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Arts, Entertainment

Movie Review: Wedding Party 2 | By: Jerry Chiemeke

Movie Title: The Wedding Party 2
Genre: Romantic Comedy
Year Of Release: 2017
Cast: Bankole Wellington, Adesua Etomi, Enyinna Nwigwe, Daniella Down, Frank Donga, Ikechukwu Onunuka, Zainab Balogun, Richard Mofe Damijo, Ireti Doyle, Ali Baba, Sola Sobowale, Patience Ozokwor
Special Appearances: AY Makun, Funny Bone, Chigurl, Seyi Law, Wofai Fada
Director: Niyi Akinmolayan

“The Wedding Party 2” continues from where the first installment left off; Dozie (Wellington) and Dunni (Etomi) are happily married, while Nonso Onwuka (Nwigwe) and Deardre Winston (Down) are now an item. On a date at a fancy restaurant in Dubai, Nonso sees a lady turning her partner down, even after an expensive ring and a “will you marry me?” banner in an aquarium. He bends to pick the ring, and Deardre, thinking that he is proposing, says yes in excitement. Nonso is confused, but unwilling to ruin Deardre’s moment, plays along.
Deardre’s parents, always quick to claim royal heritage, are not comfortable with the idea of having Nigerians as in-laws, but they relent and head off to Nigeria to visit Felix Onwuka (Mofe-Damijo) and his wife Uju (Doyle). What follows is a series of events which put the love between Deardre and Nonso to the test.

Also Read: Movie Review: Mentally
One thing which this movie has going for it is its glossy nature. The cinematography is top notch, the sound is of premium quality, and relevant brands are on display too. “The Wedding Party 2” comes with the aura of a film for which a lot of work was done with respect to production, and the inter-cut between Lagos and Dubai boasts of tourism potential. The movie itself sheds light on the concept of exorbitant bride price, tradition and gender roles, with not-so-subtle hints at racial tensions and national pride.
Also Read: Movie Review: My Wife And I
Daniella Down and Enyinna Nwigwe put up decent individual performances, and Down in particular is adorable, but both fail to replicate the chemistry that existed between Wellington and Etomi in the first film. Ireti Doyle nails the role of ice queen, Mofe-Damijo is not the most charismatic family head, and Sobowale’s role interpretation is of a more serious, “motherly” tone. Frank Donga weighs in with the facial expressions, and Zainab Balogun’s performance as Wonu is one of the bright spots in this film. Ikechukwu and Ali Baba do not find too much room to shine, and Patience Ozokwor, in trying to play the role of “mean village aunt”, appeared a tad rusty here.

Also Read:  Movie Review: The Women
“The Wedding Party 2”, for all the anticipation that preceded its release, is pretty much all over the place, with patchy performances and the good moments being few and far between. The humour seemed forced and of a try-too-hard variety at certain points, and taking into consideration the high standards set by its predecessor, the movie is significantly disappointing. If you laughed out loud last year, you would only manage a few giggles here. If you held your chest in admiration twelve months ago, you would find yourself barely shrugging here, and if “The Wedding Party” was an enjoyable ride, its sequel was a forgettable flight, only stopping short of crashing spectacularly…and oh, the “dramatic event pops up so the wedding drags until NIGHT” reared its head again. Sure enough, it is by no means the worst movie that made it to Nigerian cinemas this year, but those who loved Banky and Adesua last time out will feel hard done by with this one.
The final scenes of the movie are predictable, but beyond that, they hint at a third installment, with the sudden bond created between Shola (Ikechukwu) and Yemisi (Somtokelechi). The crew has had a good run, but if they intend to birth Wedding Party 3, they should not let that water break, they have to abort it. Good PR and glossy scenes cannot cancel out sub-par acting, and for the love of all things good and fair, the franchise has to stop here.
Rating: 5.8/10

Jerry Chiemeke is a lawyer and freelance writer who lives in Lagos. An amateur photographer and sports enthusiast as well, Jerry’s works have appeared on Blanck Digital, Elsieisy, Oshodi.tv, The Kalahari Review and Brittle Paper. He is the author of ‘The Colours In These Leaves’. Get the book here
You can follow him on Twitter @J_Chiemeke, and also check out his craft on his blog at pensofchi.com

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Entertainment

George Weah elected Liberia's 25th President

Former AC Milan talisman,George Weah has been elected as President-elect of Liberia, West Africa Liberia’s 25th President.  The 51-year-old replaces Africa’s first female head of state, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. Weah won thirteen out of fifteen counties while his 73-year-old opponent and current vice president, Joseph Boakai got only two counties.

