Review of London Premiere of Double Cross

The premiere of the movie Double Cross was held at Odeon Greenwich Cinema on Friday 31^st October 2014. Prominent amongst those on the red carpet included John Dumelo, Ama K. Abebrese, DJ Abass, Eloise Nana Yaa Miss Ghana UK 2014, Adjetey Anang, Ayo Oyebade, Ikenna Obi, Yvonne Hayes, Danny Erskine, cast and crew of the Movie, to mention but a few.

The movie which was shot in Ghana showcased award winning actress Ama K. Abebrese, multi Award winning John Dumelo, multi award winning actor Adjetey Anang, alongside Jasmine Baroudi, Paulina Oduro and veteran actor Samuel Odoi-Mensah. The movie was directed by prolific director Pasacal Aka and produced by D R Kufuor and Ama K Abebrese.

Storyline:  In the movie, Effie Howard’s (Ama K. Abebrese) life is dramatically turned upside down when her fiancé Ben Boateng (Adjetey Anang) is convicted and sentenced for a crime he did not commit. Determined to prove his innocence, she carried out her own investigation and finds the actual robber; Danny Frimpong (John Dumelo) a calm and collected sophisticated genius of a thief who has a personal vendetta against the bank he robbed Neptune Bank International. He robbed the bank using technological equipment’s and software’s which enabled him to enter, steal and exit the bank leaving everyone mystified as to how the theft was carried out, no witnesses, no evidence, yet the money is gone.

She meets Danny and threatens him but offers him a deal, and it’s to rob the bank again with similar methods as the first so the authorities know the actual robber is still out there then Danny does not lose what matters to him most and the reason for the bank robbery. She plans to relocate with the money when Ben is acquitted so as to get away from the stigma attached to ex-convicts and their families. After the bank robbery Effie sets her sights on a jewellery warehouse and she wants Danny to rob it.

With a lot of jewellery and money at stake, each one of them tries to outwit each other with medleys of smart thinking as they plan and execute the robberies, but no amount of careful planning or expertise can prepare them for the dangerous enemy, an enemy Effie least expected and never saw coming with surprising twist

With a lot of jewellery and loads of money at stake, each one of them tries to outwit each other with medleys of smart thinking as they plan and execute the robberies. They meticulously plan the robberies, but no amount of careful planning or expertise can prepare them for the dangerous enemy, an enemy Effie least expected and never saw coming. There was a surprise twist, but if you want to know what it is, go watch the movie.

I sat down at the Cinema and initially wandered where the story was going. I thought it was about revenge and an upset lady trying to get revenge on the man that had put her fiancé behind bars. I then saw the same man falling in love with his friend’s fiancée. It was wild drama till the last straw. I am tempted to say what happened, but that would be spoiling the intrigue for those who have not watched the movie. The credits at the end showing what happened to each individual was a welcome advantage and of course the climax of the movie surprised some people. I must say I was not surprised as I expected it!! All in all, the storyline was good and I give credit to the writer.

Cast: As stated above, there were some celebrated cast members. I think there was a balanced cast and the cast did justice in bringing out the intended storyline and for this I give kudos to the Director of the movie. However, I was not really impressed with the acting of one or two of the cast. Worthy of mention is the police inspector and negotiator. To me the acting was not convincing at all. Before the bomb exploded and after that, the countenance of the officer was unreal. At the press conference as well, I was not impressed, he did not make it look real. I think he should have demonstrated a bit more passion in the role. On a balance, I say well done to the cast.

Picture quality: For this sub-head, I had an argument with my Associate Reviewer. While she thought that some scenes were blurry and not well focussed, I did not agree with her. In my own opinion, I thought that the picture quality was good but not excellent. As a good reviewer and bearing in mind that in every movie, we have two reviewers seating at different places within the cinema, I think the Director along with the Director of Photography in future movies should take a second look at the final shot and the pictures that come out so that pictures are clear and not blurry. On this one, I leave it to the audience that watched the movie to lean on one side.

Sound: Right from the beginning of the movie and in most scenes, as is the case with most Nollywood and African movies that we have reviewed, there were buzzy sounds on the background interfering with the actual sound of the cast. Although we could hear what the cast was saying, I am really looking forward to reviewing a movie where I am not hearing background noise. I watch movies from around the world and if we are to compete with Hollywood, we have to ensure that the sound is clear and concise and that the only background noise that is heard are the sounds of any effects used in the movie. The sound was not too bad, but can be improved on.

Overall performance: When I watch an African Movie or a Nollywood movie, I want to see the effects, props and location looking as real as possible. In this movie, to me the prison even though it was the visiting hall that was shown did not look anything like a prison. What I saw was even much better than the visiting halls of category D, open prisons in the UK. I would be very surprised if that scene was shot on location in a prison. In future, the Director should actually approach the prison service and do the scene there or do what is done in programmes like East Enders, create the location.

