AfrikCinePedia Hype

The Hype: Tango with me

2010-12-11T12:50:00.001-08:00

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.....
What is the movie about? From the website:

In the beginning...
Lola and Uzo are the perfect couple, their newly married life in front of them. All is well until the happiest day of their lives became the worst.
This event leads the couple on a journey of self discovery.
"Tango With Me" is a contemporary story about forgiveness about some of our core values as a people and our faith.
A story that proves that above all, Love does indeed, conquer all.

That is not the most explanatory synopsis I have ever seen, so here is a great feature piece on the movie, that tells you a little more.

See the gorgeous trailer below:

Hmmm! And the new guy Joseph Benjamin look tres yummmy!!

As with these better quality movies that are going the cinema route first, I think it will take a while before we get it on dvd, as we are still waiting on The Figurine and Ije.

But it will be reviewed whenever I lay my hands on it.

Ciao!

The Hype: The Child

2010-11-25T21:54:00.000-08:00

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).

Read more:

Trailer:

The movie has already hit trailers in Nigeria, and so you can read a very comprehensive review here .

The major grouse seems to be that its formulaic and predictable. I cannot judge that until I see it. However, I hope this movie is not like Sitanda which was just -- strange? But no matter what, I am an Izu Ojukwu fan, so I will give him the benefit of the doubt.

Will review it once I get my hands on it.

Ciao.

The Hype: Bursting Out

2010-11-23T21:06:00.001-08:00

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!

Synopsis and trailer when you continue.......

What is it about? Apparently its a romantic comedy. Genny is an uptight workaholic who cannot find a man. Then she falls in love with Majid who is not in her social class and falls hard. Sound familiar? It should. Its a role that Genny has played a thousand times, most recently in Silent Scandals. Somebody needs to challenge the lady stat!!

Anyways, here is the trailer.

As usual, I shall review it whenever I get to see it.

Enjoy!

The Hype: Black Gold

2010-11-19T22:07:00.000-08:00

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.

Looking forward to it.

Ciao.

The Hype: Nollywood hustlers

2010-05-16T21:39:00.000-07:00

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.

Enjoy!

The Hype: IJE

2010-01-28T20:29:00.000-08:00

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.

Enjoy!

The Hype: A sting in a tale

2009-12-15T20:45:00.000-08:00

This is the latest movie from the stable of my favorite Ghanaian producer Shirley Frimpong-Manso's sparrow productions, the lady who gave us such hits as life and living it and the perfect picture. She also made scorned, which was not as good as the other two in my opinion. A sting in a tale stars Lydia Forson, Majid Michel, Adjatey Anang, Doris Sackitey, Abeiku Acquah, Joselyn C. Dumas and others.

About the movie:

A Sting In A Tale is "a twisted tale of two unemployed graduates who embark on a journey to make it in a world where you need more than what you have to get what you want. Kuuku is overwhelmed with the urgency to succeed and frantically searches for a reward to his severa...l years of school. Frustrated and constantly reminded of his failure by the presence of his girlfriend, (Frema) ; Kuuku will do anything to make the odds work in his favor.

Nii Aryee, Kuuku’s abstemious looking friend is more positive about the future until the rejection letters begin to mount and his landlord comes to town. Driven by the fear of poverty, these two friends go in search of a destiny that takes them to the most obscure places. In a tale where the unexpected is always lurking in the shadows, from the natural to the supernatural, among all ploys, grief and struggles, nothing prepares you for the sting, in a rather bizarre ending."The Grand Premiere is on Friday, Nov 6 @ The Conference Center, Accra, Ghana
source

Trailer:

I hear its out in Ghana and from preliminary reports, is pretty good.

Hope it lives up to the promise.

Ciao

The Hype: Laviva

2009-12-14T08:54:00.001-08:00

I have been hearing rumors about this movie for a while now, but for some reason, it has never been released. Much as War movies are not my thing, this was supposed to be another ground breaking cinematic achievement by the fabulous Izu Ojukwu, which is why I am featuring it here.

