Saturday 27 February 2010

~ Old Nollywood Glam ~


The fabulous movie, Glamour girls directed by Kenneth Nnebue in 1994 was the first big home movie 
success after the epic 'Living in bondage'. I came across this classic movie again recently and i was amazed out how sinfully fabulous the women in this movie were. It is not only a reiteration to me that modern fashion is merely an interpretation of the old but it is a revelation that Nigerians have been fashion conscious for decades. The movie features Barbara Udoh in a vintage, Balmain type Jacket which hollywood stars (like Beyonce & Rih-Rih) are rocking today. Ngozi Ezeonu, Gloria Anozie, Liz Benson, Barbara Udoh & Jennifer Okere are all ON POINT in every single attire. Forgive the bad quality, i could find no stills of the movie, so had to take pictures myself. Enjoy! 




















Love Love Love!!

Pieter Hugo's Nollywood


I have always been a fan of Pietor Hugo's photography. He is a white South African man who has travelled all over Africa, creating his own story of tragic and haunting images with his camera. He travelled to Rwanda in 2004, a decade after the genocide and his photos offer a forensic view of some of the sites of mass execution. Ten years later, he was still able to capture the blood, pain and suffering as if it were only yesterday. When i heard he was doing a piece on NOLLYWOOD. I was surprised, excited, intrigued, apprehensive... the works! He stated he has always been intrigued by the Nollywood industry, in particular, the spiritual & mythological aspects. He asked a team of 'actors' and assistants to recreate Nollywood myths and symbols as if they were on movie sets, Hugo initiated the creation of a verisimilar reality.

His vision of the film industry’s interpretation of the world results in a gallery of hallucinatory and unsettling images.

When asked about what the images represented, he said; "The tableaux of the series depict situations clearly surreal but that could be real on a set; furthermore, they are rooted in the local symbolic imaginary. The boundaries between documentary and fiction become very fluid, and we are left wondering whether our perceptions of the real world are indeed real".

Please note that some of the images are indeed disturbing but they nonetheless capture the mythical aspect that surrounded Nollywood. I say the word 'surrounded' because i feel we have moved away from all the ritualistic type movies, the Nneka the pretty serpents, the Karashika's etc etc. I still think the images are genius. Disturbing but genius.
























Friday 26 February 2010

~ Nolly Meets Holly ~






Y
ay!!! I have been waiting to see a trailer for this movie 'IJE' and it is finally here! Shot on locations of Jos and Los Angeles, the film t
ells the tale of two sisters Chioma and Anya, the choices they make in life and the consequences of they pay for those choices. Chioma, a child growing up in the Nigerian countryside, warns her restless sister, Anya, about the pitfalls in trying to attain the American Dream, but all to deaf ears. Now, ten years later, Anya is accused of killing three men in a Hollywood Hills mansion—one of them her record producer-husband. Chioma has to travel from Nigeria to Los Angeles, and with the help of a young, unproven attorney, discovers that the dark secret her sister wants to keep hidden from all, but which might be the only thing she has to gain her freedom. The movie stars Genevieve Nnaji and Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde.

The trailer looks VERY PROFESSIONAL & the plot seems amazing. We'll have to wait & see i guess. For now, enjoy the trailer! 

P.s: I love the fact they used Asa on the soundtrack!

~ Movie Review Corner ~







The movie is centered around an uptight single mother (Genevive Nnaji) and her free spirited, out-of-control daughter (Chelsea Eze). Their relationship is threatened by Ella's defiant behavior and so she is sent away to her father abroad. The movie heats up when cutie, Majid Michel gets employed as Genevive's driver. Ok, that's it, i won't spoil it for you- even if y'all know what will obviously go down :-)

Genevive always seems a bit up tight so the role of 'Jesse' didn't seem too far fetched (up tight single mother? Sounds like Gen!) but the scenes where she loosens up, gets wasted (hilarious scene) and basically starts to enjoy life are definitely worth watching. 
There were a lot of twists and turns, some predictable, some not- as a whole, the movie was very entertaining. The end will leave you very confused- more like W T F? Vivian Ejike wrote the screenplay, which for the most part is fantastic but the ending of the movie is so unsatisfying you wonder whether she just couldn't be bothered to finish the script? 

This is my first time seeing Chelsea Eze (Gen's daughter in the movie) but I'm pretty sure this won't be her last performance as she is a wonderful actress.
★ 
(I would have given 4 stars, but the ending kinda pissed me off!! A must see nonetheless!)






