Movie Review: ONLY LOVE

Title: ONLY LOVE
Starring: Ini Edo, Rita Dominic, Pat Attah, Olu Jacobs, Alex Usifo, Adaora Ukoh
Producer: Oj productions
Director: Andy Amenechi
Year: 2005
Country: Nigeria
Genre: Drama/Romance
Language: English




Synopsis: Ini Edo is Udoka, a young village orphan, being raised by her stepmother. In true Cinderella fashion, her stepmother hates her and only chooses to educate her own two daughters, while she uses Udoka as a glorifed, much abused househelp. Turns out that Udoka is a childhood friend of the village princess (played by Rita D), who has just returned from studies in America. Udoka was also a childhood love of Uzor, who studied medicine abroad and has just returned to start the village hospital.
Udoka’s stepmother is very jealous of her stepdaugher’s ambitious friendships, and punishes her for her camaraderie with the princess, as well as for her renewed relationship with the very eligible and good looking doctor (Uzor) played by Pat Attah. To further complicate matters, the princess also finds the doctor very attractive, creating a knotty love triangle. In addition, Uzor’s family believes that their American educated doctor son can do better than the poor, unattractive village belle, and would rather prefer to see their son with the princess than with Udoka. When the princess has her graduation party, she invites Udoka and Uzor, who come together, much to her chagrin (as well as that of Udoka’s stepmother). Udoka returns home, and is thrown out by stepmother. She eventually has to take refuge in the palace with her friend the princess, with some very dramatic consequences for her and her relationship with Uzor.
How does the princess resolve her jealousy of her friend’s relationship? How is the love triangle resolved? Who ends up with Uzor?

Trailer:




Review:
Positives:This movie was produced during the “big ban” year in Nollywood, so marketers had to utilize new talent outside of the big 3 (Genevieve, Omotola and SDA). It gave us the unexpected pleasure of witnessing an outstanding performance by Ini Edo. I am not a fan of her “Look at me, I am sexy” roles, but she can play a village girl, that is for sure. She was FIERCE!!

Rita Dominic looked very classy and did good acting as a princess. The stepmother was so mean, she was great. The limp was well pronounced, and made her seem even more wicked. The ladies who played Udoka’s stepsisters were also very convincing as the spoiled stepsister, as well as the more sympathetic but helpless one.

In general, it was a nice love story, competent, good acting, good casting, mostly good costuming, although Udoka’s outfit in the last scene was kinda busy. The party scenes were filled with appropriately dressed extras, unlike many Naija movies where it looks like they dragged people off the streets.

Negatives: It was not by any means perfect.
Pat Attah plays the lovelorn doctor, and does a competent job, although a little more emotion would have been nice. After he had not seen his childhood love for 7 years, he just walks in casually and says hi, with very little emotion. And while she was mad, it was like a small tiff, not anger for seven years worth of abandonment. And the love singing! Please! Save us from the singing. If you are curious as to what the Udo, Uzor sunset song means, someone actually translated it for anyone who is interested:

udoka I love you
me and you will leave
let the world say whatever ... I like you

Uzo .. I love you
me and you will leave
let the world say whatever.... your thing is sweeting me
your thing is sweeting me (2x) let the world keep talking .. it's you i like

(Please don't ask about the "thing" and its "sweeting" effect! LOLLLL!! Actually I suspect its a literal translation that may not come across that well in English).

In addition to the singing, there were some really, really, really, realllllly bad special effects. They had to have someone hit by lightening. O boy. It was bad. In addition, there are medical problems that had no scientific explanations, which could only by resolved by a juju man. I no longer have patience for movies that leave logic and resort to passive juju solutions for everything. I think the story could have been told just as well without all the chanting, feathers and eye paint. And it is sad that so many of our people in real life will see the juju man for an ailment before talking to a doctor. So I did not like that. As much as possible, I think our movies should elevate our thinking to a higher level. And then there were scenes that dragged on and one and on and… you get the idea! You learn to watch our movies with the ff button. So I used it where it was needed.

Worldview: This was choke full of strong moral lessons - Strong themes of betrayal, forgiveness and mercy, not looking down on people when they are down because you don’t know the future, giving people the benefit of the doubt. It’s a great movie you can watch with the whole family, and everyone will learn something. Just ignore the singing and the juju!!

