Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page. It is also available as plain text as well as XML.

Top Box Office Hits FOR THE WEEKEND OF JUNE 22-24_ 1. 'Fast and the Furious' $41.6 million 6. Swordfish' $7.7 million 2. ‘Dr. Dolittle 2’ $26.7 million 7. ‘Peart Harbor' $6.9 million 3. ‘Tomb Raider' $20.2 million 8. ‘Moulin Rouge' $3.8 million 4. Atlantis' $13.2 million 9. 'Evolution' $3.5 million 5. Shrek' $11 million 10.‘The Animal' $3 million PLACES Page 6 £ (BaifltCO Ck Wednesday, June 27,2001 "Atlantis' not Disney's best work “Atlantis” STARS: Voices of Michael J.Fox, James Gamer PLOT: A young adventurer, Milo Thatch, joins a group of explorers to find the lost continent of Atlantis OVERALL: Disney needs to focus on quality, not quantity ☆☆ of ☆☆☆☆☆ by Angelique Gibson The Gamecock Song, dance and color should be synonymous with children’s films. But because Disney isn’t delivering, “Moulin Rouge” is far closer to that ideal than “Atlantis” will ever be. This summer, Disney has decided to grow up, much like McDonald’s did five years ago. Hopefully, the animation giant will also learn from that mistake. For me to enjoy a movie, I have to be able to take home something more than witty one liners. I’m a fan of old-school movies like “The Secret of NIMH” and “An American Tale,” which cater to dark subjects in children’s fantasy. “Atlantis,” however, was relatively two-dimensional. Not only does it steal its plot from two fairly different stories, it also steals some animation, including Don Bluth’s dark style and character creation. The dark, shady characters in a dark, bluish background that characterize “Atlantis” are reminiscent of “An American Tail” and “NIMH,” right down to the stubble on almost all the male characters. But beyond being a rip off, the animation wasn’t entirely impressive. Because Disney is an animation mill, throwing together movies every couple of years, it’s amazing we aren’t watching stick figures. Even the fingers of the characters look like rectangles. It’s not like Disney is incapable of decent animation — “Beauty and the Beast” and “Snow White” prove that. The ship works in “Atlantis” are very impressive, and so is the island, but I could have sworn that I had seen this movie before. And I had — Bluth’s “Road to El Dorado.” The scenes seemed almost clipped out of the Bluth film. The island of Atlantis seems to be a mix of Tenochtitlan and Easter Island myth. The plot is a literal combination of “20,000 Leagues under the Sea” and “Road to El Dorado.” The characters are somewhat engaging, but the plot is pulled and strained. The voice talents are a slew of names — Leonard Nimoy, Michael J. Fox and James Gamer — and all perform their lines well, but Fox gives almost no depth to Milo, the hero. Milo is a nerd, and he whines, and then he whines more. This is a dark and grown-up film. Its subject matter deserves its PG rating. Mole, a geologist, is a little too disturbing even for me. I see little to intrigue a child, but the plot is almost too simplified for an adult viewer. I recommend renting “Tarzan” if you want to watch a Disney movie this summer — it had adult themes, but it was still classic Disney with at least one musical number. Disney needs to stop reaching for quantity and start giving us quality. The spotlight desk can be reached at gamecockspotlight@hotmail.com Photos special to The Gamecock Milo joins a group of explorers to find the lost continent of Atlantis (TOP) and meets the king and princess of the Lost Empire (LEFT, ABOVE). Through the Looking Glass ■ So, do you come here often? Authorities in Kentucky placed hidden surveillance cameras around illegal dumps in secluded wooded areas to catch people in the act of unlawfully dis posing of their trash on the sides of little used rural roads. In the process, however, they discovered that people also drive to the remote areas for a bit of romance. ■ Stop the car! Oh, No! Please! Stop! A rooster named Stretch, in search of a quiet spot to spend the night, perched on the rear axle of Ken Moon’s pickup truck in the driveway of his brother’s Redding, Calif., home. While he was sleeping. Moon, unaware of the bird’s presence, got in and drove home to Douglas City, 100 miles away. The bird held on for the whole ride and escaped relatively unscathed. ■ After all, a man must have standards A 33-year-old man named Roberto mar ried his true love, Cristina, 30, in Licata, Sicily, in a lovely church ceremony, in happy anticipation of a long, happy life together. But he left her only 12 hours later during their wedding night The rea son: He discovered she wasn’t a virgin. ■ But they were really paying attention When a student at St. Joseph High School in Orcutt, Calif., complained to his Spanish teacher that the class was boring, she removed her shirt and taught the rest of the hour in her sports bra. Though the kids seemed to enjoy this, the 43-year-old woman was summarily fired. Mike Pingree/College Press Exchange