Like I said earlier, I was impressed with the intrigue and suspense at the end. To me, the effects used for the bomb and the whole scene could have been better. A good cinematographer would have done a very good job in that scene and made it look real. It looked a bit artificial although the message was sent out.

Overall, I would say it was a good movie, better than most of the movies I have seen and had to review. There were definitely issues as I have addressed and this is hoping that in future projects, the Director and his team would look at these in a bid to make their next work better.

All I have to say is well done!!!

Watch the trailer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddpLpeaxb7o .

Review of London Premiere of Urban Rhythm

The premiere of the movie Urban Rhythm was held at Lighthouse Camberwell on Friday 3^rd October 2014. The movie showcased UK based upcoming new talents Lateef Lovejoy, Material, Gabriel Rinu, Zeezat Sadiq, Yvonne Hays, Maydaz, Ade Bello, Adasnoop amongst others.

Storyline:  ‘Urban Rhythm’ is a musical film with a fusion of UK based afrobeat artists and actors and with a compelling story of an unlikely friendship and an afrobeat journey. It features two main characters who do not quite get along. A young artist, Material, suddenly finds himself in need of a defence lawyer when he is charged with a petty crime. Sean who works for a private law firm is assigned to the case. An unlikely friendship occurs which then leads to an afrobeat journey. The movie was directed by Michael Ibiayo and produced by Yinka Kuponiyi.

As a lawyer, I was concerned about Sean’s actions in chambers as they were to say the least unprofessional and could lead to debarring. If he had issues, he should have refused to take the case and act on behalf of the client. He had an interest in the matter and would be unprofessional to act for him. Furthermore, he knew the client had stolen from him and that is enough to create a bias and make a case for him to transfer the case to someone else.

I also found it strange that in between a case conference, the solicitor picked up a call and subsequently went off course from the reason for the  conference and started talking about music.

Also I noticed miming during the course of some recordings. Music should have been lowered and the musician given more focus.

I commend the thought of bringing up a real issue of  a professional who should have known better in making a lucrative contract agreeing orally in principle to manage a musician even after he had been warned by his colleague and after his client had become so successful. The story show cases a common error and is a big lesson that should be learnt how where there is no concrete agreement, one can double cross another and friendships and relationships can be destroyed. Well done for that!!

Cast: As stated earlier, the cast are not well known names in the Nollywood industry save for Yvonne Hayes who has done a few Nollywood Movies. I believe that as first timers, most of the actors and actresses did well although there is room for improvement. I think the extras were a bit excessive in their acting and in a scene like the gym or the pool, there were elements of overacting.

I commend the Director for using real musicians and allowing them be creative and express themselves.

Picture quality: There were some scenes where the focus was out of place and this was obvious. If this could be worked on, I think the picture quality would be a winner. Overall however, the cinematography was on point. I agree with Nelson that the shoot style was the American dept-of-field flavour with movement and over the shoulder shots heavily utilised.

Sound: Again there were some issues with the sound. In some cases, the sound was low and in some cases, the sound was excessively high. Again working on this would make the sound a winner.

Overall performance: I think this movie is unique being a musical and also telling a story. From what the Director told us, the project was worked on for two years and had a relatively huge budget for a Nollywood movie. I commend the team for patience and trying to get things right before actually premiering the movie. However, I think the movie dragged on a bit and people may get bored eventually.

Most of the locations were great, but as a lawyer, I had a problem with the law office and as stated above if a UK Solicitor was at the premiere, they may not have understood the whole office and law scenes. Some people who watched the movie alluded that it cannot be termed as an authentic Nollywood movie but a British movie with the makings of a  Hollywood movie

Overall, I give a big nod to the movie and if people are music lovers and can endure, they would watch the movie to the end and enjoy it. Well done!!

Watch the trailer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gz7jhAptLlI#t=10

Review of London Gala Premiere of Gone too far

The Gala Premiere took place at the Hackney Picture House On Tuesday 30th September 2014. The premiere was attended by the Director Destiny Ekaragha, the writer Bola Agbaje, the cast and crew of the movie and many of the Nollywood UK industry stakeholders including DJ Abass, Theodora Ibekwe Oyebade, Ayo Oyebade, Teju Ibukunoluwa, Ikenna Obi, Kenneth Benson, Danny Erskrine, Nelson Spyke, Riyike Alayande, to mention but a few.

Storyline: Gone too far follows two estranged brothers mainly over the course of a single day as they meet for the first time and struggle to accept each other for who they truly are. Yemi (Malachi Kirby) who was a British born Nigerian teenager could not wait to for his brother Ikudayisi (O C Ukeje) to join him in Peckham but it was all disappointment when he arrived wearing socks and sandals making Yemi question both his judgement and African heritage.

The drama continued as Ikudayisis African heritage and unimpressive fashion sense soon start to endanger Yemi’s street credentials. He had been trying so hard, got the right clothes, listened to the right music, stayed out of trouble, and it seemed to be working particularly when trying to impress local troublemaking temptress Armani (Shanika Warren-Markland), but his wall soon came crashing down as this goggle-eyed, naive immigrant could do nothing but harm his credibility.

