Blue Blood
Originally uploaded by NollywoodForever
Blue Blood ~ 2010
Story – Okey Zubela Okoh
Screenplay – Okey Zubela Okoh, Onyinye Ukora
Director – Okey Zubela Okoh
Producer – Uche Nancy, Hyacinth Onwuka
Starring:
Ini Edo – Princess Oluchi
Tonto Dikeh – Nkem
Collette Nkem Orji –
Yemi Blaq – Onyema
Eve Esiri – Jessy
Mary Uranta – Peace
Nse Ikpi Etim – Chimamanda
Jibola Dabo – Chied Iekmefuna
Andy Ike – Ndidi Amaka
Chigozie Okoli – Guard 1
Okoye Emeka – Guard 2
Uchester Eluaka – Lecturer
Uju Aroh – Mama Onye
Junior Pope Odonwodo – Bayo
Escort Kamar – Joseph
Uche Ebere – Mama Chimamanda
Gaddiel Onwudiwe – Chief Daniel
Zainab Egwuonwu – Andy
Ed Nnasor – Elder
Micheal Godson – John
Themes Explored:
Royalty
Tradition Vs Assimilation
Forgiveness
My Rating – 50%
Ini Edo plays Princess Oluchi. She is thought of as a snob on campus because of her attitude, her royal attire and the guards that accompany her everywhere she goes. It is not until she makes friends with Nkem and realises that she too is a princess but stays understated that she starts thinking that it is not a necessity to flaunt her status at every given opportunity.
At one stage she is so full of herself that when she finds a student sitting in “her seat” in the library she slaps him after he refuses to move. This action haunts her terribly and she ends up apologising publicly. After this she becomes very close to him. This student is called Onye, played by Yemi Blaq.
Onye has a history. He was left to bring up his young son after his ex wife Chimamanda, played by Nse Ikpi-Etim left him after an abusive relationship to begin a new life at university. Their paths soon cross when he ends up studying at the same university as her. She supposedly hates him but at the same time does not want to see him with the Princess either.
*************SPOILERS*************
WHY???
Both Ini and Tonto were rocking lakefronts and they both looked atrocious.
Nse and Yemi look too old to be students. Even if they are both 20 years old they most certainly do not look it so for me it defied realism. They both look at LEAST 30 yeas old Nse kept on putting on a baby voice that was rather strange and annoying.
For supposed royal chicks the accommodation we see Nkem and Princess Oluchi lodging in looks less that royal. It looks like any accommodation that a regular student would lodge in.
Why did the teacher approach Collette and the two guys to make the Princess apologise to Onye? What is his business? Why would he care to intervene?
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For me the royal story line was a bust and I didn’t get why Tonto and Ini had to be made royal. Why not just make them from really rich or influential families? The whole concept of royalty as it was presented in the movie seemed somewhat dated in modern times. We see students laughing at Princess Oluchi as she walks through campus in her royal garb. There was no respect for her status but this avenue was not explored.
Chief wants Chimamanda to marry and bear a son for him as his wife has had 4 daughters and his wife cannot have any more children. He is searching for an heir. In Nollywood I wonder why the women who receive proposals like this don’t ever wonder what will happen to them if they bear a daughter instead of a son. Why don’t they ever think that they will get discarded just like the wife was? There also needs to be a point when a woman who is blamed for producing a girl turns to the man and tells him, “OI! I only produce X Chromosomes and you produce X and Y, therefore it is YOU that is to blame.”
One ridiculous scene was when Princess Oluchi invites Nkem to a party. She pleads with her to go, her reason being that she does not want to go alone. We then find out that Onye has been invited too and then we see all three of them sitting at the party together and most of the time they are off together, leaving Nkem to sit alone. What a cheek! At the party we see waaaaaaay too much dancing where nothing at all is happening. Good editing is vital to keep the viewers attention and having ten minutes of dancing with no dialogue and NOTHING happening is not a good move.
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Sound is a bit up and down I noticed that the sound was particularly low in the scenes featuring Chimamanda and Chief.
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It wasn’t brilliant but I would recommend watching the movie when you are bored as it was somewhat entertaining. We learn something about Tradition vs Assmilation, forgiveness and giving second chances. Onye may have been a monster in his past but we can see in his behaviour how he has drastically changed and would deserved to be forgiven for his past actions. I felt that there wasn’t clear focus in the movie, it seemed a bit haphazard in the way that it was put together. Great cast but I feel they were a little wasted. The story and characters needed to be developed a bit more as it felt one dimensional.
Categories: A-B · Film Reviews · Watch? Only if bored
Tagged: Andy Ike, Chigozie Okolie, Collette Orji, Ed Nnasor, Emeka Okoye, Escort Kamar, Eve Esiri, Gaddiel Onwudiwe, Hyacinth Onwuka, Ini Edo, Jibola Dabo, Junior Pope, Mary Uranta, Micheal Godson, Nse-Ikpe Etim, Okey Zubela Okoh, Onyinye Ukora, Tonto Dikeh, Uche Ebere, Uche Nancy, Uchester Eluaka, Uju Aroh, Yemi Blaq, Zainab Egwuonwu
Missing Child
Originally uploaded by NollywoodForever
Missing Child ~ 2009
Story, Screenplay, Direction – Ilochi Olisaemeka
Starring:
Patience Ozokwor – Owakwe
Mike Ezuruonye – Detective
Tonto Dikeh – Jane
Emeka Amakeze – Nnamdi
Juliet Ibrahim – Princess Rose
Halima Abubakar – Amara
Chukwuma Uchegbu – Emeka
Biola Ige – Adamma
Mary Igwe – Juliet
Favour Chimobi – Chioma
Ujunwa Asuzu – Chinyere
Themes Explored:
Childlessness
Child Trafficking
Phantom Pregnancy
My Rating – 47 %
Jane is desperate to have a baby and believes that if she acts like she is already with child she will “take in.” She buys baby clothes and in her room she has a dolly in a cradle that she rocks on a daily basis as if it is a real child. Even her husband is so used to the charade that he plays along with her. Will Jane ever get the baby she so craves?
*************SPOILERS*************
In Jane’s obsession to have a baby we see her on the streets reprimanding a woman for shouting at and smacking her child. If a child is not being treated how she deems fit she will make it be known. She swoops in on the boy that is being punished by his mother and screams at his mother that she should show the child a “little care and respect.”
Some things in the movie are not made clear to the viewer. We are introduced to Mike’s character but I got through to the end of part one and really didn’t know what his purpose in the movie was at all. We are shown text messages and secret packages, but the whole thing drags on for too long without any explanation as to his role.
By part 2 I can deduce that there is some child snatching going on as is evident when Nurse Amara goes to give a beggar on the street money and the beggar metamorphosises into some kids that chant at her, “we don’t want your money. We want to see our mummy.” She freaks out and takes to her heels, so I take it from this that she is telling people that their babies have died and is selling them on.
Assassins are paid to kill girls that end up keeping their babies. I was wondering how that would work and why suspicions wouldn’t have been aroused. Why did the assassin let Julie go and give her a fat stack of money too? He didn’t seem to know her. We can gather that he felt sorry for her, but what was so special about her in particular? This area should have been explored in slightly more detail. I couldn’t figure out if Owakwe was in on Julie going missing or if the surprise on her face is all an act?
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Even when Biola Ige acts out crying she has a dead look in her eyes. She was marginally better than in Darkest Link, in terms of she wasn’t overacting as much but truthfully speaking that is nothing to go by. I am still amazed that this girl keeps getting cast and YES I will keep saying it till she gets to stepping or significantly improves her game.
Halima Abubakar plays the role of the mentally tortured nurse very well. You will believe that she is nurse Amara haunted by these children to the point that she confesses all. It is a role that I have seen her in before though. For those who have seen Wild and Dirty you will remember the character that she played in that movie too became haunted to the point that she took to excessive drinking to block it out.
Patience plays Owakwe a baby stealer that poses as a kindly woman that “rescues” lost pregnant girls for the streets providing them with support and accommodation. I thought it slightly odd that none of the pregnant girls in the house became suspicious when girls kept on coming back to the house without their babies.
Tonto Dikeh excelled in this role. It was one that gave her an opportunity to act out a range of different emotions and expressions. Desperations seeped heavily from every pore of her being. I thought the pair up with Emeka Amakeze could have been better, although he played his role (as well as he could) the character felt very one dimensional against Tonto’s more developed character.
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Work needed to be done on these pregnant stomachs. Some of them were not even rounded, but instead just lumpy material shoved up girls’ tops. In one scene a girl is walking and the lump is moving around desperately trying to fall out of her top with each step that she takes.
What was the point of Juliet’s character Princess Rose? In one scene we see her rolling around on a bed wearing a mini skirt and tank top. Detective Mike comes in and tells her, “let me get you something better to wear.” This guy’s something better to wear is a thin short white dress, which we then see her wearing on a hospital bed. In which era does this make sense?
While we are on the subject of dress let me ask, why is a nurse wearing stiletto heels? This is pure madness! I have never been to a hospital and seen a nurse in stilettos. This is where research comes into play where common sense and logical reasoning has been lost. A nurse is helping to save lives not parading the catwalk at a Christian Lacroix show. Stiletto heels are not appropriate for a nurse to wear to work. Nurses wear covered, flat, slip resistance shoes. It is details like this that take away from the realism of a movie.
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There was a very nice twist at the end of the movie. I will not give it away, but if you watch it you will see. I did, however wonder what was the relevance for us to see the detective eating out, picking up chicks, rolling on the bed with Princess Rose? It is like the detective storyline was just thrown in there as an afterthought. Even the pregnancy at the end of the movie, I wondered; why was that thrown in there? How did that relate to anything?
At the end of the movie there is a scene where Halima addresses Mike, “Yes Doctor” when he asks her for the story about the goings-on at the hospital. I assume this was a mistake but mistakes like this need to be reshot because these mistakes become distracting. ATTENTION TO DETAIL IS VITAL! Sound was somewhat poor. Very often we hear loud music playing over dialogue, which simply means you have to higher the volume and strain to hear or miss out bits. It was quite annoying along with the sound cutting in an out at times.
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I would not recommend this movie as ultimately the execution was poor, parts of the story were over confusing and attention to detail was lacking in a big way. There were however some very good performances from the cast. I loved the whole concept of the phantom pregnancy as it was something different to the run of the mill stories you often get, Kudos for the attempt at exploring this not widely talked about phenomenon
Categories: Film Reviews · M-N · Watch? Only if bored
Tagged: Biola Ige, Chukwuma Uchegbu, Emeka Amakeze, Favour Chimobi, Halima Abubakar, Ilochi Olisaemeka, Juliet Ibrahim, Mary Igwe, Mike Ezuruonye, Patience Ozokwor, Tonto Dikeh, Uju Asuzu
Behind The Ring
Originally uploaded by NollywoodForever
Behind The Ring ~ 2009
(Repackaged as Black Mirror)
Story/ Screenplay – Chikere Guide
Director – Moses Ebere
Producer – Chikere Guide
An Eastwind production
Starring:
Desmond Elliot – Colombo
Jackie Appiah – Cynthia
Mona Lisa Chinda – Vivian
Jim Lawson Maduike – Bazoka
Lynda Ekezie – Ella
Sele Kent-Sele – Edwin
Clems Onyeka – John
Ndidi Obi – Stella
Chikere Guide – Mako
Nathaniel Judgewill – James
Tegga Anighoro – Victor
Oscar Rodondo – Apostle
Stanley E Ozoemena – Bontum
Candace Jenny – Candace
Ugo White – Native Doctor
Joyce Kalu – Grandma
Muyiwa Onowu – Mako Jnr
Onyebuchi Ugwunna – Apostle Jnr
Mabel Etuk – Kate
Patricia Okolie – Magaret
John Lee – Hilary
Themes:
Murder
Greed
Jealousy
Sibling Rivalry
My Rating – 46%
James and Vivian are happily married with one son, Victor. Madly in love their union is torn apart when James is killed during a burglary at their home one night. It is suspected that the killing was orchestrated by James’s junior brother Edwin as he was known to be desperate to get his hand on their late father’s property by any means necessary.
When Victor is kidnapped and taken to a ravine by assassins it becomes painfully clear that someone is out to break up the family. We find out that not only does his brother have the motive to carry out such a dastardly act but so does James’s best friend Edwin. Who is behind the murder and kidnapping?
