Review of Olufemi Onabajo's London premiere of Wait a Minute

The movie Wait a Minute premiered at the Odeon Cinema Greenwich on Friday 11^thDecember 2015. On the red carpet were cast and crew of the movie, sponsors of the movie, Pastors and Ministers, Directors, Producers, Promoters, cast and stakeholders of London Nollywood, fans of Nollywood and members of the public.

Storyline: Wait a Minute apart from being a Nollywood movie is a Christian movie. In this movie the script writer tries to showcase how in the midst of the hustle and bustle of life particularly in the United Kingdom, we go about our business and even though God speaks to us and gives us visions, we miss God and do our own thing. The movie showcases how as a As a lady or woman, you give all  your trust, your heart your ALL to a man and at the end of it all he ends up dumping you and leaving you heart broken. The movie also tries to stress that as a woman, in spite of all the societal pressures from your fiancée, family, friends, you still need to keep yourself pure and wait until you are married till you give yourself to any man sexually. The question is are there still good men out there? WAIT A MINUTE exposes it all.

The storyline is very relevant from the context of the faith of the script writer. As a Christian woman, it is sometimes difficult to draw the lines and know what to allow and what not to allow. Some men still have the old man alive in them and want to do things not permitted in the Christian faith. Added to these are societal pressures from even parents and they want to know if the woman is fertile and can bear children and as such encourage sex before marriage. I commend the script writer for being bold enough not only to write such a script but also to premiere the movie.

Cast: The cast included Olufemi Onabajo, Olakunle Oladeji,  Brunhilda Diedericks, Beatrice Anyim, Andrea Saccardo, Bridget Ajayi, Nike Taiwo, Adetola Onabajo, Olamide Ajayi,Natalia Karah, Claude Hanbeth, Francis Coffie, Toyin Olu-Adebajo, Samantha Deacon, Mercy Okon Jemirifo,, William Agbettoh,  Bukky Williams, Jacqueline Kings, Diana Reid, Tosin Adebiyi, Samantha Christian, Reese Maleking amongst others. The movie was written, produced and directed by Olufemi Onabajo.

Let me start on a positive note by commending the Director for using a combination of cast from various countries in the movie. In the Nollywood industry, if collaboration is properly done, it is a most welcome idea.

Having said that, most if not all the cast are new to the movie and Nollywood industry and that showed in the acting. Although I saw a few potentials for the future should they choose to continue in the industry, most of the cast need to fine tune their acting. What I saw in most parts the movie was that lines had been crammed and people came back reciting the lines. I did not see much passion, in most cases, the cast did not let me relate with them as the individuals they were playing and believe their story lines.

If people are to succeed in this industry and beyond, once a script has been given, the individuals need to take time and study the script and forget their own personalities and take on the allocated role they have been given. It takes time and sacrifice and one may even need to do this in front of their mirror.

I understand that some of the cast are not actually actors and to most if not all of them this was their first time acting so for effort, I would like to commend the cast. I would however like to encourage them that if they have a passion for acting and for the industry, they should not give up.

Picture Quality: The picture quality of the movie was generally good, but there were some scenes were the pictures were shaky. I also saw some scenes where the pictures were slightly out of frame. That is me as a critic being picky. With the exception of these few scenes, I don’t have complaints about the picture quality.

Sound Quality: For those that saw the movie, you would agree with me that there were issues with the sound. There were external interference that could have been reduced during post production. Also in some scenes the sound was bad, it was difficult to hear what was being said. I think this should be a lesson to the Producer / Director in his next movie. The sound has to be right. While in external scenes, the sound should be natural so for example if a busy train station with trains going up and down, the sounds of the trains are a welcome idea. What however is not permissible is buzzy sounds especially in external scenes. These can be cropped out or edited in post-production.

Overall performance:  Overall, in spite of my criticisms (I have to be honest and say what I saw even though I was the MC for the night), I think for a first attempt overall, it was not a bad effort. There were definitely issues with the final production, but as a movie, there was a good storyline.