As simmering adolescent passions and West Indian-African tensions erupt over the course of one day in their estate, both siblings had to decide where their loyalties lie. A day in the estate becomes filled with danger and excitement and teaches both siblings the values of family and self-respect.

The movie was adapted from Bola Agbaje’s Olivier award winning play and is a delightful funny tale from the end of Peckham and focused on addressing serious racial tensions. The film was directed by Destiny Ekaragha and produced by Christopher Granier-Deferre. The Associate producer was Rob Watson.

The storyline outlined what is a prevailing issue in the British and in fact in other parts of the world. Discrimination is not necessarily between black and white or white and Hispanic and could actually be amongst the black race, in the case of this movie between African and Caribbean citizens. What caught my eyes and was real is the way the Afro-Caribbean in the Diaspora have refused to identify with their roots as depicted by Yemi and Shanika. These are real issues and though not depicted in the movie, people want to identify and do so by changing their names and even the colour of their skins. To me, the storyline was direct, relevant and eye opening. We need to go back to our roots and identify with it, we need to be proud to be Nigerian or Bajan. I therefore give kudos to the script writer for coming up with such a concept.

Cast: The movie feautured Adelayo Adedayo (Paris), Malachi Kirby (Yemi), Shanika Warren-Markland (Armani), Ashley Chin (Mark), Bhasker Patel (Mr Patel), Eddie Bagayawa (Cook), O.C. Ukeje (Ikudayisi), Pooja Shah (Aisha), Kulvinder Ghir (Bossman), Tosin Cole (Razer), Wai Wong (Mr Wong), Michael Maris (Blazer), Eddie Kadi (DJ), Liz Sutherland (Mrs Wong), Golda John (Mum), Sandra Michelle (angry girlfriend), Garry Marriott (PCSO), Miles McDonald (Ghost) and KG the Comedian  (Hi Res).

I must commend the Director how she was able to bring a blend of different personalities to tell the story. Using a mix of Golda, Malachi, O.C Ukeje, Shanika and the mix of minor characters such as Bhasker, Mr Wong etc brought balance to the movie. Usually, I pick one or two of the cast and credit them, but for this movie and in order to encourage the upcoming actors and actresses take a bold step and get into the industry, I would say a big well done to everyone. When a Director makes a foreigner speak an indigenous Nigerian language, I give kudos to that Director and although murdering the Yoruba language, I give credit to Bhasker for the effort.

Saying that, I think in some scenes, there was a bit of overacting, I also think that one or two of the cast in some scenes made it obvious that they were in front of a camera, thus defeating the ethos of acting. That being the case, overall, I give a thumbs up to the cast especially those that are new to the Nollywood scene. I also see potentials of new stars erupting as a result of their roles in the movie. To me Golda was just natural and I commend her. I have said in a previous review that O.C. Ukeje is a fast upcoming star, but I think he should learn his role properly and convince the audience of the role he is playing. He was playing a Yoruba boy and in my honest opinion in some scenes his tone and acts did not demonstrate a typical Yoruba compared to Golda. Being Yoruba myself I noticed easily, others may not but overall, I say the cast did well.

Picture quality: To me throughout the movie, unless I missed something, the picture quality was not excellent, but it was good and I do not have any negative comments about the picture quality. With a larger budget in these days of technology the picture quality could have been improved. That said, as a starting point I give credit to the Director and her crew and I look forward to seeing the use of sharper and up to date cinematography in her next movie. This bit should not be seen as a negative criticism but one that is pushing the Director to look deeper and upgrade in her next effort.

Sound: Again apart from one scene which was an external scene where I heard some buzzing sound I think the sound was good again I commend the Director and her team for this. Not much to say.

Overall performance: In describing the movie overall, I would say it was simply brilliant, an excellent movie, one of the best that I have watched in Nollywood recently. There were loads of comedy with the audience bursting out in laughter.

However good as the movie is, I think there should have been subtitles for non-Yoruba speakers and even non Bayan speakers. If the movie has been produced for a Nigerian or even Afro-Caribbean audience I think subtitles would not be necessary. However, if the movie has been designed for an overall audience of different nationals, in some scenes people would be lost as was the case in the premiere where my neighbour looked lost in some scenes as she just did not understand the jokes or what was going on. Golda in her role tried to interprete Yoruba to English, but not in all cases. That is just a food for thought.

The movie is showing at a cinema near you from the 10^th of October 2014. The question is that as a Nollywood critic and movie reviewer, would I pay to go and see the movie. I do not have to think hard and fast about the answer to that question. The answer is a categorical YES.

I believe this is one of the movies that depicts where the Nollywood movie industry should be going and as such we should encourage a step in the right direction. To the Director, cast and crew of this movie I say well done!!

