Bovie Movie

Otherworldly villains are on the loose again, and it’s up to Earth’s interstellar police force to bring them to justice in this sequel to the sci-fi comedy blockbuster Men in Black. Agent Jay (Will Smith) has become a high-ranking member of the Men in Black, the secret government task force designed to deal with unruly visitors from other worlds, while his former cohort, Agent Kay (Tommy Lee Jones), had his memory wiped clean and now lives a simple but contented life as a mailman. However, an especially nasty alien threat has reared its not-so-ugly head; Serleena (Lara Flynn Boyle) is a shape-shifting Kylothian alien who is in pursuit of another escaped visitor who holds the key to powers that would allow her to destroy the world. Making Serleena all the more dangerous is the fact she’s taken on the appearance of a lingerie model, making her irresistible to most men. When the rampaging Serleena takes control of the MIB offices, Jay is forced to turn to the only man who can help him save the world — the former Agent Kay. After restoring Kay’s memory, the two remaining Men in Black set out to conquer Serleena with a motley band of friendly aliens, including a handful of worm creatures and a talking dog named Frank (voice of Tim Blaney). Jay, meanwhile, has his head turned by Laura (Rosario Dawson), an attractive waitress who was an unwitting witness to an alien attack. Men in Black 2 also features Rip Torn, Tony Shalhoub, David Cross, Patrick Warburton, and Johnny Knoxville.

She’s a girl dreaming of making it in the male-dominated world of boxing promotion. He’s a kid from the wrong side of the tracks desperate to break out of the ghetto. Can they take on the world together and win? Well, yes, obviously they can, because we’re in Hollywood cliché-land. While one can see why the life story of female boxing promoter Jackie Kallen (played here by Meg Ryan) would appeal to studio execs — there’s boxing for the boys and an uplifting story of female empowerment for the girls — what emerges is an uncertain, ragged mess, hampered by a simplistic script and a strangely unappealing performance from Ryan. Despite the energy injected by the likeable Omar Epps as the wannabe champ and Tony Shalhoub’s enthusiastic hamming as a thoroughly sexist rival promoter, Against the Ropes remains a distinctly featherweight affair. 

Denzel Washington and Annette Bening play rival agents in this muddled thriller that can’t decide whether it’s a political message movie or a macho-fuelled patriotic action adventure. Islamic terrorists are attacking New York and different law-enforcement agencies are competing to deal with the violent outbreak that’s putting civilians at risk. Listlessly directed by Edward Zwick and curiously understated in key plot areas, it is, however, lifted by the sterling and dynamic performances of Washington and Bening. 

The second of master showman William Castle’s low-budget chillers to get over-hauled and refitted — after the favourable recycling of House on Haunted Hill in 1999 — is all fabulous production design and nothing else. Failing to capture the frightening fun of the 1959 original, director Steve Beck’s conventional treatment is a slick package of special effects with too few shocks or surprises included. Recently widowed Tony Shalhoub inherits the spectacular house of his late uncle Cyrus (F Murray Abraham). But when his family arrive to set up home in an architectural wonder constructed of glass panels and etched with arcane symbols, he learns that the 12 ghosts of the Black Zodiac are imprisoned there as part of Cyrus’s plan to unlock the gateway to hell. Saddled with predictable twists and a plodding pace, this is just another dreaded remake. 

This smash-hit science-fiction comedy, based on a short-lived 1980s comic strip, has secret agent Tommy Lee Jones and new recruit Will Smith as part of a top-secret agency responsible for regulating all alien activity on Earth. While investigating an alien sighting, the pair become involved in the search for a missing galaxy to appease an interstellar force and avert the Earth’s destruction. Great special effects, inventive alien designs and Smith and Jones’s hip, hilarious double act make director Barry Sonnenfeld’s Lethal Weapon-style buddy picture a fast-paced pleasure. 

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.