All I Ever Wanted
Originally uploaded by NollywoodForever
All I Ever Wanted ~ 2009
Story – Ral Nwanko, Amaka Chukwogo
Screenplay – Chinelo Ndigwe (credited Uzoigwe)
Director – Daniel Ademinokan
Starring:
Desmond Elliot – Eddy
Mercy Johnson – Bimye
Uche Ndigwe – Chike
Chinelo Ndigwe – Lara (credited Uzoigwe)
Comfort Bruno – Grace
Sandra Uchemba – Didi
Nkemika Ejikeme – Ral
Chidera Anih – Kachi
Buchi Ndigwe – Amaka
Jenifer Okoli – Adaugo
Chigozi Okoli – Mustapha
Uzoaku Nkwocha – Sister Rose
Themes:
My Rating: 52%
Desmond is the father of three daughters, Kachi (8), Ral (11) and Didi (14). He is raising them singlehandedly since his wife died. He is devoted to them but is so dedicated to his parenting that he leaves no time for dating. His daughters see this and are determined to find a wife for him.
*************SPOILERS*************
One daughter asks Eddy,
“Daddy when are you getting us a new mummy?” It is as if it is a pet rabbit or dog she is talking about.
“Daddy I need a new mummy, “ another says. What kid says that? Your mama dies and you are begging for a new one like it was simply a shoe that got scuffed. I didn’t find the children’s dialogues convincing.
In the earlier scenes the girls are talking about how much they appreciate their father and want to make him happy and then a few scenes later we see them begging for a mother to replace their own. I thought that the story was angled wrongly. It would have made more sense to me if they had focused on the girls wanting to find their father a wife to make him happy, as opposed to make them happy.
We find out more about the girl’s dead mother. We hear that she wasn’t always there for them physically as she was working. Even kids that are abused have love for their parents so are we to believe that because their mother comes home late from work her kids will desecrate her memory in death to be begging for a new mother just like that? I don’t buy it. These are not young young children. They are 8, 11 and 14 and in the clip that we see of them with their mother still alive they did not look too much younger.
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The story really pushes the point that these girls want a mummy to the point of excruciating torture. In one scene one of the girl’s has a nightmare and wakes screaming, “mummy! Mummy! Mummy!” You would have thought that screaming for her dead mother, wanting to be comforted, but when father goes to comfort her, does she say, “Oh I miss my mummy!” Nooooooooo She doesn’t. she tells him, “I need a mummy.” Real feelings and emotions do not work like that. It is if she wants any woman that she can attach the title “mummy” to.
On another occasion we see one of the girls telling her classmate that she wants a new mummy so that she can have a new brother like another girl at school. All the repetition and begging from the girls gets very boring. I tell you I was ready to give up half way through part 1. there is however improvement towards the end of part 1 when we get to see the connection between Mercy and Desmond. They should have cut out half of what they were showing beforehand and got to this part of the movie a lot earlier. There was some very real and beautiful chemistry between Desmond and Mercy, reminiscent of what was seen in Before the Light.
Didi is resentful towards Bimye. She is annoyed that this women has come into their lives and is being referred to as mummy immediately. The movie makes this seem unreasonable. Seriously! Why wouldn’t a 14 year old whose father has just started a new relationship feel peeved that this woman is now being referred to as mummy? However at the same time she not long before she was all for finding a “mummy.
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This movie didn’t ring true to me. I didn’t feel that the emotions showed to us was a depiction or true emotion. It was however to some degree a feel good film and suitable for family viewing. My main problem was with the script and the fakeness of the dialogue. Apart from that it could have worked. The picture and sound were good and I loved the soundtrack. I would recommend it as one to watch with children, but as for me personally I could have done without watching it. Must give kudos to the dance off at the end of the movie where the cast members dance alongside the credits to a jazz version of Timaya’s True Story.
Categories: Film Reviews
Tagged: Amaka Chukwogo, Buchi Ndigwe, Chidera Anih, Chigozie Okolie, Chinelo Ndigwe, Comfort Bruno, Daniel Ademinokan, Desmond Elliot, Jenifer Okoli, Mercy Johnson, Nkemika Ejikeme, Ral Nwanko, Sandra Uchemba, Uche Ndigwe, Uzoaku Nkwocha
November 2, 2009 · 1 Comment
Wild and Dirty
Originally uploaded by NollywoodForever
Wild and Dirty ~ 2009
Story – Stanley Ebonine
Screenplay – Ratu Kadiri
Director – Ifeanyi Ogbonna
Starring:
Tonto Dikeh – Tasha
Ini Edo – Michelle
Halima Abubakar – Ruby
Chigozie Atunaya – Georgean
Chinyere Nwabueze – Mother Nazareth
Ruth Kadiri – Chinelo
Nkiru Odins – Tobi
Stanley Ebonine – Okon
Obah Charles – Chief Nnamdi
Benjamin Ernesto – Tochukwu
Tina Ebem – Sandra
Dozie Mendoza – Chief Anderson
Fred Peters – Alhaji Osman
Senator Darlington – Chief Badmus
Benjamin Ukeano – Alhaji Hassan
Tissy Nwachi – Georgean’s gateman
Bade Joko – Taxi driver
Richard Amaechi – Fast food joint manager
My Rating – 68%
Tasha, Michelle and Ruby are three girls working in a fast food joint. They have dreams and aspirations of big things but not the means to achieve them on their measly 500 Naira a month wages. All three are on the cusp of being fired because of Ruby’s incessant singing, Tasha’s bad attitude towards men and Michelle’s never ending yapping on the telephone whilst on duty. One day a wealthy looking woman waltzes into their shop and offers them a “business proposal,” that allows them to escape the drudgery that has become their lives. The question is can they handle what is on offer?
TO BE CONTINUED
Categories: Film Reviews
Tagged: Bade Joko, Benjamin Ernesto, Benjamin Ukeano, Chigozie Atunaya, Chinyere Nwabueze, Dozie Mendoza, Fred Peters, Halima Abubakar, Ifeanyi Ogbonna, Ini Edo, Nkiru Odins, Obah Charles, Ratu Kadiri, Richard Amaechi, Ruth Kadiri, Senator Darlington, Stanley Ebonine, Tina Ebem, Tissy Nwachi, Tonto Dikeh
Be Not Afraid
Originally uploaded by NollywoodForever
Be Not Afraid ~ 2009
Story, Screenplay and Direction – Tchidi Chikere
Starring:
Ali Nuhu – Terry
Tchidi Chikere – Malik
Rita Dominic – Issae
Pat Attah – Billy
Orji Gospel – DPO1
Gaddiel Onwudiwe – DPO 2
Chigozie Okolie – Officer Robert
Junior Pope Nwodu – Gogo
Irentia Nneka Eze – Bemi
Makati Nonwanus – Bishop
Ijeoma Azuka – John
Voke Stever – Nurse Mary
Pah Ogah – Irene
Mary Igwe – Ingrid
David Aginwa – Titus
Ifunanya Nwuobuike – Desree
Chinonso Ogbuka – Miran
Frank Nwabuoke – Taxi Driver
Blessing Ekechukwu – Gogo Girlfriend
Themes:
Abandonment
Abduction
Single Motherhood
Forgiveness
Grief
Death
My Rating – 67%
Malik is part of a carjacking cartel. One day he spots a pretty young woman driving a slick new jeep. She leaves the car and enters a grocery store at which time Malik jacks the vehicle and takes it back to his boss’ base only to discover on opening the back doors that there is a baby boy lying on the back seat. After the initial panic subsides it is decided by the cartel that the baby will be returned to the mother, but first they need to enquire as to where the mother lives. Rita is distraught at being separated from her son and thinks constantly only of where he is and how he is. In the meantime Malik becomes protective over and attached to the baby boy.
Fate is to keep mother and son apart for longer than the gang reckoned as when Malik goes to return the child the area is teeming with police and so they abandon the mission with the intent of returning the boy another day. That day never comes as the baby dies in Malik’s hands despite his best efforts to keep him alive.
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Malik befriends Rita and after gaining her trust they become close. He soon breaks the news to her that he is the one that abducted her son. Can you imagine after she breaks down he tells her,
“Don’t make me cry. I want to talk.” Um what did you really expect?
He then makes a call,
“Hello is that 999. I need you to arrest me.” I didn’t know that Nigeria use 999. Do they?
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The dead baby scene is ridiculous. The baby is supposedly wrapped in cloth but the lump that they come up with is not even baby shaped! Why did they not just wrap a doll up if a real baby could not be used?
Malik’s lines were so corny. When he comes across Issae sitting outside he goes up to her and says,
“Never before have I seen a lady sitting how you are sitting… head bowed and tears squeezing out of your eyes.”
There are not even tears coming out of Issae’s eyes and the guy is just there yarning rubbish.
Another corny line,
“My heart reaches out to you with heartfelt pity.”
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This lace front syndrome is hitting Nollywood hard and I for one am not loving it at all. Love Rita bad but do not love all the baby hair all in the edges of the lacefront all long, wispy and flyaway. It really does not look good and as far as I’m concerned if you are over the age of 5 or your name ain’t Chilli from TLC then there is no need for all the baby hairs. I just hope this lacefront obsession is fleeting.
At the end of part 1 Tchidi does the epilogue thing like he did in Friends in Love (Used People) and Beautiful Soul. This is despite there being a part 2. What is up with that? It looks kinda shoddy. He then had another epilogue at the end of part 2. Is it that it was going to be one part and he changes his mind? If anybody knows why holla!
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I loved the story but Tchidi is getting above himself casting himself as the lead role. With Ali, Tchidi and Pat replaced this movie could have been soooo much better. That in itself knocked off a good few percentage points. When will he realise that acting is not his forte? I suggest that he goes to rendezvous with his pal Van in New York and hit up those acting classes and just maybe then after extensive training we will be able to say good things. This is a must if he insists on continuing to be in front of the camera.
