~ 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*. 

★★★★