You can find more reviews for this movie here

Rating: 7/10

Availability: Big three

Movie Review: White Waters

Title: White Waters
Starring: Joke Silva, Rita Dominic, O.C. Ukeje
Producer(s): Ify Dozie, Ngozi Nkwoli, Tokunbo Adodo
Screenplay: Felix Odion
Director: Izu Ojukwu
Year of production: 2007
Country: Nigeria.
Genre: Sports drama/Romance
Language: English

Preamble: This was the second Amstel Malta Box Office (AMBO) movies. The first AMBO movie, Sitanda, starred Azizat Sadiq, the first winner of the show. O.C Ukeje, the star of White Waters won the second edition. Looks like Izu Ojukwu had learned a lot from the first edition by then. This movie is MUCH, MUCH better than Sitanda by a mile! Izu has matured into one of the foremost directors in Nigeria. In my opinion, White Waters is a breakout movie that has most definitely raised the standard of Nigerian movies. It was not perfect by any means, but in the comity of Nigerian movies, it is exceptional. Oh yes! Very exceptional - A feast for the eyes, a work of art.

Trailer:



Summary: This movie reminds me very much of the movie Forrest Gump. O.C. Ukeje is Melvin, a mentally retarded, socially inept, though athletically gifted boy. He was abandoned by his parents at age eleven in the village with his grandmother (Joke Silva). Melvin often whizzes past the athletic training ground of the local government while he runs errands for his grandmother. Eventually everybody notices how fast he is, and he gets invited to run for the team by the head coach (Kaptin Tony Ofili Akpon) He invites the wrath of Banji (played by Hooomsuk?) the fastest guy on the team who feels threatened by him. In addition, he is also very attracted to the beautiful Nolah (Rita D), whose parents have just retired to the village and is also using the local government’s athletic facilities. Banji is also Melvin's rival for Nolah’s affections. How does it work out for Melvin on the team and with Nolah?

REVIEW
Positives:
Nigeria’s first athletic movie and a very credible attempt too. Not shabby at all. It is very formulaic – the underdog, the cocky antagonist, the predictable ending. If you have ever watched a sports movie, or an underdog movie like pride, or remember the titans, – it is obvious where this movie will end – it’s the same formula, but I mostly enjoyed the ride to the very obvious conclusion. Yes, the ending was apparent, but the journey was traveled through rough terrain. The writer did not make the trip easy for Melvin, and I really liked the emphasis on the difficulties associated with making a champion out of a struggler. It was also mostly very logical. Most of the dots were appropriately connected by the end of the movie.

In fact, let me stop fronting. I totally loved it. Loved the music , loved the look, loved the sound, loved the visuals on the movie sooo much. Izu Ojukwu is one of Nigeria’s best cinematographers for sure. Very nice. Very colorful movie. I loved the cast too. The coach was soooo coachy dang – perfect. Rita D played her non-athletic roles to perfection. Banji was so full of swagger, so cocky; you could just see him as a showoff athlete, and he was so annoying! I totally believed him. As Banji would say “Maaaasive!”. He did his job so well. In fact ehn, in general, the casting was spot on. Even the local govt chairman played the part to a tee. I loved Joke Silva as grandma, although she seemed overeducated for the role. A little back story to tell us why grandma was speaking so much grammar in the village would have been nice. I still loved her in the role though. Her asthma attacks were, as I was told by someone who has asthma, completely realistic.

O.C. Ukeje, in his first starring role, was in my opinion, outstanding. I loved him. LOOOVED HIM. The blank stare, the quick flashes of temper, the inability to learn quickly, loved him! If you have ever been around anyone who has a learning disability, is borderline retarded, or just generally slow, you will be impressed with Ukeje’s interpretation of his role.

And while the waterfall may not have had much to do with the story, it was completely stunning. Dang, we have beautiful scenery in Nigeria! If only our stupid govt would….! Ah, I refuse to get sidetracked. I hear the movie was shot in the mountains surrounding the waterfall Farin Ruwa, in Nassarawa State of Nigeria. Boy, it was lovely!
The stadium scenes, looked good too. Oga Izu worked hard on this one abeg!

Musical Score: Very very beautiful. Dang the soundtrack was good. Bravo.

