HOLES (Disney) Director: Andrew Davis. Sigourney Weaver, Shia LaBeouf, Jon Voight. (PG) Take One: Based on a popular kids’ book about an unlucky boy (Shia LaBeouf) wrongly sentenced to reform camp, Holes has wry humor, thrills, redemption and a convoluted, almost epic plot that's fun to unravel.

Take Two: Some scenes of menace might be too much for young children; some parents might have concerns about a subplot involving a family curse inherited from an old fortuneteller.

Final Take: A satisfying tale that tackles fate, friendship, intolerance and overcoming adversity, Holes benefits from its memorably cartoonish adult villains and from the hero's endearingly quirky family.

ANGER MANAGEMENT

(Columbia) Director: Peter Segal. Adam Sand-ler, Jack Nicholson, Marisa Tomei. (PG-13)

Take One: Few actors convey suppressed rage like Sandler; few actors get under your skin like Nicholson. Nicholson tormenting Sand-ler seems like a comic no-brainer.

Take Two: No-brainer, yes; comic, no. Desperately unfunny and more than a bit disturbing, Anger relies on offensive, juvenile sexual humor, embarrassing celebrity cameos and paranoia fantasies of the alienated.

Final Take: You'll need anger management after sitting through any portion of this sorry film.

PHONE BOOTH (20th Century Fox) Director: Joel Schumacher. Colin Farrell, Forest Whitaker, Katie Holmes. (R) Take One: Suspense-driven morality play with Farrell as a slimy publicist trapped in a Times Square phone booth by a hidden sniper who knows his sins.

Take Two: Excessive foul language drains enjoyment from the proceedings. Other faults include over-pumped direction, a too-generic villain and a cheesy, tagged-on denouement.

Final Take: A flawed but passable thriller with some interesting moral implications, Booth actually suggests that there's something wrong with ogling and lusting, and manages a redemptive ending.

WHAT A GIRL WANTS

(Warner Bros) Director: Dennie Gordon. Amanda Bynes, Colin Firth, Kelly Preston. (PG)

Take One: Virtual remake of Disney hit Princess Diaries is sure to appeal to 'weens of the target gender, with Bynes as a vivacious American girl who longs to know her absent daddy (Firth), a British aristocrat.

Take Two: Firth is meant to be likeable but awkward with Bynes, yet he comes off as a sap and never sufficiently improves. Class-conscious film equates casual with authentic, genteel with hypocritical.

Final Take: Basically harmless despite cited weaknesses and some mild sensuality, but of interest strictly to the target demographic.

A MIGHTY WIND

(Warner Bros) Director: Christopher Guest. Eugene Levy, Catherine O'Hara, Michael McKean et al. (PG-13)

Take One: Mockumentary auteur Guest (Spinal Tap) and his usual ensemble turn their satirical sights on aging folk musicians with a reunion story culminating in a New York concert. Fred Willard and Levy are especially hilarious.

Take Two: As usual, the humor is sporadic and some gags fall flat, but a strong third act pays off. Guest's penchant for objectionable sexual humor is toned down from Best in Show but still in evidence.

Final Take: Guest isn' for all tastes, but Wind is his most affectionate, least edgy film—less a satire than an eccentric, good-natured tribute to folk music, with some hilarious conceits and a smile-inducing finale.

Steven D. Greydanus, editor and chief critic of DecentFilms.com, writes from

Bloomfield, New Jersey.