Weah who is the only African to win the Ballon d’Or award was the 1995 World Footballer of the Year, European Footballer of the Year and African Footballer of the Year
“I am deeply grateful to my family, my friends, and my loyal supporters who contributed to our campaign during this extremely long election season,” Weah said on Twitter.
He laced his boots for Paris Saint-Germain, AC Milan, Chelsea and Manchester City and Marseille.

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Entertainment

Photos from Banky W and Adesua Wellington's trad&white wedding ceremonies

Celebrity couple, Olubankole ‘Banky W’ Wellington and Adesua Etomi had their traditional and white weddings in the space of one week amidst pomp and fanfare. The traditional wedding which took place last week Sunday wedding at the Landmark Centre, Oniru attracted an array of personalities. Few days after, the couple and few friends jetted off to Cape Town, South Africa for the grand-finale.


Adesua was extremely gorgeous in all her three and four outfits for her white and traditional weddings. The groom didn’t do bad either. He was all smiles and good looking. The couple exchanged vows at a stunning  location in Camp Bays, Cape Town surrounded by friends and family.
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Entertainment

Banky W undergoes 3rd cancer surgery.

Nigerian R ‘N’B singer, Bankole ‘Banky W’ Wellington has shared shocking details behind his absence from limelight.
In a lengthy post on his Instagram page, the actor revealed his ordeal with cancer, adding that he had a surgery last month to remove a rare strain of skin cancer tumors found in his skin. He had the first two surgeries 10 years ago but the cancer resurfaced this year. Thankfully, he had a successful operation and is now back on his feet. See his post below.
“A wise man once said this: “Scars. A sign that you had been hurt. A sign that you had been healed.” Scroll through the pictures to see mine. I’m sharing these because they’re proof of what God has brought me through. And because somewhere out there, I know there’s someone who needs to hear this.

For those who’ve been wondering why I’ve been away so long..I had my 3rd surgery on a rare strain of skin cancer tumours in my shoulder last month. The first 2 times were over 10 yrs ago, then it recently resurfaced. But this isn’t a sad story as much as it is a reminder, and a testimony. 
A reminder that you should never take life for granted. You only get 1 shot. Some people went to sleep and never woke up. Many others have lost the battle to cancer and other illnesses. Many are still fighting. U never know when your time will be up so don’t waste another minute. It’s also a testimony about the goodness of God. I think I had to go through this again to remember how merciful God is to me; Lord knows I don’t deserve it but He saves me time and again anyway. I keep saying I need to write a book. I really, really do.
BankyW recovers from successful 3rd surgery he had on a rare strain of skin cancer tumors found in his shoulder (photos)
The past few weeks of recovery have been tough, but beautiful. I’m finally back on my feet, feeling stronger and ready to get back to life. I’m especially thankful to my Nurse Susu for loving me and being by my side every step of the way – I don’t deserve U ??, my parents & siblings, in-laws & close friends for the love, support and prayers, my Pastors – Pastor Tony Rapu & Pastor Del Balogun of TPH, Pastor Taiwo Odukoya and Pastor Bayo Adeyokunnu – for constantly praying with and for me. And of course to Dr Wodajo & Dr Miralli & their teams – who God used to operate on me successfully.

I’m thankful for life, provision and healing. Pls dont feel bad, or msg me with any worries.. God has done it, just thank Him for me. 
The pain will eventually go away but the scar won’t – and I’m glad because it’s a reminder to me of what God has done, and evidence to you of what He CAN do. I’m not stronger or better than anyone. I’m just a living testimony that no matter what u face, U can survive & thrive, by God’s grace.”
You are a survivor Banky!

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Entertainment

Film And Television Star, Sadiq Daba Down With Leukemia And Prostate Cancer.