A completely different story from the normal naija “I will marry or not marry” story. A different feel, a different ambiance. Far as I am concerned, an outstanding attempt. And its only in one part. Bravo! Excellent job to the cast and crew.

Negatives:
There were some issues of course - like how you can all of a sudden add someone to a team 2 weeks to a major event, and how Melvin was even eligible to compete (moving from state to state just days to competition time), and even some of the timelines which did not seem to jive too well together. It just was sometimes plain unrealistic and made Nigerian sports authorities look irresponsible if some of the things done in the movie are actually reality. I think they trivialized some of the important lessons of the movie (like perseverance) by using such implausible timelines. And as for the running in the rain scene, while it made for beautiful filmmaking, it was not responsible athletism.

Loved the attention to detail with the atheletes, although it was a major sore spot for most people that Rita D. did not look like an athelete. Her jumping looked fake.

In addition, I was very disappointed in the woman who played Melvin’s mother. The scene in which she was confronted by Ms. Silva’s character had the potential to be outstanding, but it was like watching a cat standing beside a magnificent lion. I felt let down by that scene. Ms Silva was killing it, overflowing with passion, rage, while the woman who played the mother was struggling to remember her lines (at least that was the way it seemed to me). It was a mismatched scene, as they placed an amateur beside a master!! In short ehn, that scene was a total mismatch. Even if her scene was short, it was central to the plot. They should have cast a more competent actress. Thankfully, the woman did not appear for very long, so she did not have the opportunity to detract too long from the movie.

Time: At least 10 years had passed since Melvin was a dropped off and Nolah showed up at the village. How come things did not look different? Those details are important too.

Emotional connection: This is where it started to get dicey for me. Nigerian movies, despite their bad quality are loved because of their realness, their relateability, their rawness. As movie makers start to improve the quality of their movies, they have to be careful not to lose the formula that lead to success in the first place. I may be crucified for this, but for most of this movie, I did not feel an emotional connection. It felt very artsy, very aloof. That is the word – aloof. I feel the same way when I watch European movies – they are nice to look at, but there is no real emotional connection for me. I think this happened because in a bid to avoid all the shouting and overacting that are associated with Nigerian movies, the director sanitized out all the emotion. It felt too western, not authentic. There has to be a balance I think. This was not true through out of course. There were moments when I felt a lot – Melvin looking at Rita D’s character with unspoken longing – outstanding. The pain of disappointment, the joys of winning – there were moments. But for me they were inconsistent moments.

Dvd Jacket: I have to complain about this one: The picture was great, but the synopsis written on the jacket was baaaad! Wrong tenses, bad sentence construction. C’mon people. You win or lose on the details meen! I would expect that for a movie of this magnitude, attention will be paid to these kinds of things!

Names: Melvin? Noona (abi wetin be Rita D’s character’s name?). Why now? Ehn? What is wrong with Naija names? Abeg moviemakers, use our names!!

Final note: One major critique of the movie that I saw all over the place was that Melvin did not look consistently retarded. That one minute he looked withdrawn, and the next, he looked normal. Hmmm, from my personal experience with someone who is borderline retarded, I say the characterization is completely accurate. Totally. The flashes of anger, the moodiness, the need for structure and guidance, the inconsistency in ability levels, the inability to focus on and cope with school work, and the slow learning - all par for the course. And there was no need to name what was wrong with him – he was slow- which could have been due to any number of factors. It was exactly like I was watching my friend on TV. Excellent characterization in my opinion.

Themes and worldviews: This is a story about the inherent value of human beings – about how everybody is worthy of love and respect, even if their talents and abilities are not immediately apparent. This is important in our Naija society where we don’t have much love or respect for damaged people. Where we hide them instead of celebrating them and helping them achieve their full potential, limited though it may be.
This is also a story about believing the best of people, about not jumping to conclusions, about keeping the ego in check, because no matter how good you think you are, there is always somebody better than you.

Rating: 11/15 (because its in a different league to the rest of all those cheap “I love you” movies).

More reviews here and here.


Availability : Availability: Check the big three.

Happy viewing!

