In The Origin: Madam Koi-Koi, released in two parts on Netflix, women are many things, concepts and characters. Women are saviours and villains, women are victims and victors, women are gods and spirits, and ultimately women are vengeance. These many roles make for an intriguing study of horror as a medium for women’s revenge against society’s war against them but, unfortunately, they are untethered from a firm narrative and any horror elements, leaving an underwhelming feeling with no true catharsis at the end of the series. Netflix’s Upcoming Yoruba-Language Original Series ‘Ololade’ Pays Homage to Nollywood TV Classics The Origin:…
Author: Ini-Abasi Jeffrey
Exploring the essence of teenage life through film is an enduring tradition as old as the medium itself. Every season, a new film emerges to delve into the crossroads of being fifteen, the complexities of love triangles at sixteen, and the transformative decisions at seventeen. These films often serve as nostalgic vehicles, evoking the cherished memories of youth as we watch young actors navigate their way in the world. Enter Ijogbon, the latest addition to Nollywood’s canon, crafted by Kunle Afolayan which shines in numerous ways, offering a fresh perspective to this beloved genre that is sometimes misrepresented in Nollywood…
There’s an art [and sometimes a science] to humour in film and TV. We have the well-known physical comedy painted by sometimes exaggerated mannerisms and memorable characters, a comedy Aristotle might have called “farce” if he ever witnessed it. There’s satire where there is almost always a punching up, your laughs are at the expense of social situations that could be better. There’s also comedy gotten from romantic situations, my personal favourite, where love and humour meet to create vulnerability and hope. These are just a few ways humour can exist on the big and small screen and somehow Funke…
About 24 minutes into In Bed With The Pedros, we hear Hauwa (Rahama Sadau) say that the man Jide (Ademola Adedoyin), her husband, has become, scares her. This should serve as a sort of emotional confession of the ways the events of this film have redefined and twisted their marriage but throughout the film, we almost beg to know the man Jide was before the defining incident of the film and how he has changed. This constant emptiness of plot and character defines the film to its own detriment, leaving you unsatisfied and slightly humored despite the film’s supposed serious…
One of the countless options available once you exit the Big Brother Naija house is to venture into Nollywood—the land of drama that perfectly complements the drama-filled journey you’ve just experienced. Why, you might ask? Well, apart from being in the same industry, these BBN housemates have an uncanny ability to amass a massive following, making them great for promoting films. But here’s the burning question: Are they actually Oscar-worthy actors in disguise or are they only great at reality TV drama? So, to commemorate the Big Brother Naija All Stars, we try to rank some of the housemates that…
The first episode of Fatal Seduction begins with a montage of sexual scenes that will appear later on in the show: a man taking off a woman’s underwear, two naked bodies sprawled on a car and fingers running over body parts with feverish fervor. A voiceover accompanies these scenes, “sex, fornication, fucking is a compulsion, a primary urge” and then goes on to say something about society and love and desire in an attempt to be deep but ends up eliciting an eye roll. That, in a nutshell, is the essence of Fatal Seduction—a show trying to balance the driving…
Ambition as a filmmaker can be a double-edged sword, showcasing the vastness of their art and years of craft, while also exposing limitations. For renowned director Niyi Akinmolayan, ambition has been a driving force throughout his career, which he has more liberty to explore under Anthill, his home studio. Under Anthill, he demonstrates his desire to create expansive and captivating films, evident in their recent positioning: a suspiciously familiar Mikolo and a Yoruba epic period drama on their way. His latest offering, The House Of Secrets, streaming on Prime Video, was supposed to establish his skills as on par with…
A few days back, I told my friend I was writing a review of a show and she asked the name and I replied, “Beyond The Veil.” Without missing a beat, she shot back, “It’s about Muslim women, right? The title’s pretty obvious.” I smiled and affirmed her hypothesis. It really was an obvious title, but the show, streaming on Prime Video, does a lot more than that. ‘Sista’ Review: Kehinde Bankole Delivers Impressive Performance in Compelling Tattle-Like Story About Single Motherhood Poster for Beyond the Veil. Media around Muslim women is fraught with agenda before stories, so many times…
Films, and media in general, love to reference the fact they exist outside reality, reminding us of their sometimes fictional nature. We often have characters within a film say, “do you think this is a movie?” Well, yes I do. This meta commentary often exists as a kind of self awareness in a bid to elevate the credibility of the films, they are quick to tell you that they too are in on the joke. This succeeds very few times and fails even more times and one of these times it failed is in Orimz’s Baby Maker. The film follows…
One of the early scenes of Jolly Roger, specifically where the police officers wake up groggy and confused, sets you up to expect a simple revenge story. The anger you feel from the earlier harassment scene has transformed into a deliciously sinister joy, you might even crack a smile when Brume (Daniel Etim Effiong) lands a punch on the officer’s face, but that’s not all the story holds. ‘Here Love Lies’ Review: Tope Oshin’s Romantic-Everything Flounders About in its Many Ideas Official poster for Jolly Roger. Via Netflix. Walter “Waltbanger” Taylaur (of A Sunday Affair infamy) directs this story of…