Movie Review: “Genevieve Nnaji’s “Lionheart” Is Unapologetically Nigerian”|By: Deoye Falade

The simple story has become an endangered species and this couldn’t have been more evident than with Lionheart, Nigeria’s first ‘Netflix Original’ and veteran actress, Genevieve Nnaji’s directorial debut.

Much as been made of what it could have, should have been, largely due to Netflix’s involvement as it is expected that the streaming giant’s association with any artistic effort would automatically make it gold.

However, there are quite a number of films in this regard that for all the awesomeness of Hollywood, fail to even have a few sprinkles of bronze on them – this applies to both films produced by Netflix and the ones which rights they bought. Lionheart isn’t one of them.

Lionheart reminds keen followers of the Nigerian movie scene what Nollywood films of the 90s used to be, without most of the technical shortcomings. This isn’t just nostalgia taking hold though; albeit being a simple story, this is a film with a lot of heart and charm, showing a daughter’s race against time to save her father’s company from going under.

With this film, Nnaji shows a lot of promise as a director and leaves one excited about what she could come up with in future from behind the chair.

With most movies in recent times aiming for the shock factor with unexpected plot twists and convoluted sub-plots, Lionheart’s simplicity could easily be mistaken for being basic.

As it is, those who say less is more seem to know what they’re talking about and there is something to be learned from the ability to tell a simple story that takes viewers from Point A to B, and tell it well and this is where this film succeeds.

Central to this success is the cast and acting. Nnaji’s effort might have been made easier with a selection of established veterans who at this stage need little or no directing. While this may be easy to say though, it’s important to consider the tone of this movie from start to finish – it was never off – so credit should be given.

Pete Edochie rolled back the years as the Obiagwu patriarch and was ably complemented by Onyeka Onwenu, whose skill as a musical artiste is matched by her acting capabilities. Genevieve herself performs admirably and Nkem Owoh was a treat as usual. The supporting cast also gave a good showing and this is one of the areas where the director shines.

Language is central to this film and it’s hard to imagine how it would have fared were it to have been delivered in English from start to finish – there’s a temptation to cringe actually. It’s a thing of beauty to watch a movie so unapologetically Nigerian – yes, Igbo was the language of choice but it is refreshing to be rid of the highfalutin accents and pretentious aura that bedevils most Nollywood films of the past decade.

Cinematography, editing and transitions were competently handled and everything seemed to fit together like components of a well-tuned engine.

This review would not be complete without a mention of the themes explored in this film. While family is the most obvious from the get go, Lionheart expertly takes on gender in the Igbo socio-cultural milieu. Other than the need to save her father’s transportation business, Genevieve’s Ada had to contend with the need to prove herself as being good enough to run the company especially with the men around her.

It was quite nuanced and seeing her battle with a wave of different emotions upon the arrival of her uncle – who turned out to be a ‘ride or die’ fellow – was a joy to watch. The film also bravely takes on intertribal relationships, particularly with the Hausa whom the Igbo have had an historical fractious relationship with.

This is not to say that Lionheart is a perfect movie, far from it. The way the conflict was delivered leaves much to be desired and one wonders if more time should have been spent tightening the script. Were it not for most of the positives in the film, this is a critical flaw that could have marred the entire movie.

For one, it is difficult for a business owner to secure a loan of almost a billion naira without board knowledge or approval. It’s also hard to believe that a competitor attempting to execute a hostile takeover would simply waltz into, and appear to chair a board meeting set up by just one member working in his favour without anyone else’s knowledge.

But this is Nigeria, some of these things happen but it should have been worked better, especially considering that writers like CJ Obasi were on it.

Still, it’s refreshing to see a film with great chemistry among the actors, with the dialogue and scenes doing well to coherently advance the story from start to finish.

Lionheart might not be the finished article as a director but it’s clear that Netflix saw more than just an inroad into the Nigerian movie industry but a good story as well. With this film, Genevieve has achieved in one attempt what a lot of her peers have failed to do and it leaves one excited about the prospects of what she could do going forward.

ABOUT DEOYE

Deoye Falade is a communications professional and writer whose work has spanned both mainstream media and corporate sector. He was among the 20 Young Critics trained by the International Association of Theatre Critics during the 2017 Lagos Theatre Festival. He also contributes features and movie reviews for True Nollywood Stories, AfriReviews and other top media outlets. When he’s not being lazy or up to some mischief on social media, he pretends to express a sane literary side on his blog.