Watch the trailer:

http://www.virginmedia.com/movies/trailers-clips/gone-too-far-trailer/3785262077001/?filter=all#!/gone-too-far-trailer/3785262077001

Review of London Premiere of For the Love of money

The movie was premiered on Friday 5th September 2014 at the Odeon Cinema Greenwich.

On the red carpet were Florence Okonkwo,Toyin Moore, Nelson Spyk,  Ruke Amata, Fatima Jabe Bio, Theodora Ibekwe Oyebade, Collins Archie Pearce, Toksy Bello,  Danny Erskine, Feyisara the African Entertainer, Marie Gomez, Tolu Yesufu, Steve Hammond, M A Benson, Kevwe Ogunje, Seyi Akinoso, Fred and Titi Aseroma, cast and crew of the movie, captains of the UK Nollywood industry and members of the public.

Storyline: To me, the movie started abruptly and I tried very hard to find a theme for the whole movie. From what I saw, the movie was about an entangled couple who both had gangs armed with guns. The husband connived and conned £300,000,000 from his wife and this led to a gang war between both gangs. Eventually, the wife used her wits and emptied her husband’s account resulting in him kidnapping his children and threatening to kill them. During negotiations, when his wife pretended to have transferred the money back to him, the child (although we kept hearing children, we only saw a child) was saved and the husband (Mr. T) was arrested. We saw eventually that he was sentenced to 25 years in prison. I concluded that the ethos of the movie was that people can do anything including killing their children just for money.

As a movie reviewer and critic, I like storylines to be believable and realistic. There were a few issues in this movie. I was shocked that $300m could fit into such a small bag. If the bills were in $100 notes, that would take 30,000 bales which cannot fit that small bag and while the audience kept seeing dollar bills, we were told the money was £300m. I was confused whether the money that caused all the trouble in the movie was actually pounds or dollars.

Secondly, the movie was shot in the United Kingdom. Mr. T was arrested at the end of the movie and the proper procedure was not followed. If you watch any British soap and someone has to be arrested, you tell them why they are arrested and there is a proper caution. For ease of reference, the arrest should have been something like this:

“Mr T, I am arresting you for the kidnap of …..  You do not have to say anything but it may harm your defence if you do not mention when questioned something which you may later rely on in court. Anything you do say may be given in evidence against you. Do you understand?”

In this industry, we need to start paying attention to detail and make our movies such that people from other ethnic backgrounds can watch and understand with ease just like we understand most Hollywood movies. Our storylines should be realistic and such that people can relate with.

For the storyline therefore, I would award a 5 out of a possible 10

Picture Quality: In some of the scenes, there were flurry pictures e.g. in the scene where Collins and Florence were and the guards were asked to leave. I was impressed with most of the cinematography especially where there was a gun battle between the two gangs. However, I saw some funny cinematography e.g. boats dancing, was that one of the cinematographer’s idea to create effects? For most of the movie, the cinematography and pictures were great.

For the picture quality, I would award an 8 out of a possible 10

Sound: Generally, the sound was good, but there were instances where there were issues. An example was where the 3 ladies were discussing about the £300,000,000. The sound was also up and down in the scene between Florence and Collins. In some cases, the sound was low. Not much to say on sound. For sound I would score a 7 out of a possible 10.

Cast: This movie had some know actors and actresses who put their experience to play. Noticeable were Chinwe Owoh and Collins Archie Pearce. Casting them brought the much needed balance to the movie. Upcoming actors like Kevwe Ogunje although he only spoke once also brought balance to the cast. I would like to commend Florence Okonkwo. She played a lead role and this is the first movie I have seen her play lead. Although she was not perfect, for a first lead Nollywood role, I think on the balance of probabilities, she did well. Her command of the Igbo language worked well where she had to speak Igbo. In some scenes, I was impressed with her, but in some scenes, it was as if she was struggling to get her lines and act at the same time and as a movie reviewer, I saw that. I think she would get better and better with more roles and if she remains focused, she may become one of the upcoming Nollywood actresses.

Some of the other cast members showed that they crammed their lines and did not really act and this showed in the movie. Their acting did not flow naturally as it should. I would like to give some examples and I do this as a positive criticism so they can look back in their next movies and do even better.

I commend Steve Hammond that in spite of his busy schedule has shown interest in the Nollywood industry. I know he has done some movies, although I have not been priviledged to lines not clear, lines too quick, seems review any of those movies. However, in this movie, I think he rushed his lines, did not fall in character and was talking more than he was acting. I think he should pace his speech and put some passion into his acting and he would do great in the industry.

Abby Fatty in my view started calm, cool collected but eventually acted as if she had crammed her lines. Overall though as a new comer in the industry, I think she did well. Chinwe Owoh made an impact. We saw her in a different kind of role from what we are used to. Like I said earlier, she lifted the movie.