Ali Nuhu too I wasn’t really feeling. He was badly cast in the role of an auto theft cartel Kingpin. In my opinion he came across too young and too soft for the role. How would hardened career criminals listen to a soft boy like that? His character didn’t have enough balls and even when Ali was trying to act “hard” it was laughable and not convincing. This guy is not ready for challenging roles.
Pat Attah is back. Still stiff, still wooden, and still easy on the eye but with considerably less hair than when we last saw him.
Rita was the standout performance in this. The church scene in particular sticks out in my mind. You could see her being physically drained by the emotions that she was playing out in asking god to provide a crutch for her to carry her through her grief. She wailed, she cried, she made sobbing guttural noises and in doing so she made you believe that she was Issae the young mother shoes son had just been snatched away from her.
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I would recommend the movie. Overall it was a good watch. Watch if only for Rita’s performance which was excellent. The story was original and did not falter. There was a good message in it all and summed up by Rita’s character Issae at the end of the movie when she says, “everyone has a story,” which is to say that what is surface can be deceptive. People should be judged on an individual basis because despite what anyone has done you do not know the story behind it and indeed everyone has a story. The whole thing was just ruined a little by bad casting and some corny dialogue.
Categories: A-B · Film Reviews
Tagged: Ali Nuhu, Blessing Ekechukwu, Chigozie Okolie, Chinonso Ogbaka, David Aginwa, Frank Nwabuoke, Gaddiel Onwudiwe, Gospel Orji, Ifunanya Nwuobuike, Ijeoma Azuka, Irenila Nneka Eze, Junior Pope, Makati Nonwanus, Mary Igwe, Pah Ogah, Pat Attah, Rita Dominic, Tchidi Chikere, Voke Stever
September 25, 2009 · 9 Comments
Sexy Girls
Originally uploaded by NollywoodForever
Sexy Girls
Story, Screenplay, Director – Rahim Caz Chidiebere
Starring:
Uche Ogbodo
Mercy Johnson
Nonso Diobi
Chinelo Oloh
Benita Akpofe
Uju Aroh
Themes:
Lesbianism
Campus Life
My Rating: 3%
Movie starts with Uche Ogbodo approaching a chick called on campus to be her lover. She tells her,
“I been searching for a girlfriend.”
From nowhere a dude steps in to save the girl in question. With a deadpan expression and voice he says,
“No all you need is a man and not a girl.”
Already I can see the movie is a big flop but I decide to persevere a little longer. The next scene is Uche and her friends in a restaurant beating up a guy who is just as expressionless and deadpan as the first guy.
It is in the next scene in the movie that I give up altogether. We see two girls asleep in a bed at night. One of them reaches over and touches her roommates breast. Oh how pathetic. The whole scene was pathetic. The girl who was doing the touching did not look like she wanted to touch any breast, the girl who was getting touched was just as useless and actress. What a stupid useless movie and concept.
It must be said that Uche Ogbodo needs to find some clothes that fit her. Just because Eucharia Anunobi wears clothes that are too small and people love her it doesn’t mean that you should do the same. She at least has some talent. This is the second time that I am seeing Uche wearing some clothes that are too small since she has put on weight. Baby girl, accept the fact that the weight is there and get some new clothes!!!
It seems like Mercy and Nonso no longer respect themselves. What on earth would make a heavyweight like Mercy even get involved in this trash is beyond me. The others can be forgiven because they are up and coming and would ruin any movie that had any hope. This movie was seriously bad… So So bad. I think I got through about 15 minutes. It is not watchable. DO NOT even do it to yourself, but if you do please make sure to come by and tell me so I can tell you… I TOLD YOU SO!!!
Categories: Film Reviews · S-T
Tagged: Benita Akpofe, Chinelo Oloh, Mercy Johnson, Nonso Diobi, Rahim Caz Chidiebere, Uche Ogbodo, Uju Aroh
September 23, 2009 · 2 Comments
Honest Deceiver
Originally uploaded by NollywoodForever
Honest Deceiver ~ 2009
Story – Fatima Zanna
Screenplay – Wonder Obinna Obasi
Director – Andy Chukwu
Starring:
Ini Edo – Diana
Justus Esiri – Denis
Benedict Johnson – Flobert
Ali Nuhu – Damian
Fatima Zanna – Eva
Steve Eboh – Senator
Tony Ezimadu – Chief Williams
Kingsley Precious – Raymond
Maureen Ihua – Maira
Ngozi Duru – Annabel
Veronica Dafe – Doctor
Lilian Ume – Sophie
Sylvia Oluchi – Lara
Esther Okereke – Regina
Marcus Pilla – Nico
Inno Nwafor – Smack
Andy Chukwu – Oscar
Oge Madu – Court Clerk
Chinonso Ogbuka – Rose
Themes Explored:
Mental Illness
Marriage of Convenience
Domestic Violence
Politics
Family Secrets
Money Rituals
My Rating – 50%
Diana is in a long term relationship with Flobert. Her relationship is being threatened by her parents who want her to marry Chief Williams’ son Damian in order to aid her father in realising his political ambitions. They will not accept Flobert, deeming him a “pauper” and below their social standing and this is despite the fact that he helped put both Diana and her sister through school. Eventually Diana is persuaded to accept Damian’s proposal and wedding arrangements are made. At the same time Flobert discovers a secret about Damian that could have a devastating effect on Diana’s future. Flobert tries to tell Diana the secret about Damian but she refuses to listen, misreading his intentions. However it is not long after marriage that she discovers the secret for herself, and slowly throughout the plot other secrets emerge.
Senator Macauley’s political ambitions are under threat by the appearance of someone from his past that he would have rather forgotten. He now has to make the decision between his son’s future happiness versus his political future.
*************SPOILERS*************
We are shown how money and greed can ruin relationships. Before Diana’s family came into money they were accepting of Damian, especially because at that time they needed him. In the same way Flobert’s friend was formerly good friends with Damian before Damian’s family came into money and resulted in the end of that relationship. We can see that conditions are temporary and the same way that one acquires money is the same way that one can lose money. Relationships should be based on personal qualities and characteristics, not superficial material things. Both of the sister’s marriages were arranged by their gather for greedy ulterior motives, and we see the grief that is caused in the process.
In Diana’s time of need it is her friends that the family looked down upon that are sitting by her hospital bedside giving support after she has been battered by the crazy man that her parent’s set her up with simply because of his father’s positioning in the society. We can see how money is not important in the grand scheme of things. It cannot buy sanity or happiness. What good is marrying a rich man whose family are connected when he is crazy and batters you? Can you enjoy money and status when you are lying in a coffin?
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Damian’s secret is his mental illness. In my opinion it was badly portrayed (what’s new right?) He was made into some sort of Jekyll and Hyde sort of character. He supposedly went for treatment in London. The treatment is supposed to have worked so why is his behaviour still off? Is he still supposed to be on medication or what? It is unbelievable that NO symptoms whatsoever are displayed before the marriage but then immediately afterwards his madness is full throttle. As I have said before RESEARCH IS VITAL. If he was treated in London why is there no name for his condition apart from “madness.” It doesn’t take much to google schizophrenia or bi-polar and make the symptoms fit.
The whole wedding set up was hella confusing! Maucauley says that his own son is supposed to marry Eva, Diana’s sister and because he is being blackmailed by his wife’s long lost son Oscar, he agrees to pretend to be Oscar’s father in order for Ocar to wed Eva and prevent any scandal. I found it weird that Eva’s parents did not look shocked to see another guy being brought to them. Are we supposed to believe that neither Eva or her parents or sister had never even met or seen a picture of the guy that she had planned to marry? NONSENSE! Raymond presents himself at Eva’s parents house after the wedding and they look shocked when he announces his name. Hold up! I don’t remember Oscar pretending his name was Raymond so why the shock?
After Oscar locks up Eva in a hotel room after their marriage he tells her the truth behind the situation, and tells her,
“I did it because I love you so much.” HUH? How? They apparently haven’t ever met so how does he figure he loves her? Then at the end of the movie we see Raymond enter the picture and come to claim Eva. Raymond has come with a gun and ready to kill for his “wife.” This is superstoooooopid. She apparently has never met either of them and they are both going postal over her. During the confrontation Oscar asks Eva who she wants to spend the rest of her life with. Hmmm… Great choices, which one should she choose, a kidnapper or a potential killer?
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In the end we learn that Damian’s father used his brains for money rituals and this is what caused the madness. I thought it was a ridiculous ending. I find that Charm/rituals always used as a cop out to explain someone’s behaviour. If Damian’s father had in fact used his brains for money rituals as is claimed, then why was he sent to London for treatment? Why are we told that the treatment worked? How can the treatment have worked if he wasn’t really mentally ill? After the children in the movie being sacrificed by their parents for their own selfish gains it was nice that it ended with everybody with someone that they actually wanted to be with and their parents accepting of the choices made. Ali Nuhu is popping up everywhere and is stiff like cardboard, as is Fatima Zanna. Her acting was patchy as was her story; both needed a lot of work. Kingsley Precious is swaggalicious and a nice piece of eye candy. On the whole I found the movie a little too far fetched for my liking and there were too many holes in the story. If the execution was better it could have been a really good movie, but the execution was weak. I’m indifferent about recommending this. You decide!
Categories: Film Reviews · G-H
Tagged: Ali Nuhu, Andy Chukwu, Benedict Johnson, Chinonso Ogbaka, Esther Okereke, Fatima Zanna, Ini Edo, Inno Nwafor, Justus Esiri, Kingsley Precious, Lilian Ume, Marcus Pilla, Maureen Ihua, Ngozi Duru, Oge Madu, Steve Eboh, Sylvia Oluchi, Tony Ezimadu, Veronica Dafe, Wonder Obinna Obasi
Empty Coffin
Originally uploaded by NollywoodForever
Empty Coffin ~ 2009
Story – Nkechi Emeodi, Terry Emeka Emeodi
Screenplay – Nkechi Emeodi
Director – Emeka Hill Umeasor
Starring:
Ufoma Ejenobor – Lilian
Emeka Ike – Okwudili
Zack Orji – Mr Stevens
Vincent Opurum – Samuel
Princewill Walter – Shasha
Queen Blessing Ebigiason – Elizabeth
Fred Peters – Inspector Akpan
Nkechi Emeodi – Ekaete
Peace Ameh – Model
Themes:
Arranged Marriage
Death
Mortality
Passion
My Rating – 78%
Lilian has been recently been widowed. Her husband committed suicide because he could not face the debt that he had accrued. Her family too are in debt and so arrange for her to marry a Mr Stevens, a rich widower who has promised to expunge their debts.
