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Far from Home (2022)
Far From Home: A review
Nollywood has come a long way. It has evolved from using powder to paint ghosts and using blackcurrant juice as blood to actually competing with the international standard. It is a good thing for the entire industry, and we say kudos to all involved.
However, it is one thing to be able to compete in the big leagues; it is another thing to mentor young ones who can take the industry to another level. This limited series, Far from Home did that seamlessly. It was able to assemble the veterans who took on supporting roles and use the Gen Z; the young ones to push the movie, and as a result of that, what we are seeing is this masterpiece.
Capturing the debauchery of Isale Eko and the class and luxury associated with the other side, this series follows the tale of Ishaya Bello, a morally grey young man who will do anything to achieve his dreams. He initially starts as naïve and innocent, working 3 jobs and trying to sell his art, but his mother and sister steal his money and are unrepentant about it. Ishaya gets into a lot of pressure and unconsciously decides to mess everybody's lives up.
Indeed, their lives get messed up badly. Everybody who comes close to him gets worse off. This pressure destroys everything in his way. He cheats and forges his way into Wilmer Academy, a school for the 1% elite. As a result of this, the school catches fire as a result of a drug pandemic caused by Ishaya, students get kidnapped, the power couple breaks up, and gangsters invade the school. All within two weeks. Is Ishaya a bad influence? Or is he just under a lot pressure?
This series is character based. That is one of the things they got right. There isn't much character development. The good characters are good, and the bad characters, worse. There are also redundant characters like the character of Denrele. I don't cancel characters. I try to see the reason why someone was casted. There were so many anti-heroes here that creating Denrele was unnecessary. But at the same time, I don't know why Denrele's character resonated with a lot of us. Maybe because most of us have felt a sense of not belonging at one point in our lives. I guess his character is not so useless after all. Dude went through it all in this series. From being emotionally and verbally abused by his father to losing the scholarship to the maid's son to feeling invisible (no one even bothered to know his name) to not having friends to being tased just because he was standing around. His character may be useless, but I think that his was the most important and well-rounded character ever created.
There is a lot of bad parenting going on. Ishaya's mother, most especially takes the heat in this one. Not only does she steal his money, she kicks him out in his time of need. She refuses to allow her husband paint and fend for the family, blaming him for the death of her son as if he did not lose the use of his legs too. Another bad parent is Denrele's dad. He verbally abuses his son, insults him at every opportunity he has and buys exam answers for him to enter the school. Atlas' mum is more absent than ever. She is just never available for her son. Emotionally and otherwise. She prefers holding on to the fringes of her social status. And when she is asked of how she will pay her son's fees, she resorts to blackmail.
Parents need to do better.
Apart from this, there are some things I really don't understand. A typical example is Adufe's character. She goes from a teenager dating another teenager to being a stripper to catching the wandering eye of a gang leader to being the gang leader's woman. All of a sudden, she is organizing kidnaps, overthrowing the gang leader and keeping him locked up in his dog's cage. How? Since the school authorities know that Ishaya cheated, why didn't they just quietly expel him, saving them the trouble of all the stress? And why did the creators of this series fit him into the school smugly like a glove? A boy from Isale Eko in the midst of rich kids and there is no struggle whatsoever to fit in. How? Ishaya steals N150,000 and two gang leaders come to his house to harass his family, but Joe steals drugs worth millions and he is forgotten like that. How? Ishaya confesses to Frank to know about his kidnap, he confesses his other crimes too. And they all forgive him. Frank even allows his family to stay in his house to divert Rambo's attention and wrath from them. How?
An ambulance comes to pick and drop Ishaya's father. Is that even realistic in Nigeria? Rahila wears a cone shaped birthday hat with candles and a cake. Is that how we celebrate birthdays in the trenches? Oga Rambo storms Wilmer Academy with thugs. But these thugs are dressed in corporate shirts and trousers with leather belts. And they are carrying tasers! Government, a gang leader and a drug pusher is speaking posh English and looks so refined. Perhaps they are trying to copy the Russian mob bosses we love to hate and hate to love. We won't know.
However, Far from Home is not a bad watch. If you can look past these plot holes the size of Texas, you will see a compelling story with a perfect cast. Cast members include Mike Afolarin, Natse Jemide, Genoveva Umeh, Olumide Oworu, Elma Mbadiwe, Tomi Ojo, Gbubemi Ejeye, Moshood Fattah, Emeka Nwagbaraocha, Ruby Okezie, Raymond Umuenze, Richard Mofe-Damijo, Funke Akindele, Bimbo Akintola, Caroline King, Adesua Etomi-Wellington, Bolanle Ninalowo, Deyemi Okanlawon, Bucci Franklin, Chioma Chukwuka-Akpota, Yemi Black, Oge Okoye, Jumoke George, Linda Suleiman, Ibrahim Suleiman, Ufuoma McDermott, Femi Branch, Rotimi Salami, Oribabhor Dickson as the enigmatic Baido, amongst others.
