Who's sorry now?

The apology: "World Trade Center"

Why apologize?: If there’s any director who has triggered more assassination fantasies than Lucas, it’s Oliver Stone. The right wing hates his unambiguously leftist political critiques, classicists hate his trippy postmodern style, and even those of us who love his politics and directorial flourishes hated the bloated, colossally stupid epic, “Alexander.”

Did it work?: Made immediately after “Alexander” sulked away from theaters with a paltry $34 million gross, “World Trade Center” was an apolitical memorial to the heroes of 9/11. Surprisingly, it worked. A tact and sensitivity that impressed liberal and conservative viewers alike led to a respectable $70 million gross. And Stone returns safely to his controversy courting ways with this fall’s Bush bio, “W.”