She arrives at his home only to realise that her new husband is still pining over his dead wife. He has even kept time still from the moment that she died by removing the batteries in all the clocks in the house.
Trapped in a loveless and uncommunicative marriage Lilian strikes up a friendship with a servant Okwudili. They bond over a love and appreciation for art. Together they discover a secret that Mr Steven’s is hiding, a secret more deadly that they could have ever imagined.
*************SPOILERS*************
The movie starts with credits rolling, white writing on a black background. It is a dramatic and impressive start. We hear soft piano music with some striking chords playing and over it we hear Lilian narrating the story of her husband’s death. We learn that she caved into the pressure to remarry to save her family from the humiliation of financial ruin. In her monologue she says,
“I was sent to join this man Mr Steven’s at his home somewhere far. I knew that he had lost his wife… This was all I knew. I didn’t even have a picture.”
Halfway through the monologue we see Lilian in a car being driven to meet her new husband. The driver dumps her outside the gate of the house. The driver has been told to drop her off at a certain spot and not go any further. This tells us that there is something very odd about this Steven’s fellow.
Stevens is very stiff in his interaction with his new wife. He is uncommunicative and replies to her questions in the shortest way possible. The first strong inkling that something is really wrong is when he tells her about the room at the top of the house that is always locked and that no one can enter. She is his wife but he will not give any explanation as to why this is.
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The beauty in Ufoma’s performance were the small subtleties like the raise of an eyebrow that can be so easily missed with the blink of an eye. The use of the piano soundtrack ties in nicely with Mr Stevens’s passion for the piano. The music is used effectively to heighten tension and emotion
Lilian writes in her diary,
“I have everything at my beck and call but I want more… I am a woman I want to love and be loved.”
Lilian releases her feelings with pen and paper while Stevens does the same through music meanwhile they live in virtual silence. Lilian is so unhappy that she contemplates running away.
I felt that there wasn’t always clear direction in Ufoma’s performance. As much as I love her and think that she is an excellent actress, at times she was overdoing the come hither-ness a little. There is a scene where Okwudili and Lilian were painting together and there was way too much going on with the lip biting and gyrating in the seat. It was not in line with Lillian’s character as in scenes afterward she is more subtle and coy, so there was a feeling of inconsistency with her character’s behaviour. I had the feeling that perhaps the director had told her she wasn’t being sexy enough and to turn it up a notch.
I found the coy subtleness she displayed at times to be far sexier than the gyrating and Ini-isms. One does not need to start wriggling around like an uncontrollable nympho for the viewer to get the point that you are attracted to a guy. I thought that it was meant to be a sweet romantic love about two people falling in love with art as the backdrop, but all the posturing they had her doing cheapened the story. I say – either it is a sweet and romantic story or it’s a lust driven tale of passion. Choose one. You of course can have both, with one turning into the other, but at this point they hadn’t even kissed yet so it didn’t fit.
Zack Orji plays the silent brooder come savage attacker excellently. We see his anger bubbling beneath the surface to the point where at the end of part 1 he launches a violent attack on Lilian.
I liked this role for Emeka. He was not playing the seducer so he was not doing too much eye rolling or lip licking which was great. He had a role to play and he did it well. This is what you call good casting. Servant YES. Lover Boy NO.
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Elizabeth is Steven’s ex wife. The way in which the servants rave about Elizabeth’s beauty you would have thought that in the movie her weave would have been fixed up and a less gaudy/ more classy dress put on her so what we the viewer sees matches the image that those in the movie have of her. We see Elizabeth and she is just OK. She does not even have any charisma or charm that we can see to understand why everybody is so taken with her.
Why when Elizabeth was caught having sex with the servant by Stevens did she still continue? She didn’t even look that upset at being caught. Was it a relief being caught or was it the case that she was so carried away that she just physically could not stop?
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When Stevens find out that his new wife is having an affair with AND planned to kill him with his servant Okwudili why doesn’t he sack him? Is it that he does not really care about the affair because his mind is preoccupied? Is it that he actually realises that he is being unfair towards Lillian and is actually happy that she has found joy with Okwudili but has to pretend that not to be the case? Or is he having Déjà Vu and not wanting a repetition of events past? He barely interacts with his wife and they sleep in separate rooms so why did he agree to marry her in the first place? Was it just to stop people from talking?
The scene where Okwudili and Lilian are about to enter the room that is always locked is really thrilling to watch as a viewer. By the time they enter the room you will be on the edge of your seat, anxious to know exactly what hides behind the door that Stevens will not allow anyone open. Behind the door they find Elizabeth’s body. The black and white effect that they enforced when shooting the body kind of took away from the realism. Were they trying to make the body look embalmed or what? I wonder?
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I would recommend this movie. It was an original story and the plot was well paced with small revelations at every step of the way which made the plot tighter for when the final revelation is made. Excellent use of a title, which makes sense at the end when we discover that Elizabeth’s coffin is empty, having never been buried. It has to be said that the ending was very rushed which was disappointing; nevertheless it was a very good effort at bringing something fresh to Nollywood.
Categories: E-F · Film Reviews
Tagged: Emeka Hill Umeasor, Emeka Ike, Fred Peters, Nkechi Emeodi, Peace Ameh, Princewill Walter, Queen Blessing Ebigiason, Terry Emeka Emeodi, Ufoma Ejenobor, Vincent Opurum, Zack Orji
September 21, 2009 · 8 Comments
Friends In Love
Originally uploaded by NollywoodForever
Friends in Love ~ 2009
Story, Screenplay and Direction – Tchidi Chikere
Starring:
Majid Michel – Chike
Tonto Dikeh – Debby
Uru Eke – Bella
Ejine Okoroafor – Bianca
Irenila Nneka Eze – Susan
Sylvan Ugwumadu – Receptionist
Jerry Okpar – Ismeal
Kingsley Godwin – Susan’s Boyfriend
Themes Explored:
Jealousy
Bitterness
Forgiveness
Love
Trust
My Rating – 43%
Having been recently proposed to by her boyfriend Chike, Debby is having doubts. She feels that the relationship has developed too quickly and that she does not know him well enough to accept the proposal. Anxious to make sure that she is making the right decision she enlists the help of a friend Bella to act as a honey trap. Bella is bitter having been hurt by men and is more than happy to assist Debby in her mission. She is convinced that she will catch Debby’s intended husband cheating on the first day and so is wholly surprised when she discovers that he is clean living and loyal. Almost disbelieving that such a man can exist she decides that he is too good to let another woman have. Debby calls Bella for an update with regards to the surveillance operation and is told,
“Your boyfriend is worst than a dog.”
She has decided that she wants him for herself and so the chase begins.
*************SPOILERS*************
Bella uses her cousin Bianca to set up Debby into thinking that Chike is cheating on her (or like Tonto says, “chiting.”) Her plan backfires and very soon he gets it into his head that Bianca is his soul mate and it is fate that keeps making them cross paths. Rather than fall for Bella he falls for Bianca and begins to use Bella as a sounding board, much to her frustration.
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The girl who introduces Bella and Debby is a useless actress. Tip: If you must have someone that useless, either out of pity, nepotism or free labour you should at least give them a role where they do not need to speak. On failing that you should not put them in the first few scenes because it can put people off.
I must mention Tonto’s face. It is getting lighter and brighter. She is now around Majid’s colour. She is no longer lightskinned she has transformed into bleachskinned glow in the dark. I could not stop staring in amazement, she also had in some light eye colour contact lenses and her eyes were looking itchy. She would not have looked out of place in a horror film. All I have to say to that is… take a look at Uche Uwuji and mind yaself. It is not a good look at all!
Acting wise I normally love Tonto’s performances. Here I must say I was not feeling her at all. It didn’t seem like she gave herself to the character. She was just reading lines and overdoing it at the same time. Uru Eke too, major disappointment. Majid Michel was just OK, nothing special. I have to blame it on the direction because I know all of them can and normally do, do better.
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The story in itself was not bad but the execution was terrible. There were too many unnecessary scenes. Cars driving, gates being opened and closed, watching Majid do fellowship and a friends house, Walking in the park, hugging (for a good 5 minutes WTF?) just nothingness with music over the top. It was never ending and booooring. Editing was rubbish. At the end of part 2 there is the static like a phone is going to ring… TWICE. Why didn’t they reshoot or edit it out? This is not the sort of quality I would expect from a Tchidi movie.
We get an epilogue at the end of part 1 saying, “It was later discovered that Bella was one behind the set up. She was disgraced and rejected by all her friends.” How can you have an epilogue when you have a part 2 that goes on to show the rest of the story. Tchidi did this in Beautiful Soul too. Part 2 was slightly more interesting but only by a small margin. There was a good build up of dramatic tension just before the confrontation between Bianca, Chike and Bella. I was wondering why Bella confessed, it seemed out of place because she did not appear to be truly sorry, neither did she have a next plan up her sleeve and they were not good friends so I wondered what the point of that was.
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I would not recommend this movie. When you counter in the fact that this is a Tchidi movie AND starring heavyweights like Majid and Uru Eke (Widow’s Men), it is even more sorrily disappointing how bad it is. Part one is 55 minutes and part 2 is 45 minutes, add into that a lot of filler and few years ago this would have been less than a one part film. The dialogue was basic and uninteresting and despite having a great cast the performances fell flat. Thumbs down!
