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Top Box Office Hits FOR THE WEEKEND OF JULY 27-29 1. “Planet ol the Apes" $69.5 million 6. “Cats & Dogs" $4.5 million 2. “Jurassic Park III” $22.4 million 7. “Dr. Dolittle 2" $4.1 million 3. “America’s Sweethearts” $15.7 million 8. “Fast And The Furious” $3.7 million 4. “Legally Blonde $9.0 million 9. “Scary Movie 2” $2.6 million 5. “The Score” $7.1 million 10. “Shrek” $1.7 million Page 8 1!uhC (53MC0Ck Wednesday, August 1,2001 'Apes' remake doesn't live up to potential by Tug Baker The Gamecock “Planet of the Apes” is one of the few blockbuster movies to come out this summer that had the potential to be great cinema. Look at everything it has going for it. First, there’s director Tim Burton, whose knack for lavish sets and moody style even made “Sleepy Hollow” an enjoyable film. Second, the work of makeup master Rick Baker in the creation of Hollywood creatures is unmatched. A top-notch cast and a large budget round out the reasons why “Planet of the Apes” should be terrific. Of course, there’s also that matter of it being a remake of the 1968 cult classic by Franklin J. Schaffner. Burton’s “Planet of the Apes” exists, not quite as a remake, but more as homage to the 1968 film and its many sequels. The story, taking some elements from the original movies, is mainly new. Leo Davidson (Mark Wahlberg) is an astronaut for a team researching cosmic storms. When his chimp-in training is lost while investigating one of these storms, he goes to rescue it, accidentally getting caught in the same storm and crashing on a strange planet. Here, he finds himself in a world ruled by apes, where man exists either in the wild or as slaves to the apes. He enlists the help of Ari (Helena Bonham-Carter), a chimp who fights for human rights, and escapes with her and some human slaves to find his way back home. Pursuing the fugitives are the apes General Thade (Tim Roth) and his second-in-command, Attar (Michael Clarke Duncan). They will stop at nothing to kill Leo because he threatens to expose the origin of the apes’ existence. The explanation for how the apes came to power over the humans is perhaps one of the best parts of the film. Though it’s easy to decipher for hardcore sci-fi fans, a more general audience will be pleasantly intrigued by the mystery. Herein lies the problem with the entire movie. Some parts are fantastic, but never seem to go far enough. "Planet of the Apes” would have been the perfect movie for a satire on American culture, treatment of animals or even a poignant film about racism or religion. While it touches on all these things, it stops just short of making a true commitment to any of them. For once it seems that Burton is unexplainably scared of taking chances — something that has made his past films so enjoyable. Take, for example, the love triangle between Leo, Ari the chimp and Daena the human (Estella Warren). Ari gives the most compassion to the issue, falling for Leo but unsure of what to do with her feelings. Daena just seems to fall in love with him because there’s nothing better to do, and Leo — well, he doesn’t even seem -Jfc. “Planet of the Apes” STARS: Mark Watilberg, Tim Roth, Helena Bonham Carter PLOT: An astronaut lands on a planet inhabited by human-like apes, who rule the planet with an iron fist. OVERALL: Tim Burton’s remake of the classic sci-fi film squanders its potential to appeal to the PG-13 audience. ☆☆ of ☆☆☆☆☆ surprised that he’s surrounded by talking monkeys. He’s just mad about the whole situation. Bonham-Carter, Roth and Duncan should be commended for their depiction of the apes despite a terrible script, rife with unmotivated character action. However, Burton should be chastised for not taking the risk with what was already guaranteed blockbuster status. This leaves “Planet of the Apes” high on style but low on substance. The spotlight desk can be reached at gamecockspotlight @ hotmail.com Through the Looking Glass ■ I work well with others, honest A 37-year-old man, reported to have embarked on a crime spree while drunk, was arrested for robbing four California banks after he accidentally left his resume behind at - one of them, police said. ■ Out of the hying pan Because he’s on parole, a New Jersey man was afraid that if he was convicted of the motor vehicle charges he was facing, he would have to go back to jail. His solution, police said, was to bum down the courthouse to destroy his previous record. He’s now charged with aggravated arson, and prosecutors feel reincarceration is now far more likely. ■ Ladies, please! A pair of 22-year-old identical twins named Cynthia and Crystal, on a flight from San Francisco to China, got into a screaming argument a few hours into the journey, police said. When a flight attendant intervened, one of them, Cynthia, authorities believe, hit her in the face. A pilot tried to keep them quiet, but Cynthia also allegedly belted him in the head. Crew members said that, while they were putting her in restraints, her sister went on the attack, putting a chokehold on a flight attendant. The flight was diverted to Alaska where the two were arrested. ■ If you loved me, you would Michelle Clark seduced Robert Hudson, her 15-year-old babysitter, . and, once he was besotted with love, threatened to leave him unless he killed her husband. So he did. The Ebensburg, Pa., man, now 17, was sentenced to 25 to 50 years in jail. His former love is serving 12 to 30 for her part in the . crime. Mike Pingree/College Press Exchange