The depictions of villains on screen can be tricky. When done right, they are memorable. And when written shoddily, even the most skilled actor can’t save them. They end up cartoonish and childish and can’t be taken seriously. Oliver in Saltburn (2023) comes to mind. They lack allure. As a result, a joke is made of the protagonist’s hero journey. Antagonists can’t be evil for evil’s sake in cinema (which the horror genre understands well, with their demonic villains usually given a backstory). Likewise, writing intentional caricature antagonists also requires flair and craft. Filmmakers like Quentin Tarantino and Taika Waititi…
Author: Jeremiah John
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EXCLUSIVE: It came as a huge surprise seeing Yahoo+ on the list of Nigerian critics’ best Nollywood films of 2022 although I was a huge believer that the film would speak for itself with time. The crime drama ranked 4th on the list. Above it was Brotherhood, For Maria Ebun Pataki, and The Milkmaid. Despite my surprise, I was again disappointed it wasn’t the first, but then not a lot of people had seen Yahoo+, which enjoyed a limited release in cinemas. The journey of Yahoo+ first started in Nigerian festivals across the country before a theatrical run last year,…
Films will never be mistaken for music videos despite their great songs and scores. They won’t be mistaken for a painting despite their beautiful frames, and neither for literature despite their plot, theme, character and tones, but as a film. This probably makes film the greatest art form there is. I say this because a film can pack other art forms be it music, literature, theater, or more, and still remain a distinct art piece, a film. Joker in all its glory with Hildur’s scores remains Joker. Godard’s films and their propensity for beautiful frames and compositions remain a Godard…
Chima (Timini Egbuson) in a conversation with Jubril (Paul Utomi), out of desperation, describes Nigeria as a sea of sadness, and that is what director Utomi set out to do with Country Hard. This film is a montage of a day in the life of seven individuals, all of whom are the main characters. Films with multiple main characters/POV are not the order of the day but are not unusual in film business. Very few filmmakers have dabbled with this style of storytelling. Quentin Tarantino is one of such with Pulp Fiction (1994) and The Hateful Eight (2015). Another notable…
When I learnt Nigeria was submitting a movie for the 2019 Oscars International Feature Film (IFF) category, I was beyond psyched as this was the second consecutive time, the first being Lionheart (2018). I assumed being Oscar-ready meant we were growing and that is true. However, after a second watch of The Milkmaid, I began to question our reasons for choosing The Milkmaid, an ambitious movie that drags in runtime and execution. ‘Anikulapo’ Review: Kunle Afolayan Thrills Viewers with New Epic Written, produced and directed by Desmond Ovbiagele (Render to Caesar), The Milkmaid follows the story of Aisha (Anthonieta Kalunta)…
Ebuka Njoku (Crazy, Lovely, Cool), producer, writer and director of Yahoo+, knew what he was doing when he included the line “This has got to be one of a dream, or maybe a whack film” in his feature debut Yahoo+ because a large part of the film felt like a dream to me, not like a whack film.
Eagle Wings is one of the most exploratory films Nollywood has put out, this time with the support of the Federal government. Nollywood has not enjoyed much investment from non-industry players, including the government. In Jonathan Haynes’ 2016 book, “Nollywood: The Creation of Nigerian Film Genres”, he raises the fact that this failure to reinvest in the film industry is a familiar pattern. It is amazing and alarming that Nollywood has been able to achieve international recognition without much external support. Recently, Nollywood started enjoying the patronage of industry players, especially streaming giants like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, and…
Everything from the conception of Bel-Air has set it apart from Will Smith’s The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. The show doesn’t go down the regular route most classical remakes take, trying to milk the nostalgia of long-time fans. The show goes on to tell a story fit for its modern audience. Much more than a modern, darker take on the comedy classic, it tells a different story, one that encapsulates men. Bel-Air is a healthy addition to the library of films that are dedicated to rediscovering masculinity and it doesn’t do this in isolation, it does this in the presence…
The first episode of True Story is titled “The King of Comedy”, the same as the 1983 Martin Scorsese comedy, The King of Comedy. Like Scorsese’s, there is a creepy fan and no Rupert Rupkin, just Kid (Kevin Hart), a billion-grossing actor and comedian, and Carlton (Wesley Snipes), his brother. True Story, a mini series created by Eric Newman (Narcos: Mexico), is not a true story. 4 episodes were directed by Hanelle Culpepper ( Star Trek: Discovery) while three were directed by Stephen Williams (Lost, The Teacher Ate My Homework). Beware: this review might contain bits of spoilers Related: Five…
In Halle Berry’s directorial debut, Bruised, the first scene opens with a POV of Jackie Justice taking the beating of her life for a couple of minutes. Not able to take the beating any longer, she skips the octagon – the fighting ring. In this project that ought to have been directed by Nick Cassavetes, Halle Berry is Jackie Justice. It is the story of a disgraced MMA fighter. Related: ‘King Richard’ Review: An Ace in Acting Performances It has been four years since Jackie Justice forfeited a major fight, now she lives with her manager-boyfriend, Desi (Adan Canto), who…