Categories: E-F · Film Reviews
Tagged: Ejine Okoroafor, Irenila Nneka Eze, Jerry Okpar, Kingsley Godwin, Majid Michel, Sylvan Ugwumadu, Tchidi Chikere, Tonto Dikeh, Uru Eke
September 21, 2009 · 7 Comments
The Celebrity
Originally uploaded by NollywoodForever
The Celebrity ~2009
Story – Sylvester Obadige
Screenplay – Uche Jombo
Director – Lancelot Oduwa Imasuen
Starring:
Mike Ezuruonye – Wonderboy Dikeh
Omotola Jalade Ekeinde – Jess
Uche Jombo – Uneka
Ini Edo – Gift
Desmond Elliot – Ike
Themes Explored:
Peer Pressure
The Cult of Celebrity
Relationships
Family Issues
My Rating – 74%
We are privy to the private lives behind very public figures. Jess, Uneka and Ini are best friends who are all having issues with their romantic relationships.
Jess is a TV Personality. On her talk show she gives relationship advice but her own relationship is falling apart She manages to keep this information to herself not even her closest friends believe her relationship with Ike a music producer is rock solid. She maintains this facade by not airing her relationship issues and gossiping about her problems the way that her girlfriends do.
Gift dreams of a big wedding but her boyfriend is non committal and jobless. He claims to be in “business” but is always broke and encourages her to steal form her company to fund him. She has stolen one lot of money and he requests for her to steal more despite the fact that she has not yet paid back the last money she stole.
Uneka is a solicitor dating one of her clients a womanising footballer nicknamed “Wonderboy.” She suffers from low self esteem. Afraid that her boyfriend will leave her for a skinny girl she spends her days in the gym convinced that this will make him stay with her.
*************SPOILERS*************
Family Pressure
Uneka is under pressure from her family to get married. Her mother tells her, about her relationship with Wonderboy,
“You are running around town with that small boy that has not paid your bride price.”
Both Gift and Uneka have younger sisters with their own issues that in turn affect them. Gift’s sister Yemisi is in school and pregnant for a boy that wants nothing to do with her. Uneka’s sister has had a child and abandoned by the man that she had the child for, who fled to Switzerland to live with an oyinbo woman.
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The movie is called The Celebrity, but not all of the couples include celebrities. Both Gift and her boyfriend are non celebrities, but it would have probably been better and made more thematic sense for at least one of them to be in the public eye.
I didn’t even realise that Wonderboy was supposed to be a footballer until half way through the movie, neither did I realise that Uneka was supposed to be his lawyer and that the relationship is supposed to be a secret from the press. This should have been made apparent much earlier.
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Mike’s swagger is superb (Emeka Ike take note!) and he steals the show with his flawless lyricsing in pidgin. He fully immersed himself in the role and played the character perfectly. He has some wickedly funny lines. In one scene he gets caught by Uneka in a hotel room with 3 girls. After she catches him and runs out of the room in disgust he turns to the girls and announces,
“Mess up – well what has happened has happened so let’s finish now,” before diving underneath the duvet.
In another scene close to the end of the movie where Uneka is chastising him in front of Jess he tells her,
“Baby, cool down now. Stop increasing temperature in front of foreigner”
Ini is doing her usual lip licking and squinting. I guess that is her version of “sexy.” I must admit that despite this she had some great emotionally dramatic scenes. We see her go to rescue her sister from having an abortion. You could really feel her combined love and anger, likewise we see her at the hospital again after her sister’s suicide… different emotions but just as powerful.
Omotola was looking radiant. The make up and braids were on point. Her character “owns” Desmond’s at the end of the movie. Even though she wasn’t a particularly likeable character I did enjoy the showdown and almost felt like standing up and giving her a round of applause. She tells him,
“When I’m finished with you, you will pack your things and return to the village to sell chewing gums.”
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The movie ends with the women feeling empowered, after feeling powerless for so long. It was a good way to end. I’d recommend this movie, it was well paced, funny and bought up issues that everybody and anybody can relate to.
Categories: C-D · Film Reviews
Tagged: Desmond Elliot, Ini Edo, Lancelot Oduwa Imasuen, Mike Ezuruonye, Omotola Jalade Ekeinde, Sylvester Obadige, Uche Jombo
September 18, 2009 · 4 Comments
Moment of Truth
Originally uploaded by NollywoodForever
Moment of Truth ~ 2005
Story – Uju Onwuachu
Screenplay – Chuks Obiorah
Director – Lancelot Oduwa Imasuen
Starring:
Mike Ezuruonye – Frank
Benedict Johnson – Collins
Chioma Chukwuka – Evelyn
Georgina Onuoha – Kate
Obiageli Molobe – Grace
Fred Aseroma – Philip
Charles Okocha – Paul
Gloria Mba – Ann
Susan Peters – Gladys
George Davidson – Neighbour
Goddy Ezenwa – Landlord
Themes Explored:
Poverty
Domestic Violence
Possessiveness
My Rating – 71%
Evelyn sells bread on the roadside. One day she gets talking to a guy who is one of her regular customers and amazes him with the brilliance of her knowledge. When he finds out that she has dropped out of school and taking JAMB due to financial difficulties it bothers him deeply. It is one day when he comes across the family being evicted by their landlord for non payment of rent that he takes action. He shoulders their burdens by finding them a new place to stay, putting Evelyn’s brother in business and claiming financial responsibility for her schooling. This man seems too good to be true, and slowly find out that he really is too good to be true.
*************SPOILERS*************
The relationship between Evelyn and Frank very soon turns from a platonic one into a romantic one. We see another side to him. He turns form a sweet caring man into a controlling and abusive monster.
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I thought that the transition in Frank’s character was too sudden and unexpected. We should have been given more of a hint towards his abusive and violent nature earlier on in the movie for the situation to be believable.
Evelyn’s mother is an enabler encouraging his behaviour by always apologising for her behaviour even when she has done nothing wrong. We can see how poverty can mar even the strongest relationships. Evelyn’s mother clearly loves her but it is the fear of going back to poverty that pushes her to behave in the way that she does.
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Watching this movie I can see how much Mike Ezuruonye has improved. In this movie his acting is more than adequate but he is overacting a tad too much and bouncing around all the time like a kangaroo.
At the end of the movie Evelyn meets Philip who offer her, a woman he has barely spoken to the offer to relocate to the US, along with her mother and brother and pay for it all… YEAH RIGHT!!! How unrealistic. The ending felt a bit rushed. We see Frank face his moment of truth in losing Evelyn. It is then that he goes on the charm offensive, an accurate depiction of the cycle of domestic violence.
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The movie was unoriginal but yet highly watchable with some good performances. I would recommend it. We see how poverty and the chance to escape it can make people withstand abuse they ordinarily never would.
Categories: Film Reviews · M-N
Tagged: Benedict Johnson, Ceorgine Onuoha, Charles Okocha, Chioma Chukwuka, Chuks Obiorah, Fred Aseroma, George Davidson, Gloria Mba, Goddy Ezenwa, Lancelot Oduwa Imasuen, Mike Ezuruonye, Obiageli Molobe, Susan Peters, Uju Onwuachu
September 18, 2009 · 9 Comments
Before The Light
Originally uploaded by NollywoodForever
Before The Light ~2009
Story – Kehinde Olurunyomui, Desmond Elliot
Screenplay – Kehinde Olurunyomi
Additional Screenplay – Omoni Oboli, Linc Edochie
Director – Ikechukwu Onyeka
Starring:
Ini Edo – Timi
Mercy Johnson – Tamuno
Desmond Elliot – Harold
Eric Arubayi – Patrick
Richard Mofe Damijo
Zainab Ademola
Themes:
Mortality
Forgiveness
Terminal Illness
Step-Families
My Rating – 70%
Timi and Harold have been married for 4 years and are parents to a little boy called David. David, however is not Timi’s biological son, although she has been raising him as such. The relationship becomes rocky when David’s real mother returns to Nigeria from the US after being diagnosed with cancer. Harold’s daily visits to the hospital become a source of discord within the relationship, and Timi feeling insecure in the relationship turns elsewhere.
*************SPOILERS*************
Mercy was excellent playing the cancer patient. She really looked like she had taken a battering, like she really had gone through chemotherapy, shaved head and all. Some actresses like to add glamour when the role does not call for it (Can we say Vivky Zugah playing a lowly maid and rocking the false lashes?), but I’m pleased to say that Mercy played her role perfectly. The most emotionally touching scenes were her crying scenes. She really showed her versatility because we all know that Mercy is able to cry buckets on the spot. The crying here was those understated, corner of the eye tears, and were even more powerful than if she had been crying buckets.
Wow!!! Patrick’s (played by Eric Arubayi) teeth were three quarters gum, like a little bit of tooth was poking through a never ending mass of gum. Did anybody else notice that?
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Tamuno and Harold’s relationship did not end because the love died but rather because Harold loved her enough to let her to to pursue her dreams of becoming a pilot in the USA. You can see this in the way that he speaks so fondly and highly of her. The chemistry between Mercy and Desmond emanated strongly every time they were on screen together.
The timeline was a bit off kilter I thought. We see that Timi has a baby with Patrick but it seemed like she had just moved in. Where did all that time go? I thought Timi referring to the child she had raised as “that boy” was a little unbelievable. This was a child that knew no other mother. So was she acting the whole time when pretending to care about the child, or were they just words of anger designed to hurt Harold?
I didn’t like the way that the pastor told Harold to get back with his wife with no reasoning behind it or exploring the fact that she has a kid with someone else. He does not even try to convince him that his wife is sorry for her behaviour… Nothing! What kind of pastor is that? He tells him,
“Just let her move back and let God to the rest.”
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The movie started off really well but then towards the very end it started getting a bit boring as there were too many irrelevant church scenes. The church scenes were way too long and too much music and non dialogue scenes where there characters are thinking. We don’t wanna see that!!! For all those wanting to catch RMD, he isn’t actually in it much, no matter how big his face his face is on the cover. Nevertheless I would recommend it. I liked the storyline and it is worth watching just to see Mercy’s performance.