Another good point was that from beginning to the end, one could follow the story. The message was simple and no one was in doubt about the mind of the script writer. The passion of the scriptwriter for the issues raises were also obvious in the script itself.

One other thing I would like to commend is the positive and determined attitude of the cast. Firstly, the lead actor Joy was playing a role of certain things she had experienced and according to her found it difficult to act sometimes but had to put in her best. Also, the Director’s wife was playing the role of a pregnant woman and was actually pregnant and almost had contractions on set but kept going. To me one thing I saw amongst the cast of the movie was that they were a big family.

The question remains if I would recommend this movie. This movie is unique and not all people would like the storyline, but for those especially Christians, the movie is Biblical and the truth of the Word of God is brought out in its raw form. There were issues with the movies as I have highlighted, but like someone I know would say “No ringi, no tingi”. I honestly think this is a movie that needs to be watched.

Even if you are not a Christian, as a woman, why would you want to defile yourself when the man can walk away anytime? It is an evangelical tool amongst other things. There are other issue that could be taken away from the movie like pressures at work, depression and how one can deal with theses as a Christian, looking unto God and believing His Word.

For the above reasons, I would not hesitate to recommend the movie. I think people should watch it with an open mind and then look at themselves and evaluate their own situations.

To the Director, cast and crew, once more I say well done. At least, you had a dream and went out to actualize it. I look forward to your next production and I know it would beat this one as the glory of the latter house always surpasses that of the former!!

Watch the trailer:

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=loKhAi17Afs&feature=youtu.be

Review of London Premier of Omoni Oboli's The First Lady

The movie The First Lady premiered at the Odeon Cinema Greenwich on Friday 27^th November 2015. On the red carpet were the lead cast Omoni Oboli, Joseph Benjamin, Anthony Monjaro, Alex Ekubo and leading Comedian AY. Also present to grace the red carper were Directors, Producers, cast and stakeholders of London Nollywood, fans of Nollywood and members of the public.

Storyline: According to the synopsis of the movie as released, the movie was a classic Cinderella like story where a prostitute, Michelle (Omoni Oboli), is stuck in a world she couldn't escape from. Her hope that one day a Prince Charming would rescue her from it all, seems lost. However, a heir to an empire, Kenechi Joseph Benjamin), is transformed into a child (Chinedu Ikedieze) by an overly ambitious uncle who wants the empire to himself. Bound by a shared destiny, Michelle finds that she might be doing the rescuing until she realises there's no escaping her pimp Obama (Alex Ekubo), who would do anything to keep her as his First Lady.

For an average person looking at the title of the movie, one would have thought it had something to do with politics and the wife of a President or Governor or even the wife of the Pastor of a church (after all they are called First Lady these days). However, the expectations were cut off. The plot of the movie was simple and the storyline was so easy to follow from beginning to the end.

However, I would like to say that there was not much of suspense in the movie as most times, the outcome was predictable. I would like to give two clear examples. There was a scene where Michelle was to be used as a sacrifice. Without watching the outcomes were either that the man loved her or was going to use her for something negative. The answer was given away as soon as she forgot her phone. I could almost tell you word for word the next scene. At a stage I even shouted throw away the dress and low and behold she did. Another example was the end of the movie, it was so predictable that Michelle and Kenechi would get married and that he would grow back from a child. Personally, as a critic and a reviewer, I would have liked to see an unexpected twist that no one would have expected.

That said, it does not take away the fact that the movie was very humorous and entertaining. I was sitting next to a lady who said she is not a Nollywood fan, but she kept laughing. I believe Omoni had in her mind a movie that was comical and I must say that 100% she achieved that target.

The story itself is one that can be related with. Prostitution even amongst graduates is common not only in the Nigerian but the African setting. It is so bad that even graduates target rich politicians and don’t call it prostitution but give it all sort of attractive names. The lady next to me mentioned Allen Avenue in Ikeja as soon as she started watching. I think she actually meant Opebi area close to Sheraton where at night the place is busy. The role of Obama is also a common thing.