*************SPOILERS*************
Six months after your husband’s death and you are telling your son to call his dad’s best friend Daddy and then you are surprised when he tells you, “he is not my daddy” A freaking six year old. What did you expect? After your husband’s death we saw Edwin declare undying love to you and you dismissed him. You were very assertive and clear that you were not interested and then all of a sudden I see a SIX MONTHS LATER caption and you guys are legally married. HABA! That is QUICK!
We can tell that Edwin is a slimy gold digger as he knows exactly how much Mona received from her husband’s death insurance payout despite her not telling him. We can see that he is a nasty piece of work in his opposition to Vivian leaving the money for her son Victor. Edwin just smells of trouble but Vivian is blinded. She thinks that it is love, exclaiming, “he even washed my panties!” My dear, who wouldn’t for 125 million Naira?
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Why in the phone call Vivian has with Edwin discussing James’ disappearance can we hear Edwin’s voice as CLEAR AS DAY as if he is in an adjoining room?
I wasn’t convinced about Mona Lisa playing the role of Jackie’s mother. It just wasn’t believable to me. We have to remember she did not have this child very young. She had this child after Victor’s disappearance. She must have been at least 25 after Victor disappeared and realistically more like 30. Any way you arrange it the maths just does not work out. If we put Jackie at 26 and Mona at 35 it is just arrant nonsense.
My darling Dessy baby looked like a big fat greasy gigolo. CHEI! See braids, see satin shirt with chest exposed, see bright red blazer with shoulder pads… SEE HORROR! I am not loving how fat his bum bum is becoming, but such is life, na lie?
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The movie started off ok but then as it went on it just got silly and became plagued with bad acting. Ella, her friends and her brother were all a big mess. The side story involving brother Mako (or was it Mike?), coke addict uncle Hilary came from nowhere and didn’t integrate well into the existing story. The movie started getting really boring around that time.
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I would not recommend this movie. The story I felt was predictable, although it didn’t end it is just inevitable that somewhere along the way brother and sister are going to get into something with each other. The movie ends with a grown up Victor, now called Colombo trying to convince Mako to quit his life of crime. It started off well then all turned into a bit of a yawn fest. I’d give it a miss!
Categories: A-B · Film Reviews · Watch? Only if bored
Tagged: Candace Jenny, Chikere Guide, Clems Onyeka, Desmond Elliot, Jackie Appiah, Jim Lawson, John Lee, Joyce Kalu, Lynda Ekezie, Mabel Etuk, Mona Lisa Chinda, Moses Ebere, Muyiwa Onowu, Nathaniel Judgewill, Ndidi Obi, Onyebuchi Ugwunna, Oscar Rodondo, Patricia Okolie, Sele Kent-Sele, Stanley Ozoemena, Tegga Anighoro, Ugo White
Bitter Generation
Originally uploaded by NollywoodForever
Bitter Generation ~ 2009
Story – Lucy Awoji (Big Sister)
Screenplay – Chinedu Ejike Obim
Director – Ifeanyi Ogbonna
Producer – Stanley Ebonine
A Soul Rise Production
Starring:
Olu Jacobs – Mr Oskos
Ini Edo – Adimka
Oge Okoye – Uche
Ali Nuhu – Kazie
Augusta Iheanacho Isaac – Stella
Kevin Uvo – Chris
Uju Aroh – Happiness
Nazareth Jesse – Titi
Ifeanyi Onu – Chidi
Stanley Ebonine – Osaro
Ed Nnasor – Odinaka
Stellamaris Emore – Nkiru
Okoye Emeka – Dan
Micheal Godson – Kanayo
Nonso Okereke – Kpanko
Junior Pope Odonwodo – Chima
Themes:
Family
Murder
Promiscuity
Sibling Rivalry
Campus Cultism
My Rating – 57%
Kazie gets involved with a bad boy on campus. While dining out one day with his babe on campus he unknowingly beats up a guy who is the head of a notorious cult. This results in him dropping out of school as to escape the wrath of the cult. His family are bewildered by his actions and he refuses to tell them the reason behind his absence from school. His parents spend their time trying to figure out what is happening with their son and Adimka runs around campus trying to cull the excesses of her wayward sister Uche. Soon a family tragedy brings them all together and the focus in their lives changes. Now there is only one question. WHO DONE IT?
*************SPOILERS************
Ali Nuhu being miscast
In the opening scene we see Ali Nuhu as a bad boy, diamond earring and all. He is even swearing. Let me just say it once loud and clear – MISCASTING to the highest degree. When will whoever is casting this guy in these roles realise that he does not fit them at all? It was not believable to me at all, just made me cringe a little bit. In the opening scene he is out with his girl and a guy comes and says that he has a message to give the girl. Hear Kazie (Nuhu),
“She’s not going anywhere tell us what the fucking message is!”
It was such a WOW! moment. Even the “menacing glare” he adopted was sooooo NOT menacing, hence the quotation marks. Then to top it off he goes to beat up the same guy with some kung fu moves. WOW again! He has a bright yellow shirt on and was looking like some prissy ballet dancer or something, and you are meant to be a bad boy? *snicker snicker* Watch out for Ali kissing his teeth too. That is a comedy moment for sure.
The guy tried though and to his credit this is the best performance of his that I have seen despite the miscasting. There is a scene between Kazie and his mother where he threatens to sell the house and shoves her. That was the most passionate performance of his that I’ve seen.
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Lacefront wigs
Adimka (Ini) and Uche (Oge) are sisters. You would have thought they were twins with the matching lacefronts, the wigs looked a hot ass mess. Oge’s was bad but Ini’s was absolutely disastrous! I know I have said it before but I NEED to say it again. These lacefronts are not THA BOMB, but they do look like you have been involved in a bomb explosion. They look like the old skool big ol yardie wigs where they would glue the tracks right onto the front of their heads. In fact these wigs are even worse because not only do you get that very fake hairline but you also get the horrible wispy bits in the front. They call them baby hairs Na wa ooo!
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The movie is watchable, so I would recommend it. In part 1 I was ready to turn it off. It seemed to have no direction and was rather boring. It did however pick up tremendously in Part 2. There was more build up of tension and intrigue introduced to the point where when it finished I was PISSED because I wanted to know so badly what was going to happen next and the movie didn’t finish. No doubt there will be a continuation where it will turn into a murder mystery. The sound leaves much to be desired as it is echoic and up and down and I believe that it could have been made into two parts and just cut out most of part 1 as it did not seem that relevant to the plot. I will be looking forward to watching the continuation as I believe it will be much better than the first two parts.
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A Note to add:
Lately it seems like nothing but rubbish is coming out. I have about 10 movie reviews with regards to movies that I watched over Christmas that I have not yet posted, I haven’t felt particularly compelled to because they were mostly junk or slightly above junk levels. I know people will come screaming blue murder that all the latest reviews are lows scores but I am simply telling it as it is. Someone being a nice person isn’t reason enough to cast them, even if you are sleeping with them, if you cast them and they are rubbish prepare to be told. Simple! If so much junk wasn’t being put out. I wouldn’t be able to be giving these low scores. It is very disheartening to write back to back reviews with nothing scoring higher than 70%. Yes many are watchable but I am craving something great… excellence, not even perfection but a production that has a very good go at it. Bring on Bursting Out, Holding Hope, Ije, Tango with Me, Private Storm, Memories of My Heart, Home in Exile and Nollywood Hustler! Nigerian Movies Nigerian Movie Review Nollywood film
Categories: A-B · Film Reviews · Watch? Yes an ok movie
Tagged: Ali Nuhu, Augusta Iheanacho Isaac, Chinedu Ejike, Chinonso Okereke, Ed Nnasor, Emeka Okoye, Ifeanyi Ogbonna, Ifeanyi Onu, Ini Edo, Junior Pope, Kevin Uvo, Lucy Awoji, Micheal Godson, Nazareth Jesse, Oge Okoye, Olu Jacobs, Stanley Ebonine, Stellamaris Emore, Uju Aroh
Deepest of Dreams
Originally uploaded by NollywoodForever
Deepest of Dreams
Story, Screenplay, Director – Tchidi Chikere
Producer – Azuka Odunukwe
Starring:
Omotola Jalade Ekeinde – Catherine
Tonto Dikeh – Debbie
Majid Michel – Omar
Geraldine Ekeocha – Mama
Prince Eke – Doctor Orkah
Zubby Micheals – Theo
Azuka Ijomoh – Isziah
Mirabella Micheals – Edna
Yoma Bini – Anu
Frank Greene – Bini
Jennifer Afuanya – Receptionist
Themes Explored:
Concepts of beauty
Superficiality
Jealousy
Physical disfigurement
My Rating – 81%
Catherine and Debbie are sisters. Debbie is known as the beautiful sister and Catherine the ugly one because of a car accident that left her face scarred and lame in one foot. Catherine is derided by her sister and even perfect strangers based solely on her looks whereas Debbie’s looks are almost celebrated. Things start looking up for Catherine when Omar comes into her life. He stops one day to buy a recharge card from her and actually appears to looks past her physical appearance. They become close and when everything is going great Catherine discovers something that is to shatter her world.
*************SPOILERS*************
At first this movie reminded me of The Sadist with Clarion Chukwurah (excellent movie by the way. If you haven’t seen it then you should!) but the differences become apparent quite quickly as in the Sadist Clarions character’s disfigurement make her bitter and full of anger and hatred, whereas Catherine always remains sweet natured and caring.
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Omotola does a great job portraying Catherine. In one scene Catherine comes across a man that doesn’t flinch when he looks at her and treats her like anybody else and it is beautiful to watch. He even calls her “my dear” which sends her into a jubilant frenzy. She is amazed that for once she is actually being treated as a human being and excited over a situation that so many of us would take for granted. We see her elation in the way that afterwards she takes the notes that he used to pay for the recharge cards and rubs them all over her face, as though trying to remain linked with him in his absence.
When she lies in her bed smiling at night and playing the scene over and over again Debbie cannot understand why she is so happy. Catherine has to explains to her,
“You are used to people calling you my dear. I am not so this means a lot to me.”
Omotola does shy and bashful really well, as well Tonto does arrogant and bratty. As for Majid, what can I say he was true to form, seductive and cool. Omotola gives a powerful performance, especially in the scene where she confronts Omar about her confusion over his intentions. The torture is written all over her when she asks him, “What do you want from me? Why do you make me feel beautiful when I am ugly?” It is a very emotional and touching scene.
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Jealousy
When Debbie sees that Omar likes Catherine instead of her she goes to tell concoct a story to her about how he is probably using her for Juju. She knows that it is likely that Catherine will believe her because of her low self esteem. She cannot simply be happy for her sister and the little bit of joy she is receiving from the attention. It is really selfish of her as that is the minimum sort of attention she is sued to on a daily basis and still she plots to kill her joy.
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Family relationships
You could tell that Mama loved and cared for Catherine but a lot of the time I think that she was not fully aware of the damage that her words could cause. She would tell Catherine that she is beautiful but then at the same time put her down. On one occasion Debbie reports to Mama that Catherine was smiling whilst working on the recharge card stand. When Catherine arrives home she confronts her,
“Are you a mad girl? One who smiles at nothing?
I was thinking to myself, why shouldn’t she smile? People recoil at the sight of her every day. People would rather wait in a queue and get served by her sister rather than be served straight away by her, relatives actually come and more or less ignore her and celebrate her sister. Why shouldn’t she smile? What a nonsense question? Mama did not ask it like a simple query but rather took what should have been something beautiful and made it ugly by insulting Catherine.
There is also another scene where Mama goes to tell Catherine that Omar is looking for her, when Catherine asks why she retorts,
“I don’t know. Maybe he is looking for a house girl.”
Catherine has to tell her mother, “What if he just likes me or is fond of me. I am a good person?”
Catherine did well to remain sane, I mean, and what hope would you have if your own family are so focused on looks?
It is inconceivable to both Debbie and Mama that a man would want to talk to Catherine unless it is to berate her or turn her into a maid. It is a learning curve and eventually Mama does seem to realise that her daughter can still be a beautiful person be wanted by a man. Debbie on the other hand will not accept that fact and for her everything is superficial and based in physical appearance.
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People can be so ignorant, as if they can “catch” a lame foot or facial disfigurement. What harm would it do to simply treat the girl as if she is a human being; after all she is a human being.
I didn’t like the fact that Omar only went for Cathy because she was the opposite of beautiful and the whole rebound storyline. When he betrayed her my heart sunk. In his loving her it was proved that it is what is inside that counts and in him rejecting her that theory was disproved.