According to reports, TV and film star, Sadiq Daba has been diagnosed of leukemia and prostrate cancer. The sexagenarian is urgent need of $25,000 to pay for his medical bills. Per Azuka Jebose, former journalist and artiste manager, revealed that Daba is currently receiving treatment at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital and a Gofundme account has been set up on his behalf.
‘Through the years, Sadiq Daba enchanted us with his beloved performances as a young Actor on Nigerian Television and in the movies. We loved his charming characters. In real life, Sadiq transcends humanity with his free spirit and openness to all; hence Nigerians gravitate to his affection. Sadiq Daba is a veteran superstar actor, a national treasure and an Icon of our pop culture. These times, our famous and fantastic movie star, director and one of the pioneers of Nollywood is terminally ill. Sadiq is battling Leukemia and prostrate cancer.
These deadly diseases are challenging his existence and comfort..He is determined to beat these. His fight to survive has become ours. We must embrace him just as we embraced his characters on his movies and television acting. The diseases have impacted him financially. The staggering cost of treating cancer is affecting his family. Please We need your help. Support Sadiq’s treatment with any donation. He continues to receive treatments at various cancer centers in Nigeria. These treatments are costly. He needs us now. We are determined to help him live again, by beating Cancer. Please support our goal of $25,000 to pay for his medical bills…’ He wrote.
You can donate here

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Entertainment

Photos from the Buckwyld ‘n’ Breathless concert

The Convention centre, Eko Hotel and Suites Victoria Island was the place to be yesterday with amazing performances by 2Baba, Tiwa Savage, and Flavour who brought the Lagos Dream illusion to Buckwyld ‘n’ Breathless: The Lagos Dream. The concert also had great performances by, Efya, Timaya, Paul Okoye, Mr 2kay, Dj Jimmy Jatt, and Kelly Hansome.

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Hosted by Andre Blaze, the concert was packed with attendance ranging from some of the most revered socialites, A list celebrities and personalities such as Senator Ita Giwa, Mai Atafo, Annie Idibia , KCee, Baba Dee, Orezi,  Mr Ibu, Waje, Ubi Franklin, Brand Executives and a host of others.

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The red carpet showcased the hall of fame from Music Icons  Fela Kuti,, Onyeka Onwenu,, Oliver de Coque, to Legendary Christie Essien Igbokwe, to Political Maverick Fela Anikulapo Kuti, to Griot musician Alh Mamman Shata.


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 One of the highlights of the events was the spiritual 2baba dominating the stage literally with his breathtaking vocals and mind-blowing performance that moved the crowed to tears.  Flavour took his performance to a whole new level with an amazing intro with Tiwa savage and a masquerade to take it up a notch.

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Tiwa Savage thrilled the audience with her unequivocal fashion and energetic performance of some of her A list songs including Malo, All over, Keys to the city, Wanted and many more with a major dance off with the Queen of dance Kaffy and her son.



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This concert themed ‘The Lagos Dream’ was truly a reflection of The Lagos Dream. 

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Arts, Entertainment

Movie Review : Body Language | By: Jerry Cheimeke

Movie Title: Body Language
Genre: Drama
Year Of Release: 2017
Cast: Ramsey Nouah, Tana Adelana, Ken Erics, Lawretta Richards, Emem Ufot
Producer: Emem Isong
Director: Moses Inwang
Body Language” follows the story of a lady named Tola Sadiq (Adelana), who works as a marketing specialist in an interior decorating company, but at night goes by the name Amber at an exquisite strip club, where she works as a high-grade exotic dancer. She climbs to the top of the chain at her night job after the gruesome murder of Anita, her colleague. More ladies in various fields die in the following weeks, and it becomes common knowledge that there is a serial killer on the loose, simply known as “The Lagos Ripper”. Tola has to shuttle her two careers and a long-term relationship with Lancelot (Erics).

One night, Tola/Amber gets a request for a private dance session from golf-loving, bird-watching Nick Yahaya (Nouah), who pays her a thousand dollars. This goes on for a couple of nights, but things get complicated when Tola has to pitch a business idea at her day job, and it turns out that the prospective client company is run by Yahaya. Both Tola and Yahaya now have to balance the duality in their respective lives, trying hard to keep the lines from getting blurred and/or blowing any covers.
Also Read: Movie Review: Mentally
The movie is rated 18, and while we would have loved to see a bit more skin, the cast and crew deserve full credit for daring to experiment; for a conservative country and movie industry, there is significant flesh on display. Whether Adelana’s moves were enough to stir the crotch is left for frequent strip club goers, but you cannot say she didn’t practice for this movie. Her ability to establish excellent on-screen chemistry with Nouah’s character is worthy of commendation. Speaking of Nouah, he shines in this one, with top-notch role interpretation as an steely, calculative character, there is a real edge to his performance like we haven’t seen from Nollywood leading men in a while, even the fact that he puffs a bit too much of that Cuban cigar takes nothing away from his acting here. Ken Erics is a darling in the low-budget, Asaba-based side of things, and it is interesting to wait and see how he fares in this clip, but he pretty much aces his role as a doting, oblivious, clingy (and ultimately heartbroken) lover, and the penultimate scene in which he appears is particularly memorable for his comic value.
Also Read: Movie Review: My Wife And I
Cinematography is pretty good in this movie, the transition in scenes is excellent, and the guys in charge of the screenplay should be applauded for giving nothing away. Beyond exploring mind games, expression of sexuality and a bit of feminism, the plot itself is quite the catch, with an unexpected twist at the end. As for the dialogue, it is unforced and well above average
Also Read:  Movie Review: The Women