Elesin Oba: The King's Horseman (2022)
Not for everyone
Come to think of it; you are not a student of Literature, and even if you were, all you did when some of us were reading rigorously for exams was to be reading Key Points and looking for whom to copy. You always sat at the back during Literature classes and you couldn't be bothered to identify with the characters or fish out the figures of speech.
Tell me; how will you understand Elesin Oba?
Based on the stage play written by Wole Soyinka, Death and the King's Horseman, and set in colonial times against a backdrop of a culture clash between the colonizers and the Natives of Oyo state in the time of Alaafin Ladigbolu, the movie chronicles the events surrounding Elesin Oba, the King's horseman who is bound by custom to commit suicide following the death of his master, the king. Elesin Oba knows what needs to be done and he is ready, but the British Police chief, who would rather kill a lot of people to preserve the life of one person, egged on by his overzealous native subordinate and his ignorant wife stands in his way. Eventually, Elesin Oba is disgraced and his son, a British-trained doctor who came back to bury his father takes his place.
Fam, Biyi Bamidele has created a masterpiece!
And I am not talking about the rich Yoruba culture portrayed in this movie or the outstanding theatrics of Odunlade Adekola, Shaffy Bello and Olawale Olofooro (you guys know him as Brymo, and he is a national treasure). There is something really classy about this movie. Elesin Oba is not for you to understand (if you don't gerrit, forget abourrit!). Yes, it did go back and forth at some point, the singing and dancing went on for too long. It was almost as if you are seeing a stage play in a theatre. But come to think of it, this movie is based on a stage play. What if this is a new style of adapting stage plays into motion pictures? Hollywood did it to some Shakespearean plays and it was fine. Why can't we adapt our own plays too?
Produced by Ebonylife TV and directed by Biyi Bamidele (RIP) of the Half of a Yellow Sun fame, this movie has Odunlade Adekola playing the titular character, Shaffy Bello as the Iyaloja, Deyemi Okanlawon, Omowunmi Dada, Jide Kosoko, Kelvin Ushi, we have Joke Silva and Taiwo Ajayi Lycett as the Chorus (I saw what they did there), Jenny Stead and Maek Elderkin as the ignorant White couple who desecrated the ancestral regalia of the gods and turned it into a mere costume, my girl Debbie Ohiri-Oletubo (go girl!) and Brymo the national treasure (that guy can sing up a storm sha!) in his debut.
If you don't have an open mind, stay away from this one because you won't understand it. And in this part of the world, what people don't understand, they condemn. Elesin Oba is art. And art is subjective. Kudos to the entire production team. It shows that Nollywood is on its way to the world!
King of Thieves (2022)
A new era in Nollywood
I decided to see this movie not expecting much. I mean, I don't doubt Femi Adebayo's dexterity one bit. He has taken his place as a very versatile producer of the Yoruba origin, and so far, he is not doing so bad. But it is a reputation issue. Over the years, epic Yoruba movies have not really been a fan favorite. Don't get me wrong, Yoruba movies have their own fan base and all that, but there is a saying on the streets that goes thus: Yoruba movies will weaken your brain cells.
It was with tis mindset that I decided to stream this movie on Netflix. I couldn't even bother seeing it in the cinema. But the point is that after seeing this movie, I was really very surprised. This movie is good! Excellent cinematography, lovely costumes, a straightforward and workable storyline (I didn't see much plot holes), wonderful directing and even better producing. But the team I will give much kudos to is the special effects team. They outdid themselves in this movie. Never in my wildest dreams have I seen a Nigerian movie use CGI effectively. I am impressed!
King of Thieves is a movie of deceit and vengeance, humility and arrogance, and a morally grey society that takes pride in brutally punishing petty thieves but cannot see that the son of a usurper became king under their noses or that his wife is a witch. Agbesinkole is terrorizing the entire village, stealing from traders and travelers, kidnapping the villagers. The king is furious, the chiefs are confused and the villagers are scared. All attempts to defeat the very powerful enigma, his sidekick and his band of robbers prove abortive. Enter Oguntade, an accomplished hunter with the sharp-mouthed wife who is doomed to face this notorious criminal as punishment for a crime he committed to save his wife. His deadly encounter with Agbesinkole takes us back to a very unfortunate flashback which brings us to the conclusion that jungle justice is not the best way to punish petty thieves. A person who steals food stole it because he/she is hungry. Go and face those ones who are looting what belongs to the country with impunity.