For the category of cast, I would award a 6.5 out of a possible 10

Overall performance:

The movie had its issues and if we took away the title of the movie, people may not have understood what the whole movie was about. When watching a movie, in the first ten minutes, one should have an idea of the direction of the movie. In honesty, I think this was missing in this movie.

I commend the Director for spotting and using new talents and a balance of the experienced although I believe most of the cast need to continue to improve themselves.

In totality, I would award this movie in its current state a 3+ star out of a possible 5+ stars.

After Nollywood Premieres what next?

I have been priviledged over the years to watch a lot of Nollywood premieres in the UK and I must commend the cast and crew of such movies for making efforts to produce and premiere such movies. That said, I am also aware that I am aware that it is costly from shooting of the movie to the actual premiere. A breakdown of a good movie would include paying the cast, the cinematographer, the producer, the director, in some cases paying for location, advertising for the premiere and actually paying  for the venue of the premiere. Lots of money is involved  in actually putting up a premiere that in most cases, sponsorship has to be obtained.

One would think that the funds spent would be recouped at the premieres but this is not the case. In spite of the fact that the premieres are priced with tickets costing between £15 and £40, most of these tickets about 60% to at least 75% are given out free to cast and their guests, to promoters, to sponsors, to people in the industry etc. The question then is how do the producers of the movie break through.

Nollywood as much as it is an industry is also a business. Everyone is in business to make profit. While I understand that a producer may have the funds and want to tell a particular story and may not be concerned about the costs, this is not the case in most cases. I am sorry to say, but most of our producers lack strategy and do not think beyond the premiere leaving them in debt and the Executive Producers running out of pocket.

Some of the premieres even though they are below par are premiered for various reasons. To some it is for fame, to some just to show they have arrived and although some are genuine, there is no follow up or back up plan after the premieres. Some of the movies die a natural death after the premieres, there are no marketing strategies for such movies and it is such a pity.

Even the Bible says that before one builds a house, he should count the costs. It is my view that before anyone dreams of even shooting a movie talk not of premiering it, they should think of the total cost and think of how the movie can be marketed and bring in some of the much needed revenue. It is a shame if a good movie just goes to rest after a premiere. There are people in the UK who can help market our movies at the right price and others can help advertise properly. Others can act as consultants but if things are done properly, our movies would not end up at premiere level.

My plea is that producers should think twice before jumping at a premiere!!

Babs Carew

Lead reviewer

Review of the London Premiere of St Mary

The movie was premiered on Friday 8^th August 2014 at the Odeon Cinema Greenwich.

St Mary showcases some of Nollywood’s best and versatile actors and actresses including Zack Orji, Ekpeyong Bassey-Inyang, Frank Dallas, Joseph Benjamin, Scott Roberts, Benita Nzeribe, Paul Obazele, Ibinabo Fiberesima, Toyin Alausa, Sefiya Dadiya,  and Caren Agwambo. The movie was written by Danijo Efe Young from an original story by Chike Brian. It was produced by Obi Anthony Osotule and directed by Matthias Obahiagbon.

The premiere was hosted by Panache Entertainment and present on the red carpet were the Executive Producer of the movie Darlington Agha, the Associate Producer Keppy Ekpeyong Bassey, the director Matthias Obahiagbon, actor and production manager Frank Dallas, Zack Orji, Benita Nzeribe, Princess Peace Essien (CEO Panache Global Entertainment), Prince Tade Olusile, Anthony Monjaro, Ruke Amata, Toyin Moore, Pauline Long, Nelson Spyk,  Fatima Jabe Bio, Toksy Bello, captains of the UK Nollywood industry and members of the public.

Storyline:  The moviecentres on the negative implication of pornography, sex and human trafficking. It follows the story of Tejiri, who uncovers a massive web of conspiracy on human trafficking and crime on board  St. Mary, an oil vessel on voyage bound for Amsterdam. The well helmed movie also narrates the story of Nonye who gets lured by a Facebook confidant and friend into a seeming breakthrough in her singing career. Her excitement banishes caution and her world is thrown into a spiraling string of turmoil and disaster. She lands in a cabal’s dragnet stripping her away from the safety of family and imposing a terrifying adventure amidst her pleas for survival.

The movie also exposes the exploits of Don Daddy, an epitome of success whose massive business empire is built on extraction and sales of human organs. His tentacles spread out to the frontiers of establishment and he lives his fairy tale life in all the perks of comfort with a consortium of agents luring young girls with a promise of better life in Europe until he attracts the small framed daughter of Professor Ojukwu whose search pulls Don Daddy’s empire down. As the narrative progresses, the scars never heal, the pain disappear and the memories linger painfully. The story taxies off as a story of degradation, torture, pain and loss. It captures the travails of man’s innocence compromised in his aspirations.