 

Movie Review: Wives On Strike 2: The Revolution

Movie Title: Wives On Strike 2: The Revolution
Genre: Romantic Comedy
Cast: Omoni Oboli, Toyin Abraham, Chioma Chukwuka Akpotha, Uche Jombo, Sola Sobowale, Ufuoma McDermott, Kenneth Okonkwo, Kalu Ikeagwu, Hafiz “Saka” Oyetoro, Julius Agwu, Chioma “Chigul” Omeruah, Odunlade Adekola
Director: Omoni Oboli
“Wives On Strike 2: The Revolution” begins with a different set of circumstances from where the previous instalment left off. After Mama Beatrice is murdered and her body hidden, a group of friends consisting of Ejiro/Mama Ngozi (Oboli), Jemima/Madam 12:30 (Jombo), Mama Bola (Abraham) and Mama Amina (McDermott) decide to enlist the help of a vigilante friend to uncover the cause of death. After being kidnapped and tortured, Mama Beatrice’s husband confesses to the murder, and is handed over to the police.
Elsewhere, Joy (Chigul) is at the receiving end of constant battering at the hands of her husband (Adekola), while Vera (Akpotha) is trying to get over the discovery of her husband’s cheating. The association of women, led by Iya Dami (Sobowale), gives the Lagos state government an ultimatum to look into their needs, or risk another “strike action”. The government calls their bluff, and the women nationwide “close up shop”, leaving their husbands with blue balls.
Also Read: Movie Review: My Wife And I
The movies explores various societal issues, including domestic violence, marital infidelity and abuse. The 95-minute clip also makes room to discuss leadership opportunities for women, girl child education, patriarchy and spousal support.
Toyin Abraham dazzles in her role as the less educated of the quartet, with her brand of unforced humour making for a lovable watch. Omoni Oboli has always attracted divided opinion about her acting prowess, but she does surprisingly well here, with her particularly ear-catching use of pidgin English. Uche Jombo does not have much to do but barely puts a foot wrong, Sola Sobowale takes on a more serious and less dramatic role but performs nonetheless, while Ufuoma McDermott gets lost in the scenes as she fails to own her space.
Also Read: 17 movies that caught our eyes at the Nigerian cinemas in 2017
The men in this movie bear little significance to the plot, and consequently, are treated as such. They offer virtually no bearing to the audience’s journey, and except for a few slapsticks moment from Saka, they could have as taken up non-speaking roles. Kenneth Okonkwo seems out of place as a mechanic husband, and it is unclear whether Julius Agwu is trying so hard to be serious.

The film itself generates genuine giggles and chuckles, but stumbles in trying to execute the plot. It feels a tad disjointed, and for a moment it feels that the director is so caught up in the story of Mama Ngozi and her friends, then suddenly remembers that the fate of Joy’s abuse and Mama Beatrice’s killer has not been resolved, and goes on to patch up the missing scenes. There is also undue emphasis on sponsors and brands, and somewhere in the middle, everything fades into drab speeches about worthy causes and social messages, before slowly picking up again.
Wives On Strike 2: The Revolution” is bedeviled by clichés, but that does not make it any less watchable. It is a good, if not great, vehicle for conveying an all-important message on women’s rights, and while you don’t have to rush to the cinemas for it, you won’t necessarily be brooding and asking for a refund if you do.
Rating: 6/10


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

Movie Review: Banana Island Ghost | By: Jerry Chiemeke

Movie Title: BANANA ISLAND GHOST
Genre:  Comedy
Year of Release: 2017
Cast: Chigul, Patrick Diabuah, Bimbo Manuel, Damilola Adegbite, Saheed Balogun, Ali Nuhu, Tina Mba
Director: BB Sasore

Image result for banana island ghost

“Banana Island Ghost” is about a young man named Patrick (Diabuah) who dies, but is scared to step into Heaven because he does not have a soulmate. He is given three days by God (Bimbo Manuel) to find a lady and get her to love him. Patrick has the luxury of being unseen or unheard by anyone except the lady he chooses, and he requests for a lady who lives in Banana Island. He ends up waking next to Ijeoma (Chigul), a plus-size lady who is about to lose her father’s house unless she can raise 18 million naira in three days. She takes to combining her 9-5 with a gig as a mascot and pilfering of gadgets, amidst the looming purchase of the house by a certain Mr. King (Nuhu) and her self-esteem issues.

One lovely thing about the movie is the choice of music put to use. Viewers would have their ears treated to Bez’s “Over You”, the lovely Ruby Gyang’s “Kale Ni”, Ill Bliss’ “Bank Alert”, amongst others. If this movie were to have an O. S. T, I would definitely go on to buy it.