Produced by Emem Isong & Desmond Elliot.

This is a movie about relationships, infidelity, betrayal, love and deceit. I love a good romantic drama and i was more than pleasantly surprised when i came across this. Liz played by Nse-Ikpi Etim  feels neglected by her husband (Ramsey Noah) who is always away on 'business trips'  For me, Nse Ikpi Etim stole the movie. She is an under rated actress, not given as much kudos as she deserves (in my opinon)- her portrayal of a determined wife, willing to go to any extent to preserve her marriage is applause worthy.I was never to keen on Majid Michael prior to this movie. But now i'm a fan... His convincing portrayal as 'Bobby', Ramsey Noah's eccentric younger brother is to perfection. Rob Loner (Omoni's husband) put me in stitches-  he's honestly like a Nigerian Dave Chapelle.

 #mostannoying moment

1: Banter between thing in this movie is the banter between Omoni and Mercy Johnson and their constant 'oh darling, thanks darling, bye darling'. 




~ All I have~
This movie was directed by Ernest Obi in 2006. Actors turned directors doesn't always work but in this case it did. I watched this movie with a few girlfriends, with no expectations whatsoever. After the Part 1 ended i realized that through out the movie, not one of us muttered a word. (No comments about bad editing, prolonged scenes, bad acting) Glued to are seats, we were taken on a journey of trials & tribulations with Rita Dominic, fearlessly leading the way. 

The movie centers around Rita Dominic telling her story while awaiting the death penalty. She opens up to her fellow inmates about her bad decisions in life and a complicated love triangle she finds her self in. The steamy and dangerous love affair with a bad boy (Ernest Obi) & the 'perfect' love affair with the nice guy (Mike Ezuruonye) ensues into a field of lies which eventually become lethal.
Rita's performance as a rebellious teen, made us literally, laugh out loud. Her weakness for the bad boy makes you want to hit her and hug her at the same time. Why do girls always prefer the bad boys? (Later discussion)  She was pushed by 'love' to do the most unimaginable things, not realizing her mistakes until it was too late. For her acting in this movie, she deserves an oscar. I believed her when she cried, i laughed with her when she joked- what i'm trying to say is that she connected. Connection with the audience at home is the key to being a great actor and she definitely proved this.

Ernest Obi. I have a thing for Ernest Obi. I think its his swagger, the way he walks, sits, breathes! He plays his bad boy role to a T and its almost as if the more bad he is, the more you fall in love with him (or maybe its just me).
Mike Ezuruonye delivered a stellar performance (per usual) and despite his 'nice guy' role, he brought an honesty to the movie that i don't think there would have been without him. 

At the end of this movie, my girlfriends and i were literally a sob fest. I kid you, not. Great film, one of my favorites~ ★★★★★



Story, Screenplay & Direction- Tchidi Chikere
It is rare that you find a movie in which each actor gives a believable stellar performance. The plot was centered around a father taking matters into his own hands for a son who he wanted nothing more but to have a better life than he, a soon to be retired security guard. Patience Ozokwor's role as a wife put in the front lines of a battle started by her husband but left alone to fight with a son whose foolish decisions amount to a downward spiral that will leave you glued to your television. A cleverly directed juxtaposition of humor and grief that will leave you laughing and crying throughout the movie. 
Mike Ezuruonye's performance as a hawker turned 'big boy' turned alcoholic showed his diversity as an actor. He played each role with utter conviction and challenged himself as an actor till the very end.
Mercy Johnson plays Mike's love interest/colleague in the hawking business. She was definitely a source of comic relief in the movie, playing her role without any inhibitions. This is a rare quality as sometimes I feel Nigerian actresses don't fully commit to lower grade roles (e.g. the house help/ village girl) for fear of being looked down on. This definitely was not a concern of Mercy's, whose portrayal of a poor hawker introduced to a rich life style, seemed so genuine, you fall in love with her. I laughed when she laughed, and cried with her too. And we all know she can turn on those water works like BAM!
Patience Ozokwor a.k.a 'Mama G', i must say, stole this movie. I completely forgot about the funny Mama G character as i watched the movie. I saw a mother whose pain translated to the screen so hauntingly i literally felt like stopping the movie and just giving her a big hug. The sheer honesty of her performance gave me the chills.

 #annoying things
1) Prolonged scenes *angry face*.