Diary of a Movie Lover

  Raj (Ruslaan Mumtaz), an Investment Banker meets and instantly falls in love with Didi (Ini Dima-Okojie). However, their parents are against the union due to their cultural differences and it's left to Didi and Raj to prove that their love is stronger than any cultural difference they have. Directed by first time filmmaker Hamisha Daryani Ahuja, the Indo-Nigerian film had a lot more misses than hits.     The two leads lacked any form of chemistry and their failed attempt at a dance number fell flat. The character development was poor making it very hard for the audience to root for this couple who only just met one dance number ago. Things only go downhill when Raj's mom lands in Lagos. She worries that Raj will only get thinner due to the fact that Didi is unable to make his favorite Indian meals. In a scene that was most likely supposed to be funny, Raj's mom and Didi engage in a cooking competition. This scene looked so forced and it only made me cringe even mor...

After so much anticipation, " Rattlesnake: The Ahanna Story" which is a remake of the 1995 classic "Rattlesnake" premiered on November 13th. The Ramsey Nouah film follows Ahana Okolo (Stan Nze) who decides to steal the life he had always wanted. He does this by assembling a team consisting of Nze (Bucci Franklin), Amara (Osas Ighodaro), Bala (Efa Iwara),  Egbe (Odera Adimorah) and Sango (Emeka Nwagbaraocha). Together, they plan and execute heists but when their biggest heist turns deadly, they all have to decide who and what they stand for.      I only saw Amaka Igwe's "Rattlesnake" a few days before seeing Noah's and it was almost impossible not to make comparisons while watching the remake. 1995's Rattlesnake had a storyline I found very interesting and with this remake, it lacked greatly in the writing department. The screenplay was very poor and you could literally tell what the actors would say in most of the scenes. They were so many po...

  When a pill that gives its users unpredictable superpowers for five minutes hits the streets of New Orleans, a teenage dealer Robin (Dominque Fishback) and a local cop Frank (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) must team up with an ex-soldier (Jamie Foxx) to take down the group responsible for its creation. I was so excited to see Netflix's Project Power most especially because it starred Jamie Foxx, Dominique Fishback & Joseph Gordon-Levitt. The trailer looked great and I expected some edge of the seat action but I was let down by the poor execution.       Project Power had so much potential. A good story backed up by an amazing cast that could have probably done so much better with a better director. The dialogue was horrible and the action scenes were poorly executed. There were so many unnecessary one liners and the characters were annoying and even though the actors did their best with the material they were given, it wasn't enough to make this movie worth my time...

Directed by Chinaza Onuzo, "Who's The Boss" follows Liah (Sharon Ooja) , an Advertising Executive who struggles to climb the cooperate ladder while juggling her mean and vindictive boss Hauwa (Funke Akindele- Bello). She takes the advice of her best friend Jumoke (Ini Dima-Okojie) and enlists her friend Lekan (Blossom Chukwujekwu), a known play boy into posing as her boss but ends up falling for him. It doesn't get any more cliche than this. After watching the first teaser for the Inkblot comedy, I was a little intrigued and looked forward to seeing how they were going to pull it off but sadly, it fell short in more ways than one. The biggest issue I had was the lead character and the actress cast to play it. Ooja has been typecast and I thought seeing her as the lead would show us a different side to the actress but my perception of her acting skills are worse than before. There's nothing worth remembering about this story and her acting did nothing to el...

  Two African Americans, Queen (Jodie Turner-Smith) and Slim (Daniel Kaluuya) go on a Tinder date and it takes an unexpected turn when they are pulled over by a white Policeman over a minor traffic violation. The situation escalates quickly and the police officer shoots Queen's leg to prevent her from recording the ordeal while Slim takes the officer's gun and shoots him in self-defense. They go on the run and are labeled cop killers by the media. They encounter different people while on the run as they try to reach Cuba.   From Get Out to Black Panther and Widows, Daniel Kaluuya has become one of those actors I get excited to see because he always delivers an unforgettable performance. As Slim, he was brilliant and his undeniable chemistry with Turner-Smith's Queen was one of the forces that kept this movie together. The relationship doesn't start out so great as Queen seemed very uninterested but as they go on the run, they quickly warm up to each other. Lena W...

    Living in Bondage: Breaking Free is the sequel to the 1992 classic Living in Bondage which starred Kanayo O. Kanayo, Bob-Manuel Udokwu, Francis Agu, Ngozi Nwaneto, Nnenna Nwabueze and Kenneth Okonkwo as Andy Okeke. Filmed in Igbo with English subtitles, Living in Bondage was one of the films that set Nollywood on the right track especially in terms of how much it made. The plot followed Andy Okeke, a young man who becomes a member of a cult and sacrifices his wife to become rich and have all the influence and power he desired. The sequel centered on Andy's son, Nnamdi and his quest for riches and power just like his father. He gets involved with "The 6", a very dangerous cult with Richard Williams (Ramsey Nouah) as the leader but he soon realizes that all is not as it seems and he must find a way to escape the evil claws of Richard and The 6.    One thing that truly makes a movie standout is the story line and the trailer for Breaking Free did not give to...