The movie therefore apart from being comical had an inner message. To me, the dangers of prostitution were highlighted. One of them being how easily one could lose their lives as they do not know who their clients are. In an age of kidnappers and people who use people for human sacrifice, prostitutes are an easy target and could disappear without trace. Violence was also highlighted as one of the “side effects” of prostitution.

I would have liked to see a scene with one of the prostitutes suffered some kind of disease as HIV to nail the coffin that prostitution does not pay and is dangerous.

Cast: The cast included Omoni Oboli, Chinedu Ikedieze, Joseph Benjamin, Alexx Ekubo, Yvonne Jegede, Udoka Oyeka and Tony Monjaro amongst others.

Let me start from the positives. All the lead characters put all their years of experience into the movie and I cannot fault any of them Omoni, Joseph, Alex, Anthony and Chinedu.

However, as is my style, I pick on one or two people that impressed me. In this movie firstly I would like to say Alex was magnificent. I have watched movies he had played lead and otherwise, but this role brought out the best in him as a Nollywood actor. I am not saying that in his other movies, he did not do well, but in this movie, he just cannot be overlooked. I could almost believe that he was a local pimp in real life. He brought the movie to life and made his role look so real. The only downside and this may be due to cuts rather than the actor, the slaps and beating looked a bit artificial. No closeness to the person being slapped.

Also seeing the posh Omoni (please pardon me) playing the role of a local prostitute speaking pidgin English as if there was no tomorrow added spice to the movie. I think all the lead cast gelled together and made the movie special.

Having said that, there were two or three members of the cast that did not convince me as a critic with their performances and I would advise that they keep practicing to perfect their acts. When an actor acts and it is clear that they have crammed their lines, it makes the movie move from being natural to artificial. My role as a movie critic and reviewer is not to bring people down, but to push them so that they can be better.

Let me start with the doctor. Personally, I would not have cast him for that role because to me, it was just as if he had crammed his lines and was giving it back. Apart from Michelle and in some cases Sandra, the other people that played the roles of prostitutes did not push enough. They did not convince me that they were street girls. I think they were in their shells and needed to push more. Finally, Kenechi’s dad to me most of his scenes did not act. Again, I definitely would not have cast him for that role. At the end, where he died, I think he over exaggerated, what was that for.

If people want to grow in this industry as actors and actresses, they need to read the script through, they need to research the role and they need to keep practicing especially in front of people who can tell them to their face that they are not pulling their weights. If this is done, even acting with your mirror as your audience with time the best would come out of the actors.

On the whole, I would like to commend the entire cast and crew for a good effort.

Picture Quality: The cinematography for this movie was generally good. There were no shaky pictures and generally pictures were within their so frames. I don’t have much to say about the picture quality. Was satisfactory and I am happy.

Sound Quality: For a Nollywood movie, I am happy that the sound was good and there was no external interference. Again, I had no real concerns with the sound.

Overall performance:  Overall, in spite of my little critics, the film was a very good movie. It was comical and I personally enjoyed it. People kept laughing and gave a big applause after the movie. However, as a critic and reviewer, I am fastidious and see little things other people may not see. Kenechi’s dad was on the phone to the police at a stage in his house and I saw a sign saying toilets not toilet which immediately told me that was not someone’s house but probably a hotel. (I stand to be corrected). Little things like this matter and post production is critical.

I introduced myself to Omoni before the movie and told her what I do. She was so confident of the movie and that my review would be positive. She was so confident that I was hoping I would have disappoint her with my review, but having watched it, how can I? I would say a big well done to Omoni and her team, her cast and the crew for a job well done!

The question remains if I would recommend this movie. There are some movies I need to think well before answering but in this case, it is simple. As a reviewer and critic, and without a doubt and without any fear, I would recommend this movie. I would go watch it again with friends if it comes to cinemas in the UK.

Once more well done to the team

Watch the trailer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_kC2nvpSYs

Review of Nelson Spyk's Drag him to the altar by fire by force

The movie Drag him to the altar by fire by force has not been premiered but has been made available for viewing on www.vimeo.com. The movie is available to rent or buy at less than the cost of a McDonalds Big Mac. I commend the Producer and Director for bringing Nollywood into the light in a different way and in fact making a revenue stream from Nollywood Movies and at a very affordable price for people to watch. I bought the film on my phone, but I watched it HD on my TV and I have the film to keep. I believe Nollywood is an evolving industry and those that invest in making these movies should have a way of getting returns on their investments so that they are able to hire the best cast and crew and pay these people when they come to set. Enough of work and no pay in Nollywood.