The storyline is quite straightforward. But what I don't really understand is the ending. (Note: this is a huge spoiler) is Segun Arinze's character a reincarnation of Agbesinkole? Because what is with the white eye effect at the end of the movie? The cast did a terrific job. Chief amongst the cast is Femi Adebayo who didn't say a lot in this movie. But with gestures, facial expressions and his voice which looked like the fusion of several voices speaking at once (sort of like El Saba Nur in X-Men: Apocalypse), he was able to achieve the enigmatic and scary look around him. Ibrahim 'Itele' Yekini also did well as the more brutal side kick and most loyal follower. There is Odunlade Adekola as the king who, in my opinion didn't do much to salvage the situation as king. His own is just to express worry when appropriate and keep it moving. Toyin Abraham Ajeyemi as his queen, Ibrahim Chatta as Oguntade, the accomplished hunter and Lateef Adedimeji as Lafongido. Other cast members include Adebayo Salami, Dele Odule, Peju Ogunmola, Aishat Lawal, Kunle Afod, Segun Arinze, Debo Macaroni, Broda Shaggi, Toyosi Adesanya, Joke Muyiwa, Taiwo Ibikunle, Ebun Oloyede and Wale Akorede.
This movie is a good one. It is recommended.
7 stars.
Anikulapo (2022)
The story of a Yoruba Demon
This movie is such a delight to see! Great costumes and props, beautiful scenery (trivia: the entire sets were constructed from the scratch!) Amazing cinematography, Nollywood's legends, the Yoruba language, cultures and traditions Bimbo Ademoye and Kunle Remi in their most iconic roles, etc, etc. All these and many more are what brought about this masterpiece!
Set in Old Oyo town, the core home of the Yoruba people, this is a story of love, hatred, betrayal, greed, selfishness and lust. Saro, a down-on-his-luck young man from Gbongan seeking greener pastures in Oyo meets a rich woman, Awarun. He becomes her sugar boy and she gives him the soft life, introducing him to kings and important people. Saro, in his true form meets and falls in love with the king's favourite wife, Arolake and plans to elope with her. This angers the scorned teenage princess, Omowunmi who nurses a burning passion for Saro. He is captured and left for dead. He somehow survives the ordeal with Arolake's help and procures a gourd with powers to raise the dead from a certain mythical bird. He marries Queen Arolake and becomes a local celebrity in the faraway village they elope to.
But Saro the Yoruba demon will always be a Yoruba demon. Before long, he begins to chase other women, marry them and have children with them with impunity. It does not help that Arolake cannot produce a child for him. Scorned, tired and frustrated, she brings about this ungrateful Saro's eventual death and disgrace in this village. He lived for the yansh and died for the yansh. The entire lesson in this movie still remains that men will stain your white. Women always think that the grass is greener on the other side. A poor man is always humble until small money and power touches his hand, then he begins to misbehave. Women who can't have children always suffer in this part of the world. I hope Arolake finds love.
This is just the summary; the movie is actually more multilayered than this. And it definitely has a lot of plot holes. For example, how come no one looked for Arolake when she went missing from the palace? Especially when Saro was captured? How come there are no lasting repercussions for stealing the gourd from the bird and disturbing the balance between life and death? Also, where did Omowon's character come from? What happened in Oyo after their disappearance? Saro became famous and popular in Ojumo, how come the news of his fame did not spread to Oyo? All these and many more plot holes are spotted in this movie. Kunle Afolayan owes us an explanation!
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But I guess he no longer cares about anybody's opinion on the storylines of his movies. I mean, he gave us the psychological thriller Figurine, the multiple award-winning October 1, the movie with the unpredictable ending, The CEO, and even Citation. But in this one, he gave us nudity and a storyline based on morals and culture, coupled with good casting and a beautiful picture quality. I guess we can work with that. The open-ended beginning and ending leaves one with an array of unanswered questions and a lot to ponder upon. It is like there is something missing and the story needs to continue. But will there be a sequel? I guess not. Kunle Afolayan does not roll that way. Lol.