The film features the late JT Tom West, who died last year, as the chief of the ECOMOG detachment; Francis Duru as a garrulous ECOMOG soldier; and Hank Anuku as a rebel. Joy Egbunu stars as Laviva. She loses her father to the war and openly demonstrates hostility towards the ECOMOG soldiers, in spite of admonition from her mother and other members of the community who feel it is dangerous to do so.

Laviva is also obsessed with the desire to bring peace to her country and along the line falls in love with the ECOMOG chief, JT Tom West. She is the rallying point for peace and stability among her peers and people at a time when many had lost their nerves to the weariness of war.

Produced by AMAA 2007 Best Director, Izu Ojukwu, the movie showcases the abundant talent in Nollywood, given the richness of its shooting, directing, costumes, editing and coordination. Shot three years ago, Laviva captures the tortuous experiences, intrigues and romance that played itself out when Nigerian troops led ECOMOG to salvage a country torn by civil war. It is a story of how Nigerian soldiers, in the midst of hate and fire, planted peace and hope.

source

Short excerpt/long trailer:

There are very few Nollywood movies out there that would appeal to the male demographic. This looks like something the dudes will enjoy LOL! I hope it lives up the the promise. Oga Izu, abeg, release am o!!

The Hype: Nnenda

2009-12-06T06:13:00.000-08:00

So I came upon this star studded movie by accident. I was researching "Through the glass" and digging through Stephanie Okereke's website, when I came upon the most intriguing poster. I did some digging and found nothing everywhere I looked, so I forgot all about it.

However, it looks like now a trailer and a theme song have been released. Not only that, also sounds like it was recently premiered in Lagos. What I cannot understand is why there isn't any more noise about this movie, considering the caliber of stars involved.

It stars Stephanie Okereke, the scrumptious Ramsey Nouah, Francis Duru and also Van Vicker . And it is directed by my fav. Nolly director - Izu Ojukwu!! I am hyping it for the first two stars and the director obviously. I am still yet to get on the Van V. love train!! LOL.

Anyways, here is the trailer:

And the theme song:

While I can't seem to find a summary anywhere, the movie seems to be about orphans and their plight in Naija.

The force behind this Event Prince Tonye Princewill, the Rivers State AC and FOOPP Leader will be in attendance at the Premiere aimed at creating awareness of the plight of orphans in Nigeria.

The movie, according to the Rivers State born Producer, Adonijah Owiriwa is inspired by the plight of orphans in Africa hence the Orphan Child Awareness Campaign spearheaded by the Prince of Niger Delta Politics, Prince Tonye Princewill.

By his involvement in this project Prince Tonye Princewill intends to use his veritable network of contacts to throw light on the unfortunate plight of orphans with the hope of assuaging their suffering.

Source

Sounds like good stuff. While I am not particularly crazy about the theme song, the trailer looks really good. I hope that we can get to see it soon. Will review it when I get my hands on it.

Ciao.

The Hype: Mind Game

2009-11-24T19:40:00.000-08:00

So, although Van Vicker from Ghana is the hottest thing in Nollywood at the moment, no movie of his has ever made it to this blog, mostly because I am not enamored of his acting, producing or directing (yes, he does the last two!!) And I doubt that any movie of his that I have ever seen will - well there is one exception (Reloaded) but that contained a stellar cast. However, I have chosen to "tentatively" plug this movie, mostly because I am totally in love with the leading lady - the queen herself Omotola! In addition, I am curious as to what a Ghanaian, Nigerian, Haitian combo will look like.

The movie is Mind Game, directed by Nigerian director, John Uche.

Story:

In this heart racing, conflict stricken, suspense cut drama, Betty (Omotola Jalade Ekeinde) gets entangled in her worst nightmare and all hell breaks loose one holy afternoon when she returns home from work unexpectedly to find her husband Richard (Van Vicker) in a compromising position with a friend of his in their study only four months after their wedding, during which he deliberately avoids consummating their marriage...
Shocked beyond comprehension, she is torn between divorcing him, and staying in the marriage...

Trailer:

The movie stars Nigeria's sweetheart Omotola Jalade Ekeinde, Ghanaian heartthrob VanVicker, and Haitian movie stars Reginald Lubin and Carlin Kenol.

Fun trivia: The Haitian movie industry is called Bellywood!

Hope its as good as it looks.

Will review it once it comes out.