There are just a few loopholes impossible to ignore. In the final scene, Yahaya states that he began to stalk Tola after the death of his daughter, who was murdered a day before his return from England. How does a man relocate, set up a company and figure out the identity of his target in a matter of weeks? It would have plausible if there had been a wide passage of time, but that side of things looks pretty shaky, unless the producers are trying to make us believe that a long time passed between the killings and Tola’s first meeting with Yahaya, which didn’t look like the case at all. Again, for a cold-blooded murderer who could possibly be under surveillance, the serial killer seemed to have let down their guard in the course of the film; in the movie’s defence though, no one could have suspected who it was. The idea of a Nigerian strip club accepting dollar payments also causes scratching heads too.
With its rough edges, “Body Language” is still a really decent effort, and in terms of movie plots, it is one of the better movies to have made it to cinemas this year. There were not many characters in this, so both lead actors deserve a few pats on the back, and while the jury is out as to how memorable this feature film would turn out to be, at least we can say that Nollywood is no longer far off when it comes to quality storytelling.
Rating: 7.2/10

Jerry Chiemeke is a lawyer and freelance writer who lives in Lagos. An amateur photographer and sports enthusiast as well, Jerry’s works have appeared on Blanck Digital, Elsieisy, Oshodi.tv, The Kalahari Review and Brittle Paper. He is the author of ‘The Colours In These Leaves’. Get the book here
You can follow him on Twitter @J_Chiemeke, and also check out his craft on his blog at pensofchi.com

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Arts, Entertainment

Movie Review: Mentally | By: Jerry Chiemeke

Movie Title: Mentally
Genre: Comedy
Year Of Release: 2017
Cast: Frank Donga, Erick Didie, Toyin Abraham, Jude Chukwuka, Charles Okagbue, Etinosa Idemudia, Woli Arole
Special Appearances: James Abinibi, Patience Lawal
Director: James Abinibi
“Mentally” is a movie set in contemporary Lagos. It tells the story of a man named Akin (Donga), who decides to leave his rural dwelling for the city of Lagos, much to his mother’s dismay. He is ushered in by his friend Emeka (Didie), but gets a classic welcome gift when he has to pay for prayers from a prophet (Aroli), and is relieved of his transport fare by a pickpocket. Emeka takes Akin to a local restaurant, where the former is able to avoid paying for their meals by conning the owner of the place.
Later in the day, Emeka introduces Akin to his friends, whom he regularly supplies marijuana. They taunt Akin on account of his dress sense, but persuade him to smoke with them. Akin ultimately caves in to the pressure, sucks in some of the marijuana, and gets transported into a unique mind experience.
The first thing to note in this movie is that Adekunle Gold has got really good acting chops. He successfully pulled off his role as a bus conductor, and if his music career ever derails, he should consider a stint behind the silver screen…in a different, role, at least. Frank Donga’s facial expressions are priceless too; they have always been a crucial part of his comedy routine, and they add life to the movie.
Also Read: Movie Review: My Wife And I