  As a Historian, I'm always excited to see movies that focus on an aspect of Nigeria's history and I was looking forward to seeing what Imoh Umoren was going to do in his film based on the life of one of the founding fathers of Nigeria, Herbert Macaualay . The Herbert Macaulay Affair tells the story of Macaulay after his return from England, his work as a Surveyor in Lagos for the Whites and his opposition against Colonial rule in the 1800's.   A lot of Nigerian’s know very little about their history and this is mostly because of the lack of books, movies and documentaries that tell our stories. Prior to the release of the first teaser for The Herbert Macaulay Affair , a lot of people thought he was a white man which further proved how important this  film was. Unfortunately, The Herbert Macaulay Affair ended up being a snooze fest filled with so many errors. When a movie's sound is bad in one or two scenes, it can be somewhat overlooked but The Herbert Macaula...

    Baby Farming is the  practice of accepting custody of an infant or child in exchange for payment in late Victorian Era Britain. Farming is based on the Writer and Director's ( Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje ) childhood about a young boy who was farmed out in the 1960's by his Nigerian parents to a white British family with hopes of a better future. Damson Idris (Snowfall) plays Enitan, the young Nigerian boy who struggles severely with his identity. I really looked forward to seeing Farming ever since the first trailer was released and it ended up being a really emotional one. According to Akinnuoye-Agbaje, the movie was in development for about 15 years and I can't help but imagine how making and eventually putting out this film would rile up a lot of emotions he must have buried years ago. At just a few weeks old, Enitan's parents played by Akkinnuoye-Agbaje and Genevieve Nnaji responded to an ad in a local newspaper and dropped ...

The final half of 2018 saw the premiere of unforgettable movies like  “Sylvia”, “Knock Out Blessing”, “Lionheart” & “King of Boys”  and I’ve been on the look out for another outstanding film and I’m happy to say The Set Up  has been added to that list. With a stellar cast that includes Adesua Etomi-Wellington, Kehinde Bankole, Dakore Egbuson-Alan’s, Tina Mba and Jim Iyke   and directed by The Arbitration  and The Wedding Party 2’s Niyi Akinmolayan,  The Set Up follows Chike (Etomi-Wellington) and her best friend Grace (Bankole) who are drawn into a web of deceit when they are hired by a socialite (Iyke) to assist with his scheme to marry a wealthy heiress.  I had no doubts about Akinmolayan’s directing skills and he delivered yet again with The Set Up. Etomi-Wellington did a great job as Chike and I loved her and Bankole together even though I wish we got more of the two characters in their younger years. I always get super excited when...

   As each member of the Hooloway family work to solve their problems, they prepare for Mopelola's (Elvina Ibru) extravagant 51st birthday party. But the buzz about the party compels the Asset Management Corporation to foreclose on ST. Ives, the family business, after the death of his God Father Baba Eko who had been protecting Akin Holloway. He must then fight a bigger battle -getting his wife, Mopelola to cancel her party and maintain a low profile to get them off the radar while he tries to save the business.   There has been quite a lot of hype surrounding Bling Lagosians and I was really looking forward to seeing it not because it starred a bunch of really popular actors but mostly because it's directed by Bolanle Austen-Peters. I was particularly excited about seeing Elvina Ibru as the Matriarch of the Holloway family and she didn't disappoint. She was the best thing about this film and she brought her A-game to this role. I'm really hoping we see her in more ...

I've read about hundreds of serial killers but Ted Bundy's story and killing spree was one that stood out because nobody ever suspected him as someone capable of such acts and he refused to accept that he was guilty. The Joe Berlinger film is less about Bundy's crime and more about his relationship with his girlfriend at that time,  Elizabeth Kloepfer aka Liz Kendall, and how she dealt with the fact that she was building a life with a serial killer. The movie is based on "The Phantom Prince: My Life With Ted Bundy" by Elizabeth Kendall with Lily Collins playing Kendall and Zac Efron playing Ted Bundy  I never doubted Zac Efron's acting skills but he really did an amazing job with this role. Not only did he have a striking resemblance with Bundy but he was able to truly express Bundy's creepy and somewhat charming demeanor. It was weird how he spot on he was with his smile. He is supported by Collins who also does a great job playing Kendall. I thi...