Ciao.

The hype: I sing of a well

2009-11-17T18:54:00.000-08:00

African film is undergoing a renaissance indeed. Really good things are happening. Last time we were talking about a new South African movie. This time, we are travelling to Ghana.

New director Leila Djansi is creating an ambitious trilogy named Legion of Slaves. The first part of the series, titled I sing of a well was premiered in Ghana late in October. Hopefully, we will see a dvd soon.

Summary
the story is set in the ancient Ghana empire in the days of Mansa Musa, it tells of Soraya and Dume, two young lovers threatened by the arrogant Prince Wenambe who is basking in his new found throne and alliance with Mansa Musa, but is Mansa Musa really his friend or a slave raider himself in disguise and what happened to Dume? and why did Soraya marry Prince Wenambe?

Trailer:

Even more exciting? Jimmy Jean Louis of "Heroes" fame is going to narrate the first installment of the movie.

More info on the website and facebook page.

Early reviews are pretty encouraging.

It looks really good. I hope it delivers.

Will happily review it when I get my hands on it.

Ciao.

White Wedding

2009-11-15T21:20:00.000-08:00

So I just came across this new South African movie, which has also been submitted for oscar consideration. There is no guarantee that it will be one of the top five movies considered for the foreign language Oscar. However, if it makes it, there may be hope for an American release, like there were for Tsotsi and Yesterday. After having searched high and low for for South African movies in the US, I think somebody has to create an outlet to start selling those films outside of SA. There is a burgeoning market for African film, and it they don't meet it, they may start to get the Nigerian treatment. Anyways, on to the hype before I get sidetracked:

White wedding is a dramatic comedy that explores South Africa's favorite issue - racial relations, while also dealing with love, infidelity, romance among other themes.

Here's a trailer for your viewing pleasure:

The blurb on the website reads:

The loyal, committed and very decent Elvis (Kenneth Nkosi) leaves Johannesburg on Tuesday en route to pick up his best friend and best man Tumi (Rapulana Seiphemo) in Durban. The two will then journey on to Cape Town to begin rehearsals for Elvis’s wedding to the beautiful Ayanda (Zandile Msutwana) at an upmarket hotel in glamorous palm-fringed Camps Bay under the cloak of Table Mountain.

But things don’t go according to plan. Tumi, a serial flirt, has a spat with his girlfriend that leads to his car being rendered unusable; eventually the duo get on their way but Tumi’s short-cuts don’t end up making up for lost time.

As Tumi and Elvis struggle to find their way through the Eastern Cape they are picked up by Rose (Jodie Whittaker), a young English doctor who fled the altar after discovering her fiancée was serially unfaithful to her. Now there’s an unlikely trio on the road, with romantic sparks igniting between the flirtatious Tumi and their spirited British companion. Who knows if they’ll make it on time, whether the wedding will be delayed or cancelled or come perilously close to not even happening if Ayanda ditches dependable Elvis for dashing Tony, the township boy turned flashy entrepreneur.

“White Wedding” is an appealing, feel-good movie about love, commitment, intimacy and friendship and the host of maddening obstacles that can get in the way of a happy ending. Uplifting and at times uproarious this is a movie that affirms the dream that romance can overcome any obstacle.

If you have watched Tsotsi, you will notice that the two male lead actors also played high profile roles in Tsotsi - and did it pretty well I think. So I am looking forward to this one, even if race is a subtext here.

You can see just a little bit of the race issue in this video:

For those who don't understand the issue with the song De La Ray, here is the song and the controversy is explained here. You can read all about the original De La Ray dude as well.

This movie has already been released in SA: in theaters and on dvd, so I guess I have to get someone to get it for me from there. On the other hand, if anyone knows where to get SA movies in the Western hemisphere, please let me know.

I will also be cheering for them as the Oscar nominations come in. If Nollywood is not ready, we might as well show some love to an industry that is doing well.

Enjoy, and let me know if you find a copy anywhere.

The Hype: The Figurine ( Araromire)

2009-10-25T17:12:00.001-07:00

Kunle Afolayan, son of the late Yoruba movie legend Adeyemi Afolayan(aka Ade-love) is apparently living up to his legacy with his new movie The Figurine.