With regards to the reconstructive surgery I found it a bit fake that her face was so flawless afterwards. If you have just had those big growths cut off you face there will at least be some scarring. There was not even the slightest hint that she had had extensive reconstructive work carried out on her face, which I found too fairytale like. A bit more realism was needed in that department!
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It was nice that Catherine found love in the end with the doctor, so in a way it showed that you can find someone to love you for who you are. However I couldn’t help but feel that by having her have the reconstructive surgery it was sending out the message that perhaps looks are more important than character, personality and virtue. Why can’t there ever be a movie where someone can be loved blind, or lame, or burnt and there not be a miracle cure and they still be loved anyway, after all that is what happens in real life.
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I liked this movie a lot it will make you question the way you treat others as well as the concept of beauty. Is beauty skin deep? Does the surface matter? What the importance of physical attraction in finding a life partner? Omotola, Majid and Tonto did an excellent job in portraying their characters. Despite my disappointment in the turn the story took it is thought provoking and well worth watching. Thumbs up! Nollywood Production, Nigerian Movie, African Movie, Ghanaian Actor, Nigerian Cinema, Nigerian Actresses
Categories: C-D · Film Reviews · Watch? Most Definitely!
Tagged: Azuka Odunukwe, Geraldine Ekeocha, Majid Michel, Omotola Jalade Ekeinde, Prince Eke, Tchidi Chikere, Tonto Dikeh, Zubby Michael
Heat Of The Moment
Originally uploaded by NollywoodForever
Heat of the Moment ~ 2009
Story – Innocent Isiakpu
Screenplay – Innocent Isiakpu & Prince Samson Onyejiuwa
Director – Prince Samson Onyejiuwa
Producer – Martina N. Okafor
Starring:
Emeka Ike – Dr Richard
Mercy Johnson – Anna
Kofi Adjorlolo – Chief Douglas
Emma Ayalogu – Chief Magnus
Cassandra Odita – Mrs Adams
Patience Oseni – Mrs Douglas
Vitalis Ndubuisi – Mr Adams
Barry Lukeman – Barrister James
Amanda Ebeye – Rita
Amina Atairu – Vivian
Peachman Akputa – Ben
Themes:
Rape
Politics
Mistaken Identity
My Rating – 33%
Anna claims that she was raped by local politician and human rights activist Dr Richards while walking home late one night. He, however is adamant that he never even saw her at any time let alone touched her. Who is telling the truth? His family believe it is a set up at the hands of his political opponents, whilst Anna has the back up of her best friend who claims to have been present at the time of the rape.
*************SPOILERS*************
The beginning of the movie is boring beyond belief. I rewound uncountable times because it just wasn’t holding my attention and I kept getting distracted… made a cup of coffee, tweeted, went on Facebook. I say grab the viewer early! So that even if later on the film gets a bit rubbish their attention will have already been snared. I only actually started properly paying attention about 25 minutes in when Anna got into an argument on the street with a random man.
The movie slowly starts getting more interesting after the rape, only slightly though, not too much. It was still rather slow and I fell asleep more than once. There was a rituals part that I didn’t get. Perhaps it didn’t make sense or maybe I wasn’t paying close enough attention. Who knows?
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Doctor James is put on trial for the rape and he is cross questioned by none other than *drumroll please* Barrister James, Anna’s boyfriend. How can the rapist be questioned by the raped one’s boyfriend? This is pure nonsense. That could never happen in real life! I have seen this sort of scenario in a few films and it is just foolish. They need to stop.
In the end we see Anna in jail telling a group of convicts her story. We then cut to seeing her released. The ending was sudden and we don’t find out how Doctor Richard’s DNA came to be on her person if he was not actually the one that raped her or not. Maybe it is a twin story. Maybe it is a ghost story. It looks like there will probably be a part 3 and 4. Either way I won’t be watching to find out.
This is one of the only movies where the issue of “light” is brought up. So a *round of applause* for that. Anna is watching Doctor Richards on TV talking about the “light problem” and the lights go off. I haven’t seen lights go off in a movie before and considering that lack of electricity is a widespread and major problem in Nigeria I’m surprised there is less talk of NEPA in the movies. NEPA affects all Nigerians’ everyday life, why is it never mentioned? Is it censorship?
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I would not recommend this movie. I found the pace too slow and the movie draaaaagged and draaaaaaagged and draaaaaaaaaaaged. When I was almost at the end of part 2 I wanted to press the eject button but thought that I may as well watch until the end since I had come so far. It didn’t make a bit of difference. I came away feeling that I had just wasted 2+ hours of my life. Nollywood Production, Nigerian Movie, African Movie, Ghanaian Actor, Nigerian Cinema, Nigerian Actresses
Categories: Film Reviews · G-H · Watch? No bin it!
Tagged: Amanda Ebeye, Amina Atairu, Barry Lukeman, Cassandra Odita, Emeka Ike, Emma Ayalogu, Innocent Isiakpu, Kofi Adjorlolo, Martina N Okafor, Mercy Johnson, Patience Oseni, Peachman Akputa, Prince Samson Onyejiuwa, Vitalis Ndubuisi
Bloody Tussle
Originally uploaded by NollywoodForever
Bloody Tussle ~ 2009
(Also known as IN COLD BLOOD)
Story/ Screenplay – Aniedi Awah
Director – Ugo Ugbor (De General)
Producer – Paul Nwachukwu Anaruagu
Starring:
Chika Ike – Elena
Majid Michel – Tony
Ene Miltex Ogiri – Nneka
Francis Duru – Matthew
Livinus Nnochiri – Kingsley
Ali Nuhu – Edmond
Jim Lawson Maduike – Chief Paul
Ricky Eze – Alao
Abel Mmadu – David
Joshua Johnson – Bro Michael
Blessing John – Bro Michael Wife
Taofeek Muyiba – Vanessa
Loveth Akpan – Gift
Lina Joseph – Art Woman
Oge Anyanwu – DPO
Ugo Peters – Policeman
Themes:
Infidelity
Murder
My Rating 44%
Elena and Tony have been married for 2 years. It is a loveless marriage, Elena has been having extramarital affairs and it in a dilemma as to whether or not she should end the marriage. She approaches her father, who is the one that set her up with Tony and he warns her that if she is to divorce her husband it must come from her husband’s side. He adds that she must not be caught with any man. From this we can surmise that there must be some sort of arrangement made before the marriage pertaining to what would happen if they split and under which circumstances.
*************SPOILERS************
Tony wants Matthew, played by Francis Duru to seduce his wife Elena for 3 million Naira. He tells him,
“I have never seen a man as exquisite as you, so chiselled.”
Noooo, you did not hear wrong and no Francis Duru did not have some miraculous makeoever. Laugh wan kill me die! What part of Francis Duru would be called chiselled? The guy is short and dumpy. It was inconceivable to me that out of all the guys in the city it would be Francis that would be the sex bomb approached to be paid to seduce someone’s wife? What kind of nonsense is that? Seriously BAD CASTING!
You know that I have previously said that Majid was on fire and could create chemistry with a wood log, well check this he couldn’t create chemistry with Chika Ike, in fact he had more chemistry with Francis Duru. Chika has got to be the most boring Nollywood Actress ever! The lack of chemistry did make sense considering that they were supposed to be in a loveless marriage, however I bet if they were supposed to be in a loving marriage the chemistry would still remain at zero. *YAWN*
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The movie is PROPERTY OF PAUL DANIELS LTD INT. and trust me you will not forget it. We see non stop scrolling to tell us this across the top of the screen. What is the point? It can’t be to stop the pirates as they will it pirate anyway big ass letters and all. It was just annoying and distracting.
Sound
The sound is abysmally bad and loud. It kept breaking in an out. I actually thought my scart lead was damaged because I couldn’t imagine the sound could be that bad. There is one scene in which Elena is explaining to her employer how she is married to an enemy and I was straining to hear what was being said. I changed the scart lead and the problem persisted. It was only when I turned off the auto volume on the TV that it was made a bit better. Even on volume 7 which is normally low the sound was loud and even vibrated when voices were raised.
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The relationships in this movie were way more complex that I first imagined. It turns into a murder mystery whodunit and Elena in Jail. It is somewhat interesting but after two parts it doesn’t end and so many questions are unanswered. In fact nothing at all was answered. I guess I’d have to watch the rest to get it. I don’t think I’d bother though. Not recommended. Nollywood Production, Nigerian Movie, African Movie, Ghanaian Actor, Nigerian Cinema, Nigerian Actresses
Categories: A-B · Film Reviews · Watch? Only if bored
Tagged: Abel Mmadu, Ali Nuhu, Aniedi Awah, Blessing John, Chika Ike, Ene Miltex Ogiri, Francis Duru, Jim Lawson, Joshua Johnson, Lina Joseph, Livinus Nnochiri, Loveth Akpan, Majid Michel, Oge Anyanwu, Paul Nwachukwu Anaruagu, Ricky Eze, Taofeek Muyiba, Ugo Peters, Ugo Ugbor
Material Girl
Originally uploaded by NollywoodForever
Material Girl ~ 2009
Story – Abdul Salam Mumuni
Screenplay – Phil Efe Bernard
Director – Frank Rajah Arase
Producer Abdul Salam Mumuni
A Venus Films Production
Starring:
John Dumelo – Greg
Yvonne Nelson – Cassie
Kofi Adjorlolo – Jake
Gavivina Tamakloe – Jake
Amanobea Dodeo – Jessica
Jme Orighoye – Nicole
Eve Asare – Nicky
William Opare – Uncle Jamey
Fred Amagi – Hon Attah
Brenda Osei Bonsu – Missy
Abieku Segoe – Jasper
Dan Tei Mensah – Elvis
Gifty Temang – Anne
Louis Saah-Acquaman – Gateman
Themes Explored:
Materialism
Greed
Infidelity
My Rating – 64%
Cassie is a bad girl who makes her money by picking up men, seducing them and robbing them, or keeping them as sugar daddies. She also uses the money to take care of her sick mother’s hospital bill even though her mother hates the method in which her daughter obtains money.
Cassie’s immorality seems to have no limits and on the one hand she plays the hero saving a woman who she finds having a seizure in the road, taking her to the hospital and then on the other hand she uses that act of bravery to gain access into the woman’s life, and proceeds to have an affair with the woman’s husband. Jake and his wife of 29 years’ marriage now hangs in the balance and his involvement with Cassie has devastating consequences for all parties involved.
*************SPOILERS************
The guy who Cassie rips off in the beginning of the movie was a big fool. You call someone that you are doing a business transaction with and immediately start spilling all the details of the contract without even so much as a “hello.” Who does that? You would at least expect to hear murmurs of agreements like mmhmmm or something!
The guy who has his phone stolen by Cassie is confronted by the guy who Cassie robbed, his business associate. He tells him, “You instructed me to bring the money to the hotel and you had me robbed.” Huh when was he instructed? Did Cassie get a man on the phone or is he referring to the time when he spoke to himself? Later he goes onto say, “I called you and you said you couldn’t talk.” Did she deepen her voice or what? We learn the rest of the instructions were through text. Mumu you are going to be heaving large sums of money and not even talk to the person you are doing business with? Nonsense!
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The sex scene between Jake and Cassie was awfully bad. Here is this man who has the fine new hot thing in his bed, and granted maybe he just wanted to tear it up but it was horrible to watch his going at it like he wanted to kill her. YESSSSS that it what it looked like rather than a lustful devouring. While the whole scene seemed a bit fake to me Yvonne played it well and we see the downside in sex for money. The material things make you happy but what you have to do to get it doesn’t. We see a solitary tear at the corner of her eye.
There was great chemistry between John and Yvonne. The kissing was intense. One scene spring to mind in particular; and that would be after the two bump into each other in the supermarket after which he turns up uninvited at her home. He showed a great display of arrogance and self confidence and it only served to enhance his sexiness. Cassie throws Greg down on the sofa after he tries to kiss her. He doesn’t miss a beat and goes in for the kiss again. Hmm I was even felling like he was about to kiss me… oh wishful thinking.
If he were taller he would have been even more formidable and it would have given him more of a macho edge. Having him tower over Yvonne as opposed to stand eye to eye to her would have made the character even more powerful.
Yvonne smashes every outfit that she wears in this movie… From scene to scene her dressing is fantastic. Indeed she is a material girl, and it shows, from the clothes, to the shoes, to the earrings… Everything is absolutely on point.
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I liked the movie and would recommend watching it. We learn something about consequences for one’s actions. You live a fast life and that surely will be your downfall. It was entertaining but I was disappointed that after watching 3 parts I did not feel like the movie really ended. I felt that the ending was a little over the top and rushed.
