Planet of the Apes

What? Mark Wahlberg is doing a movie without George Clooney? What? Tim Burton is finally directing again? What? A _Planet of the Apes_ without kitsch? That's what the newly updated version of the 1968 science fiction classic is shaping up to be: a visceral, dynamic action movie that deviates so far from the original that it's almost unrecognizable. It's hard to imagine anyone besides Charlton Heston battling those "damned dirty apes," but Wahlberg fills his shoes well, and in a fitting, but rare touch, Heston appears in an ape cameo. As a US Air Force pilot, Wahlberg crash lands on a foreign planet, only to be captured by highly evolved intelligent apes (led by a costumed Michael Clarke Duncan) that run their society like a violent, fascist dictatorship and have the helmets to match. Humans are marginalized and degraded as captive slaves, a treatment that inspires Wahlberg to escape from monkey prison and lead a human

rebellion. Director Burton has long been quoted as not wanting to produce a sequel or a remake of the original, so campy antics will be largely gone, and the Statue of Liberty ending is definitely excluded. Online trailers suggest a sprawling epic, replete with dazzling pyrotechnics and extensive blending of animatronics and live actors to animate the thousands of primates that appear sympathetic or belligerent. It's got the trappings of standard summer blockbuster fare, but Burton's brooding atmospheric photography (Batman) and quirky, alternative sensibilities (Beetlejuice) should guarantee more depth than the rest of the summer's offerings. [Interesting sidebar: Burton has rumored to have forced those involved with Planet to sign non-disclosure agreements up the wazoo and filmed five alternate endings to the film to ensure that it's ending is kept a secret. Creative control or hype-inducing scam? You decide.]

August 3

Rush Hour 2

Stupid, ridiculous giddy fun defined the original, and that's what can be expected for the sequel, Rush Hour 2. Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan team up again as the odd-couple, culture-clashing detective duo to do battle against some form of evil, but this time Tucker's the fish out of water as the action shifts from L.A. to Hong Kong. Plot details are sketchy, but immaterial as the pair attempts to uncover a conspiracy involving the Triad organized crime syndicate. Trailers show Chan's self-choreographed, playfully frenetic fight scenes will provide eye candy, aided by the gorgeous and acrobatic Zhang Ziyi (last seen in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon). The other half of RH's success was the comedic pairing, and the chemistry between the detectives. Chan and his self-effacing humor and ample physical comedy skills play well off Tucker's lanky antics and brash American swagger as they both exploit the cultural differences in their partnership. If there is a guaranteed profit-maker in the summer's lineup, this would be it . The first grossed