Categories: A-B · Film Reviews
Tagged: Desmond Elliot, Eric Arubayi, Ikechukwu Onyeka, Ini Edo, Kehinde Olurunyomi, Linc Edochie, Mercy Johnson, Omoni Oboli, Richard Mofe Damijo, Zainab Ademola
September 18, 2009 · 5 Comments
Koko Babes
Originally uploaded by NollywoodForever
Koko Babes ~ 2009
Story – Mac Collins Chidebe (Mr China)
Screenplay – Nkem Alu
Director – Mac Collins Chidebe
Starring:
Emeka Ike – Dj Koko
Adaora Ukoh – Titi
Uche Jombo – Esther
Uche Elendu – Princess
Emeka Enyiocha – Foster
Queen Nwokoye – Halima
Ogochukwu Anwuruebo – Ify
Chiendu Chukwu-Njoku – Elena
Vera Nwoha – Janny
Umez Connack – Musa
Emeka Okalibe – Bako
Dayan Nzereogu – Doctor
Ngozi A Nwaosu – Matron
Azi Eboh – Ege
Mac-Collins Chidebe – Mike
Themes Explored:
Fraud (419)
Infatuation
Jealousy
Karma
My Rating – 62%
This movie was a little bit like an amalgamation of Girls Cot and Boys Cot. This is a story about four girls living together in the city, three of them are getting by doing some sort of illegal activity. Only one of them, Halima played by Queen Nwokoye is on the straight and narrow working as a banker. The other girls try to keen to get her involved in their runs” and are constantly trying to persuade her to use her position in the bank to aid them with their fraudulent activities. Titi is the main instigator pleading with her,
“Halima I have told you times without number; come and kokorise with us.”
Besides doing runs the other thing the girls have in common in their love for DJ Koko. He is the hottest DJ in town and they all love his music. Princess is the most obsessed with him. She loves him beyond the music and has created a fantasy life between her and DJ which she relays to the other girls. She is willing to do anything to make DJ Koko hers, but the question is how far will she go?
*************SPOILERS**************
The thing that I loved the most in this movie was the easy and comfortable interaction and gisting in pidgin between the girls. The dialogue was sharp. Adaora’s character was the funniest. In one scene she is praying and says,
“Lord teach me how to take my destiny by force… It is time to shine in the kingdom of Yahoo. Thank you Lord. Amen.”
Nkem Alu did a good job with the script until the introduction of DJ Koko’s character played by Emeka Ike. I would like to know why whoever is casting in these movies keep giving Emeka Ike lover boy roles? I mean have they seen his past lover boy depictions and thought, mehn this guy can make the ladies swoon? Emeka’s character was just wack. He is meant to be this highly sought after charismatic superstar and he was there telling Halima he loved her on the first date like some insecure wimp. Oh please! It also came across as so insincere.
At one point DJ Koko is trying to seduce Halima in the supermarket. He is looking super fruity rolling his eyes and lip licking like his name was LL. On top of this he is nancying about with a tight ass vest stretching over his pot belly and some tight tight jeans which are all hitched up in his crotch. Na wa! It was a sight that has the ability to give one nightmares.
Like I have said before and I will say it again. The guy has no swag. Which part of him is sexy or charismatic I wonder? The fake pseudo American accent was just ugh. The whole depiction of the character was just ugh… mess! Mess! Mess! He totally ruined it for me, bad casting to the highest degree.
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The sound was a bit patchy. It would go totally silent in parts and the volume would change dramatically between scenes which was highly annoying. the spelling mistakes in the credits looked like the people that put the movie together just did not give a hoot, and the people that wrote the credits a bunch off illiterates. Screenplay was spelt SEREENPLAY, Continuity – CONTIUNITY, Costume – COUSTUM, Equipment – EQIPTMENTS. A hot mess!
Oh and what is this new craze with men in drag in Nollywood? We saw Desmond in Dangerous Beauty, Nonso in Tommorrow must wait and now Emeka Enyiocha in this movie, playing an undercover female detective.
When Esther kills the guy in the hotel room at the beginning of the movie I thought it strange that when the maid asked her if she needed to clean the room she told her, “in 5 minutes.” You have just killed a guy why would you want to draw attention to that when you could easily be caught since you have just left the hotel? I thought it would have made more sense for her to say that she didn’t want the room cleaned at all, or requested for the room to be cleaned much much later.
Esther gets called Halima by Foster and another guy in the movie. Was this a mistake or intentional? It was never indicated anywhere in the movie that she was lying about her name to people and using her friend’s name, so what gives?
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I would recommend this movie. Even though Emeka Ike kinda dragged it down a little and the story was all over the place, the four girls were all superb in this movie. I commend them all for a job well done. There was also a nice little twist at the end. Thumbs up.
Categories: Film Reviews · K-L
Tagged: Adaora Ukoh, Azi Eboh, Chiendu Chukwu-Njoku, Dayan Nzereogu, Emeka Enyiocha, Emeka Ike, Emeka Okalibe, MacCollins Chidebe, Nnkem Alu, Nogozi Nwaosu, Ogochukwu Anwuruebo, Queen Nwokoye, Uche Elendu, Uche Jombo, Umez Connack, Vera Nwoha
September 11, 2009 · 4 Comments
Mortal Pain
Originally uploaded by NollywoodForever
Mortal Pain ~ 2009
Story/ Screenplay – Norbert Ajaegbu
Director – Uzee Madubogwu
Starring:
Patience Ozokwor – Mrs Lawson
Tonto Dikeh – Joanne
Remmy Ohajianya – Chief Lawson
Macdonald Oti – Frank
Patrick Nnamani – Senator Segun
Adanma Oguike – Deborah
Alloy Jideofor – John Sanni
Prince Patrick – Brazil
Nwuba Okwudili – Reverend Father
Uche Iheme – Gateman
TONY NOT CREDITED
Themes:
Rape
Abortion
My Rating – 56%
After Joanne is raped by armed robbers her cousin Deborah, who is like a sister to her makes moves on her boyfriend Tony at the encouragement of her mother, Joanne’s aunt. At first Tony is pining for Joanne, visiting and calling her constantly, that is until Joanne’s mother tells him the story of the robbery. Not only does she tell him about the rape but also the abortion that Joanne had on the doctor’s advice, leaving out the bit about the doctor’s advising it and making up a lie about a ruptured womb in the process. Unable to see himself without children of his own he stops chasing Joanne and soon starts dating her cousin. Mama is joyous about it but Deborah’s father is disgusted and disappointed that Tony could move so quickly onto his daughter after dating Joanne for years. The lies that Mama has told Tony to secure his interest in her daughter is not the only scheming that she has been involved in.
*************SPOILERS*************
Deborah appeared to be the loyal sisterly cousin. You know that your cousin has been raped and has sacrificed the love that she has for her boyfriend because she feels so worthless and that she does not deserve him and you are there perambulating with the engagement ring that HER MAN gave you. Nonsense! Tony was supposed to be a good loyal man, but he sure moved onto her cousin with ease and without consideration. It could be said that perhaps he wanted to make her jealous and punish her for pushing him away, but at the same time he would sometimes be concerned as to whether or not Joanne was in the house and not wanting her to see them together. I think they should have made him either want to flaunt it in her face or want to hide the relationship from her. One or the other, but not both at the same time.
The character development was somewhat poor. Mama connives with her lover to send armed robbers to her house to retrieve her husband’s 30,000 dollars that is hidden in his wardrobe. In the process they rape her niece and even though it is not part of the plan and she claims to be very angry she still has time to discuss her share of the money as well as paying the robbers 200,000 Naira. Nonsense! You either be angry properly or don’t be angry at all and simply dismiss the rape as an occupational hazard.
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The rape scene that takes place is sooooooo fake. We don’t need to see explicit details but it would make sense that you at least pretend to take your trousers off before penetration. It looks totally unconvincing when we can see your trousers are still on, you leap on the woman and in one second she is howling in pain. If you cannot even show the guy unbuckling his belt it is best you don’t show any part of the scene and just refer to it afterwards in the dialogue.
Joanne gets pregnant after the rape. This is soooooo predictable. Why in Nollywood does every rape result in pregnancy? Yes we all know that unprotected sex can lead to pregnancy, the operative word being CAN and not WILL, but at the same time every act of intercourse does not result in such.
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It was heartwarming to see a male treating rape sensitively in a movie. Joanne’s uncle does not blame her for the rape because he knows it was not of her own making. He does not treat her as a leper, but on the contrary supports the decisions that she makes accompanying her to her doctor’s appointments and offering advice and a listening ear. Mama on the other hand behaves like a raving lunatic despite the fact that the rape is all her fault. She tells Joanne,
“You must abort this baby. I will not have an armed robber in the house.”
At the end there is a scene where Tony gives a monologue about not knowing that Joanne was “a victim of rape and robbery,” yet at the beginning of the movie we watch a conversation that Joanne has with him about the robbery. These two scenes are contradictory and this is the result of poor scripting. There is another scene at the end that highlights the discrepancies in the script too. Joanne and Tony are reconciling and talking about what has happened and she says to him about Deborah, “I begged her not to take you away from me.” Er hello honey you might have thought it, but you surely did NOT say it. Yes towards the end it was obvious she was upset about the union but she did endorse it verbally many times.
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RESEARCH IS KEY
When one is dealing with medical conditions it does not take much to research a condition, refer to it by name and refer to the REAL symptoms. Making up an affliction and then making up the symptoms on the spot and never referring to it by name looks shoddy. We are told that the reason that Joanne needs to have an abortion is because of a “bacteria infection affecting the formation of foetuses.” BE SPECIFIC. What is this infection called? It must have a name. The symptoms are, “headaches and bleeding.” Next the doctor tells Joanne,
“If we allow you carry this child you will end up giving birth to a deformed child or worst still a child with a hole in the heart.”
Nollywood has a long way to go. Which one is this “bacteria infection” causing headaches, bleeding, deformity and a hole in the heart, all predicted without a scan? And how would any doctor say with certainty that the infection would DEFINITELY cause a deformity? She just got pregnant so no hole in the heart was seen in the foetus, it was all just mumbo jumbo being spouted.
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One thing I’m noticing with alot of these Nolly movies this year especially is that what would have been two disks in a one part movie a couple of years ago are now two part movies. You pay for two parts yet it is not like the parts can be watched separately. They are not even pretending anymore and are writing Disk One and Disk Two on the covers so you don’t get shocked when the fist disk just cuts off and tells you to insert the next without credits or anything.