In my view as a movie critic and reviewer, I commend the writer for telling such a storyline. The storyline actually reflects what happens in our society, but which people refuse to narrate when they are victims because of fear of repercussions. It is interesting that it is the high and mighty in the society for example an ex-governor that get involved in such atrocities. Such ills need to be wiped out from our society and efforts need to be made between governments of countries by sharing intelligence to find out the brains behind human trafficking and deal with the root of the problem. I would have like to see the movie end with some form of collaboration between the Nigerian and Netherlands governments to deal with the problem even if it was only by writing some lines at the end of the movie.

For the storyline therefore, I would be awarding 8.5 out of a possible 10

Picture Quality: Throughout the movie, there was a consistency with the picture quality. I have seen Nollywood movies with sharper pictures, but none the less the picture quality was good. I must commend those responsible for the pictures and i believe with a larger budget and better equipment, the pictures could have been even better. Not much to say, i award for the picture quality a score of 9 out of a possible 10

Sound: The sound started good although the music overshadowed the voice of the actors in some cases. There were also echoes in the sound in some of the scenes. The sound quality then went downhill and became atrocious to say the least. There was a lot of interference. It sounded as if the microphones were so close and there was nothing to prevent unnecessary noise. The sound was so bad in some cases we could not hear clearly what was being said.

It is a pity that for such a promising movie, the sound was that bad. It is with regret, but in performing my role as a Nollywood critic and reviewer that I award a 1 out of a possible 10 for sound.

Cast: As stated earlier, the movie showcased some big names in Nollywood and upcoming actors and actresses. I think the balance was right and the experience of the likes of Zack Orji, Keppy Ekpeyong and the likes of Joseph Benjamin made the movie look real. However, personally, i would not have cast the Captain for that role as he was neither here or there and did not do the role much justice. I think some of the girls although they were playing support roles overacted their parts and while I think the Kenyan lady in the movie played her role properly as one of the suppliers of girls, I think some of the other ladies more or less acted like they crammed their lines. Out of a possible 10, for the cast i would award a 7.

Overall performance: I am a stickler for excellence when it comes to Nollywood movies and I can be very picky at times. We are in an age of advanced technology and seeing the police doing surveillance with a mobile phone is not 21st century. I would have preferred not to show such a scene or at least pretend to use better technology.

I think on the balance of probabilities, the movie was a good one and the atmosphere was cordial, however in my view, before premiering a movie the director needs to watch the whole movie and do an assessment. A private viewing may also help see some of the issues like the sound that have been raised here.

In the current state of the movie, it would be hypocritical of me to recommend the movie mainly because of the sound. This can be corrected and once this has been done, I would gladly recommend the movie.

In totality, i would award this movie in its current state a 3 star out of a possible 5+ stars. However, this grading can improve if I watch the movie again and the sound issue has been corrected.

Watch the trailer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tEEV5_MBm7Y

Review of London Premiere of Collins Archie Pearce's the devil in Freetown

The movie The devil in Freetown premiered at the Odeon Cinema on Friday 25th July 2014.

Amongst those that attended included HE Edward Mohammed Turay High Commissioner of Sierra Leone to the UK and Ireland, cast and crew of the movie from Sierra Leone. Others who graced the red carpet included members of the press, members of the business community, the Sierra Leone community in the UK and distinguished members of the public. Of course members of the Nollywood UK community including Theodora Ibekwe Oyebade and her husband Ayo, Nelson Spyk, Toyin Moore, Ruke Amata, Toksy B, Tolu Yesufu, Riyike Alayande, Danny Erskine, Rita Nzelu Okoro and of course Collins Archie Pearce.

Also present were representatives of sponsors including Melgosh Mission International. At the end of the movie Collins Archie Pearce announced that he was championing an Ebola Fund for the amputees from the war and that 30% of the proceeds from the premiere will go towards Melqosh Mission International's projects including the procurement of preventative materials against the Ebola plague. We at babso.org would like to commend him for this initiative and ask others to inject proceeds from future premieres into developmental issues in the community that they may deem relevant.

Storyline:

The ethos of this movie is to showcase the resilience of Sierra Leone and her people in rising up from the ashes of the war despite the human, structural and societal destruction it experienced. The date, January 6^th 1999, will be forever etched in the minds of Sierra Leoneans as the bloodiest day of the war. This movie brought to light inhumane activities which took place in what had once been one of Africa’s  most peaceful country and to also highlighted the need to strive for continuous and prevailing unity in any given country, be it  in Africa, Europe, America, Australia. The movie revealed exactly what transpired during the war and d a beautiful story line to complement it. According to Collins Archie Pearce, some of the people who were affected by the war volunteered to feature in the movie to give first-hand information of the trauma they went through.

The main message behind this movie is to illustrate to friends and neighbours of Sierra Leone that the peace of one’s country or native land must be maintained and preserved.  Unfortunately, the effects of the war are still prevalent in the lives of many, the victims of the Blood Diamond fuelled war – the war afflicted amputees.