Categories: Film Reviews · M-N · Watch? Yes an ok movie
Tagged: Abieku Segoe, Amanobea Dodeo, Brenda Osei Bonsu, Dan Tei Mensah, Eve Asare, Fred Amagi, Gavivina Tamakloe, Gifty Temang, Jme Orighoye, John Dumelo, Kofi Adjorlolo, Louis Saah-Acquahman, William Opare, Yvonne Nelson
The Richest Man
Originally uploaded by NollywoodForever
The Richest Man ~ 2003
Story – Sam Onwuka
Screenplay – Chris Oge Kalu, Dobious Oxyright, Kalu Nnaoke
Director – Osita Okoli
Starring:
Nonso Diobi – Chima
Richard Mofe Damijo – Captain Chukwu
Rita Nzelu – Elizabeth
Maureen Solomon – Ogechi
Steve Eboh – Onwa
Sam Onwuka – Jenny
Chinelo Onwubiogu – Jane
Ogechukwu George – Louis
Charity Chukuezi – Mama Louis
Neville Ossai – Samson
Themes Explored:
Abuse
Abandonment
Jealousy
Adoption
Karma
My Rating – 65%
Captain Chukwu and his secretary Elizabeth are drawn together after some men offer her money to plant charms in his office. She refuses, informs him and together they report the incident to the police. It is this kindly deed and act of selflessness that has Captain Chukwu thinking about Elizabeth as more than an employed. Almost immediately afterwards he proposes to herm they marry and she quickly falls pregnant with Ogechi.
After the birth of Ogechi there comes a time when he decides to bring into the marital hme his dead brother’s orphaned twins. This causes big trouble in the marriage as Elizabeth is not keen on the boys living in their home, suspecting that they are his children by another woman. Not only is the future of the marriage thrown into jeopardy, but also the future happiness of the two boys under Elizabeth’s “care.”
*************SPOILERS*************
Abuse
It is heartbreaking to see innocent children abused because of their situation in life, which they have no control over. It is even the more startling as they can see that their treatment is in stark contrast to Ogechi who is Elizabeth’s natural daughter. We can see how jealousy can make people act in such nasty ways. Elizabeth was presented to us in the beginning as a selfless and kind woman but that all changes when she feels that her and or her daughter’s position may slip due to the new additions.
Captain Chukwu is presented to us as the boys saviour. When Elizabeth sends them away he is the one that goes to rescue them and bring them back home; however he must take some of the blame as the compliance he displayed was just as bad as the abuse meted out by Elizabeth. He did not take the abuse seriously enough and seemed to only give her half hearted warnings. He brought the boys into the home without her agreeing to it. That was his first mistake. He then accepts the excuses that she gives him even when there is evidence to suggest otherwise.
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Karma
I have said it before and I will say it again Karma is a Bitch and this movie is a good example of how karma can come back to haunt you. Elizabeth ended up treating her own flesh and blood badly to the extent that she plotted their downfalls in order to ruin their lives ending up with them in jail for a crime that they did not commit. She only finds out that they are the children that she abandoned when they are locked up.
It was good to see her get her comeuppance. At the end she was crying and begging for forgiveness calling the boys “my children.” Oooooooh so it is now you know that they are your children? She didn’t deserve their pity or for them to accept her apologies because if she didn’t find out that they were biologically hers she would have continued to treat them badly.
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Realism
The story of how the children were abandoned did not ring true for me. How is your friend going to persuade you to abandon your children if you hadn’t been seriously considering it previously? Her friend tells her, “Look at you. You have been reduced to a commoner because of these children,” and then the next night she dumps the kids on a street. What kind of stupidity is that? The whole scenario is too simple.
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I would recommend the movie. It was a little slow in Part 1 but then the story picked up in Part 2 I loved the twist at the end and it was good to see RMD on screen even thought it was an old movie. I miss him. Come back oooo! He is such a natural actor and has the charisma, charm and sex appeal to really set screens on fire. Does anyone know the significance of the title? I didn’t get it. Captain didn’t seem exceptionally rich in any sense of the word!
Categories: Film Reviews · Q-R · Watch? Yes an ok movie
Tagged: Charity Chukuezi, Chinelo Onwubiogu, Chris Oge Kalu, Dobious Oxyright, Kalu Nnaoke, Maureen Solomon, Neville Ossai, Nonso Diobi, Ogechukwu George, Osita Okoli, Richard Mofe Damijo, Rita Nzelu, Sam Onwuka, Steve Eboh
Sinful Game
Originally uploaded by NollywoodForever
Sinful Game ~ 2009
(Continuation called A Brother)
Story – Ifeanyi Onyeabor
Screenplay – Ifeanyi Onyeabor, John Dunu
Director – Ifeanyi Onyeabor
Producer – Pascal C Ezenwa
Starring:
Oge Okoye – Nnenna
Ini Edo – Nnenna sister
Sandra Achums – Janet
Chigozie Atuanya – Chima (Akila)
Benita Nzeribe – Phina
Larry Koldsweat – Papa J
Peter Bunor – Pastor John
Chinelo Enigwu – Joy
Jim Lawson Maduike – Nnena Father
Pope Stan U Ndu – Uzezi
David Uba – Emeka
Blessing Okonkwo – Ozioma
Linda Ojere – Diana
Themes:
Prostitution
Family
Poverty
Economic Migration
My Rating – 69%
Jeanettes mother treats their home like a whore house. Men pass in and out and it is only a matter of time before she is laying on her deathbed dying of AIDS. Her father already dead, alnd having no siblings Jeanette is no and orphan. She has no family to speak of. Despite making a promise to her mother to be a “good girl” the cycle continues and Jeanette makes big money by becoming a prostitute in the city.
Chima is a village boy done good. He owns a shop in the village and is doing well, that is until he meets Nnena. Nnenna is his money hungry girlfriend who ends up duping him. He gives her all his money to hold and she flees with it. With nothing to lose Chima follows one of his friends to Lagos to get his hustle on in the big city. His first job is cleaning cars in traffic. This is how he meets Jeanette.
Jeanette and Akila as Chima is now called connect when he cleans her car windows in traffic. Feeling pity for him she wants to help him and gives him her card telling him he should call her should he ever need anything. They meet up and from there they become like brother and sister to the point that they refer to themselves as such. Akila fills a void in Jeanette’s life and for the first time in a long time she feels as if she has family.
*************SPOILERS************
Oge Okoye I loved as the money hungry razz village babe. I was impressed with Chigozie Atuanya too. I have only seen him in slick village roles to it was good to see his versatility and booooooy did he play local like he had never left the village. One scene between the two that had me in fits of laughter was when Chima gives Nnenna 1000 Naira instead of the 15,000 that he had promised her. She searches him from top to bottom and finds a wad of money in his back pockets and starts a big ruckus about it before counting out 15,000 and leaving. Benita Nzeribe has put on a little bit if weight and she definitely looks better for it.
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Chima! What an idiot. You have seen from the beginning that Nnena is money hungry. The girl searched your whole person for money and grabbed it. The girl even sent her sister to pretend that she was sick and needed money for medicines all to extract money from you and then you go and give her your life savings to “hold.” Mugu! He even deserved to be robbed for such stupidity.
One thing that I did not fully understand was Jeanette’s interest in Akila. I understand that she craved familial ties and he filled that void but WHY HIM and not one of the other car washers and why at that particular time in her life? What drew her him and why did she want an adopted brother as opposed to sister, mother or father? Did he remind her of someone? What was it? I ask this also because there was no obvious spark between the two on first meeting and it is important for us to see how their strong attachment formed.
Even when they are supposed to have this strong attachment it does not ring true, He doesn’t behave like a brother towards her; in fact the way he is throughout is the way he is in the beginning, like she is a stranger. There is no chemistry between Akila and Jeanette so it doesn’t even make sense to me why she is acting all emotional over the guy. Is it bad casting or was this behaviour intentional on the part of the filmmakers? Perhaps it will become obvious in part 2 why Akila is quite nonchalant towards Jeanette despite everything that she has done for him.
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The movie starts off badly in that the credits roll in different fonts and sizes. Fonts styles and sizes should be kept consistent. If the first thing a viewer sees is messed up credits it sets in your mind that if even simple credits can’t be got right then the rest of the film must be equally as shoddy. More and more we are getting less value for money. They are splitting films up into smaller and smaller parts in order to get more money from the viewer, both parts of this movie amounted to about an hour and a half and then we see the advertisement for the continuation “A Brother.” Realistically both films should have equated to 2 parts not 4 parts. We also see “Coming Soon HOMOSEXUAL FATHER, SISTERS SOUL” trailing across the bottom of the screen. It is so annoying.
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I would however recommend this movie. It was entertaining and I loved the village scenes at the beginning of the movie in particular. There is a good build up suspense throughout the movie and even though you will probably be annoyed that the movie ended as it does, when you see the preview for “A Brother” you will be dying to see what happens next. The razz village babe Nnenna is back on the scene and I’ll definitely be watching to see what drama she brings!
Categories: Film Reviews · S-T · Watch? Yes an ok movie
Tagged: Benita Nzeribe, Blessing Okonkwo, Chigozie Atuanya, David Uba, Ifeanyi Onyeabor, Ini Edo, Jim Lawson, John Dunu, Larry Koldsweat, Linda Ojere, Oge Okoye, Pascal Ezenwa, Peter Bunor, Pope Stan Ndu, Sandra Achums
Perfect Angel
Originally uploaded by NollywoodForever
Perfect Angel ~ 2009
REPACKAGED AS LOVE, LIES & MURDER
Story, Screenplay, Director – Willie Ajenge
Producer – Andy Nnawuihe
(Stone Gold Productions)
Starring:
Nadia Buari – Jane
John Dumelo – Brown
Emeka Ike – Ken
Jake Aernan – Frank
Alero George – Mrs Ben
Queen Okocha – Rose
Psalm Ajefefio – Chief Ben
Emmanuel Amah – Jane’s Father
Emmanuel Emoabino – Aide 1
Dan Smith – Aide 2
Fauziya Hussein – Betty
Selma Mumin – Janet
Edmund Quarshie – Chemist
Themes Explored:
Justice
Forgiveness
Acceptance
Love
Morality
My Rating – 59%
Ken lives a life of crime and during a botched robbery attempts ends up wounded and bleeding to death in some remote fields. Jane comes across him and takes it upon herself to take him for treatment effectively saving his life. Jane lives with her extremely strict father and once he hears tales of his daughter with a mystery man he flips out and a fight between Jane and her father ensues. In the fracas Jane ends up shooting her father and ends up going on the run with Ken who convinces her that her life will not be worth living when other family members find out. Jane steals some money that her father had kept in the house and flees to the city with Ken. At first it appears that this charming stranger is her saviour, but in fact he turns out to be anything but everything changes when the money runs out and soon he is Jane finds herself living a nightmare instead of a dream.
*************SPOILERS*************
There were quite a few instances where things happened and I would just shake my head at the TV like WTF? These were things that veered away from realism in the movie. Let me list them here:
1) Jane is being flogged by her father and we hear these loud harsh sound effects. For whippings so brutal you would expect her face and body to move more than they did, as well as for her to make some noises louder than the small whimpers that she makes. After the beatings which were also meted out to her face, her skin looks flawless, no redness at all.
2) The fight scene at the end which should be quite serious is made quite comical and unrealistic by loud over the top sound effects.
3) Jane is sent by Ken to go and collect her belongings as well as all the money in the house. She walks to the doorway and there is a small suitcase right there which she grabs. How fake is that? How is the suitcase gonna be ready packed AND in the doorway and there is no reference as to why that is so?
4) When Jane and Ken arrive at the hotel in the city Ken says to Jane, “Goodness your eyes are almost swollen shut,” in a reference to the crying that she had supposedly been doing. Please tell me why the camera pans to Nadia and she is sitting there with her eyes looking how they always looked, no swelling plus mascara and eyeliner perfectly applied?
5) The scene when the Jane and Ken set up the camera in the cupboard so they can blackmail Chief Ben is a bust. The camera is way too high up and it wasn’t even at an angle to capture anything but a wall.
6) Brown is seeing mother and daughter. Why didn’t the daughter Betty know he is with her mother after the scene where her mother brings him home in a drunken stupor? Brown told the mother that the daughters had seen him and knew that he was sleeping with her and was cool with it. That whole situation did not make sense to me at all.
7) The story Brown spun to Mrs Ben was not convincing at all. What fool would believe that story? He tells the mother that he had been coming around to the house every day because he liked her and was gaining her mothers approval. What a load of bull!
