
Six scenes to choose from.
It's a bit lame, but kinda charming in a geeky way.
It's intensely exuberant and lively, though not particularly illuminating.
Andrew Davis and Louis Sachar discuss the film from a more sedate but more technically enlightening space. Quite entertaining.
Dig It - and it's kind of fun!
NOTE: To view non-R4 releases, your equipment needs to be multi-zone compatible and usually also NTSC compatible.
Both versions are the same in content and extras so they are equally good, and there is no compelling reason to prefer one over the other, apart from regional choices.
A fine romp of a film ideal for the preteens.
| Video | |
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| Extras | |
| Plot | |
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| Review Equipment | |
| DVD | Singer SGD-001, using S-Video output |
| Display | Teac 76cm Widescreen. Calibrated with Video Essentials. This display device is 16x9 capable. |
| Audio Decoder | Built in to amplifier/receiver. Calibrated with Video Essentials. |
| Amplification | Teac 5.1 integrated system |
| Speakers | Teac 5.1 integrated system |