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Despite the shortcomings I would recommend the movie. It wasn’t great but it was certainly watchable. Tonto did her crying thang. Mama G did her evil Mama thang and Deborah’s brother provided some comic relief. Sometimes his jokes were cringe worthy and at the wrong times but all the same made me laugh some of the time!
Categories: Film Reviews · M-N
Tagged: Adanma Oguike, Alloy Jideofor, Macdonald Oti, Norbert Ajaegbu, Nwuba Okwudili, Patience Ozokwor, Patrick Nnamani, Prince Patrick, Remi Ohajianya, Uche Iheme, Uzee Madubogwu
September 10, 2009 · 7 Comments
Marital Confusion
Originally uploaded by NollywoodForever
Marital Confusion ~ 2009
Story, Screenplay – Felix Nyemike Nkadi
Director- Reginald Ebere
Starring:
Tony Umez – Chief
Francis Duru – Christopher
Padita Agu – Brenda
Pat Edeh – Maryann
Queen Nwokoye – Ngozi
Ngozi Ezeonu – Mama
Reginald Ebere – MD
Mary Igwe – Stephanie
Noel Oboh – Danny
Annabella Ojiaku – Ada
Gladrine Chinyere Ugo – Helen
Chinonso Uzochukwu – Kenneth
Themes:
Family Pressure
Greed
Childlessness
My Rating – 75%
Two stories told alongside each other about a couple’s marriage issues. Chief and his wife are experiencing marital woes because of childlessness. Chief offers his wife an ultimatum to produce a male child in 2 months or face another woman in the home.
Christopher and Ngozi on the other hand are happily married but facing pressure with regards to financial support for her family. Her sister Brenda in particular resents the fact that Christopher’s family receive more financial support that her family. Little does the family know that Christopher and Ngozi are struggling to make ends meet and that Ngozi intends on finding a job to boost the family’s income.
One day Chief and Ngozi’s paths cross and both marriages are thrown into disarray.
*************SPOILERS*************
Family pressure is a big theme in this movie. Ngozi’s mother encourages her to leave her husband and go off with Chief simply because Christopher has fallen on hard times. She does not seem concerned with his physical violence towards her daughter but rather the fact,
“I’m not getting the benefits of a mother in law.”
Even Brenda is pimping out her sister for gifts from Chief, eager to get her sister to move on from her brother in law exclaiming to her mother about her sister,
“I wonder why they call themselves married couple if they cannot share money the money equally between the two families.”
_____________
Brenda is really ungrateful. Ngozi gives her 50,000 Naira for her upkeep in school and she throws it back at her deeming it, “miserable.” She then has no money for school and ends up asking Christopher’s sister who is her friend in school and who she had previously attacked and called a “miserable crook” to beg her brother for money.
If she needed the money that badly then why didn’t she take the 50 instead of begging Christopher’s sister and only getting 20 in the end? Christopher sends money to his sister after Ngozi has already told her sister that she doesn’t have money to give her and that is when the trouble really starts with Ngozi’s family.
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One thing that I found strange was that after Christopher was accused of embezzlement, they were they still living in the house that belonged to the company after he was fired, with no talk of moving.
The other thing I found strange, or should I say stupid was the threat by Chief that his wife should produce a boy in 2 months or face another woman. HOLD UP! How can a son be produced in 2 months if the woman is not already pregnant, and even if the woman does get pregnant in the two months stipulated, how on earth would it be known if she is carrying a boy or not. This situation comes up a lot in Nollywood and it is absolutely STOOOOOOOOPID!
I wish I could see Tony Umez in one movie where he was not saying “alwight alwight” every minute and Queen Nwokoye in one movie where she is not playing a goody two shoes. She really shone for me in this movie but it would be nice to see her play a more challenging role.
In the end Ngozi returns to her husband’s house with her family’s blessing, after giving birth to a baby girl for Chief and being cut off by him. The moral of the story is to follow your own mind and don’t allow family pressure to cajole you into a situation that is not right for you. Although it must be said that the situation when she left was pretty bad and I wouldn’t recommend any woman stay with a man who is beating them up.
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I would recommend this movie, it moved at a nice steady pace and kept you fixated at all times. It was great to see Padita Agu back after a long hiatus. She really came back with a bang as Brenda and she is even better than I remembered. Thumbs up!
Categories: Film Reviews · M-N
Tagged: Annabella Ojiaku, Childlessness, Chinonso Uzochukwu, Family Pressure, Felix Nyemike Nkadi, Francis Duru, Gladrine Chinyere Ugo, greed, Mary Igwe, Ngozi Ezeonu, Noel Oboh, Padita Agu, Pat Edeh, Queen Nwokoye, Reginald Ebere, Tony Umez
Evil Manipulation
Originally uploaded by NollywoodForever
Evil Manipulation
Story – Ugezu J Ugezu, Solomon Apete
Screenplay – Ugezu J Ugezu
Director – Ugezu J Ugezu
Starring:
Mercy Johnson – Joyce
Van Vicker – Kenneth
Chiwetalu Agu – Anaegbuachala
Olu Jacobs – Ezumezu
Patience Ozokwor – Head Queen Onyinye
Camilla Mberekpe – Ozuluonye
Nuella Njubigbo – Emeka Wife
Ernest Asuzu – Ignatius
Gaddiel Onwudiwe – Okuagbammiki
Ifeanyi Azodo – Solo
Lucky Ovuakporaye – Permanent Secretary
Ugezu J Ugezu – Moore
Junior Pope – Pam
Sebastian Ikpoza – Bankole
Ed Nnasor – Ogbaji
Patrick Amadi – Eleki
Themes:
Royalty
Polygamy
Materialism
Karma
Charms
My Rating 50%
Ignatius and Kenneth are Princes from a royal polygamous family. Ignatius’ mother is the first wife Head Queen Onyinye, while Kenneth’s mother, Ozuluonye is the King’s second wife. Kenneth and Ignatius are as close as full brothers as well as cherishing each other’s mothers as their own. Onyine is not happy with this close relationship between the boys and is intent on causing discord by planting seeds of jealousy into her son’s head to make him want to compete with his brother rather than working alongside him. Her manipulation is successful and very soon Ignatius is well under his mother’s control.
The head queen is very materialistic thriving on grand displays of wealth and raising her son to be the same way. We see her son Emeka being chastised for not having a car as though his lack of material wealth reflects badly her. One day Emeka goes with his brother Kenneth to buy their respective mother’s gifts of lace. Emeka’s mother snarls in disgust when she is handed her gift, exclaiming, “What rubbish! Where did you pick this thing from?” On the contrary Kenneth’s mother chastises him for spending so much on her encouraging him to save for the future as opposed to spending on material things. We see the difference in the two mothers. Ozuluonye is selfless and puts her son’s needs before her own whereas Onyinye is selfish and concerned with how outsiders look on her son’s financial situation.
Kenneth excels in business where his brother fails. We can see that this is a direct result of their mother – son relationships. Emeka fails in business because of his mother’s never ending preoccupation with trying to look better than Kenneth and his mother, which causes him to seek fast money through gaining contracts by bribery whereas Kenneth takes his time putting together good solid proposals to win contracts and does not take short cuts.
*************SPOILERS*************
Things between the brothers really take a turn for the worse when Kenneth falls on hard times. It is then that his brother turns his back on him. When Ignatius was in his time of need Kenneth lent him 2 million naira. He even borrowed some of the money which Ignatius lost after being duped by 419′ers. We then see how even though Ignatius had secured a 16 Million contact weeks previously he refuses to led his brother 1 million telling him that he does not have it.
It is not a lack of generosity that afflicts Ignatius but rather his mother’s influence in feeling that he must be one step ahead of his brother. That very same day that he refuses to give Kenneth the money he offers to take out a staff member on a night out with all drinks and women paid for. When the said employee expresses disapproval at the way Kenneth is being treated, Ignatius tells him,
“Survival of the fittest.”
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I felt that Ignatius’ character was poorly developed. We should have seen more of his arrogant and selfish side in his early interactions with Kenneth. In the end we find out that the clock is the key to all the issues that the couples in the movie are having. It is given to the head queen under the premise that, “Any house this clock hangs in will know no peace… Everything will go anti clockwise.” Every time charms are used in a movie it is because of some evil, bitter and twisted woman. *Yawn* bit bored of it. If I had known I wouldn’t have bothered watching, or bought the sequel Royal Coup. Yes there is a continuation!
I am indifferent about recommending this movie. Part 1 is very slow. It was not holding my attention and I stopped and started it so many times. That is always a bad sign when you have to force yourself to plough through a movie. It is just one of those ones that isn’t really bad but at the same time you just don’t care enough about. There is a good moral to the story in that Karma is a Beeeyotch but overall it was a story and message that has been flogged to death. Watch it if you have it but don’t go out of your way to get it!
Categories: E-F · Film Reviews
Tagged: Camilla Mberekpe, Charms, Chiwetalu Agu, Ed Nnasor, Ernest Asuzu, Gaddiel Onwudiwe, Ifeanyi Azodo, Junior Pope, Karma, Lucky Ovuakporaye, Mercy Johnson, Nuella Njubigbo, Olu Jacobs, Patience Ozokwor, Patrick Amadi, Polygamy, Royalty, Sebastian Ikpoza, Solomon Apete, Ugezu J Ugezu, Van Vicker
Shakira (Face of Deceit)
Originally uploaded by NollywoodForever
Shakira (Face of Deceit) ~2009
Story – Macdavies Odikah
Screenplay – Pascal Amanfo
Director – Pascal Amanfo
Starring:
Majid Michael – Richie
Mercy Johnson – Shakira
Ziggy Narteyson – Ansah
Eddie Nartey – Ben
Kofi Adjorlolo – Bobby
Biola Ige – Yvonne
Prince David Osei – Dan
Gavivina Tamakloe – Tom
Luckie E Lawson – Racheal
Micheal Odikah – Karim
Edmond Quarshie – Kwame
Martha Ankomah – Amanda
Dominic Demordzi – Mike
Wendy Mensah – Receptionist
Themes:
Deception
Infidelity
My Rating – 40%
Richie thought that his fiancée Yvonne was the love of his life that is until he discovered that she was having an affair with his boss. Unable to face reality he flees to his brother’s home and spends his nights drinking himself into a stupor at various bars. It is on the way home from a bar that he meets Shakira. It is a dark night and she throws herself in front of his car and orders him to drive. His involvement with Shakira turns into something much more dramatic than he could have ever imagined.