I believe that some movies should be premiered, but if at the end of the day, the movie dies after the premier, then it is not worth it, as from my experience, I know that most premieres do not bring return on investment as many people get free tickets and do not pay. However, giving people an opportunity to watch the latest UK Nollywood movies in their houses or on their way to work on their TVs, Tablets or phones is a welcome idea especially when they are affordable. Please don’t get me wrong, some premieres have had record numbers in attendance and have done well and the producers have plans for monetary streams and that is alright, but we need as an industry to think beyond premieres and how money can be made. That is what is done in the Hollywood industry and it is time for Nollywood to rise and take the bulls by the horn so I add my weight of support to this idea. You can watch this movie too at your leisure by buying or renting online on https//vimeo.com/ondemand/draghimtothealtar.

Storyline: This is a hilarious movie about a couple Ade (Ferguson Jack) and Shola (Sylvia Ebuwa Ibie) who have been engaged for 11 years with a daughter of 20 years but are not married. Shola is desperate to get married to Ade on a certain date and Ade is a typical playboy having extra marital affairs and is not ready to get married.

Shola sets her wedding date without the consent of her Ade. His reluctance to tie the knot forces her into resorting to extreme measures; with hilarious unforeseen consequences. This movie is full of humour and a must watch.

In my view, watching this movie, I could relate with the principal characters Ade and Shola. In these days and age, marriage is seen as important in the African setting unlike in the western world where people are happy with a living arrangement. Shola’s desperation is also understood as she wants that magical status of being a Mrs while Ade cannot be bothered and is happy the way he is. The storyline is simple to follow and is relevant as shown by the concluding statements. God’s time is always the best and for instance they say in Yoruba, what you are actually looking for far away in the Northern part of Nigeria called Sokoto making you travel all that far has always been with you in your trousers, so it is important to be patient and indeed look inside and appreciate what you have.

Cast: The movie was written by Nelson Spyk and directed by prolific Director Ruke Amata. The film showcased both new and existing UK Nollywood cast including  boasted of loads of experienced Nollywood actors and included Ruke Amata (Pastor), Sylvia Ebuwa Ibie (Shola), Ferguson Jack (Ade), Brun Njua (Akwa Ibom), Van Vicker (boyfriend), Shepman Mcluvin (Wizkid), Nonso Nwaiwu (Sirit of Restitution), Abigail Fatty ((Dianne), Ramatu Karuma (Fatima), C-Ong Kilmanjaro (High Priestess), Lanre Balogun (Oba), Debbie  Cudjoe (Olori), Gift Boyo (Olori).

I think that the casting was balanced but one or two people could have pulled their weight more and stuck to the character and role they were given. If you are Yoruba stick to being Yoruba and if you are Ibo, don’t try and be Yoruba. I need to mention one or two characters that sold the movie to me and made it worth watching. Sylvia played the lead role and did she play it well, I could not fault her. She is one to be watched in the industry and I encourage her to keep trying to make herself even better. In this movie, the Director got it right with Nonso. Although he had a minor role to play, it’s not about the length of time but about the quality and Nonso also for a lack of a better word killed his role. Well done sir. Your natural humour added value to the movie.

To the rest of the cast of the movie, I say well done. I see a lot of potential amongst the cast and with the right encouragement; I see them doing even better. My advice is this, when you have been casted, act for yourself the role you have been given and let your bathroom window be your audience. Look for someone that would tell you the truth about your acting, your diction etc. and don’t be afraid to take positive criticisms, it only makes you better.

