Sports-themed films are characterised by inspirational and compelling plots. In these films, the subjects of the plot depict the spirit of competition, teamwork, and will to overcome the obstacles on their journey of struggles, triumphs, and growth. The Blind Side (2009), Rocky (1976) and Goal (2005) are examples that depict these features. While Uche Jombo’s self-directed Onye Egwu possesses some of these characteristics, the execution leaves much to be desired. It suffers from inconsistencies in style, plot, and performance, all of which heavily restrict the film from reaching its ceiling. Onye Egwu rolls together a coming-of-age and a coming-of-death story…
Author: Ayodele Olawumi
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Muri and Ko, the result of the latest collaboration between Biodun Stephen and Inkblot Studios, is a fairly exciting comedy thriller starring Kunle Remi as the titular Muri and child actor Fiyinfoluwa Asenuga as Cole. Muri is a petty thief who is down on his luck and a debtor who is always on the run. After several stealing escapades fail to yield desirable results, his friend Rasky (Bro Bouche) lets him in on a more profitable venture— vehicle spare parts theft. With the promise of good returns for any vehicle parts, Muri sets to work immediately. Muri soon hits the…
Criminal, the latest film from Anthill Studios, is a hostage drama set within the walls of a hospital. The film is written by Nìyí Akinmolayan and directed by Dolapo Adigun, a product of a directing training program facilitated by Nìyí Akinmolayan last year. The film tells the story of a criminal gang leader who holds a hospital hostage in order to get lifesaving treatment for his wounded brother. Greenleaf Hospital, under the guidance of Dr Amara Nwachukwu (Funlola Aofiyebi), has just admitted a significant number of patients after a gruesome road accident that has left the victims in varying degrees…
Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti is a name that resonates with every Nigerian who has had the opportunity to receive primary education: “the first woman to drive a car in Nigeria”. While this might have been a mean feat for a woman in her time, it is unfortunate that this singular occurrence has been used to define and inadvertently undermine the legacy of one of the most significant women in Nigerian history. FRK was a progressive women’s rights activist and a foremost voice in the Nigerian political scene, especially in the struggle for independence. Her legacy has long needed revision, and Bolanle Austen-Peters’…
<Read in Jimmy’s (Anthony Hopkins) voice > “On the far edges of the Motherworld’s reach, circling the gas giant Mara, was the small moon of Veldt… In an ambush on the floating docks of Gondoval, Kora triumphed over Admiral Noble, leaving his shattered body on the rocky coastline.” If you watched Rebel Moon: Child Of Fire, the first part of Zack Snyder’s latest saga, you already get the gist. If not, Jimmy (Anthony Hopkins) gives a quick but detailed recap of the events. In my review, I described Child Of Fire as a long-winded exposition for part 2, as it…
The love triangle is one of the most common elements in romance-themed films. In Nollywood, we have seen this in many forms, whether it’s two men fighting for the attention of a lady, a man stringing two women along or a lady caught between choosing her struggling lover and a rich man. In All’s Fair in Love, a romantic film with a tinge of crime, dashing Mbali Khumalo (played by South African act Buhle Samuels) is at the center of Demi’s (Deyemi Okanlawon in his producing debut) and Kanla’s (Timini Egbuson) attention as she cunningly wraps the business partners around…
Like any other year, many Nollywood movies found their way to the cinema screens; some found success on the big screens, while others had to wait for a streaming platform to land to get the appreciation they deserved. These are some 2021 Nollywood movies that were released in cinemas and are currently available on Netflix and Prime Video. 2023 Nollywood Films Already Streaming on Netflix and Prime Video Devil in Agbada (Prime Video) Linda Osifo plays a little girl who watches helplessly as masked attackers shoot and kill her parents. A cunning man similarly defiles Tomi (Erica Nlewedim), whose mother…
“The street is a tough place, not for the weak. You either toughen up or the wolves of the street will devour you” is a mantra repeated one too many times for a film that shows almost no depiction of the “streets.” The vagueness of this statement in relation to the plot of Kayode Kasum’s latest film serves as an example of how underdeveloped almost every aspect of the film is. One Too Many revolves around the traumatic lives of a single mother, Adesuwa (Dakore Egbuson-Akande), and her son, Otas (Chimezie Imo). Adesuwa’s loving and devoted father, Amos (Ikponmwosa Gold),…
I was a bit pumped to see Temitope Akinbode’s On The Edge. The trailer gave off a sense of intrigue, but mostly because Uzor Arukwe, one of my favourite Nollywood actors, was cast as one of the central characters, Korede Williams, an aspiring governorship candidate. Having seen him deliver good performances in films like A Tribe Called Judah, The Blood Covenant, and The One For Sarah, I anticipated another performance of the same standard. Thirty minutes into the 2-hour film, I already felt a sense of disappointment—Uzor Arukwe was rendering one of his inadequate performances, and the substance promised in…
Rebel Moon is the product of a 26-year-old idea conceived by co-writers Zack Snyder and Kurt Johnstad when they were in college, based on the idea of a Dirty Dozen movie set in space. The space opera bears many similarities to George Lucas’s Star Wars. Both are set in fictional galactic worlds with diverse varieties of creatures. Also, there is a struggle against an imperial force—the Motherworld in Snyder’s Rebel Moon. In fact, the idea was first pitched to LucasFilm as a “Seven Samurai”-inspired “Star Wars story” before becoming a Netflix original. In Zack Snyder’s newest film, the Motherworld, controlled…