Hollywood Auteur Watch: Peter Berg

Who is that masked man, Smithers? Who is this man claiming to be Michael Mann's right hand man, directing all those things that Mann would've made too long and artsy? And in digital videotape? Who is this guy who looks like Ethan Hawke's... I hate to say evil twin, 'cuz he'd probably kick my ass. Let's just say, angry twin. Face it, Pete, you weren't right for Training Day! Actually, he didn't want to do Training Day just to avoid working with Laws of Gravity co-star Peter Greene. That would've just been awkward. You might remember ol' Pete Berg as the cop in Collateral who extols the virtues of staying in bed and not getting too emotionally involved in this line of work. Someday this character will be truly appreciated. Get on it, all you Ayn Rand decipels!
Deciphels? Decipels? Anyway, he's come a long way from Very Bad Things. But that was the go-go 90s, you know? But Pete's learned his lessons, sowed his wild directorial oats, so to speak, and has finally grown up, and figured out what people really want to see at the movie theater. Things like Hancock at #1. No surprise there. Although, maybe the numbers could've been a little better. Did a little better than Wall-E, which comes in second this week with half of Hancock's take. More than three times the take of #3, Wanted. Both Smith and Jolie were in Shark Tale, remember? Seems like only four years ago.
-----
What else? Things pretty much break down as they did last week, except that Kit Kittredge has completely eliminated M. Night's entry at #8 with a paltry 3.6 million dollars, and somewhere, Dakota Fanning is smiling.

...well! I owe someone an apology. Peter Berg was NOT IN Laws of Gravity. I'm just not sure who I owe an apology to. Nick Chinlund maybe. And now I better get back to work.


...one quick addendum. Dune? Really, Pete? DUNE? Even after the Sci-Fi TV version, does this really need to be re-remade? Why not re-do Stargate while you're at it? Or Total Recall? Okay, gotta go for real now. My disk defragmenter seems to be taking longer and longer. Is that another one of those computer geek signs of prosperity, like a full-to-bursting browser cache? I just dunno.