Picture Quality: Generally, the picture quality on my television was top notch, but as you know, I look for and see petty things. I like the fact that certain scenes were censored and the word censored written so we could use our imagination. I also liked the cinematography with relation to getting into and entering the temple, the way people appeared or disappeared, BUT on one occasion Ade was leaving the temple, I don’t know what happened, but instead of just disappearing, he was still in the limelight on the background for a few seconds. That is just me. I look at everything and see petty things. But that said top notch picture quality.

Sound Quality: Again the sound quality was generally good. However, I don’t know what happened with the temple scene. There was a scene where Shola was in the temple. We had hitherto been hearing all she had been saying. When she was in the temple, the voice of the priestess was clear and the voice of Shola and her friend dipped and was low.

I must commend the fact that even where the scene was shot outside, there was no interference with the sound. The voices of the cast were clear and I don’t know what happened but well done!! Also although there was some music going on in the background, it did not sink the voice of the cast. The music was stopped at the appropriate time to allow for the voices of the cast. Again, I say that the production team got that right and I say well done.

Overall performance:  To me I enjoyed watching this movie. It was not so long, but I could not get off my seat. It was well balanced, clear and concise and not too long. The movie stuck to a central theme from beginning to the end and you could predict one or two endings, but most importantly it was easy to follow.

I would like to commend the Director Ruke Amata who himself came out of retirement to play the role of the Pastor, and the entire cast and crew for a job well done.

The question remains if I would recommend this movie. Without a doubt, I would recommend people not to rent but to buy this movie so they can have a laugh anytime they want to. The message is loud and clear and just in case you did not get it, in two lines the theme was summarized.

Once again I say well done!!

Watch the trailer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2YF_GT_3EhM

Review of Seyi Babatope's When Love Happens

The movie When Love Happens premiered at the Odeon Cinema Greenwich on Friday 4th September 2015 and at the same time started showing in selected cinemas on the same day.

Unfortunately, die to another premiere on the same day to which babso.org was already committed, we could not attend the premiere. However, we were priviledged to watch the screening of the movie on Wednesday 9^th September 2015 at Odeon Cinema Greenwich. This review is therefore based on the screening.

Storyline: Moduroti Bankole–Smith (also known as Mo)is a twenty eight year old events planner that has always been unlucky when it came to getting a partner or finding a future partner. She is reminded at every turn about how wonderful love his with proof to substantiate the case. Her parents are madly in love and are always nudging her to find someone. She has 2 close friends Tseju whose profession is unclear and Tobe a banker. 

Events take a bizarre turn when she is hired to plan a long time friend’s Jennifer’s upcoming wedding. This ignites a change and a chain reaction in Mo. She is now determined to open herself to new ways to explore dating and finding romance. An old flame Dare returns to town to further complicate her plans. Unknown to her, her close friend Tobe secretly harbours affection for her and that starts to reverberate as an undercurrent that will reach a tipping point one that will either end badly or for the better. Mo will have to find the natural balance of love as she hopes it to be or as most people experience it. 

To me the storyline was very relevant. In the African culture or at least in the Nigerian culture, when a lady attains a certain age and has studied all she can and achieved things in life, the pressure comes up for her to get married. As in the case in this movie, matters get worse when every other person around one that grew up together is married or in a stable relationship. The movie also depicted how far one can go to get a partner. I would not tell you what was done in this movie or how far Mo went, you need to watch it yourself.

One thing I enjoyed about the movie was that from start to finish, the theme of the story was straight forward and everyone knew where the movie was going. There were no distractions, it was all about love and getting into a relationship and I commend the writer of the script for that. That made the storyline very easy to follow and in fact would make the average viewer emphatise with Mo.

Cast: The movie boasted of loads of experienced Nollywood actors and included Weruche Opia, OC Ukeje, Beverly Naya, Oreka Godis, Desmond Elliot, Wale Ojo, Bukky Wright, Gideon Okeke, Bassey Keppy Ekpeyong, Helen Paul, Shaffy Bello, Blossom Chukwujekwu, KC Ejelonu. The movie was Directed by  Seyi Babatope.  and Produced by Kene Mkparu, Moses Babatope, Seyi Babatope.