It's been three weeks since the events of Infinity War which wiped away more than half of the universe. Iron Man and Nebula are in  space but they are suddenly rescued by Captain Marvel and returned to Earth to be reunited with the remaining Avengers. Unable to find a way to reverse Thanos' snap, they all give up and  separate to different places. Five years later, Ant Man returns to a different Earth after being stuck in the Quantum Realm. He brings up the idea of Time Travel and together with Black Widow, Captain America and Hulk, they assemble the remaining Avengers to return back in time to borrow the stones before Thanos has a chance to get them and erase half of the Earth.  11 years, 22 films. The MCU has been giving us non stop superhero action and it's sad that this phase has come to an end. It's no joke bringing together big names and big characters in not one but two movies and making sure each of these characters have significant scree...

Captain Marvel is a Kree warrior fighting under the command of her mentor Yong-Rogg (Jude Law). Six years later, she crash lands on Earth while under attack by the Skrulls. She begins a path of self discovery which leads her to the truth about her identity and her former life as a U.S. Air Force Pilot. With help from SHIELD Agent Nick Fury, Captain Marvel tries to uncover the secrets of her past while harnessing her superpowers to end the war with the Skrulls. I've been looking forward to seeing Captain Marvel because I've been a fan of Brie Larson and I wanted to see who was going to save the universe from Thanos and bring back our beloved Superheroes who disappeared at the end of Infinity War. There were so many controversies surrounding this film and a few bad reviews to and after seeing the film, I'm convinced a few of these critics have a personal vendetta against Larson. Larson is a great actress and she did an amazing job as Carol Danvers. Larson and Sa...

After playing David Dunn in 2000's Unbreakable , Bruce Willis returns with Samuel L. Jackson and Split 's James McAvoy to conclude M. Night Shyamalan's Superhero trilogy along with Anya Taylor-Joy and Spencer Treat Clark. In Glass, which takes place three weeks after the events of Split , David Dunn uses his supernatural abilities to track down Kevin Wendell Crumb which leads both of them to being captured and locked up in a psychiatric facility which also holds Elijah Price aka Mr Glass. They are to be treated by Dr. Ellie Staple (Sarah Paulson), a Psychiatrist who specializes in superhero delusions. Her goal is to convince her patients that there's a difference between comic books and the real world. She underestimates these three men especially Glass and Kevin and the escalating violence in the ensuing days leads Elijah Glass to his true goal. I really enjoyed Unbreakable and Split which were both different levels of entertainment with McAvoy's mind blow...

    If you follow me closely on my social media, then you know how much I couldn't stop raving about Dare Olaitan's 2017 film, "Ojukokoro" (Greed) . It's one of my favorite Nollywood films and I kept looking out for his next project. I wasn't particularly excited when I saw the trailer for Knock Out Blessing , It looked really plain and it didn't make me enthusiastic but I went into the theater with so much hope in Olaitan's filmmaking skills and I wasn't disappointed.     knock Out Blessing follows three girls, Blessing (Ade Laoye), Hannah (Meg Otanwa) and Oby (Linda Ejiofor) who are searching for ways to escape poverty and achieve their dreams. Their search leads them down a criminal path and they end up intertwined in a dangerous political situation. I loved Laoye, Otanwa and Ejiofor as the protagonists of this film. They did an amazing job with their characters with Otanwa being my favorite. It was interesting watching how the story u...

When Arthur Curry finds out he is the heir to the throne of the underwater kingdom of Atlantis and their only hope at peace, he is forced to come to terms with with his true identity and must return home to be their hero ad stop the war. I have literally been counting down to Aquaman's premiere but I tried not to get too excited because I didn't want to be let down yet again by DC and I'm so happy they didn't disappoint. Is there truly anyone on this planet that doesn't love Jason Momoa? What's there not to love? He was amazing as Aquaman and the right actor for the role. He was funny without trying too hard and he gave so much life to his character. The main characters which were portrayed by Amber Heard, Nicole Kidman, Willem Dafoe and Patrick Wilson were very well explored and I loved Aquaman's chemistry with Meera (Amber Heard). Wonder Woman and Justice League's CGI looked a little bit too cartoony but Aquaman's was really stunning to look at...

   In her directorial debut, Nollywood veteran, Genevieve Nnanji plays Adaeze, a young lady who grew up in the bus park with her father, Ernest Obiagu (Pete Edochie) running the very successful Lionheart Transport company in the coal city of Enugu. Adaeze is part of the management team in Lionheart but when her father suffers a hear attack, her uncle (Nkem Owoh) is placed as the head of the company. Adaeze is determined to prove herself so when she finds out that the company is in debt and on the brink of getting into the hands of an old rival, she forms an unlikely duo with her uncle to try to save the company.    I consider Genevieve Nnaji a Nollywood legend and I'm so glad she returned to the big screen after her little break. With Lionheart, it was a blissful reunion for old nollywood with faces like Nkem Owoh, Pete Edochie, Onyeka Onwenu, Ngozi Ezeonu and Kanayo O. Kanayo. The acting from these legends and the other actors including Nnaji was solid. Di...