Bovie Movie

When Todd Anderson (Storm P) signs a 30-million-dollar contract with the New Jersey Nets after being named the number one NBA draft pick of the year, his mother (Jenifer Lewis) vows to prevent her son from forgetting his roots. Not used to balancing his new life with his old, Todd mistakenly invites family and friends from his old neighborhood to his multi-million-dollar house for a cookout on the same day of an important endorsement interview. Though his extravagant family cookouts were welcome at his old digs, Todd’s stuffy new neighbors — particularly the conservative Republican Judge Halsted Crowley (Danny Glover) — are less than thrilled with the arrival of Todd’s massive family. Complicating the situation further is the eccentric neighborhood security guard (Queen Latifah), who takes on the heady assignment of ensuring that none of the private community’s rules are broken, as well as two thugs who, determined to get an autographed pair of sneakers, hold up the cookout at gunpoint. Directed by Lance Rivera, The Cookout also features performances from Ja Rule, Eve, Farrah Fawcett, and Jonathan Silverman.

After a near unprecedented string of critical and box-office smash hits, beginning with Toy Story in 1995, animation studio Pixar produced its first disappointment with Cars. In a bizarre and slightly creepy world where all the characters are motor vehicles, red racer Lightning McQueen (voiced by Owen Wilson) is a preening, hot-shot track star who, on the way to a big meet in LA, becomes stranded in the small town of Radiator Springs off Route 66. There, the residents, including a cute female Porsche (Bonnie Hunt) and a wise old-timer with a secret past (Paul Newman), teach McQueen a few lessons about the value of taking things slow and enjoying life. The middle act is too sedate and the jokes are below par. But, on the plus side, the racing sequences are mini-masterpieces of editing and the animation is consistently impressive. And if you’re watching the UK release version of the film, you’ll recognise Harv’s dulcet tones — yes, it’s Top Gear’s Jeremy Clarkson.