by Paul Fischer

This is Mark's third visit to CrankyCritic® StarTalk. He previously talked with Paul about The Perfect Storm, a big hit about a sinking fishing boat, and with Cranky about the "sank like a stone" The Big Hit, which we thought was a giggle. The movie, that is. In addition to two more StarTalks (highlighted below), we've got eighteen desktops from Planet of the Apes for you. All that plus Cranky's review.

Looking a tad tired after a hectic weekend of interviews, Mark Wahlberg, dressed in black but appearing jovial, says that he was unconcerned in starring in director Tim Burton's "re-imagining" of Planet of the Apes, a film so identified with Charlton Heston in film history. "I would have been, had it been anyone else but Tim Burton; with Tim, I never really thought about it. I don't think anyone had any concerns or felt under any kind of pressure. I never even thought about stepping into the Heston role.'

Tim Burton's take on the classic story is set in 2029 and casts Wahlberg as a pilot who crash lands on a seemingly barren planet, but one inhabited by apes. Befriended by a sympathetic chimp (Helena Bonham-Carter), Wahlberg reluctantly assumes a Messianic role, and tries to free the planet's human population from its military ape captors. Wahlberg admits not having been a huge fan of the original 1968 film. "I saw it when I was 10 with my dad and thought: This is kinda funny, talking apes on horses, but put on Shane again or a good Cagney movie. But in preparation for this role, I went back, saw it again and noticed things that I obviously didn't see when I was 10, and in the process saw why people loved it; still it wasn't anything that really turned me on."

Comparing the original, more socially conscious version to this new film, Wahlberg agrees with producer Richard Zanuck that Burton's film is more entertaining and escapist than the original, "but on the other hand, if you watch the movie very closely, it's still pretty layered and addresses certain social and political issues, yet this one is certainly much more entertaining and more fun, as it should be." Wahlberg adds that "the world is very different today than it was in 1968. But to really answer your question, I agree with anything and everything Richard Zanuck says, because that guy is the coolest guy that I've ever met in the business. Now, after working with him, I feel I'm part of the movie business," the actor adds laughingly.

Including pal George Clooney, at whom he can't resist taking a jibe. "Clooney is just a pretty boy, man, and that's it, OK? I carried him on my back long enough. I'm on my own. But seriously, I like George a lot and we were supposed to do Ocean's 11 together but hey, a choice had to be made between Tim Burton and third wheel to Clooney again ---- let me step out on my own, know what I'm sayin'?" Obviously this was something he just couldn't pass up, "because everything I had done up to this point was reality-based and something I could connect with on some personal level. With this, it was time to get out there and try something different and trust a guy [Burton] who has done something interesting every, single time out."

Without giving too much away, much has been made of the movie's surprise ending. Wahlberg would not be drawn on discussing the ending except to concede that, according to producer Zanuck, "the door's left wide open" for a sequel. "You know that must be right, because I agree with everything that Zanuck says," he adds cheekily. "But I suggest that you see the film again, and I think you'll get the ending. So get out there, see it twice. I just realized that the whole point of doing interviews was to promote this movie, so see it three times," he adds raucously."