In my view the cast were marvelous. I cannot pick on any particular actor opposed to the other. Even those that played minor roles did well and there was a good coordination that brought the movie together. Every single actor did what was expected of them and I commend the Director for a job well done. I don’t know how long it took to shoot this movie but permit me to use this phrase, the cast was simply on point every single one of them.

If you know me when it comes to reviewing movies, I am picky but even though there were tiny mistakes by the cast in one or two scenes, the average viewer would not have picked on them so I am willing to let them go. There were definitely no cramming lines in this movie. To the entire cast and crew, I say well done.

Picture Quality: I do not have much to say about the picture quality. The picture quality was of a good standard. However, that said, in some scenes, there were places where it seems the pictures froze and we did not see the images of the cast as they were talking. This could have been dealt with in post-production. There were no blurred pictures.

Sound Quality: Again the sound quality was of a very good standard. There was no interference with the sound and everything the cast said were very clear. However, my only concern and this is being very picky was with Mo. I am not sure if it had to do with her voice or if she was always a bit far from the microphones to pick her voice very clearly in some scenes. Every other person seemed to have a loud articulate voice but the volume always seemed to dip when it came to Mo. That was just an observation.

Overall performance:  One thing I liked about the movie was what I call the pause and explain. The film froze on a character and Mo usually said something about the character. That was done in a professional manner.

The movie was humorous, was real, was easy to understand, was universal and anyone could relate with it. I went to the movie with someone who would not really watch Nollywood movies and she was full of praise for the movie. To me that spoke a lot about the movie.

Although the UK screening of the movie would be ending today 10^th September 2015, this is a movie that should continually be viewed. It is one of those movies I would like to see on Iroko TV or even Netflix.

I would like to commend the Director Seyi Babatope, and the entire cast and crew for a job well done. The question remains if I would recommend this movie. From my comments above, it is certain what my answer would be. This is one of those movies as a reviewer and critic, that I would recommend without any hesitation or fear of being crucified. I had seen what was written about the movie previously, but I don’t believe a movie is a good movie until I see it and definitely this was a good movie.

Watch the trailer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bdm1h9HojFU

Review of London premiere of Toyin Moore's Captivated

The movie Captivated premiered at the Lighthouse on Friday 4th September 2015. Prominent on the red carpet were members of the cast and crew including Toyin Moore, Chiedu Nwanze, Ekenne Francis Nweke, Sesan Fakoya, Dapo Oloja, Ken Smart, Roseline Sanni Ajose, Malcolm Benson, Kevwe Ogunje, Mayowa Oluyede, Lydia Olet. The red carpet was also graced by representatives of the Nigerian High Commission led by the Acting High Commissioner HE Olukunle Akindele Bamgbose . Members of the Nollywood UK including Ruke Amata, Fred Aseromah, Nonso Nwaiwu, Florence Blaster Okonkwo were also amongst those on the red carpet as well as members of the public.

The event The Event was hosted by Producer and host Evelyn Obahor and talented Actor and MC Kevwe Ogunje and they did an amazing job kicking it off and warming up the audience before the movie. The premiere also featured performances from different artistes including Aremu and Joy.

Storyline: Captivated is a movie about a quest for true love. Having  been captive by the past, Elizabeth’s searches for freedom after a life of hurt and disappointment. Rose is a beautiful young woman, who through no fault of hers is caught up in a world of pain disappointment and ultimate discovery of true Love. According to the synopsis of the movie as published, it is a story steeped in our rich African culture with a modern twist. The movie is woven around promises and betrayals. The big question the movie tried to address is what do you do when all hope is lost?

In my view, unlike most Nollywood movies I have seen recently, the storyline is not wholly based on a daily occurrence and its own way is unique.

Let me start from the positives. Some real life issues were highlighted in the movie. The passion and love of a husband for his wife to the extent that he leaves his religion of Christianity to follow her traditional religion and even impacting that to the children, a praying mother, frustration and battering of a family after the death of one that is loved etc and to me those were good.

Also part of the storyline were humorous and kept the audience laughing.

