Wolfgang Petersen

"Shattered" (selected theaters) takes us into the perplexed mind of a partial amnesiac (Tom Berenger), who in the wake of a near-fatal car crash can tell you the name of the San Francisco landmark building in which he works but has no personal memories whatsoever. This sleek, high-style suspense thriller, directed by Wolfgang Petersen with terrific energy, visual panache and a dry wit, presents those closest to Berenger with the opportunity to re-create him to suit their own purposes.

WHILE talking about his remake of "The Poseidon Adventure" ["Realism at Sea Floats the Director's Boat," Jan. 15], director Wolfgang Petersen stresses, "[It's] a great opportunity to take this damn thing a bit more serious," as if to say Irwin Allen's seminal blockbuster somehow got it all wrong. Allen culled the talents of an Academy Award-winning cast. He hired two of the best visual effects men in the business and had the foresight to employ the talents of emerging artists -- namely, Gene Hackman and John Williams.

"The question of who the heroes and villains are today is extremely complicated," says director Wolfgang Petersen of "In the Line of Fire," the political thriller opening Friday that stars John Malkovich as an assassin and Clint Eastwood as the Secret Service agent tracking him.

WOLFGANG PETERSEN can't stay away from directing movies dealing with water, ships and people in peril. The German filmmaker first made his mark -- receiving Oscar nominations for direction and screenplay -- for the 1981 "Das Boot" and then returned to the sea with the 2000 hit "The Perfect Storm." Now he's hitting the waves again with the action thriller "Poseidon," a remake of the 1972 disaster film "The Poseidon Adventure," about a luxury liner that capsizes because of a rogue wave.

On the same Culver City soundstage where Judy Garland once skipped down a yellow brick road hoping to find some help in getting home, German director Wolfgang Petersen is now creating another adventure about a person who gets lost in a strange new world. But in this story, the strange new world is all in the person's head--literally.

WHILE talking about his remake of "The Poseidon Adventure" ["Realism at Sea Floats the Director's Boat," Jan. 15], director Wolfgang Petersen stresses, "[It's] a great opportunity to take this damn thing a bit more serious," as if to say Irwin Allen's seminal blockbuster somehow got it all wrong. Allen culled the talents of an Academy Award-winning cast. He hired two of the best visual effects men in the business and had the foresight to employ the talents of emerging artists -- namely, Gene Hackman and John Williams.

The hero in "The Neverending Story" is Bastian, a young boy who would rather find a good book in his hands than the joystick of a beeping, whirring Nintendo game. Bastian (played by the ever-lively Barret Oliver) loves to read, both as a retreat from the bullies he faces on his way to school and from his dad, a well-intentioned but nearsighted sort who can't understand why his son isn't doing better in class or trying out for the swim team.

The release of the new film "Troy" ["A Troy Story," May 9] brings to mind some obvious parallels with the current U.S. occupation of Iraq. In one scene of Wolfgang Petersen's version of Homer's timeless tale, the leader of the Greeks, King Agamemnon, admits that going to war had nothing to do with the abduction of his wife, Helen. But he believes it's a good cover story. The Greeks wanted to plunder the treasures of Troy because after all, they [the Greeks] were "civilized" and "superior" and deserved it. Fast-forward to the present: George W. Bush says the invasion of Iraq is about bringing freedom and democracy to that long-suffering country.

WOLFGANG PETERSEN can't stay away from directing movies dealing with water, ships and people in peril. The German filmmaker first made his mark -- receiving Oscar nominations for direction and screenplay -- for the 1981 "Das Boot" and then returned to the sea with the 2000 hit "The Perfect Storm." Now he's hitting the waves again with the action thriller "Poseidon," a remake of the 1972 disaster film "The Poseidon Adventure," about a luxury liner that capsizes because of a rogue wave.

Saying that the remarkable German film "Das Boot" is back, bigger and better than ever, is to not only fall victim to cliche but to strain credulity as well. Yet it happens to be true. At two hours and 28 minutes, the original 1982 "Das Boot" was pretty big to begin with.

The release of the new film "Troy" ["A Troy Story," May 9] brings to mind some obvious parallels with the current U.S. occupation of Iraq. In one scene of Wolfgang Petersen's version of Homer's timeless tale, the leader of the Greeks, King Agamemnon, admits that going to war had nothing to do with the abduction of his wife, Helen. But he believes it's a good cover story. The Greeks wanted to plunder the treasures of Troy because after all, they [the Greeks] were "civilized" and "superior" and deserved it. Fast-forward to the present: George W. Bush says the invasion of Iraq is about bringing freedom and democracy to that long-suffering country.

Saying that the remarkable German film "Das Boot" is back, bigger and better than ever, is to not only fall victim to cliche but to strain credulity as well. Yet it happens to be true. At two hours and 28 minutes, the original 1982 "Das Boot" was pretty big to begin with.

"The question of who the heroes and villains are today is extremely complicated," says director Wolfgang Petersen of "In the Line of Fire," the political thriller opening Friday that stars John Malkovich as an assassin and Clint Eastwood as the Secret Service agent tracking him.

"Shattered" (selected theaters) takes us into the perplexed mind of a partial amnesiac (Tom Berenger), who in the wake of a near-fatal car crash can tell you the name of the San Francisco landmark building in which he works but has no personal memories whatsoever. This sleek, high-style suspense thriller, directed by Wolfgang Petersen with terrific energy, visual panache and a dry wit, presents those closest to Berenger with the opportunity to re-create him to suit their own purposes.

The hero in "The Neverending Story" is Bastian, a young boy who would rather find a good book in his hands than the joystick of a beeping, whirring Nintendo game. Bastian (played by the ever-lively Barret Oliver) loves to read, both as a retreat from the bullies he faces on his way to school and from his dad, a well-intentioned but nearsighted sort who can't understand why his son isn't doing better in class or trying out for the swim team.

On the same Culver City soundstage where Judy Garland once skipped down a yellow brick road hoping to find some help in getting home, German director Wolfgang Petersen is now creating another adventure about a person who gets lost in a strange new world. But in this story, the strange new world is all in the person's head--literally.

Here are this week's key releases on video/DVD, available beginning Tuesday. Source: Internet Movie Database; Box Office Mojo *--* Video/DVDs BOX OFFICE (MILLIONS) DOMESTIC FOREIGN "Troy" Brad Pitt, Orlando Bloom; directed by Wolfgang Petersen $133.4 $364 "Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle" John Cho, Kal Penn; directed by Danny Leiner $18.2 $2.3 "Little Black Book" Brittany Murphy, Holly Hunter; directed by Nick Hurran $20.4 $0.3 *--*

ALIENS ANONYMOUS--Still under tight wraps is what a Baby Drac looks like. Louis Gossett Jr. plays the alien Papa in the Christmas-week release of 20th Century Fox's "Enemy Mine," set on the planet Draconia. Your kid might cry for one to take home, a la E.T., but no toy deals have been signed. Drac Jr. is supposed to be "cute," with three fingers. During the film, written by Ed Khmara and directed by Wolfgang Petersen, Baby Drac grows from a very young child.