filmland / By Charlie Myers

Mighty, Almighty

(June 28, 2007) Previews

The Christian-themed Evan Almighty may not have lived up to box office expectations last weekend, but I’ll bet that old reliable Bruce Willis will. Opening Wednesday, June 27, is Live Free or Die Hard, a.k.a. Die Hard 4, which brings back Willis’ John McClane. This time, McClane is after an Internet terrorist group which, of course, wants to bring down the country. Not while McClane is around. Len Wiseman, whose credits include the two Underworld films, directs. Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, language and a brief sexual situation. 140 m. At the Broadway, Mill Creek and the Fortuna.

Opening Friday, June 29, is another potential blockbuster: Ratatouille, the Pixar animated comedy about a French rodent named Remy (voiced by Patton Oswalt) who dreams of becoming a famous chef. Brad Bird of The Incredibles fame directs, and the film features the voices of Ian Holm, Brian Dennehy, Peter O’Toole and many others. Rated G. 120 m. At The Movies, Mill Creek and the Fortuna.

On the literary front, Susan Minot adapts her own novel with the help of fellow novelist Michael Cunningham (The Hours) with Evening, a story about a dying woman (Vanessa Redgrave) who ruminates about her life with her family at her bedside. The A-list cast also includes Claire Danes, Toni Collette, Meryl Streep and Glenn Close, with Hungarian director Lajos Koltai(Fateless) at the helm. Rated PG-13 for some thematic elements, sexual material, a brief accident scene and language. 123 m. At the Broadway.

The 2006 Australian film Jindabyne features one of the best actors around, Laura Linney. In the 1960s, the town of Jindabyne was intentionally flooded to create a resort. Linney plays Claire, an American woman who lives in the post-flooded town with her husband Stewart (Gabriel Byrne) and son Tom in a troubled marriage caused by her desertion following Tom’s birth. Because of Linney, and to some degree Byrne, this is a Charlie pick of the week. Rated R for disturbing images, language and some nudity. 133 m. At the Minor.

The always-controversial Michael Moore weighs in with his latest — Sicko, a Moore-styled documentary that examines our health care system and, I’ll bet, finds it sorely lacking. I probably don’t need Moore to tell me that, but I find the way he deals with issues endlessly entertaining. Coming Attractions says this movie is “tentatively” scheduled to open at the Broadway on Tuesday, July 3. Rated PG-13 for brief strong language. 123 m.

Opening Tuesday, July 3, is Transformers, a film based on the TV series and a line of toys. Directed by Michael Bay, the film stars Shia LaBeouf(Disturbia)as a teen who defends the Earth from robots who come from outer space. This must be DreamWorks’ July 4 CGI present to the country. Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi action violence, brief sexual humor and language. 153 m. At the Broadway, Mill Creek and Minor, with a preview screening at each theatre at 8 p.m. Monday, July 2.

Also opening Tuesday: Robin Williams is a overbearing marriage counselor in License to Wed. Rated PG-13 for sexual humor and language. 110 m. At Mill Creek, The Movies and the Fortuna.

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