Having said that, I however expected a much different storyline bearing in mind the title of the movie. I kept asking myself throughout the movie what is there to captivate the audience or where is the captivation in the movie? In my own view, the betrayal, the loss of income and the various things that happened to the family were not portrayed as being “CAPTIVATED”. In my own view, the only scene that was worthy of the title of the movie was the end where the disappointed Rose who was heartbroken met a man and both the man and girl could not say anything and were just bewilded.

Also, I was concerned that the movie had scenes of domestic violence to both wife and children. Like I always say, when telling a story, the story has to be realistic. In the movie, the husband committing the domestic violence was a policeman and even though mention was made that the police would not do anything (which in my view in the current UK) is not really true, the violence especially on the children was played down in t

I know that the storyline was based on the fact that what happened to Rose and her mum in the movie was a s a result of fact that they did not deal with the violence, but even if it was in form of a soliloquy, the option of going to child support or Social service should have been added. If I was the script writer, I would have included a scene where Rose was discussing the option with her boyfriend and possibly showing how it is considered a taboo in African context to take your father to the authorities. That way the options of help would have been considered.

One major thing that was important and not included in the movie was sub titles. I sat next to a lady from an African country and she got lost where Yoruba was being spoken. Even myself a Yoruba man, I almost got lost with some of the konk Yoruba being spoken. The audience was vast and in such a movie, everyone should have been included.

Cast: The movie boasted of loads of new talent in the making. I give kudos to the Director for casting new names some with potential to make waves in the Nollywood industry. The cast and crew included Ken Smart, Toyin Moore, Roseline Sanni-Ajose, Funmi Ogidan-Bello, Cordelia Emeh, Malcolm Benson, Kevwe Ogunje, Victoria Abraham, Doyin Amodu, Jedidah David, Achieng Tett, Greg Ojo, Rich Daniel, Oladapo Oloja,
Yolanda Sanda, Florence Odaru, Chiedu Nwanze, Ekene Francis Nweke, Mayowa Oluyede, Sesan Fakoya and many more.

The movie was written by Lydia Tet Olet. The movie was produced and directed by Toyin Moore. The Executive Producers were Toyin Moore, Ken Smart and Lydia Olet and the movie was powered by MS Estates.

Let me start with the new actors and actresses. Most of them were given minor roles as supporting actors so one could not see much of them enough to assess them properly. However, I believe some of them have potential if given the right opportunity and direction. I would like to use this medium to ask Nollywood UK to seek out these new talents and get them involved as the industry continues to evolve. Some of the cast just delivered their lines without the passion of the role, but I am so willing to forgive them as this is their first attempt at such a big stage.

I am very meticulous and fastidious do I had issues with some of the lead characters and diction. This is an evolving industry and if we are to grow, we need to perfect little bits. If the movie is in pidgin English, the characters especially lead characters should spend time in perfecting the language, if it is in English, the least I expect is proper diction and pronunciation of words. Similarly if native languages like Yoruba and Ibo are to be used, the cast need to be vast and speak the language properly. In this movie, I give credit to the cast that threw in Yoruba phrases and proverbs as they nailed it. Diction perfect wordings beyond what even I as a Yoruba reviewer would have done.

Having said that let me pick 4 major characters and as veterans now in the industry, I would be a bit brutal but honest. For Toyin Moore, I must give her credit for being able to adapt to different roles. Added to the fact that she directed the movie, overall, she did what I expected of her and she continues to evolve and grow. However, I cannot give her 100% in this movie as there were some scenes I thought she might have been tired or overwhelmed with the load of work (that is my own opinion) that she did not fully deliver. I think if one is going to be a Director and Producer, they should not take the lead as the load would be too much and then again can you Direct yourself as you would others? Toyin keep doing what you do. You are a natural and one day who knows you might be in one of the other “woods”.

Ken Smart. Directors are beginning to see your strengths and cast you accordingly. To me you did justice to the role you were given. However, as a critic and in my view, I think you need to tone down just a bit sometimes. You are a natural bubbly person and get excited easily and this is reflecting in your characters and sometimes, I see you get excited and overplay your role. You are naturally talented and would go places, but just be yourself and don’t get excited. You are a natural and have a future in the industry, but a word of advice, don’t jump into producing or directing till you have perfected your act and know the industry well. Thought to add that. Well done Ken.