Kunle used to work in a bank before quitting in 2005 to attend NEW YORK FILM ACADEMY in London to study Digital Filmmaking (source) (I suspect that website of his is really old, so I will update it if something more current shows up).

Anyways, his latest movie is making waves, as it is said to be in a different league compared to our usual Nollywood movies. The movie is currently in theaters in Nigeria (yay, exciting), and word on the street is that its really good.

The synopsis

Two buddies and A girl………all down on their luck have their lives changed after one of them discovers “ARAROMIRE” a mysterious figurine in an abandoned shrine which according to ancient legend bestows seven years of good luck . But, no one told them about the next seven years…..

The movie stars Ramsey Nouah, Funlola Aofiyebi-Raimi, Omoni Oboli and Kunle Afolayan himself.

The trailer:

A teaser:

There is a lot of stuff out there about the movie already. I have not seen it, so I cannot review it yet, but I just can't wait! In the meantime though, you can check out the following:

The website of the movie, some cool behind the scene pics here and here, a review here and some gorgeous Lagos premiere pics here.

In addition, if you are outside Naija, there are a whole bunch of premieres still planned:

London Premiere:

Start Time: Saturday, October 31, 2009 at 9:00pm
End Time: Sunday, November 1, 2009 at 12:30am
Location: ODEON Cinema, Greenwich
Street: Bugsby Way, SE10 0QJ
City/Town: London, United Kingdom

More info about London Premiere

US premiere:
NJ Premiere Event & After Party
Friday, November 13th
6pm- 10pm
The Spot
45 Commerce Street
Newark, NJ 07102
- Ticket $30 // $50 couples

NYC Showtime
Saturday Novemember 14th 2009
6pm-8pm : 8pm - 10pm
Abingdon Theater
312 W. 36th Street
New York, NY 10018-7570
-Tickets $10

NYC "meet the Cast" party (After Party)
11pm - 3am
Le Cirque
151 East 58th street
btw Lexington and 3rd Ave
New York, NY
- gate fee $20

Buy your US tickets

Pretty cool huh?

Some exciting stuff to look forward to on dvd. Hope it comes out soon.

The Hype: Through the glass

2009-10-25T16:30:00.001-07:00

Stephanie Okereke, Nigerian actress extraordinaire has apparently decided to take it to the next level with her movie "Through the Glass". The movie, currently in Nigerian theaters, was directed and produced by Stephanie herself. Yes o, the cinema culture is coming back and people are now going to the theater to watch our own movies. And even better is the fact that homegirl is making a fistful of money.

Yayy for Steph. Congrats lady, you are an inspiration. I am so proud of you.

Here is a trailer to whet your appetite for those of us outside Naija who cannot watch it on the big screen yet.

The movie has been premiered both in the US and in Nigeria.

Read all about the California premiere here

The Nigerian premiere was more recent. Check it out here and here

And you can get the scoop on Stephanie talking about making the movie here and here.

Can't wait to see it on dvd.

Ciao.

The Hype: Grey Focus

2009-10-19T20:53:00.001-07:00

Hiiii!
In addition to reviewing movies, we will also be talking about exciting movies that are yet to be released. The first one that has been chosen for this category is Grey Focus.

Here is a trailer to whet your appetite:

Made by firstime? Filmmaker Imeh Esen, the movie was the Winner - Best Picture, Screenplay and Direction - 2008 ZUMA FILM FESTIVAL.

Synopsis:

The past never dies. Akan (Curtis John Miller) finds out that one phone call is about to shatter his serene lifestyle in the United States. Suddenly the past meets the future as he has to relive the violent experiences of his Nigerian past. His membership in a brotherhood is exposed as well as the reason he joins them and the reason he might be running.

Inspired by true events, Grey Focus shocks the viewer with it’s blatant exposure of an ever increasing phenomenon in Nigerian University campuses.

source

The movie also includes the very yummy Yemi Blaq.

Although its been finished for over a while now, I think its still going through the film festival circuit, so I have no idea when it will be out. But I hope its soon though. I really want to see it. It sounds like a good movie.

You can check the rest of the cast and crew out on the movie's website.

Look out for it. I think its good stuff.

Ciao