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CHIEF CHIEF! See Chief Ben with the wickedest lyrics. In his bid to try and woo Jane and make her become second wife he tells her,
“I can buy you happiness. Don’t believe what they tell you, yes money can buy happiness!” Can you imagine? A guy actually trying to persuade a woman that she should marry him for money. He has no confidence at all in the attractiveness of his physical or mental being. What a shame. Kind of reminds me of the 50 Cent song, “Have a baby by me… baby be a millionaire…” SAD.
In the end Chief dies of shock. I was a little disappointed with that because in the Nollywood scenario this is a very common occurrence and very unoriginal. Funny in real life I have never known of someone to die of shock. Seriously how common is it for someone who is reasonably healthy to die of shock? We were not told that Chief Ben has a pre-existing heart condition or anything else similar so what gives?
A scene that will surely make you laugh is Emeka Ike in drag. Many of Nollywood’s finest have donned a frock and a face full of makeup so why not Emeka aye?
I was happy when Jane met Frank. It seemed that at last Ken was out of the picture and she had a chance of happiness with a decent man who seemed to truly love her ALAS! it was not meant to be as Ken was like a rash that had not been properly dealt with… He just kept on coming back! With regards to Jane’s new man Frank I thought it was absolute rudeness that his employee referred to Jane as a “piece of ass.” How rude is that. I am surprised Frank did not deal with her severely,
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Drug Portrayal
Bravo for whoever did the research to get the crackpipe right. It was a good portrayal of a man hittin on a pipe… Don’t ask me how I know!
Morality
We learn something in this movie about the importance of never compromising on your moral stance. Compromising a little can turn into compromising a lot and eventually you can become a person that you don’t even like or recognise. Jane agrees to sleep with men for money as per Ken’s request. It is not that she even wants or cares about the money but she does it for his benefit because she believes that he loves her and she feels indebted to him. Sacrificing her body for him only leads to a lack of respect to the extent that we see Ken messing with other chicks in the hotel room that he shares with Jane.
Love
This movie will make you ask the question, what is love? In the end Ken declares his love for Nadia and claims that he too cannot live without her, yet at the same time every time he would come back to take her away from Frank’s house he was always preoccupied with collecting money. To the viewer it would seem that he loved money more than anything else. Was he mistaking a sick obsession for love? I believe true pure love won in the end and we see Jane take a bullet for the right man, even though Ken had tried to taint her name by digging up her past misdeeds Ken was willing to accept her whole as she was and for that acceptance she was willing to risk her life for him.
The Title
I thought that the title was wholly appropriate. Jane was the perfect angel on paper when she met Ken. She was upright and moral and saved his life. She acted as his angel. Chief Ben had the perception of Jane being the perfect Angel, despite the fact that her life was already littered with immoral acts, what with her stories of virtuosity and being a Pastor’s daughter. Frank too saw Jane as his perfect Angel and although at this time she had taken drugs, sold her body, killed her father, he saw past her imperfections and in her imperfection she was still his perfect angel.
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I would recommend this movie because it does get more interesting as the story progresses. After the first ten minutes I was ready to turn off. It seemed like a lot of action that wasn’t particularly well done what with the first scenes involving Ken and his gang with the botched robbery attempt. I am glad, however that I stuck with it. There is a good lesson to be learnt in that someone can be perfect for you despite their imperfections. Actions do not define a person’s whole being. Sometimes there is a strong back-story as to why a person undertakes certain behaviours. It was a nice ending in that Jane, through Ken’s death was given her life back, was re-united with her father and he was able to forgive her.
Categories: Film Reviews · O-P
Tagged: Alero George, Andy Nnawuihe, Dan Smith, Edmond Quarshie, Emeka Ike, Emmanuel Amah, Emmanuel Emoabino, Fauziya Hussein, Jake Aernan, John Dumelo, Nadia Buari, Psalm Ajefefio, Queen Okocha, Selma Mumin, Willie Ajenge
My Ghana Angel
Originally uploaded by NollywoodForever
My Ghana Angel ~ 2010
Repackaged as DIARY
Story/Screenplay – Uncredited
Director – Harrison Arokor, Felix Owusu Yeboah
Producer – Harrison Arokor
Starring:
Nadia Buari – Candy
Julia Arokor – Kay
Yaw Gyamfi – Jonathan
Nash Alexis Smith – Jude
G-Ime Origboye – Sandra
Uchenna Chukwunta – Phillip
Sarah Adedeyi Oyinlola – Ruby
Bolanle Olawoyim Emilia – Pearl
Themes Explored:
Love
Relationships
Friendship
Betrayal
My Rating – 58%
Candy is in love with JJ, her perfect dream man and is the envy of all her friends. While her best friend Kay ends up unknowingly falling for and getting pregnant and dumped by a married man her relationship with JJ goes from strength to strength. From nowhere JJ suddenly cuts off contact with Candy. She is not given any explanation and after a while has no option but to deal with the fact that he is no longer part of her life and throws herself into helping Kay raise her little girl Ruby.
Kay is a single mother after being left in the lurch by her married man. She finds it hard to trust men because of her past and so even though she is not in love with her fiancé Jonathan she sticks with him as he serves as a sort of security blanket and she knows that he is a good man that will not hurt her. However she is ready to put her “safe” relationship at risk when she bumps into a mystery guy called Jude one day on the street. From the day she meets him she cannot stop fantasising about him and is more than delighted when he turns up at her place of work as an employee. They embark on a friendship and start getting closer before a blast from the past comes to disrupt everything.
*************SPOILERS*************
Things that did not ring true for me
The story about JJ going to jail and not being able to get in contact with Candy did not ring true for me. A whole four years and he supposedly could not get in contact with her. So I am taking it his whole family didn’t know where he was either. He was dead to the world right? They do not have phones in jail do they? I don’t buy it. Candy had not moved, she was still living in the same place, doing the same things. There was not even any mention in the movie of her phone number changing so why was it so hard for him to get in contact with her?
Candy and Kay are best friends I thought that as a best friend Candy should have picked up more on the fact that Kay was no ways in love with Jonathan. I mean come on! She was getting married to the guy and she was not in the slightest bit excited. Ok we know that you think that he is a good guy and he is a good stabilising influence, but he did mot make her happy. In fact every time she was around him he was on a downer. As a best friend she should have not got upset when Kay told her about the “mystery guy.” I would expect that sort of reaction from a more distant friend not a best friend that knew her like a sister.
In the beginning of part 2 there is a scene where Jonathan sees Kay and Jude together and proceeds to punch Jonathan’s lights out. This scene was so far from what was realistic that it had me cracking up. Jonathan is congratulating Kay on her engagement and they hug. Fair enough, but then they hug again, come apart and then hug again and again. Four spontaneous hugs in a row. Who does that? It has to be seen to be believed. I’m not surprised he got beat up. It would have been sufficient to just show us one congratulations hug. We would have gotten the point AND it would have been more realistic.
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Relationships in the movie
When Kay moved in with Jude I thought that he had a cheek asking her if she still loved him when he was clearly still trying to get back with Candy. What would be the point in letting her reveal her feelings when you know that you are still after her best friend? I couldn’t even figure the guy out. He was sorta acting like he liked her but then at the same time when Candy came back into his life he didn’t give her feelings a second thought or have any guilt at all. They had clearly been becoming more than friends yet when Candy came back the relationship that had been forming between them was never discussed. Why didn’t Candy ever mention it or did she not know anything about it. Wouldn’t Kay have told her that the hunk she had bumped into had started working at her place?
You have to give it to him the guy is most definitely bold. He was calling Candy non stop every day and at the same time running after Kay asking her why she was running from him. ER HELLO! Why wouldn’t she run from you? She knows that if she looks at you she will succumb to your seductiveness and she does not want to put herself in any more trouble, after already being made homeless!
I didn’t feel like Kay betrayed Candy because as soon as she found out that Jude was in fact JJ she backed off completely and began to put her feelings on paper as a way of dealing with the hurt. It was a tricky situation. What would you do in such a scenario? I liked the movie ending with forgiveness; it was very simplistic but made you feel satisfied. However, could it really have gone down like that in real life? I feel that the ending needed more development before coming to the forgiveness for it to feel real.
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Acting
Ghanaians are just throwing out these hotties left right and centre. There is now a new one to join the pack. Nash Alexis Smith is hot hot hot but his acting leaves a lot to be desired. He is very amateurish but hopefully in time he can improve a la Ramsey Noah. His case is not totally hopeless like some other actors and actresses who shall remain nameless.
Julia Arakor was excellent. This was my first time seeing her in a movie and I must say I was highly impressed. I look forward to seeing more from her. She kinda reminded me of Nse Ikpi Etim in the way that she looked as well as her mannerisms. Loove love looove the black silk Japanese style dressing gown that she wore throughout the movie. In fact I used to have one just like it… I digress…
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Music
The music started off well but descended into chaos. I loved the Spanish style music that they played when Kay was falling for Jude, it exuded romance but then from there it was downhill. Too many different styles of music were played and it didn’t always fit in with the scene. We got to hear operatic, 70’s porn, Mexican, marching band, majestic… it was a bit messy.
The Title
I wondered what the significance of the title was; My Ghana Angel. It just sounds wrong. Even if it were changed to the more grammatically correct My Ghanaian Angel, what would it mean? Who was the angel and what has being Ghanaian got to do with it since they were all Ghanaian anyway?
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I liked this movie and would recommend it. The beginning was a tad slow but it picked up a lot later on. My favourite scene was the one where Jonathan finds Kay’s diary and it about to expose the secret to Candy. Both Nadia and Julia were exceptional and very believable in this scene, the build up of tension had me at the edge of the sofa. Although it has a very amateurish feel to it, it was enjoyable to watch and there was some very good performances, scenes in which you were totally immersed into where you would forget that you were watching a movie. Watch it… You may like it.
Categories: Film Reviews · M-N · Watch? Yes an ok movie
Tagged: Bolanle Olawoyim Emilia, G-Ime Origboye, Harrison Arokor, Julia Arokor, Martins Onyemaobi, Nadia Buari, Nash Alexis Smith, Sarah Adedeyi Oyinlola, Uchenna Chukwunta, Yaw Gyamfi
Dangerous Angels
Originally uploaded by NollywoodForever
Dangerous Angels ~ 2009
Story, Screenplay – Juliet Chisom Okereke
Director – Ikechukwu Onyeka
Producer – Chimezie Emelonwu
Starring:
Ini Edo – Amanda
Tonto Dikeh – Foxy
Nonso Diobi – Conrad
Halima Abubakar – Susan
Anita Joseph – Jojo
John Paul Nwadike – Oscar
Ene Miltex Ogiri – Ije
Amanda Ebeye – Carol
Remmy Ohajianya – Major
Hakeem Rahman – INEC President
Henry Chigbu – Blacky
Ubong Thompson – D Man
Themes Explored:
Campus Cultism
Revenge
My Rating – 67%
Foxy mama is the head of a female cult group on campus called The Jezebels. The Jezebels are feared on campus and no one dares to cross them, no one except Amanda that is. Amanda has a run in with Foxy and they clash immediately. The rivalry becomes all the more serious when Foxy realises that Amanda is the daughter of her father’s arch enemy. She is ready to exact her revenge on her father’s behalf and so the war begins.
*************SPOILERS*************
Questions:
How can Carol and her brother, be sharing a room at university at her father’s insistence when they are both grown folk?
This is the first time I have noticed the elaborate branding on Anita Joseph’s arm? I wonder what that is in aid of?
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Some scenes were too draggy to the point of overkill. We don’t need to see something for hours on end to get a point. Viewers must be given more credit. In one scene we see chief dancing with Susan and Jojo and the scene seems to go on foreeeeeever with Chief getting booty backed up onto his fat belly. We already know that Anita Jospeh’s ikebe is super but enough already!
At the end of the movie Amanda approaches a lecturer with regards to getting Foxy’s results re-assessed, she tells him that her reason for making the request is that she is an “upright citizen” that doesn’t support corruption. She says this while slipping him something to “soothe” his nerves. HA! Fighting corruption and partaking in it all in the same breath. Can you imagine?
Standout performance for me was Amanda Ebeye. She played the role of the nosey, motor mouth to perfection. Her flow was effortless, her expressions on point and she had great comic timing. She is an actress you don’t see in movies very much and when you so it tends to be a very minor role so big ups to her. I have to give kudos to the rest of the cast as well because everybody played their parts well. I also have to give a very special mention to Tonto’s coiffure. I loved Tonto Dikeh’s hair in this movie. It was looking absolutely fabulous.