Roseline when I watched a previous movie you were in, we disagreed over my comments largely about you but in this movie, I watched you with all intensity. Foe most of the movie, I asked myself if this was the same Roseline. You were calm and approached the role with the professionalism it deserved. There was a scene that caught my attention and I was waiting to see if you would light the cigarette and actually smoke. Without telling the audience what happened (go and watch the movie when it is released), you nailed that part and most of the scenes in which you were. To me, this was much better and the role suited you and I can confidently cast you in a role in a movie should I audition for one. Well done. However, I can confidently cast you in a role in a movie should I audition for one. Well done. However, you still have some work to do and I would encourage you to watch those you look at as idols, learn from them, perfect your skill and your name would be on the anals of history. You have so much potential, harness and release them. Let your next role so blow the minds of people that they ask questions.

Kevwe Ogunje, you asked me to be blunt and of course I would be. Simply put, I think you played the role you were asked to play as best as you could. I Would not have done any much better myself. However, I have seen you in more tried roles and I don’t think you were stretched to your potential in this movie. You are so natural that you have even gone into been a presenter and MC so I would like in future to see you in more challenging roles as you seem to be very good at what you do. I have nothing more to say.

I would not do this part of the review justice without mentioning Dapo Oloja. This is the 2^nd consecutive movie I am seeing him. In this film, he played a bigger role, Dapo is naturally a cheerful person always laughing so a large part of the movie played to his strengths. There were obvious flaws. Dapo is Yoruba and played an Ibo role. In my opinion, he did not act as an Ibo man not in the accent or the ethos of an Ibo man. Dapo was just himself and one thing I could see behind the acting was that he enjoyed himself. Dapo, there are a few issues, but if you deal with them, there is potential in you. I would advise you to take away a script and consult. You are popular. People like Alfred of Nollywood or Obi Emenloye would have given a few tips on being an Ibo Prince but all in all I commend you for giving it a try.

To the entire cast and crew, I say a big kudos as you all made an effort and the production with your help was a success.

Picture Quality: The picture quality was for most parts of the movie of a good not excellent standard, but I noticed delays in between scenes in some cases. I did not notice any blurred scenes or scenes out of the frame (and I stand to be corrected). This is good but the general picture quality can be improved on.

Sound Quality: Whilst I rated the picture quality as being good, unfortunately, I cannot say the same for the sound quality. There were buzzy sounds that could have been edited post production. I understand that scenes shot outside should look real with evidence of things happening around, but where it causes buzzes in the sound quality, I have an issue.

Also in some scenes, I could hardly hear what the actors were saying hence follow the trend. One typical example was in the office of MS Estates. I missed out on the special services being offered and also most of what Mayowa was saying apart from his US trip. It is funny to note that in the same office, I could hear the Secretary clearly even though there was some interference with the sound. I put all this to post production or to the sound engineer (if there was one). It is these little things that make or break a movie.

Overall performance:  Generally, in spite of the issues that I have raised, I think the movie was a good one overall. There were comic parts to the movie that kept the audience laughing. I think the characters showed commitment and in spite of all the issues raised gave their best to make the movie work out.

I had an issue with the corporate adverts in the movie. While that may have been contractual there was no natural acting in the scenes where the companies were profiled. It was as if lines were being read. If a company is to be profiled in a movie, it is a movie and whoever is in it should act and convince the audience like any other actor. This is becoming a norm in the Nollywood industry that sponsors of a movie ask for a scene in the movie to profile their businesses (and while there is nothing wrong with that), it should be a part of the bigger picture, the movie. The same was the case with the scene profiling Oloja.com. The other way around it is to take an advert before an after the movie that profile the company. To me while people may miss the profile in the movie and think they are made up names, one cannot miss the advert before and after the movie.

Having said all that, the question remains if I would recommend this movie. As a reviewer and critic, although I have mentioned some of my concerns, I would definitely recommend this movie.

Watch the trailer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TdOHu5ZOToY