In my view and as a reviewer and critic, the storyline is relevant and was well depicted to the effect that, I could not really seat and watch things that happen in war. The same people from your own country, probably people whom you ate and drank with now take up arms, loot places, kill innocent civilians, rape women and just for no reason cut off people’s hands making them handicapped. Some of us have not seen real war and are priviledged to enjoy life in a country like the UK where things work and there is peace. Watching the movie brought tears to my eyes especially as I understand that though the war has been over, the effects of war still prevail in Freetown. On this category of storyline, I cannot fault the storyline. I thought it was long and could have been cut short, but none the less I would give a maximum of 10 for the storyline.

Sound:

At the beginning of the movie when a narrator was trying to introduce the events that had taken place in Freetown, his voice was overshadowed by the music that was being played. I think there could have been a better balance of the sound especially in external scenes. In most part of the movie, I could hear what the cast were saying which is important in a movie. For this category, not much to say and I would award a 7.5 for sound out of a possible 10

Picture Quality:

In some of the scenes, the picture quality was a bit shaky. The Cinematography especially when bombs were released or when a hand grenade was fired was poor. The final effect of what we saw as a burning house or the effects of the bombs in those scenes were not real. Also as in most African movies, the way gun shots are depicted were not real. The use of an experienced cinematographer would have made those scenes more realistic. The general picture quality of the film was otherwise good. In the light of the above and hoping to see issues like this addressed in future movies, I would award 5.5 out of a possible 10 for picture quality.

Cast:

As stated earlier and I would like to re-iterate this, I commend all those who have been victims of war that came out to tell the story. However, although this is commendable, I am a reviewer and critic and I need to say things as I saw them. I believe that the cast tried to tell the story in the best way they could. However, I think in some cases, there was over-acting and this could have been checked by the Director. For this category, I would award a 7 out of a possible 10.

Overall performance:

All in all, this was a good movie and another god effort from the people of Sierra Leone. However, a few gaps need to be filled and I see the Sollywood industry going in the right direction. There was a scene when a female soldier was called by her Commanding Officer to report. Although this was a phone call, it seemed as if the people were just talking next door, did not seem in reality like a phone call.

As usual, I have tried to be objective in my review because I want the next movie to be better than the previous one. There were also some spelling mistakes in the subtitles and these could have been corrected during editing. We have been going on at babso.org for a while now and we are now at the stage where we have given enough room for improvement and now wield a strong stick in reviewing our movies. I would like to congratulate the entire cast and crew for this movie and award it a 4 star out of a possible 5+ stars.

The question that is left for me to answer is if I would recommend this movie and my answer is that in spite of the flaws mentioned, I would recommend the movie.

Watch the trailer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7Z8ddJdWJM

Review of London Premiere of George Kelly's The Broken Bride

The movie The Broken Bride premiered at the Odeon Cinema Greenwich on Friday 4th July 2014. As usual with Nigerian movies, there was the pomp and pageantry of the red carpet preceeding the movie.

Present on the red carpet included HE Ambassador Oluwatoyin Kayode Lawal, Deputy High Commissioner Nigerian High Commission and his wife, cast and crew of the movie including Director George Kelly and Julie Coker, Producer Theodora Ibekwe and her husband Ayo, members of Nollywood UK including Collins Archie-Pearce, Toksy Bello, Ruke Amata, Riyike Alayande, Nelson Spyke, MA Benson amongst others, supporters of the Nollywood industry and members of the public.

Storyline: In the movie, Omatseye loses his job in Nigeria and can no longer afford to pay his rent. His live-in lover, Eriwu takes over this responsibility and soon evicts him from his own apartment. Omatseye decides to move on. He comes to the UK in search of a new lease of life. On arrival, he finds a new love, Temisan. They are so committed to each other, that he thinks he has found himself a bride.   He soon realises that life in the UK is full of un-envisaged challenges and all seems to be falling apart. He experiences heartbreak worse than that of Nigeria.

He is torn between two worlds. Does he go back to Nigeria or remain in the UK and keep on living a life of emptiness and misery? Added to this is the fact that he made a promise to his dying father that his manipulating aunt Duduyemi would take care of him on his demise.

According to the synopsis, the movie is a story inspired by forced marriages which are prevalent in Nigeria and other developing nations.  It is a new generation multicultural Nollywood movie aimed at enhancing cultural integration and promoting unity in diversity.

The movie was directed by George Kelly with Chucks Mordi as the Co-Director some  was  produced by Theodora Ibekwe Oyebade and Onome Mowoe as the Associate Producer. 

The theme of the movie was real as in the 21st century, parents are still telling their children whom to marry. In some cases, there are still issues where parents refuse proposed suitors because of “class”, in other cases, it is because of religion and in some cases, it has been arranged that the children marry when they grow up and in most case these marriages end up being anything but blissful. For telling such a story, I commend George as the ills of such situations need to be told and children should have their freewill to choose who they want to marry with guidance from their parents. There were parts of the movie that were comical and I give credit for that.