*************SPOILERS*************
This film is in 3 parts. The only reason I can surmise is greed. They did not need three parts to this at all. Much of the movie is watching Richie drinking himself into a stupor at home and in various bars. These scenes were much too long. We do not need to see all of this to deduce that Richie is distraught about his fiancée’s infidelity and using alcohol as an emotional crutch.
The film was really getting a bit boring until Shakira’s appearance. She really woke the film up when she stood up in front of Richie’s jeep in that micro dress, got in the vehicle and screamed, “DRIVE!” Be warned part one is more or less a waste of time and could have been edited down to 15 minutes.
Much has been written/ said about the titillating sexy scenes in this movie. I found it all a bit over staged and fake. At one point we see Shakira supposedly going down on Richie. Now tell me how can you be going down on a man and your head is positioned just below his neck, but yet he is writhing like you are doing something? Nonsense! I didn’t know that men’s genitalia were now growing from their chest areas. And to top it off all you would see is Mercy Johnson’s matted moving wig. NOT SEXY at all!
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So after we have the never ending Richie boozing scenes we now have to contend with Richie “thinking.” It was enough to send me to sleep. I’d nod off and dude would still be “thinking.”
From being cheated on by Yvonne Richie goes on to get involved with Shakira a married woman. I was amazed with the ease in which he got involved with a married woman. Does this show us the power of Shakira’s seduction skills? Or was Richie simply taking heed of his boss’ warning that “All women cheat,” and getting with the program?
Shakira tells Richie that her husband is a rapist. He falls for it but he should have realised that perhaps she was not telling the truth when he gets the opportunity to see/ hear them together. If I were Richie I would be thinking, “Wow he seems quite caring for a rapist.” Every time Richie was at the house their relationship seemed nothing but loving and caring. There was no evidence of maltreatment from him or resentment or fright from her.
One character that was grating on my nerves was Robby’s sister. She was atrocious. Her voice was like listening to someone scratching on a blackboard. She was screeching and shouting the whole time with the bird’s nest weave only adding to the atrocity of the whole situation. The character was a drug addict and the sniffing was waaaaaaaaaaay over the top. WE GET IT… She is a coke head!
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I cannot recommend this film because it was way too slow for my liking. The slow music, the never ending boozing and thinking were making me feel sleepy. I felt insulted that they made the movie into three parts when a lot of it was just unnecessary filler. It did pick up tremendously in part 3. That’s when the drama really started, however it was too little too late.
Categories: Film Reviews · S-T
Tagged: Biola Ige, Deception, Dominic Demordzi, Eddie Nartey, Edmond Quarshie, Gavivina Tamakloe, infidelity, Kofi Adjorlolo, Luckie E Lawson, Macdavies Odikah, Majid Michel, Martha Ankomah, Mercy Johnson, Micheal Martins Odikah, Pascal Amanfo, Prince David Osei, Wendy Mensah, Ziggy Nartteyson
Soul of a Maiden
Originally uploaded by NollywoodForever
Soul of a Maiden ~ 2008
Story – Obi Madubuogwu, Bruce Iyke Okafor
Screenplay – Tai Emeka Obasi, Tchidi Chikere
Director – Tchidi Chikere
Starring:
Ini Edo – Olamma
Mercy Johnson – Nuria
Mike Ezuruonye – Prince Obieze
Laz Ekwueme – Igwe
Uche Ebere – Oyinne
Obi Madubuogwu – Emenike
Chigozie Okoli – Agaba
Mary Stella Okolie – Nin
Jenifer Danladi – Amaka
Ndidi Okafor – Ijeoma
Michael J Egene – Arinze
Tony Alor – Agu
David Ihesie – Ichie Igube
Alfred Nwaze – Ichie Okoro
Ikechukwu Jideofor – Igwe Amaegede
Themes Explored:
Osu Caste System
Tradition
Acculturation Vs Assimilation
Royalty
My Rating: 88%
Olamma is an outcast in Afan Asa village. She is taunted and marginalised and does not know why until she approaches her mother to find out the full story. It is then that she is told of the history surrounded her ancestry and in turn present situation. She is descended from a woman who was sacrificed to the oracle for a cow. She was a virgin on sacrifice and in life was never married. She did however, have many children, as a result of men besieging her at night. Such was the fate for an osu and for future generations. Olamma is horrified and is determined to break the cycle vowing to never let a man see her naked body much to her mother’s fear that such a vow will only invite the wrath of the Gods. Things look to change when a chance encounter brings her close to Obieze the Prince, heir to the throne of the kingdom, however when the king finds out about his son’s intention to marry Olamma he sets out to prevent such a union and will go to any length to do so.
*************SPOILERS*************
I loved this movie! It was a very simple yet very well told story about the Osu. It is a sad story about injustice and unfair treatment towards a people who have done nothing to deserve it, all as a result of “historical offences.” Not knowing very much about the Osu and their history I found this movie very informative. I loved the traditional setting, the garments and the music. The music was very appropriate at all times. It had a haunting sound to show the melancholy fate that the Osu are resigned to which later changes to more uptempo “happy” music to show joy and hope at around the time the Prince decides that he wants to marry Olamma.
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At one point the Prince attends a virgin dance where he is supposed to choose a bride. He chooses Nuria. It turns out that she is not a virgina and so the wedding is called off. He finds out that she is not a virgin when he goes to make love to her one night. After the deed he confronts her about not being a virgin and she tells him that she was raped to which he exclaims,
“You have obviously been at it more than once.” How would he know?
This particular scene has too much static and background noise and the dialogue was difficult to hear.. They should have reshot this one scene. The prince later goes to tell his father,
“I noticed everything in there was loose and filthy.” Haba! How would having sex with that random palace guard guy a few times make it so loose and filthy?
It is very ironic when he then says to his father,
“She should go far away to those kingdoms where they treat women like scum and serpents.” Is Olamma not being treated like scum under your very nose by the osu system which is being upheld in your kingdom?
_____________
The question must be asked, can traditional beliefs co exist alongside Christianity? In one scene the Prince asks his father,
“I stand in front of the Virgin Mary which my mother put there as a symbol of our Christian belief before she diesd and yet you still uphold this barbaric culture… I mean forcing me to choose a wife from a dance.”
His father replies,
“Son, we have to walk a tightrope between living in the modern world and maintaining our culture.”
In this movie the caste system is renounced as a barbaric practice and one which is forfeited for modern world practice. We see this when the king declares all Osus in the village as freeborn, despite opposition within his camp. It is a great ending and shows that change can come about when people have passion for an issue and stand up for what they believe to be right as the Prince did with his father. It only takes one person in a position of power to talk up and make others see reason. On hearing that the king wants to declare all Osus freeborn and elder states in supports,
“Don’t we all breathe, cry, feel pain? Are they not human beings as we are?” Very true talk.
The ending is bittersweet. Although the osus are declared free the love between the Prince and Olamma is essentially the sacrificial lamb. She leaves the village. Although she loves the Prince she cannot marry him living in the knowledge that it was his father that killed her mother. It is sad to see that they are not going to be together but at the same time it is realistic. What woman is going to want to be with a man whose father went to the extent of killing her mother? It would be an everyday reminder, so in that sense I understand why the movie ended in the way that it did.
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I would recommend this movie. Ini is great as Olamma the oucast, Mercy is great as the village seductress and Mike is good as the Prince but even better when playing the old man role. An excellent make up job was done. Even though I recognised the voice as Mike’s, I looked at the face and it did not even register that it was him. When Mike is playing the old man begging for water because he is thirsty Nuria has no compassion and tells him, “Instead of walking to your grave you are here obstructing the stream path.” It is Olamma that takes pity and gives him water, telling the others, “Don’t you see this man needs help?” This goes to show us that people must be judged on the content of their character and not by how they are labelled by society. Such labels can never show us who a person really is. This one is a must watch!
Categories: Film Reviews · S-T
Tagged: Bruce Iyke Okafor, Chigozie Okolie, David Ihesie, Ini Edo, Jenifer Danladi, Laz Ekwueme, Mary Stella Okolie, Mercy Johnson, Michael J Egene, Mike Ezuruonye, Ndidi Okafor, Obi Madubuogwu, Osu Caste System, Royalty, Tai Emeka Obasi, Tchidi Chikere, Tony Alor, Tradition, Uche Ebere
Holy Cross
Originally uploaded by NollywoodForever
Holy Cross ~ 2006
Story & Screenplay – Sylvester Madu
Director – Dickson Iroegbu
Starring:
Sylvester Madu – Santos
Nonso Diobi – Mike
Tonto Dikeh – Cynthia
Jim Iyke – Cross
Uche Elendu – Monica
Ebele Okaro – Mrs Bsdmus
Pete Edochie – Chief Badmus
Jim Lawson – Papa Mike
Emma Ayologu – H.O.D
Ada Nzekwe – Tracey
Ramon Akeem – VC
Mirabelle Osuoza – Mrs Douglas
Themes
Campus Cultism
My Rating – 42%
Cross is the Capone of THE SKELETONS, a secret cult on campus. Mike is a hardworking boy from a rich home whose sole aim at university is to educate himself and become a productive member of society in his own right. One day at a restaurant he falls into a trap set up by Cross to search for new recruits. It is set up for Cross’ sister Monica to be verbally attacked publicly in the restaurant by another cult member. Mike shows his bravery by defending Cynthia and Cross is impressed by his steadfastness and courage and is determined to recruit him into the group by any means necessary. The influence of The Skeletons reaches great lengths and into the higher echelons of society and after Mike’s family is threatened he succumbs to the pressure of joining the cult. From here the events that take place spiral rotate his life into a completely different direction.
