2016 - WELCOME TO THE REVOLUTION

Lee (Kate Mara) is a risk management officer sent by the corporate head office of a private bio engineering company to investigate the attack by an artificially engineered child (Anya Taylor-Joy) on one of her/its care givers. When Lee arrives the facility, she discoveres that things aren’t exactly as they seem…

First of all, they should not have called this movie a horror movie because there was not one scary scene in the whole 90 minutes of the movie. The poster and the tag line “Don’t let it out” are rather deceptive to what this movie really is- and that is a deep and dark but thought provoking movie. The producers weren’t comfortable in their own skin and probably wanted to pass it off as a thriller cum horror movie to appeal to a wider audience.

Notwithstanding the attempted deception, the movie was quite entertaining, they even found a way to put in some pretty decent fight sequences and even though I suspected the plot resolution, it was still quite pleasing.

Anya Taylor-Joy’s performance as Morgan was really convincing and kind of reminded me of Alicia Vikander’s performance in Ex- Machina. And Just like Ex- Machina, Morgan also asks the question of the morality or otherwise of Artificial Intelligence and extensive genetic engineering. It asks if we humans are ready to explore that aspect with its attendant legal, religious, social and moral consequences.

MORGAN may not appeal to a lot of audiences but it’s still a creepy but thought provoking movie with a wicked plot twist and earns a 6.0/10 rating on myawesome-o-metre.

Leave a comment below along with your twitter handle and follow me on social media on Twitter and Facebook andInstagram to see if you are the lucky winner of the free movie ticket from Genesis Cinemas is giving out to see MORGAN. Don’t forget to tag a friend.

Take care!

The Maveriq

Revue of 93 DAYS

Release Date: September 16, 2016

Genre: Drama

Directed By: Steve Gukas

93 days chronicles the events that occurred during the 93 days when Nigeria was under the threat of an Ebola pandemic. The story is told from the perspective of the doctors at First Consultant Hospital Obalende, Lagos where patient zero (Patrick Sawwyer) was admitted.

Bimbo Akintola gave an absolute sterling performance as Dr Adedevoh. She portrayed a soft spoken and brilliant doctor with and also a loving mother. Also, Somkhele Idhalama (Dr Ada Igonoh) did not joke with her role and gave it her all. Danny Glover (Dr Benjamin Ohiaeri) gave a great performance playing a father figure. I was glad the producers did not ask him to try out the phantom Nigerian accent which is more than I can say of Keppy Ekpeyong’s awful attempt at a Liberian accent. What stood out for me in the whole movie was the casting. It was absolutely spot on; Alastair MacKenzie, Tim Reid and even the extras did a marvelous job bringing this story to life.

There were a few sniffs around the cinema and I must admit that I got chills in some of the scenes especially where names of casualties were being written on the white board. At that point, I was struggling with a speck of dust that got into my eyes LOL. To further exuberate the unnerving effect of the movie was the hair-raising incidental music. The producers did an absolutely amazing job in their choice of music.

I am not one to go into technicalities when I talk about movies but I must mention the lighting and the camera works.. Also, I must commend the producers for using the actual locations where the events occurred but I was a little disappointed that the real people did not make any cameo appearances but it’s okay sha.

I have seen quite a number of true life dramas but none has ever resonated with me as much as 93 days has. This is probably because the events occurred right in my backyard, more so for me that Dr Ada Igonoh and her husband are people I know.

93 Days is a celebration of the Nigerian spirit and celebrates the heroes of the Ebola crisis and is a perfect way to immortalize Dr Adedevoh and all those who passed away in the fight to save Nigeria and probably the world from one bastard of a virus.

The movie was absolutely top notch and I will not be surprised if some awards nod in their direction. You can see the trailer of the movie here.

Leave a comment below along with your twitter handle and follow me on social media on Twitter and Facebookbecause Genesis Cinemas is going away 5 free tickets to see 93 DAYS. Make sure you tag a friend.

Ciao!

The Maveriq

Revue of THE MAN WHO KNEW INFINITY

Release Date: April 8, 2015

Genre: Drama/Biopic

Directed By: Mathew Brown

Set in the early 1900s, Dev Patel is Ramanujan a gifted mathematician who even without any real formal training is determined to take on the world of pure mathematics.