Having said that, there are some parts of the movie that were not realistic and I would highlight just two of these. Understandably, people would do anything including paying assassins to ensure they get a proposed bride that they do not like from their son and that was exactly what Duduyemi and Eriwu did to Temisan. However, she was shot in the leg and that part of the film was done in the UK. She was given only a bandage and we were told in the movie that she was crippled even though she had a chance to walk again. In my view, if she was meant to be crippled, everything should add up, the impact of the gun shot should have been exaggerated, she should have been put in a cast as opposed to bandages, it should have looked real, in my view it was not convincing she was crippled.

I also looked at the whole storyline about Eriwu and Omatseye. In the United Kingdom, that could work with the woman throwing the man out of the house, but in Nigeria where with respect things don’t necessarily favour the woman, I cannot picture a situation where a man rents a house and his live in lover because of circumstances throws him out of his own house. In our culture, the man would do whatever he can to maintain his dignity and would not leave sheepishly as he did with a Ghana must go bag.

 All I am saying as an outside watching a movie is that the storyline needs to be realistic and reflect what actually happens in society especially when the movie is meant to be educative.

In the light of the above, for the fact that a real life issue has been brought to light and considering the entire storyline, I would give a core of 6.5 out of a possible 10 for this category.

Picture Quality: I think the picture quality was good, not excellent to deserve maximum point as I have reviewed movies with better pictures, but I think it was a good attempt and as such I would not hesitate to give an 8 out of a possible 10  for this category.

Sound: For most parts of the movie, the sound was clear and we could hear what the people were saying. Having said that, there were buzzy sounds especially in external scenes. For those who know me, when it comes to reviewing movies, I am a sticker for excellence. I always like hearing clear unadulterated sounds and in this movie, that was not the case. For sound therefore, I would award a 5 out of a possible 10.

Cast: The movie had a wide range of cast that included Julie Coker, Theodora Ibekwe Oyebade, Preston Toghanro, Roli Maku, George Kelly, Olivia Eze, Edith Ogharaerumi, George Buwa, Verona Rose, Onome Mowoe, Stephen Hammond, Tyna Gibah Sonuga, Iyabo Tiya Odebode, Steve Hawker, Ebiyemi Jemide, Vanessa Kala, Remi Efele, Weyinmi Omadoye, Jane Atserunboma, Stella Fiberesima, Azalea O’Baye-Briggs, Pst Prisca Nife Blackson, Queen Adisa Adedoyin, Caroline Frempong, Joyce Momah, Riyike Alayande, Ani Atsedagho and William Uwale.

In my view some of the cast were not up to par and just seemed as they crammed their lines. I keep saying that when acting a movie, there is a difference between the way one speaks and transforming such into the character they are playing. I understand that it is not easy to get one’s lines, but it is all about convincing the audience about the role that is being played.

Having said that, I believe that Duduyemi nailed the role she was given. I commend her and think that she is an upcoming Nollywood star. I think in some parts of the movie, Daddy Yanky did well and he even carried the audience with him and made them laugh, but sometimes, I think he got carried away and in trying to impress, he exaggerated and missed the plot. That said, with focus, I also see him as an upcoming Nollywood star. He would need to keep playing roles to perfect his act. I think Omatseye played the role to the best of his ability. In my view, I don’t think he was given a role that showcased his ability. I see potential in him, but I don’t think he was the best person for that role. However, considering the fact that the role needed not only an actor but one that was versatile in Itsekiri language and culture, there might have not been much of a choice. I must say a big kudos to Theodora’s fiancée in the movie. I believe that Nollywood needs people like him. All I can say of him is that he came, he saw and he conquered his role.

I would like to commend veteran Julie Coker, she added spice to the whole movie typifying a real mother. Finally, I saw Theodora in another light in this movie. I have seen her act in many movies, but to me, I think to date, this is the best I have seen her do and I commend her.

Overall, if I were the director of the movie or if I did the auditioning, some of the cast would have been moved around. It was a good effort and in totality in spite of what I saw as little snags, the cast ended up telling the story.  For this category and balancing the pros and cons as highlighted above, I would award 7 out of a possible 10.

Overall Performance: The movie was based around the culture of the Itsekiri’s of Delta State in Nigeria and so for a good part of the movie, the Itsekiri language was spoken and so sub-titles had to be used. Most of the sub-titling was good although there were some spelling errors.

Much effort was put into the movie and I must commend the cast and crew for coming out with the movie. However, attention must be paid to details as it is little foxes that spoil the vine. There was definitely a story to tell, but with focus and using the principle of less is better, the movie would have been one of Nollywood’s top rated movies. I looked at the list of cast advertised and some names did not actually show in the movie (I believe due to editing). 

However, seeing the movie, some parts could have been edited out to make the story look real.

In the light of all the above, I would award this movie a 3+ star out of a possible 5+  stars.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rubY_cO9Ats

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QbhWewe4rVw&feature=youtu.be