The movie also scores high in mischief value. In Banana Island Ghost, we see Patrick, the male lead, use his ghostly nature to his advantage, from freely changing his wardrobe at The Palms, spiking the drink of Ijeoma’s cheating boyfriend with laxatives, scaring a lady by “scooping her Coldstone mid-air”, and spraying fire extinguisher on the hair of Ijeoma’s mean colleagues. He also assists Ijeoma in giving the impression that her car is A. I – operated at a charity event.

ALSO READ: Isoken Movie Review

However, that’s all there is to this movie. From her acting, it is clear that Chigul is better off with her comedy skits. She has no place in feature films, with her forced and mechanical acting, and her tendency to change accents with every other scene. Her attempts at humour were pretty much 50-50, and this performance is anything but memorable.

Bimbo Manuel may not exactly be a Morgan Freeman, but he pulled off his omniscient character, even indulging in some mischief as he blurred Adegbite’s full nakedness from Patrick’s view. The same cannot be said for Saheed Balogun and Ali Nuhu; both darlings in their respective indigenous movie circles, the two actors did next to nothing here, and were a waste of screen time. It would be laughable to add this movie to their videographies, if you ask me.

Much is made about Nollywood’s improved cinematography, but a number of scenes left much to be desired. The bus scene where Patrick flings a passenger’s phone out of the window as a ghost culminates in the most artificial bus scuffle I have ever seen, and in the scene where Ijeoma sings at a charity event, there is just something plastic about the guests in attendance.

The script falls short too. At the end, Ijeoma has the chance to win 20 million naira by participating in a poker tournament…organised by the very man who wants to buy her father’s house! How cliché can we get? The part involving the policemen is dragged on for too long as well, to the point that the humour wears off and the jokes becomes annoying. The point of self-realization on Ijeoma’s part, and Patrick finally being able to love, is a bit cheesy too.

Banana Island Ghost is a movie that cinema lovers are not advised to go for with high hopes. It has its good points, but it is ultimately another disappointing “boutique” movie. I want a refund of the money for my ticket, and the ticket purchased for my date.

Rating: 5/10


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

Movie Review: Isoken | By: Jerry Chiemeke

Movie Title: ISOKEN
Genre: Romantic Comedy
Year of Release: 2017
Cast: Dakore Akande, Joseph Benjamin, Tina Mba, Funke Akindele, Lydia Forson, Patrick Doyle, Marc Rhys, Damilola Adegbite
Director: Jadesola Osiberu
“Isoken” is about a independent, 35-year-old lady (played by Dakore) who is being pressurised by her mother (played by Tina Mba) to get married. She has three friends; Agnes (Funke), Kukua (Lydia) and Joke (Damilola), the latter going through a marriage bedeviled by miscarriages. She gets acquainted with a man named Osaze (Benjamin), and later on, an Englishman named Kevin (Rhys), who works at her office on a contract basis, and keeps bumping into her in awkward situations, from panties forgotten in washing machines to faces smeared with flour. Osaze seems like the perfect guy, but Kevin with his dry British humour, Afrophilia and love for the arts begins to get through to Isoken, and things get complicated.
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For one, the script and the plot are non-cliche, the plot is well acted out, and the dialogue is pretty top notch. There are no excessively long scenes, Dakore shows us what we have missed for so long, Marc Rhys makes British humour really appealing, Joseph Benjamin sticks to his lines, Funke does not try too hard to be funny, and Tina Mba plays the classic Benin mother to perfection, drama and all, down to the accent. All in all, it makes for a great movie.

There are, however, a few observations. Isoken’s character is artsy and feminist in nature. That appears to be a major theme in the movie, and that is fine, but in about four scenes, the cameras seemed to focus a little too much on Isoken’s pile of books. We get it. she is an independent woman, can we move to other parts of the room? Again, the plot seemed a bit too “obvious” in trying to paint Kevin (Rhys) as a better fit for Isoken. The point is clear to see, but Osaze’s character could have used a little more flesh and personality, the shallowness seemed a tad too deliberate.
At the end of the movie, Kevin feels defeated and intends to leave Nigeria, seeing that his contract is up, but Isoken professes her love, and he agrees to stay. That is as improbable an ending as we can get! Yea yea, Love makes us do things, but ditch England for Nigeria? Oh well. I don’t know. There is also the wedding choreography at the end, similar to that overly hyped you-know-which-movie, but ultimately, the movie is watchable.
Rating: 6.5/10


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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