Erick Didie’s attempt at humour is 50-50, but he is by no means a bad actor. The part where an intoxicated Donga attempts to dab and do the shakiti-bobo makes for genuine laughing too, and the cinematography is top notch, even if there was a glitch at the restaurant scene. Toyin Abraham gives a good account of herself, and while Etinosa Idemudia has upgraded from being just an Instagram comedian, her part in this movie was, to put it simply, needless.
Also Read:  Movie Review: The Women
“Mentally” reeks of a plot and acting sequence which have too many gaping holes. How do people in a primitive village averse to civilisation have attachments and braids on? How do a “strange” people get around to speaking bits of Hausa and Yoruba? There is also the question of how a supposedly backward village gets to have their leader watching the English Premier League on a television without a wall socket, but I guess that can be explained by the “spirit” of the marijuana Donga’s character smoked. The dialogue is slow, the transition in scenes are pretty bad, and the fact that most of the action is a post-marijuana reverie is the only thing that saves this clip from being a horrible movie.
The movie ends in a manner that leaves you with thoughts along the lines of “Ok, we get it, marijuana is bad, and then, what next?” The message is good, and the humour is somewhat passable, but it could have been better executed, and for every ten people at the cinema, five would probably feel hard done by.
Rating: 5.9/10

Jerry Chiemeke is a lawyer and freelance writer who lives in Lagos. An amateur photographer and sports enthusiast as well, Jerry’s works have appeared on Blanck Digital, Elsieisy, Oshodi.tv, The Kalahari Review and Brittle Paper. He is the author of ‘The Colours In These Leaves’. Get the book here
You can follow him on Twitter @J_Chiemeke, and also check out his craft on his blog at pensofchi.com

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Entertainment

Girl Child Day: Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde shares her childhood experience

 Call her the poster girl for the young and wildly successful and you won’t be wrong but growing up wasn’t all rosy for Nigerian actress, and philanthropist, Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde. In a post, commemorating Day of the Girl Child, which is today, ‘Omosexy’, as widely called revealed her struggles through childhood and fame. Read below:

“On today’s girl child day I’ll do an unusual post true to me. As a child I lost my father age 12. Sponsored by a great community of Ondo men, the #Ekimogunclub, so i could continue my education. At age 15, started struggling to help my widowed mother. I started working in the Entertainment Industry. While going to school, and working, faced many challenges as a female child… talks of being loose, perhaps being a prostitute,lack of freedom to mingle like male counterparts, rumours and fear of slander, sexual harassments… but one of my early dreams was to be great at whatever I chose and be side by side the best in the World. I’m Not totally there yet, … but.. That 12 years old iyanaipaja little girl did take care of her widowed mum till she died, took care of her younger brothers… they are in marriage stages now, taking care of herself and her own family, taking care of a few people she is privileged to be able to. She has worked, spoken on, been awarded on World stages , and has been compared to the people she admired when growing up , from other parts of the World… She’s still a work in progress but…
Dont You dare Underestimate the possibilities of a girl Child.
#Educationiskey#Educationbreedsconfidence #Ressilience#deligince #Girlchild#internationaldayofgirlchild#impossibleisNothing”

 
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Entertainment

Kudos, knocks as Nigerians react to Tiwa Savage's views on gender inequality. See our top reactions.

Kudos and knocks have trailed a statement made by Nigerian superstar, Tiwa Savage on gender equality. In a chat with BEAT FM’s Toolz on ‘The Midday Show’, the award-winning singer said women and men cannot be regarded as equal and then further urged women to work twice as hard as their male counterparts.

 She said, “It’s a reality. I’m not going to say I’m completely comfortable with it but it is what it is. You have to deal with it. If it means you have to work 10 times harder than your male counterparts, don’t complain about it, do what you have to do. We all celebrate people like Oprah and Mo Abudu and we don’t actually realize what they have to do to get to that point. They probably had to do 20 times more what the male counterparts had to do. But Once you get there, you don’t complain about how you got there. So, whatever it is you have to do as a female, you just have to get it done. I also don’t think men and women are equal, I don’t think that’s how God created us, especially in the household anyway. So I think as females when we realize that we can be strong in our career, when we are home we have to realise that the man is the head of the house.”

Nigerian twitter has not been the same ever since the statement was made, infact the superstar has been trending for two days now. Over 11000 tweets have been dedicated to that topic.  See our top reactions below:


https://twitter.com/UrbanCulture06/status/916195245431410688


https://twitter.com/Rouvafe/status/915949336751673344


https://twitter.com/HelenofIbadan/status/915928166123884544
https://twitter.com/OneXMind/status/915947115309920257


https://twitter.com/helficbarom/status/915959666806583296
https://twitter.com/ChukwukaJerri/status/915940728601276416
https://twitter.com/victorfreze/status/915943225952784385
https://twitter.com/ty_ivanny/status/915941313811484672


https://twitter.com/Uthman_Waxcav/status/915993659597877248


https://twitter.com/BillionTwiTs/status/916074703248285696

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