I am not sure why I missed this movie when it was released about a year ago. It is really strange how such a good movie went under the radar. However, when I researched on it, I saw that it was a movie made with a modest budget which probably accounts for the muted marketing.

Truly, I am not a fan of biopics because movies for me serve as a medium of escape and the more abstract it is, the better for me but this one was a terrific movie. Furthermore, mathematics isn’t my favorite subject, so when I saw a movie where someone was excelling at it, it intrigues me.

Dev Patel (Slumdog Millionaire) did a magnificent job in his role interpretation of the gifted mathematician fighting battles against racism and the system and even his family all in his efforts to reach his dream. Jeremy Irons, Stephen Fry and Toby Jones also sprinkled the movie with some real star power.

One thing I took away from this movie is that talent is not enough. Also, I saw that being a maverick has its draw backs because the system will always push against you and so you need wisdom to navigate the system if you really want to reach the pinnacle of your chosen path and realize your dreams.

I bumped into this DVD over the weekend and I certainly enjoyed the movie and earns a 6.5/10 rating on my awesome-o-metre. I encourage you to look out for it; you won’t regret it.

I really appreciate you coming to my blog to read my reviews. I am indeed humbled. Leave a comment below along with your twitter handle and follow me on social media on Twitter and Facebook. Don’t forget to tag a friend cos I regularly give out free movie tickets.

Have a wonderful week.

The Maveriq

Revue of IT’S HER DAY

Release Date: September 9, 2016

Genre: Comedy/Romance

Directed By: Aniedi Awah

Bovi Ugbomma stars as an upwardly mobile guy who has just landed a good paying job and wants to marry his heartthrob who is from a wealthy family. To impress his bride and her family, he insists on single handedly footing the bill for the over-the-top fairy tale wedding his bride craves and this comes with some dire bank account draining consequences…

It’s Her Day is Bovi’s first feature film and it was a decent attempt. At the start, he seemed rather nervy but seemed to settle as the movie progressed. The plot was not an overly convoluted one so the interpretation of his role was not such an uphill task. However, I must say that his humorous side was slightly muffled but did come out once in a while, I guess he was just trying to be “mature” in his role interpretation.

There were a couple of scenes that would leave you in stitches especially where he “came to his senses”, that scene came out of nowhere and the element of surprise enhanced its humorous effect.

On the other hand, there were some parts of the movie which were overdrawn and lost the audience. Also, I was quite displeased with the producer’s choice of locations. The bride’s family boasted of so much wealth and opulence but their residence was quite underwhelming. By the way, no one was deceived by the airport scene which was obviously shot in front of a hotel…that was really cheesy. I understand the need to minimize cost but the producers could have done better.

The movie features an array of stars like Omoni Oboli, Adunni Ade, Shaffy Bello, Toni Tones, Amanda Ebeye etc and these stars gave the movie a much needed boost of star power. I was privileged to attend the exclusive premier of the movie at the Genesis Cinemas Lekki and I think they put together a really grand event which would really boost publicity and ticket sales.

You can see the trailer of the movie here.

Leave a comment below along with your twitter handle and follow me on social media on Twitter and Facebook to see if you are the lucky winner of the free movie ticket Genesis Cinemas is giving out to see IT’S HER DAY. Don’t forget to tag a friend.

Ciao!

The Maveriq

Revue of MORGAN

Release Date: September 2, 2016

Genre: Thriller/Sci-Fi

Directed By: Luke Scott

MORGAN may not appeal to a lot of audiences but it’s still a creepy but thought provoking movie with a wicked plot twist and earns a 6.0/10 rating on myawesome-o-metre.

Leave a comment below along with your twitter handle and follow me on social media on Twitter and Facebook and Instagram to see if you are the lucky winner of the free movie ticket from Genesis Cinemas is giving out to see MORGAN. Don’t forget to tag a friend.

Take care!

The Maveriq

Revue of THE SHALLOWS

Release Date: June 21, 2016

Genre: Thriller/Drama

Directed By: Jaume Collet-Serra

Nancy (Blake Lively) is a medical student mourning the loss of her mother and takes some time off to go surfing on a secret beach. Suddenly, a great white shark attacks her because she has inadvertently encroached on its feeding territory and forces her to take refuge on a rock 200 yards from the shore. To avoid becoming the shark’s next meal, she has to outwit the shark on its own turf to get to the shore.