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I would recommend this movie. No it wasn’t the most original of stories but it was well done. The story was easy to follow and the battle between Foxy and Amanda kept me glued to the screen curious as to what atrocity each girl would next commit. This is a lesson for anybody who thinks that they are the BADDEST… there is always someone badder! Nollywood African Nigerian Movie Review
Categories: C-D · Film Reviews · Watch? Yes an ok movie
Tagged: Amanda Ebeye, Anita Joseph, Chimezie Emelonwu, Chisom Juliet Okereke, Ene Miltex Ogiri, Hakeem Rahman, Halima Abubakar, Henry Chigbu, Ikechukwu Onyeka, Ini Edo, John Paul Nwadike, Nonso Diobi, Remy Ohajianya, Tonto Dikeh, Ubong Thompson
January 18, 2010 · 1 Comment
Power of Deceit
Originally uploaded by NollywoodForever
Power of Deceit ~ 2009
Story, Screenplay, Director – Sylvia Ezen Eguakhide
Producer – Sylvia Ezen Eguakhide
Starring:
Desmond Elliot – Charles
Uche Jombo – Ify
Tony Umez – Obinna Okere
Ashley Nwosu – Sunny Onwurdi
Sylvia Ezen Eguakhide – Nkechi
Ekaette Inyang – Mama
Sandra Ezenweani – Susan Okere
Olumide Fafunso – Chuks Onwurdi
Ama Ignis – Stone
Elizabeth Nwogazi – Kemi
Joy Nwogazi – Aunty Ruth
Olawale Aduroja – Lecturer
Royson Okafor – Kola
Themes:
Prostitution
Greed
Materialism
Parental Pressure
Peer Pressure
My Rating – 36%
Susan’s boyfriend Kola gets caught cheating and when confronted by her denies her in front of his other girl and ends up beating her. She is saved from a further beating by his friend Chuks. Chuks and Susan become firm friends after he approaches her for help with his schoolwork on the advise of his school mentor. Despite his initial insults towards her and bravado in front of his friends they soon fall in love. There is however something lurking that threatens to break their union.
In a side story Linda is Charles’ girlfriend but is only with him for money, money that she uses to cater for her lesbian lover. He soon puts her out and moves on but not before she manages to change his life forever.
*************SPOILERS*************
The movie is very disjointed and we see different people introduced at random into the story without any explanation as to who they are or how they tie into the existing plot. For instance 20 minutes into the movie we are introduced to Obinna. We see him driving down the street and having flashbacks. How are we shown this random dude having flashbacks and we do not even yet know how he fits into a campus story which up until this point this movie is?
Throughout the movie we are shown ho stroll clips. Ashewos doing synchronised walking, “sexy” posing, touching themselves up and acting a fool. Granted, Chuks’ first girlfriend was a “runs girl” but apart from that small detail all these interspersed clips do not make sense.
The scenes where Chuks catches his girlfriend doing ashewo business on Allen Avenue dragged on for far too long. We see different men coming to “prize” the girl and then the subsequent arguments as all the men are trying to get discounts and the girls are not agreeing. It seemed that this was all in a bid to show us that Chuks’ girl was not virtuous. It was not necessary in my opinion, since that was a minor part of the story.
Chuks goes shopping for Susan and then one day she walks past the same group of guys that used to insult her for being dry, but wearing her new clothes. See the guys go gaga over her. I call BOOOOLSHEEEET! The girl still looked dry. That was pure falseness and overreaction. The girl is wearing a knee length skirt with trainers, a fitted football jersey looking top and one horrible, dated dry wig. Please tell me, what part of her looked like a hot babe? I wonder ooo!
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Linda is going out with Charles but she is a fat slob. She literally lies on the sofa and drinks and smokes all day. Charles doesn’t seem to like anything about her, so I wonder why on earth he was going out with her. That didn’t make sense to me. What were her redeeming qualities? We don’t see any!
It is not until part 2 that we see a link between the stories. We find out that Obinna is Susan’s father. It is also not until the second part of the movie that we find out that Susan is a sickler. What? That was just thrown in there to create another storyline. It did not seem well thought out as it had never been mentioned or hinted to before.
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The execution of this whole movie was poor. There were too many storylines. They should have focused on one or two and made it work. Editing was poor and the whole feel of the movie was very amateur, on top of that the editing job left a lot to be desired. At one point (23.15 in part 1) there is a complete visual blackout. The dramatic sound effects that were often used took away from the realism as they were too loud and overdramatic.
Uche barely features in this movie despite having her face emblazoned accross the cover. She has a tiny role as Nkechi’s friend and confidant. I don’t have a problem with no name actors and actresses being used, but the marketers should give people more credit by putting the real leads on the front. They may be pleasantly surprised. If a movie is good then it is good, word will get out. Unfortunately this movie isn’t very good at all. The actors and actresses played their parts well but there was just too much going on with no clear direction or focus. There is a message at the end of the movie about condemning AIDS/ HIV stigmatization. They should have picked one “cause” and stuck to it.
I would not recommend this movie. It is watchable in that you will watch to see just how much more ridiculous the story can get, but ultimately it is a waste of time and money.
Categories: Film Reviews · O-P · Watch? Only if bored
Tagged: Ama Ignis, Ashley Nwosu, Desmond Elliot, Ekaette Inyang, Elizabeth Nwogazi, Joy Nwogazi, Olawale Aduroja, Olumide Fafunso, Royson Okafor, Sandra Ezenweani, Sylvia Ezen Eguakhide, Tony Umez, Uche Jombo
The King is Mine
Originally uploaded by NollywoodForever
The King Is Mine ~ 2009
Story – Abdul Salam Mumuni
Screenplay – Abdul Salam Mumuni
Director – Frank Rajah Arase
Producer – Abdul Salam Mumuni
A Venus Films Production
Starring :
Jackie Appiah – Rose
Nadia Buari – Louisa
John Dumelo – King Duala
Kofi Adjorlolo – Agyemang
Kalsum Sinari – Esther
Eddie Nartey – Justice
Amanorbei Opoku Boakye -
Eve Asare – Cecilia
Luckie E Lawson – Queen Serwa
Helen Asante – Sandy
Omar de 1st – Clint
Roger Quartey – Messenger
Moses Lamptey – Boateng
Themes:
Royalty
Sibling Rivalry
Jealousy
My Rating – 39%
The King has chosen Rose to be his new bride, despite the fact that she already hs a fiance. It is a love triangle in that while the King is after Rose, Rose’s sister Louise is after him. Louise is bitter that the King chose her sister when she was the one that firstly expressed interest in him. When it becomes apparent that the Prince has no interest in her whatsoever the already fraught relationship between the sisters reaches breaking point. Although Rose is at first reluctant to begin a relationship with the King she eventually relents, dumping her fiance and seemingly really falling in love. This relationship with the King is soon in jeapoardy at the hands of her jealous and vengeful sister.
*************SPOILERS*************
Here I am going to list all the questions I had while watching this movie, since I had so many:
Why do Jackie’s eyes keep changing colour? Not only is she Rainbow Brite in her dressing, but now her eyes too?
We see the King handing Jackie a Cerruti 1881 box with a piece of jewellery in it. They may have been founded in 1881 but they sure didn’t have boxes like that in 1881! The modern day jewellery does not seem to go with the olden day set. So when on earth is the movie supposed to be set?
The shakespearian language used would suggest it is set in olden times but then if in fact the movie is set in modern times as the jewellery would suggest then why wouldn’t the King just to a DNA test on Jackie’s baby once it was born?
The digital camera used in the movie by the maid to photograph Louisa and Justice further adds to the cunfusion as to when the movie is supposed to be set. So when is the movie supposed to be set I ask?
Queen Serwa tries to persuade the king to save their so called “loving marriage” but what kind of love or affection have we seen between them? In fact there is no chemistry between them and we never even see him speak fondly of her.
Why can’t Queen Serwa be sent away? She was not born into royalty so shouldn’t the King have a say on who should and shouldn’t be his wife?
The King went to all lengths to make Lousia his after growing bored with Rose so why does he not even want to make love to her to the extent that she says she has to force him? After he is forced he is angry with her and himself… WTF?
Louisa begs her brother Justice to impregnate her. I was inceredulous. At this point I am thinking, naaa that can’t be her brother, maybe I got something wrong somewhere, until I hear him say, “this is incest.” They are about to get busy in order for him to impregnate her and she starts kissing him softly. Er why would she be doing all that if he is just trying to impregnate her? Even prostitutes generally don’t kiss. It is supposed to be a means to an end so whats up with all the romancing?
Rose is walking around the place constantly tap tap tapping her wig. Why didn’t Jackie just take the darn thing off and have a good itch instead of doing all that during filming?
Why would Rose have a kid for the King with no marriage? Wasn’t the whole point that she become his wife?
At the end of the movie Louisa is rolling around on the dirt floor wearing a sack dress about to be executed and what do we see on her head but a brand new looking shiny Louis Vuitton scarf? What was that about? It looks so misplaced.
The bit where Louisa stabs herself did not make any sense to me. Wasn’t she just saying how much she wanted to live and begging for her life to be spared? As she is about to be saved she stabs herself and with the knife in her manages to give this whole eloquent speech on pity. Nonsense.
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I would not recommend the movie. I did however enjoy the soundtrack and recognised the the voice of the guy singing from some of their other movies. It is not as fast paced or dramatic and Frank and Abdul’s other offerings which added to the poor execution and stiff feel makes it quite an uninteresting watch. It it watchable only if you are interested in carrying out a spot the absurdity exercise.
Categories: Film Reviews · K-L · Watch? Only if bored
Tagged: Amanorbea Opoku Boakye, Eddie Nartey, Eve Asare, Helen Asante, Jackie Appiah, John Dumelo, Kalsum Sinare, Kofi Adjorlolo, Luckie E Lawson, Moses Lamptey, Nadia Buari, Omar de 1st, Roger Quartey
White Waters
Originally uploaded by NollywoodForever
White Waters ~2008
Story/ Screenplay – Felix Odion
Director – Izu Ojukwu
Starring:
Rita Dominic – Norlah
OC Ukeje – Melvin
Joke Silva – Grandma
Hoom Suk – Banji
Tony Ofili Akpon – Coach Samson
Olajumoke Olatubosun – Dr Maria
Adamu Labaran – Coach Menor
Blessing Emmanuel – Bridget
B.S Abok – Ahmed
Fidelis Abdulrahman – Little Melvin
Jonah Gwamna – Musa
Themes:
Nurturing
Abandonment
Self Belief
Patience
Unconditional Love
Lonliness
My Rating – 95%
Academically Melvin is behind at school. He is 11 years old and his brother who is 4 years his junior is surpassing him. His stepfather Emeka does not wasn’t to deal with him and so implores his mother to send him away. To save her marriage to Emeka and rid her of the unpleasant memories of Melvin’s father Desmond she sends Melvin to go and live with his grandmother.
Melvin and his grandmother grow to be very close. Theu live alone and take together and care of each other. Grandma showers Melvin with care, attention and unconditional love and vice versa. It is a relationship different to the one he experienced with is mother where the love appeared to be conditional upon him excelling in school and in turn being accepted by her husband.
Melvin’s grandma suffers with chronic asthma and her frequent attacks mean that he is forever racing up and down to collect her medicines. It is during this time that his formidable running speed is spotted and he is asked to join the state track team. For the first time in his life Melvin is valued and he gains the attention of Norlah a beauty on the track team.
************SPOILERS*************
Unconditional Love
Melvin’s mother’s love for him appears to be conditional. She tells grandma, “Should I give up my marriage because of him?” Hell YEH you should. He is your child. YOU bore him. Grandma makes a good point when she tells her daughter that parents have children that are,
“Deaf, blind dumb and autistic and they do not abandon them. They show them love.”
Round of applause for grandma. She spoke well.
Patience
In this movie we see the importance of patience, nurturing and supporting a child. As the saying goes, “not all fingers are created equal.” Melvin was an indiviaual, because he was not as gifted academically as his brother, does that make him a less worthy candidate to love? We see that he is talented but in a different way, athletically. He is so talented as a sprinter that is is he that is sought out to represent the state. When his grandma was patient with him he became more comfortable within himself and was able to excel.