Talking about the cast in this movie will take another review of its own. Apart from 'newcomers' who are not so brand new like Kunle Remi, Bimbo Ademoye, Aishat Lawal, Adebowale 'Mr Macaroni' Adedayo, Ikorodu Bois, and introducing Adedoja Adeyemi, and Eyiyemi Afolayan in their debut, this movie is perhaps the biggest platform for the Nollywood veterans we grew up watching to converge in recent times; like a reunion of some sort, and this nostalgia I felt was almost solid. There is Taiwo 'Ogogo' Hassan, Kareem 'Baba Wande' Adepoju, Toyin 'Lola Idije' Afolayan, Adewale Elesho, Moji Afolayan, Razak 'Ojopagogo' Olayiwola, Ifayemi Elebuibon, Adebayo Salami, Faithia Williams Balogun, Adedeji 'Olofaina' Aderemi, Sunday 'Aluwe' Omobolanle, Samson 'Jinadu' Eluwole, Babatunde 'Fokoko' Bamgbode, Sola 'King of Boys' Shobowale, Ronke 'Oshodi Oke' Ojo, Yinka Quadri, Ayandotun Emmanuel, Kunle Afolayan in a small role and Ropo Ewenla as the King's mouthpiece. But the most intentional casting has got to be Hakeem Kae Kazim. Do you know what it is to cast one of Hollywood's finest in an epic role and give him absolutely no speaking lines? Just facial gestures and vibes. This movie is ahead of its time!
There are still a lot of things to unpack in this movie. Perhaps I will do another review some other day. But I will say this much. If and when you acquire power in your life, never ever give that power to a man. I say again, men will stain your white. And when you pray never to jam Agbako in your life, pray never to jam Saro, because Saro is Agbako, and Agbako is Saro. Nuff said.
Aquaman (2018)
A big mess
I am watching Aquaman for the second time just because my brother begged me to watch it. He hoped that the movie would grow on me. But I still maintain my opinion in this. Save your money and ditch this movie. Weak storyline and mediocre acting. The only reason this movie has a 2 is because of the cinenatography and the sets. Anything other than that is a big mess.
Black Panther (2018)
Finally! a movie measured up to its hype
Yes I know I'm just supposed to do only Made in Naija movie reviews, but I can't help it in this one! Besides, there was enough reference to Nigeria in this movie, so here we are! I saw the most hyped movie of this time, Black Panther, and I loved it! There is actually nothing to hate in this movie! I am not really a fan of science fiction and fantasy movies, I mean, I love the X-Men franchise, but that does not mean that I jump to the cinema as soon as they release a new movie every week.
But Black Panther is different! It is obvious that these people sat down and did their homework well. I mean, I did not find any fault with the movie! And that is the best thing about the movie. It was like the creators of the movie were ready for any movie critic; they left no stone unturned. Beautiful working storyline, amazing location (and if it was a studio work, the special effects team deserve an Oscar), lovely, lovely costumes! (I mean, Lupita actually wore Ankara!), the soundtrack too cannot be compared to another, especially during the fighting scenes. And they did not use the same score for two fights. One score, one fight. (Yes I pay so much attention to details) I mean, Marvel outdid themselves in this one!
This is a good place to stop right? Before I will start sounding like a sell out. But there is no movie without characters right? We have to talk about them! TChalla, the king of Wakanda and the Black Panther himself brought his A game to this one! He commanded so much screen presence that I just wanted to see him in all scenes. That said. Michael Jordan is one very sexy villain I have not seen in a very long time! I mean, the first time he appeared on screen, he was stealing. But every girl at the cinema screamed when he appeared. Yes! I heard them. Other cast members are Lupita as Nakia, the object of the king's affection, Angela Basset as Queen Mother Ramonda, Forrest Whittaker as the king's spy. But the character that brought life to Wakanda is bald headed Okoye, the king's general. Played by new comer Danai Gurira. Girl's got some badass moves when fighting!
Yes! Black Panther is the most hyped movie of this time; but the movie is worth all the hype. It has something for everybody - scifi, drama, African heritage, basketball, comedy, ceremonies, action, gun fight, etc. But a little lacking in the romance department. I did not mind a bit though...
If you have not watched it, please go and watch it. Not for anything; just to feel among we cool kids that have watched the movie and to tell people that you have also watched what is perhaps the greatest movie in 2018.
Half of a Yellow Sun (2013)
I was not impressed
My 2 cents......... if you want to do a movie about Nigerians, why should you work with a foreign cast? I may be wrong, but i think the director would have done better with an all- Nigerian cast. They would have interpreted their roles better. For Pete's sakes, this is a story about a civil war! I have a major problem with the cast. Thandie Newton was so so not fluid at all; Anika Noni Rose was OK; but the major disappointment I saw in the movie is from Chiwetel Ejiofor of "12 Years a Slave" I believe he did not put in half his best at all. The whole thing boils down to the directing. It lacked depth. But I believe there is still room for change and they can do better than this parody of a best selling book turned movie. And yes! i read the book and I am saying that if you have read the book, watch the movie, only if you can look past the passive acting and bad direction. i give it a 6