*************SPOILERS**************
At the beginning of the movie Jim Iyke is talking and he says, “Meet my sister. She’s a skeleton” and the camera pans to Uche Elendu. I was looking hard and thinking, that the chick just did not look skeleton skinny to me. Why on earth was I thinking that perhaps the movie was about eating disorders? LOL! Only to find out shortly afterwards that Skeleton was the name of the cult!
One thing that I didn’t get was how Monica was part of the FRATERNITY. Is a fraternity not a BROTHERHOOD and are “brothers” not men? Yes women are closely related with some fraternities, like the Kappa Sweethearts, Omega Pearls, Sigma Doves and Alpha Angels that exist alongside Black American Fraternities, but she was an integral member of the group sporting the tattoo and taking part in ceremonies.
The skeleton tattoos were ridiculously fake, like they had been drawn on with Tippex. We know that a skull is white, but for the sake of the tattoo they should have just added an outline to make it look real. Cynthia is horrified at her friend Monica’s tattoo and even more so when she is told that it is permanent. Why then not long after when she sees the same tattoo on her boyfriend does she tell him to “clean it.” Why are you talking about cleaning when you know it is permanent? Or perhaps she was offering to pay for laser surgery?
In this movie we learn how sometimes good people are cajoled into doing bad things. Mike only ended up joining the cult to protect his family and keep them out of harm’s way. Monica only joined under pressure from her big brother whom she idolised. It is however a dangerous cycle because that same person that was cajoled and so reluctant to join will be the same person encouraging the next person to join and using the same strong-arm tactics, as we see in the movie.
In the end we see father convicting his son to death. He does not bear any visible emotion and it is all very unconvincing. This whole parent convicting child business is obviously done for shock purposes but is so unrealistic that it is pointless. I would not recommend this movie. It was watchable but there are other campus flicks that are much better like Black Bra, War Game, even Last Supper is better than this. One thing that was very annoying throughout the film was the music. It was truly awful. They were playing loud eerie ghoulish sounding music, chiming bells and all sorts of noise that were thrown in anywhere without matching the scene.
Categories: Film Reviews · G-H
Tagged: Ada Nzekwe, cultism, Dickson Iroegbu, Ebele Okaro, Emma Ayalogu, Jim Iyke, Jim Lawson, Mirabelle Osuoza, Nonso Diobi, Pete Edochie, Ramon Akeem, Sylvester Madu, Tonto Dikeh, Uche Elendu
Bafana Bafana
Originally uploaded by NollywoodForever
Bafana Bafana ~ 2007
Story – Simi Opeoluwa, Shola Fregene
Screenplay – Afrisi Oyetoro, Oluwaseun Oyetunji
Director – Shola Fregene
Starring:
Grace Amah – Kike
Nonso Diobi – Uche
John Okafor – Mazie
Kayode Mosu – Baba Kike
Dozie Mendoza- Bank Manager
Scot Robert – Kola
Uduak Akrah – Tessy
Sam Uche Anyamele – Hammed
Shola Fregene – Baba Kola
Ifeanyi Callis – Secretary
Ajunwa Uchennaka – Ozor
Mary Agbasi – Apolonia
Nneka Ozondu – Gertrude
Themes Explored:
Tribalism
My Rating – 86%
Kike is a Yoruba girl and Uche is an Igbo Boy. A chance meeting in a Lagos supermarket brings them together and they quickly fall in love whilst undertaking their Youth Service. It is the perfect romance until they decide to get married and try to introduce the other to their in laws. Both sets of parents are ardent tribalists and against the union much to both Kiki and Uche’s despair.
*************SPOILERS************
This is a really cute feel good love story that brings up the very real and relevant issue of tribalism in Nigeria infused with some serious comedy.
One scene that made me laugh out loud was where Uche spends the night at Kike’s house. They both set up to sleep on the living room floor but Baba Kike is scared that his daughter is being “swallowed” by Omo Igbo and so after tossing and turning in his bed proceeds to the living room. They are both fast asleep but sleeping to close for his liking. He reports back to his wife,
“Mama Kike come and see your daughter in a multicoloured movie.”
He then plonks himself on a sofa and puts on the TV at full volume. This causes them to rouse and he comments at their obvious annoyance,
“Is my TV stopping the lizard from swallowing the cockroach?”
Another very funny scene is at the end of the movie where the two fathers get into a food fight. Baba Uche is eating pounded yam and all of a sudden throws a pieces at Baba Kike who then scrapes up his own, moulds it in his palms and throws it back yelling,
“Return to sender!”
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The movie ended nicely. Baba Kike and Baba Uche put their differences aside after discovering that they had previously met before after being robbed on a bus on the way to Lagos. It was dark so they had not seen each other while hiding in the bushes but had shared money and food with each other. They are amazed that the other had been so kind considering tribal affiliations and it is this epiphany that they both had had the same needs and fears in the bush that makes them realise how stupidly they had been behaving for discrimination against each other on the basis of tribe.
I would definitely recommend this movie. It was nice to see Grace Amah, she fit the role perfectly and she has been missed much by me. I see her in very few films these days.Everything is forgiven and forgotten in the end and the movie sends out a strong message about how fear of other groups is often based in fear of the unknown and imagination rather than reality.
Categories: A-B · Film Reviews
Tagged: Afrisi Oyetoro, Ajunwa Uchennaka, Dozie Mendoza, Grace Amah, Ifeanyi Callis, John Okafor, Kayode Mosu, Mary Agbasi, Nneka Ozondu, Nonso Diobi, Oluwaseun Oyetunji, Sam Uche Anyamele, Scot Robert, Shola Fregene, Simi Opeoluwa, Tribalism, Uduak Akrah
Why?
Originally uploaded by NollywoodForever
Why? ~ 2008
Story – Better Oguzie
Screenplay – CJ Edwards Enenta
Director – CJ Edwards Enenta
Starring:
Uche Elendu – Sonia
Francis Duru – Mike
Emmanuel Ezenwa – Chief Williams
Empress Njamah – Anita
Gloria Pius – Sherry
Sonia Athony – Anna
Kio London – Fred
My Rating: NO RATING
The title is wholly appropriate. WHY? This was the question I was asking myself too. Why did I buy this stupid movie? It had been languishing on my shelf for over a year and having nothing else to watch I decided to give it a chance… WHHHHHHHY? Some things stay somewhere for a reason and this was definitely the case with this movie.
The movie is shot in the present with flashbacks to the past. In the opening scene we see a girl in jail telling a story, which then goes onto a scene where we see a woman berating her husband. The actress is not convincing at all and the pair do not even look like a couple.
From what I can see Uche Elendu’s performance seems the most credible but she is surrounded by rubbish actresses. I did not even get past 15 minutes begore I ejected this movie from the player. Straight junk. Throw it in the bin. Do not pass GO. Do not collect 200.
FOUR WORDS:
USELESS
USELESSER
PONTLESS
POINTLESSER
Categories: Film Reviews · W-X
Tagged: Better Oguzie, CJ Edwards Enenta, Emmanuel Ezenwa, Empress Njamah, Francis Duru, Gloria Pius, Kio London, Sonia Anthony, Uche Elendu
Honour My Will
Originally uploaded by NollywoodForever
Honour My Will
Story – Bright Chibuzor
Screenplay – Shadrack Nwora
Director – MacCollins Chidebe
Starring:
Emeka Ike – Richard
Uche Ogbodo – Peace
Juliet Ibrahim – Fina
Kofi Adjorlolo – Barrister Mike
Ernest Asuzu – Stanley
Geraldine Ekeocha – Rachel
Browny Igboegwu – Zero
Uju Aroh – Mabel
Idowu Ijabiyi – Glory
Nnamdi Abonyi – Luke
Val Chukwu – Gateman
Themes Explored:
Greed
Materialism
Justice
My Rating – 54%
With their father is dying and Richard and Peace are sure to be by his bedside providing comfort in his time of need. On the contrary their wayward brother Stanley is busy entertaining random chicks and spraying bottles of Star in the bar. When his father does actually die he seems intent on making his mother’s life miserable nagging her about boosting his financial support and buying him a car. It is not long before his wrath extends to his brother and sister and the whole family unit is thrown into turmoil and disarray.
*************SPOILERS************
In the opening scene we see the father dying. You can tell that he is about too die because he keeps on coughing. Why is it that no matter what someone is sick in hospital with, whenever they are about to croak they start coughing? We need a new dying sign in Nollywood because this coughing one is overused and unrealistic. Every time I see it I groan because it is soooooooo predictable what will happen next.
Uche Ogbodo needs to stay off the bright lipstick. In one scene she had salmon coloured lipstick which she then plastered heavy lip gloss on top of. Coupled with her bright yellow skin tone she was looking like a Day-Glo bright Bobo the Clown. There was more than one occasion that her belt came swinging open. When you have a gut its not a good idea to wear those belts that only have a small hook holding you together, let alone to wear one on a movie set.
I would recommend this movie. Part 1 did drag a little but the movie really picked up in Part two. Ernest Asuzu was well casted as the loppy and deranged Stanley. He was listed in the credits as “Ernst Obi”… Strange? The movie is worth watching for his performance alone. The way he was shouting and screaming you would think that he was about to bust a vein in his neck. He kind of reminds me of Jim Iyke, but preferable because we don’t have to hear the exaggerated Americanisms. It was a nice ending in that justice prevailed but why oh why do we have a family member delivering the verdict again, like in Blood Game?
Categories: Film Reviews · G-H
Tagged: Bright Chibuzor, Browny Igboegwu, Emeka Ike, Ernest Asuzu, Geraldine Ekeocha, greed, Idowu Ijabiyi, Juliet Ibrahim, Justice, Kofi Adjorlolo, MacCollins Chidebe, materialism, Nnamdi Abonyi, Shadrack Nwora, Sibling Rivalry, Uche Ogbodo, Uju Aroh, Val Chukwu