Loneliness
The goldfish dying was symbolic of the evaporation of the presence of loneliness in Melvin’s life. The death happens around the time of Melvin’s deepening friendship with Norlah and on the same day that they share their first kiss against the backdrop of the beautiful and formidable waterfalls. I didn’t like the fact that when Norlah shares her first kiss with Banji as the sun sets the backdrop was just as magical. I felt that it dhould have been less so so as to cheapen their relationship.
We see how Melvin’s relationship with Norlah gives him motivation and a greater selnse of self esteem and confidence. As their relationship grows he is visibly happier and stops making all the mistakes he previously made. From this we can see that patience, love and understanding can make all the difference in a person’s character. His mother didn’t take the time out to put in these things to nurture him into the man that he does become.
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OC Ukeje
I thought OC Ukeje played the role of Melvin excellently. He completely immersed himself in the character. I loved his show of vulnerability. It felt so real. As a viewer I was totally feeling for Melvin. It was heartbreaking to see him not only rejected by his mother and step father, but then to be bullied by the boys on the track team. I badly wanted him to get with Norlah to ease his loneliness and make up for all that he had been through. So you can imagine my horror when they got closer and then are wrenched apart through Banji’s doing.
OC Ukeje nailed his role and Melvin the rejected loner with a big heart. Why have I not seen this guy in anything since? Casting directors should be killing themselves to cast him in their movies. Unbeliveable!
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Rita Dominic
We all know she is a great actress but I thought she was miscast for this role. She did not look one bit like a professional athlete to me. There was not enough muscle tone on her. They should have either trained her up or got someone else to play the role.
Another thing I noticed was the heavy make up all the time, granted it was very natural but it took away from the realism. How are you going to have been attacked the night before and then turn up to training the next day with mascara, foundation, lipstick and eyeshadow. Who goes to an intense training session where you know you will be sweating heavily, with a face full of make up? They tried to show that she has been attacked with the tiny plaster at the corner of her mouth. Na. It wasn’t enough.
The tension was electrifying when Rita notices the picture she took of Melvin on the night she was attacked on her dresser. Melvin is unaware that anything is wrong and Rita remainds silent, the shock and bewilderment all over her face. The music is very effective in this scene at heightening the drama of the situation withough being overbearing or taking away from Norlah’s silent stance.
Rita loves saying BLOODY I’ve noticed. I wonder if they wrote those lines in for her or she just adds the bloody’s herself!
I wondered why Norlah chose not to say anything about the picture of the dresser and continued to be just as friendly to Melvin without reservation. Was it because she simply dismisses from her mind that it could be him? Or could it be that she suspects that he could be involved in the attack but chooses to overlook it because she realises that he has issues and desperately wants to help him. Perhaps his withdrawn and slightly weird behaviour intrigues her as she wants to get close to him all the time even when he is seemingly paying her no mind.
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Cinematography
The cinematography was beautiful. You could see that every scene was carefully crafted. The way this movie is shot, even a decrepit village has an attractive quality to it. The waterfalls, sunsets, and sunrises were captured and serve to add to the magical quality of the movie. The movie was shot in the mountains surrounding the waterfall Farin Ruwa, in Nassarawa State of Nigeria. Some of the shots were absolutely breath taking. This movie will make you marvel at why you haven’t taken a trip there already, or like me never even heard of the place before.
Music
I thought the soundtrack was beautiful and simple. The music played at the appropriate times and was consistent throughout… perfect.
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My Favourite Scene
The scene where Melvin leaves his mother to go and live with his Grandma is very poignant. The camera pans in on Melvin’s face and his eyes are wide and tear filled, we hear the strumming of a guitar while Melvin and his grandmother walk in the rain under an umbrella that shields them both. I thought the rain was representative of his family and the suffering he endured and the umbrella representative of his grandmother who had come to act as protector. It is an emotional scene. Sad because a boy has being rejected by his mother but joyous because we know that he will be happier with his grandmother.
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QUESTIONS?
How did Melvin get that picture on his dresser?
Why would the team let him back on when it seemed that he was the attacker? That would not have been fair to Norlah, not to mention traumatic.
At the end Norlah had broken her leg but why is she managing to jump up and down like a Kangaroo when Melvin wins at the sports festival?
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I would 100 percent recommend this movie. It was a sports story which in itself is not the typical Nollywood story. We learn something battling adversity and coming out on top. We learn how important love is in a person’s life. The backdrop was breathtaking, it was magical, and it was beautiful. The acting was great, the story executed well. THUMBS UP
Categories: Film Reviews · W-X · Watch? Most Definitely!
Tagged: Felix Odion, Izu Ojukwu, Joke Silva, OC Ukeje, Rita Dominic
Naked Weapon
Originally uploaded by NollywoodForever
Naked Weapon ~ 2009
Story/ Screenplay and Direction – Ilochi Olisaemeka
Starring:
Mercy Johnson – Maureen
Jim Iyke – Mitch
Ngozi Ezeoni – Uchebuoku
Browny Igboegwu – Mr Leo
Emeka Amakeze – Boom
Juliet Ibrahim – Nneka
Zainab Egwuonwu – Adaora
Uche Jombo – Sandra
Biola Ige – Joke
Ikechukwu Siryume – Odenuan
Uchegbu Chukwuma – Mr Ugboh
Chinedu Odinachi – Barnabas
Prince Nwafor – Yul
Stella Francis – Juliet
Themes:
Counterfeit Drugs
Corruption
Murder
My Rating – 15%
Let me just say first of all I cannot give a proper synopsis as watching this movie I was lost most of the time. From what I could make out Maureen and her girls are carrying out a mission. What exactly their mission was in aid of I wasn’t 100 percent sure. I just know that they are being paid to carry out hits on people.
*************SPOILERS*************
In one scene we see the girls go and pick up a guy from the poolside and take him back to their apartment. As they walk into the apartment with the guy Maureen in hiding behind the door, lunges out stabs and kills the man. I couldn’t even begin to tell you why.
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The first few scenes are all over the place. I can’t make sense of the movie. We see:
- Girl with painted black spots on her face leaving the house.
- A guy giving money to some beggars
- A couple arguing in a restaurant
- A woman being threatened on the phone over the issue of counterfeit drugs
- A group of men having a discussion on an office
These were the first few scenes bullet pointed. They were not fluid and they did not seem related. The movie was disjointed and did not make sense to me Even after getting halfway through the movie I could only vaguely figure out what was going on.
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It the opening scene we see a child walking out of a house with black spots painted onto her face. It looks like it is face paint. Perhaps she is going to a fancy dress party… Oops no. she is not wearing any costume. Amateur Amateur Amateur. Chimoooo! Oh my life the child is supposed to be diseased! 2009 and we have amateurish painted black spots on someone’s face to signify ill health.
In another scene a hired assassin calls his bosses and tells them he is returning the money he was given for hit as he no longer wants to carry it out. As he walks down the road the sexy chicas lead by Maureen come up beside him and stab him. What that was about I do not know.
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There is no clear order of events and the numerous non dialogue scenes only add to the sense of disorientation you feel as a viewer. Added to that there is loud distracting music played haphazardly at random. The annoying weird extra terrestrial sound effects were simply dreadful.
Why did Mr Leo give the beggars money?
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Juliet Ibrahim sure is very hippy/assy considering small upper frame. Why on earth was she wearing a swimming costume over cycling shorts? It looked ridiculous. If she didn’t wasn’t to expose all her body have her not in the pool or don’t do full body shots! Why one is swimming shorts AND cyling shorts looking like somebody’s great grandma, and these are supposed to be hot chicks… NONSENSE!
Mercy looks like the original area girl. She struts the strut perfectly. We see her with her legs akimbo, her lip snarled smoking a cigarette in just the way you would imagine an area girl would. All her friends were absolutely useless as actresses.
There is a yellow chick who does not even know how to hold the cigarette and looks like she is about to choke when she inhales. I was astonished at how bad these actresses were. We see Biola Ige – Useless. Juliet Ibrahim was pretty useless (but not as much as the others) too. In one scene they have her weeping for a good 5 minutes while reading a newspaper with a voiceover telling a story about counterfeit drugs and the tragedies they can cause. It was tedious.
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I would not recommend the movie at all. The storylines did not tie in together and there was too much bad acting going on courtesy of the “glamour squad” that must have been hired to draw in male viewers. Uche and Jim were barely in the movie and I had to switch off halfway into part 2. I would applaud the attempt at trying to tackle the very important issue of counterfeit drugs, as this is something that is a major problem in Nigeria, however this movie failed to entertain, educate or make sense on a very grand scale.
Categories: Film Reviews · M-N · Watch? No bin it!
Tagged: Biola Ige, Browny Igboegwu, Chinedu Odinachi, Chukwuma Uchegbu, Emeka Amakeze, Ikechukwu Siryume, Ilochi Olisaemeka, Jim Iyke, Juliet Ibrahim, Mercy Johnson, Ngozi Ezeonu, Prince Nwafor, Stella Francis, Uche Jombo, Zainab Egwuonwu
Silent Scandals
Originally uploaded by NollywoodForever
Silent Scandals ~ 2009
Story/ Screenplay – Vivian Ejike
Director – Okey Benson
Producer – Vivian Ejike
Starring:
Genevieve Nnaji – Jessie
Uche Jombo – Mukky
Majid Michel – Naeto
Ebele Okaro – Helen Ubaka
Chelsea Eze – Ella
Tessy Oragwa – Tina
Peachman Akputa – Etim
Pope Stan U. Ndu – Jay Jay
Paul Frank – Richie
Isaac David – Alhaji Danladi
Oladimeji Alimi – Alhaji Aide
Ime Bishop Umoh – Akpan
Dami Solomon – Tonia
Themes:
Single Motherhood
Career
Love
Parenting
My Rating – 76%
Jessie despairs over her wayward daughter Ella. She steals, drinks, smokes and stays out all night with her boyfriend Naeto without any regard for her mother. She is uncontrollable. Her mother is at her wits end and devastated when one day she has to pick up her young daughter from a police holding cell after being caught shoplifting. This action is the deciding factor in her being sent by her mother to live in the UK to live with her father.
After Ella’s departure Naeto falls on hard times and desperate to provide for his family he takes a job as a driver on his neighbour’s recommendation. His new boss is a highly strung career orientated woman who has little time for fun. Slowly he begins to break through her steely exterior and the two become close. Little does he know that this woman who is his boss is also Ella’s mother.
*************SPOILERS*************
The Good
All in all a great group of actors and actresses were selected to play the characters. No drive by performers, except for Naeto’s best friend Richie played by Paul Frank. He was teetering the line between drive by and acceptable.
I loved Majid Michel playing the Naija boy role complete with the Pidgin English. His intensity is concentrated in his eyes and he uses it well so it is understandable that he always gets roles in which love and women and the seduction of them play a large role. It is a role that he plays to perfection.
Genevieve Nnaji kills it in the scene where Naeto declares his love to her. She is stripped bare and her vulnerability exposed. She tells Naeto,
“Has it ever occurred to you that I am human…that I feel too… I may hurt sometimes”
It was an excellent performance from Genny, from the expressiveness conveyed in her eyes, to the breaking of her voice mid speech. It is the first time her character Jessie shows raw emotion. This is coming from a woman who is usually a complete killjoy. Can you imagine a woman that reprimands staff for singing Happy Birthday to her?
I liked the build up of chemistry between Majid and Genny. Just like in Emerald the chemistry was intense and electrifying. It is not immediately apparent which makes it all the more beautiful as it comes across deep and intense as we watch their bond strengthen over time. We see a real connection between the two as Naeto melts away Jessie’s steely exterior.
Naeto and Ella also had great chemistry. We see the laughter and playfulness between the two. In fact their characters actually appear to get along better than Majid and Genny’s which is often fraught with tension and hesitance. Although they both long for each other neither one knows where they stand with the other.
I thought Chelsea Eze was cast well as Ella. She was also a good actress. She looked like a teenager/young adult, and at the same time tall, slim and pretty with great bone structure so it was very believable that she was a model.
This is the first Naija movie I have seen where a chick was wearing a bikini and not a bikini over a swimming costume and some cycling shorts! Kudos on that front because it looks so fake to see someone in a swimming pool with a million layers of swimwear on, a la Juliet Ibrahim in Naked Weapon
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The build up of tension to the inevitable fall out when the love triangle is exposed is carefully engineered. By the time it got to the surprise party for Jessie that was actually being held at Naeto’s heart my heart was pounding fast, anxious and eager to see what the reactions all round would be.