Movie Review: Distance between

Title: Distance between

Starring: Rita Dominic, Mercy Johnson, Yemi Blaq, Kalu Ikeagwu

Producers: Remi Ibinola and Memry Savannu Ayotunde

Director: Izu Ojukwu
















Year of production: 2008

Country: Nigeria

Genre: Drama/Romance

Language: English

Trailer: Could not find one. If anyone knows where I can find a trailer online, please let me know and I will update the post.

Summary/synopsis: Rita Dominic is Preye, while Mercy Johnson plays her best friend (Mosun). Right from the onset, it is clear that Preye has many issues – she is extremely promiscuous, and we soon learn that she is acting out due to sexual abuse she suffered as a child. Akin (played by Yemi Blaq) is her long suffering boyfriend. While Mosun appears to be extremely responsible, hardworking, and faithful to her friend, she is wrestling with demons too. She was also abused as a child, and in contrast to her friend, is turned off men. Kalu Ikeagwu plays an advert executive (Ike). Preye runs into him while she is hawking a show she wants to put on the air and they promptly hook up. It all gets very complicated and very emotional very fast.

REVIEW
Positives: I love Izu Ojukwu. He is officially one of my favorite Nollywood directors. What a movie. WHAT A MOVIE!! This movie is sexy, complex, deep, accessible, nuanced. It is not simplistic, its not linear, but its very logical. Gets you right in the gut! The main cast outdid themselves on this one. I have always loved all the four of the main actors, but this is by far the best work for all of them. Fantastic acting. Tremendous! Rita, as Preye was just sterling. She was promiscuous and vulnerable all at the same time. And Mercy Johnsohn, what an actress. This role has finally begun to live up to her talent. She was tremendous as the frigid, yet loyal friend. Kalu was sexy as always, and Yemi Blaq – his character was so complicated, so conflicted, so human, so frail - just beautiful to watch!

The flashbacks were so beautiful, dripping with meaning, even if much was not said. The girls who played the young Preye and Mosun were very good actresses. And even if the dressing did not fit the period, it was shot in such a way that it looked and felt like the distant past. You were afraid with them as they faced their molesters. You felt their pain. Most of the supporting cast was excellent as well. I just loved it. And it was totally unpredictable. Totally. Some things happened and I was like - what? Really? Wow! What is gonna happen next?

One more thing though: There is a slowness and deliberateness about Izu's movies that may not play well with many Naija movie lovers. I think many people watch the movie for the drama, the confrontation, the theatrical nature of our productions. This is more restrained. It’s a whole different feel, but I was loving it all the way. It’s funny that I have just watched a mini soap by Izu Ojukwu, and I feel like I have watched something really deep and important. You can feel the intelligence in the crafting of this one.

Negatives: There were some problems with the sound editing, at least in my copy, but it did not ruin it. The weak link among the actors was Kalu's fiancé in the movie. She was trying too hard to be the high society girlfriend and it did not flow naturally.

The major flaw, I think, is that they wimped out at the end. The ending was too anticlimactic, too easy. I was actually disappointed by it. I wanted a little more meat and bones on that ending. You don't build that kind of suspense and then end it like that now! Ah!!

And then there were too many questions unanswered - and a few subplots that were not followed through. Of all of them though, the one that bothered me the most was that the core issue of sexual abuse was never really dealt with. I don't want to reveal the story, but there was no real confrontation or resolution there. That could have been fleshed out a little more. Or perhaps another movie? I cannot think of too many Nigerian movies that left me wanting more, but this one did. Also it’s not a movie for kids. There is a lot of bed hopping – premarital, extra marital, casual sex, one night stands. However, the whole idea is not to glorify any of those things – at least not deliberately. The movie shows that difficult situations ensue when human beings indulge in complicated sexual activities.

Lessons/worldview/philosophy: This movie brings some very complicated issues to light – the limits of friendship, marital fidelity, the role of family in crisis, etc. The most important issue raised though, is the complex nature of child abuse and its consequences. Anybody conversant with abuse will tell you that the effects go way beyond the immediate act itself. If care is not taken, a child abuser can take not just the child’s present, but their future as well. We don’t like to talk about these things in our society. We like to pretend that they don’t happen. We ignore the broken people in our midst and pretend that their pain does not exist. Well you know what happens with broken people? They tend to cut – and it hurts.

Rating: 9.5/10. Just outstanding stuff.

More reviews here and here


Availability: I bought my copy here.
You may want to call them and find a copy. But check all possible sources.