Hi peeps!
I have decided to be a little more selective about the movies I hype nowadays, but this one, I could not resist! What a gorgeous, gorgeous trailer! Very attractive!! The story line appears to be really similar to Perfect picture, (another movie I need to review soon), but hopefully there are plot differences. Its a star studded movie, featuring the lovely Genevieve Nnaji, newcomer Benjamin Joseph (hawt!!), Joke Silva, Bimbo Manuel, Bimbo Akintola and Ahmed Yerima. It was produced and directed by Mahmood Ali-Balogun, while the screenplay was written by Femi Kayode. Click for Trailer and more.....
The delectable Wole Ojo won the fourth AMBO competition and so he gets to star in their latest movie - The Child. Apparently its a Benin based epic starring Joke Silva, Bukky Ajayi, Alex Osifo and as always directed by the fabulous Izu Ojukwu.
The Story:
Directed by Izu Ojukwu, ‘The Child’ revolves around a Benin town’s expectation of a ‘child’ promised the community by the gods. The advent of the child will see to the end of the town’s problems which include drought and recurrent war defeats, especially against the strong army of Ijogun.
Two children, at least as far as we can tell, are born on the said night; one is by the widowed queen Ifueko, played by Joke Silva, whose uncle the Iyase (Alex Usifo) is the regent. Another woman gives birth to a son. The rains return, wars are won and a basket mysteriously retains water after the boys are born. As long as the basket holds water, the community knows their special one is still alive. As both boys grow up, so does the competition between them as both are intent to prove their ‘childship,’ despite the fact that all have accepted the crown prince Nosa (or Omo as his mother calls him) as the special one (Edaeke).
Hi peeps!
This movie was just recently premiered in London, and you can read some unbiased reports of that event here. After reading that, I am hyping this, though with some trepidation because the cinema goers did not appear to be that impressed with it. Nevertheless, it is a star studded affair - produced by Emem Isong, directed by Daniel Ademinokan and Desmond Elliot; and starring a list of who is who in Nollywood including Desmond Elliot, Genevieve Nnaji, Nse Ikpe Etim, Omoni Oboli, Susan Peters, Majid Michel and recent Big Brother Africa winner Uti Nwachukwu. With all those names, it better live up to the hype!
Apart from the fabulous Letters to a Stranger, I have not been too excited about movies produced or directed by any of the Amata brothers. Okay let me be specific - I hunted down Amazing Grace after all the hype, and one year later, I still have not gotten through it!! But it seems like they have been busy of late, so hopefully their story telling has improved.
I am hyping this because it tells a different story from the normal "marry love" Nollywood story, and the trailer is promising. I have my reservations about the storyline as it appears on the trailer, but I will hold my tongue until I can see it. The movie is entitled Black Gold, and actually stars some Hollywood heavyweights, including Billy Zane (Titanic), Hakeem Kae Kazim (Hotel Rwanda) as well as Sarah Wayne Callies(Prison break). Note that this is a different movie from Liquid Black Gold, a slightly above average movie starring Sam Dede on a very similar theme that was released in 2009 or late 2008 (its hard to tell, the jackets of Nigerian movies do not have dates for some reason!).
What is it about?
From award winning director, Jeta Amata, comes Black Gold, a powerful story of greed, murder and corruption in the murky waters of the volatile oil rich Niger Delta region of Nigeria. Black Gold is an epic film about environmental justice and the fight over the control of the scarce oil resources that the world runs on. The line between good and evil is blurred as corrupt government officials, greedy oil companies and violent rebels go on a war path over oil spills and degradation of the land caused by oil exploration. Starring Billy Zane, Mbong Amata, Hakeem Kae Kazim and Sarah Wayne Callies. Produced by Jeta Amata, Wilson Ebiye, Dede Mabiaku and Hakeem Kae Kazim. Original score and trailer by Joel Goffin.
Trailer below:
You can find a half finished website with some pics but no working links here. I hope there is a better website soon. I will update this link if I find one.
As I mentioned in my last entry, the movies this year have been soooo bad that I have no incentive to review them. Its horrible. My reviews, when they return, will be of the older movies. Nothing good has come out of Nollywood this year, and it seems that with the exception of Shirley's movies, everything Ghana produces now seems to be soft porn! Na wah!
Luckily though, it appears that we have some decent movies to look forward to - one can only hope that they live up to the promise.
Today, we start with the satire/comedy Nollywood hustlers. Uche Jombo ex mathematician (impressive huh?) executive produced this one, while Emem Isong produced it. Here is the synopsis of the movie:
"Elvis (Charles Inojie) and Lucky (Bishop) are two no-good-out-of-work hustlers who want to shoot a film. They enlist the help of Prince Adolphus Akabogwu (Ejike Asiegbu) to sponsor it and the pepper soup joint assistant Scholarstica (Uche Jombo) to feature. But how do they get the A-List actors, Monalisa Chinda and Ramsey Nouah (acting as themselves) to act without paying their exorbitant fee? They then come up with a brilliant plan that leads to severe consequences for the pair. 'Nollywood Hustler' is a satire on the film making process in Nigerian film industry that will leave you laughing from start to finish. Produced by Emem Isong and written by Bola Aduwo & Uduak Isong Oguamanam, it has Uche Jombo as the Executive Producer and features several stars in cameo appearances." Source
Interesting plot no? That is what I thought too, until I discovered that it is some kind of copy of the the Hollywood movie Bowfinger. Hmmmmmm! For the record, there is nothing wrong with remaking a movie if you acknowledge that it is a remake. So nollywood, take note!
Anyways, here is the trailer:
I will admit that it does look funny, so I am looking forward to it. There are some pics from the movie here and premiere pics here and here.
The movie is apparently making the theater rounds in Naija. Hopefully its available on dvd soon.
So everybody has been talking about this movie for a while now, but I decided to wait on the trailer before hyping it. The buzz is really positive. I am so excited about all the good things that are suddenly happening in Nigerian cinema. This appears to be another movie that is once again going to take the industry to the next level. It is the filmmaking debut of Chineze Anyaene who directed and co-produced it with Paula Moreno. The movie has already been screened for some Hollywood high-flyers late last year, and there have been a few private screenings as well. The few available reviews have been effusive - Omotola and Genevieve were said to have knocked it out of the park!! I just cannot wait to see this one.
IJE tells a tale of Chioma, a child growing up in the Nigerian countryside, who warned her restless sister, Anya, about the trappings of the American Dream. Now ten years later, Anya is accused of killing three men in a Hollywood Hills mansion—one of them her record producer-husband. Chioma travels 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 might be the only thing that can win her freedom." It stars Genevieve Nnaji and Omotola Jalade EkeindeIt will be released in March 2010...
Trailer:
Just even look at the production quality of that trailer!! And check out the music - she used Asa!! Honestly, I am so excited!!
You can learn more about the movie here and also keep up with new developments on this thread. There is also a website, but it is still undeveloped. Will update this post if any action turns up on that site.
Alright folks, the movie is supposed to hit theatres sometime in March. And then I guess DVD later in the year? Looking forward to it. As usual, we will review when we see it.
This website is devoted to fans of African movies who want to know which ones are worth watching. We only review above average movies on this site. The purpose is to give props to the actors, producers and directors who have squeezed water out of rocks and created decent entertainment against all odds.
If you want to review a movie for us, please email moviemadam@gmail.com.
We would be happy to feature all good african film, regardless of age, or origin.
Thanks for stopping by