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The Bad
The story was flawed for me because in order for it to work certain situations had to be engineered that did not really make sense. For instance the situation where Ella was sent to stay with her father in the UK but instead went to stay with her grandmother in Abuja was a little far fetched for me. The father would have been expecting her, so when she did not arrive would he not have been worried and contacted her mother. There is no indication that he is in on the plan so this was a glaring omission in my eyes. Wouldn’t Ella have called from the UK to say she had arrived? Wouldn’t a UK number come up on her mother’s phone?
Another of these situations was when Ella wants to stay with her grandma, “til I figure out what to do.” Yet she claimed to miss her mother so much and hadn’t seen her in a while. Wouldn’t she have wanted to rejoin her mother if this was the case? It would have made more sense to me if she said that she wanted to stay in Abuja until she finished school or because that was where the modelling jobs were. I mean what on earth was she supposed to be figuring out?
Ella when she comes back into Jessie’s life is supposed to be 20 and Jessie supposedly was pregnant when she was barely that age which would make her around 38-40 years old. I wasn’t buying it. I thought they would have fared better if Genevieve was supposed to have had Ella when she was 15/16.
I didn’t think Jessie driving to the slums where Naeto lived and ordering him to drive was very realistic. If the guy was at the point where he had had enough of her snotty attitude then her turning up and giving more of the same and his accepting it did not seem feasible to me. Or did the fact that she came to look for him give him hope that perhaps she felt something for him so he simply obeyed her command clinging onto that hope? D’ya think? Maybe?
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Sound was sometimes poor which made it difficult to comprehend what was going on all the time because the voices were too low at times. Even worse was when the voices were low and then music blasted over the top, because even if you put the volume up, the music on top only got louder too. This music over dialogue happened at a very crucial moment when Naeto was dumping Ella so it was highly disappointing not being able to clearly hear what was being said.
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Notable Scenes
I thought the scene where Ella was caught shoplifting was ridiculous. The woman in the store attempts to convince Ella that the size 10 will fit her, after Ella has emerged from the dressing room and has already stated that the dress is too big for her. The woman tells her, “Its ok, just try it on.” Huh? You saw her just come from the dressing room and she told you it is too big. Why are you saying Its OK? Noo! it is not OK.
A hilarious scene was at Jessie’s surprise birthday party when Naeto’s friends schmooze up to Jenny assuming that she is Ella’s friend. One of them throws her seductive looks while he kisses her hand. When she reveals that she is Ella’s mother her hand is dropped like a hot rock!
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The Confusion
I was confused about the relevance of the first fashion show clip we see. It was inserted randomly between scenes. It does not fit in and seems rather like overkill in the shameless plugging for Zizi Cardow. It would have made sense to save the fashion scenes to fit in for after Ella becomes a model and tie it into that storyline. This was done too but it should have been left solely for that.
During the scene where Muky tried to organise an abortion Jessie is reluctant saying,
“A D and C, at my age? It’s too risky.”
What has age got to do with an abortion? Is it riskier for a 39 year old to have an abortion as opposed to a 18 year old? I don’t think so. In fact according to research teens are up to twice as likely to experience dangerous cervical lacerations during abortion compared to older women, probably because they have smaller cervixes which are more difficult to dilate or grasp with instruments. Teens are also at higher risk for post-abortion infections such as pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) and endometritis because their bodies are more susceptible to infection and they are less likely than older women to follow instructions for medical care. So that statement was not based in any fact at all.
At the end of the movie we get up on the screen 30 MONTHS LATER. I had to laugh. What was that in aid of? Why not say 2 years or 2 ½ years later? Who want to be watching a movie and then doing mental arithmetic at the same time? Additionally who understand the end of this movie because I did not get it. I understood that he chose to be with neither woman but at the same time what was all the business in the car about the bomb?
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I would recommend the movie. It had a quality that felt far superior to the regular Idumota stuff you get and it was enjoyable, despite the flaws highlighted. The magic you get on screen with a Genevieve and Majid pairing is alone enough reason to watch. THUMBS UP.
Categories: Film Reviews · S-T · Watch? Most Definitely!
Tagged: Chelsea Eze, Dami Solomon, Ebele Okaro, Genevieve Nnaji, Ime Bishop Umoh, Isaac David, Majid Michel, Okey Benson, Oladimeji Alimi, Peachman Akputa, Pope Stan Ndu, Tessy Oragwa, Uche Jombo, Vivian Ejike
The Darkest Link
Originally uploaded by NollywoodForever
Darkest Link
Story/ Screenplay – Juliet Chisom Okereke
Director – Ikechukwu Onyeka
Starring:
Mercy Johnson – Lisa
Biola Ige – Emma
Francis Duru – Ray
John Dumelo – Sam
Remy Ohajianya – General Onuoha
Barry Luck Uche – Sam
Pastor Ezenwa – Chief
Mary Uranta – Doctor Margaret
Chinezelu Agnes – Doctor Bill
Blessing Abhulimhem – Ify
Ikechukwu Onyeka – Psychiatrist
Sunny Nwabeke – Eric
Kenneth Kings – Namdi
Hellen Okorocha – Sofia
Uche Agu – Obi
Richard Nwosu – Jake
Themes:
Reincarnation
Mortality
Love
Spirit World
My Rating – 48%
Ray and Lisa are soul mates and on the night of their engagement Ray collapses and has to be hospitalised. He falls into a coma and is told that if he is to live he must have a heart transplant. When it looks like all hope is lost a donor is found. After the transplant it looks like a whole new beginning for the couple and it certainly is as when Ray comes around from the operation he is behaving like an entirely new person and having flashbacks about a life that is not his own.
*************SPOILERS*************
I thought Francis Duru played his role well. My favourite scene of his was when he was fighting with the ghost. You could see the panic and fear expressed in his body and eyes. His breathing pace changed. It was believable and you were pulled into his fear of this ghost.
Biola Ige was ruining this movie for me. If she must be there I say have her not speaking. It was painful. I saw no improvement from the other times I have seen her. Her acting is so basic and unconvincing. She shouts to show anger, over exaggerates emotions and shows nothing in her eyes. She just goes through the emotions and doesn’t immerse herself in the character. Biola is clearly there to be eye candy. Two girls living alone and she comes from her bedroom in sexy nightwear with her cleavage popping out. As if!
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Part 1 is pretty non eventful. There are a lot of draggy scenes. In one scene after we see Emma and Sam arguing the non eventfulness seems to last forever. We hear piano playing and then Sam sitting still for an eternity. I made a phone call. I made a cup of coffee and the dude was still sitting there. Oh the tediousness! Part 1 was a waste of time; it should have been 20 minutes maximum play time. Added to that, there is a lot of kissy kissy between Emma and Sam. Biola and John slobbing all over each other was just gross and not sexy at all!
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I would not recommend this movie because Part 1 was just too much of a chore. It started to get better in Part 2 but then I didn’t have part 3 and I certainly won’t be going to look for it either. The story line was interesting but the execution was just poor. THUMBS DOWN.
Categories: C-D · Film Reviews · Watch? Only if bored
Through The Fire
Originally uploaded by NollywoodForever
Through The Fire ~ 2009
(Continuation called Entanglement)
Story – Uduak Isong Oguamanam
Screenplay – Uduak Isong Oguamanam, Emem ISong, Omoni Oboli
Director – Lancelot Oduwa Imasuen
Starring:
Uche Jombo – Tega
Mercy Johnson – Chidera
Yemi Blaq – Patrick
Omoni Oboli – Gertrude
Kalu Ikeagwu – Pastor
Francis Duru – Deacon Gabriel
Desmond Elliot – Aniete
Ngozi Ezeonu – Gertrude’s mum
Rukky Sanda – Bimbola
Whoba Ogo – Esosa
Lyon Tita – Cathy
Lancelot Oduwa Imasuen – Pastor Osagie
Themes :
Marriage
Spousal Rape
Societal Pressure
Family Pressure
Religion
My Rating – 73%
We see the relationships between three friends as well as their additional romantic relationships. Tega is in a marriage where being beaten and raped by her husband is a regular occurrence. He actually seems to derive pleasure from his horrific acts of violence and verbal abuse. Gertrude is about to wed a man that appears to be the perfect match on paper but that she is not actually in love with. Chidera is desperate to get married but chronically single, and has been so for 3 years. She seems only to be able to attract married men, which her friend Gertrude thinks is inevitable considering her skimpy dress.
**************SPOILERS*************
Family Pressure
Family play a big role in the pressure a woman feels to get married. We see Gertrude’s mum lay the pressure on thick for her to marry Patrick, even though she can sense that her daughter has doubts about the relationship. She tells her,
“Do you remember Mrs Fela’s daughter? She is 37 and not married. Will career produce the cry of a baby?”
Children and family is a big part of African culture hence it being the central theme in many Nollywood movies. I’d love to see a movie where a woman actually stood up and said she didn’t want to have children, and even better where she was married to a man that had no desire to be a father either. Now that would be interesting. No doubt they would have had to have lived abroad for the African audience to be able to relate.
Gertrude tells her mother that she and Patrick “are not ready” to marry and her mother is adamant that that, it is not in a man’s place to be ready, it’s a woman’s place.”
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Religion
Gertrude does not even want to kiss her fiancé Patrick. He says he just wants to hold her and the woman is screaming “blood of Jesus” It seemed to be she was using the whole not wanting to have sex before marriage thing as a crutch to not be close to him at all. Isn’t it funny how she hugged Aniete with ease when she went to go and look at his new place? Religion is used in the movie as well as a justification for staying in a bad marriage. Tega does not want to divorce because of her commitment to following the tenets of Christianity.
Tega is torn and she tells Chidera,
“I know the bible says we can divorce on grounds on sexual immorality. That is why I am confused.”
She is taking the bible to literally to the extent that she is not considering her own welfare and happiness because she cannot find something relating directly to domestic violence and marriage in the bible.
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Rape
Rape is rape Marriage or no marriage. No is no. A woman should always have the right to say no to sex, regardless of whether she has previously had consensual sex with the man or not. Forced intercourse within marriage or a relationship is still rape. In Entanglement the continuation of Through the Fire we see Gertrude going through feelings of immense guilt over her rape. We also see Tega stay with her husband because he is her husband and thereforew she does not see his actions as rape.
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Societal Pressure
Societal pressure is massive especially for a woman of a certain age to get married we see this especially when Chidera confronts Gabriel about promising to marry her. She seems upset that she has been used as a plaything. Honey what did you expect? HE is your friend’s husband? How did you think he would respect you let alone wish to marry you? It is also inconceivable to me that Chidera would even want Gabriel to marry her considering the fact that she KNOWS how he has battered her friend. Is this what pressure can do to a woman? Make her so desperate that she will go to any length so becomes a MRS even if it means betraying loyalties and living a life full of abuse?
We know that she knows the full extent of the abuse because she tells Tega at one point,
“Divorce the bagga! Divorce him before he kills you.”
She is advocating divorce yet quick to jump into bed with the same man.
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Love and Friendship
Was Gertrude wrong for spending so much time with Aniete? Can men and women be platonic friends? Would her behaviour have been appropriate for a married woman? It is clear that Patrick is the wrong guy for her regardless of his credentials. We can see how uncomfortable she is around him in comparison to her comfortableness around Aniete. It is clear to the viewer that Aniete and Gertrude would be the perfect match. In fact it is frustrating watching the two of them get along so well but not come to the realisation that they are made for each other! You can imagine my joy in Entanglement when Aniete declares his love for her. It was beautiful. It was breathtaking. I wanted to cheer… well until Gertrude turns him down. That then turned into wanting to slap her. Nevertheless the right result came about in the end.
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I would recommend this movie. Mercy was fire. She was razz she was flirtatious, she really shone. I thought the cast were well picked and the story flowed. Important issues were raised and explored. However in the continuation Entanglement I was disappointed that we didn’t see Tega, her husband and the pastor again. I also didn’t like the whole HIV storyline and the whole if you believe you can be delivered from HIV aspect. I found this to be quite irresponsible and disturbing. Yes faith can help you thorough moments of darkness, but leaving it to God to cure HIV and not taking any medicines or accepting that you have it? Naaa, not buying it! Despite its flaws it was enjoyable to watch. THUMBS UP!
Categories: Film Reviews · S-T · Watch? Most Definitely!
Tagged: Desmond Elliot, Emem Isong, Francis Duru, Kalu Ikeagwu, Lancelot Oduwa Imasuen, Lyon Tita, Mercy Johnson, Ngozi Ezeonu, Omoni Oboli, Rukky Sanda, Uche Jombo, Uduak Isong Oguamanam, Whoba Ogo, Yemi Blaq