Ladies and gentlemen, Jaws is back! Okay, maybe I exaggerate a bit but I supremely enjoyed this movie. Just as I anticipated it will be, it was exciting and intense. I have been a sucker for movies about sharks since Jaws, Deep Blue Sea and even the ridiculous Sharknado.

I was intrigued by the way the producers resisted the temptation to go overboard and make the movie another CGI fest about a hungry shark but rather about the resilience of the human spirit and mans will to survive the odds with our backs against the wall. Blake Lively gave a sterling performance because it is not easy for just one person stranded on a rock to hold an audience captive for a whole movie but she pulled it off magnificently. That being said, my favorite character in the whole movie was "Steven Seagull". Don’t worry, you will get the joke when you see the movie.

The producers tried to explain the overly aggressive character of the ravenous shark to human encroachment in the shark’s natural habitat which I think is an attempt to subliminally draw our attention to environmental degradation, global warming and poaching.

Ehen, there was one part of the movie that got me confused. Does anyone know where the oil slick which caught fire came from? Please let me know in the comments section below.

The crescendo of the movie was one that I did not see coming and lays credence to human ingenuity and made for a great climax. This movie is definitely one of my favorite movies for this year and chomps a 7.0/10 rating on myawesome-o-metre.

I am sure you want to see it ba? So leave a comment below along with your twitter handle and follow me on social media on Twitter and Facebook and Instagram to see if you are the lucky winner of the free movie ticket from Genesis Cinemas. Don’t forget to tag a friend.

Have fun!

The Maveriq

Revue of SKIPTRACE

Release Date: September 2, 2016

Genre: Action/Comedy

Directed By: Renny Harlin

Show of hands if you have missed Jackie Chan! I know I have! In Skiptrace, Jackie Chan is Bennie a Hong Kong cop on a revenge mission to take down the ever elusive Matador, who killed his partner. He teams up with an American conman Connor Watts (Johnny Knoxville) who has evidence that can help him nail the Matador, but first, they have to deal with each other.

When I heard there was a new Jackie Chan movie, I was super anxious to go see it because it has been quite a while I saw any new movies from him. Jackie has again partnered with a conman from the west (just like he did with Owen Wilson in Shanghai Knights) with comedic results. Knoxville is no Owen Wilson or Chris Tucker but I think he held his own- he managed to pull quite a few laughs.

There are some actors that I have not been able to get over the fact that they are getting old, and Jackie is at the top of that list. When I see Jackie now, I think back with nostalgia to his days as the drunken master and can’t help but think that old age is a b****. In Skiptrace, he is still his witty and artful athletic self, but the speed has been taken out of him. Gone are his six packs and high intensity stunts, because I noticed that he is beginning to use a lot more safety ropes for his stunts but that does not take away from the fact that he (as usual) hurt himself shooting this movie. Make sure you stick around till the end of the movie to see the bloopers in the making of the movie where he managed to bust his nose and leg.

However, the movie had one of the worst visual effects I have seen and I must say that I noticed that the movie focused on the sights and sounds of Hong Kong that I am beginning to believe it is one huge marketing strategy. Talking about marketing, BMW made sure we saw enough of their cars, even though they seemed out of place in the whole movie.

Oh by the way, have you guys hear that Jackie Chan is being given a well-deserved honorary Oscar for his accomplishments in movies? Me thinks he deserves it sha, but I digress….

Make sure you look out for Jackie’s funny adlibbed rendition of Adele’s song and some pretty good action sequences. SKIPTRACE scores a few punches and gets a few laughs so it earns a 5.9/10 rating on my awesome-o-metre.

Make sure you bookmark this page and visit us every day for new stuff. While you are at it, let’s hook up on social media on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram Make sure you follow me and tag a friend.

Have fun!

The Maveriq

Revue of MECHANIC: RESURRECTION

Release Date: August 26, 2016

Genre: Action/Thriller

Directed By: Dennis Gansel

So that’s how Bishop (Jason Statham) was just chilling with his babe Gina (Jessica Alba) when Crain (Sam Hazeldine) sends his goons to kidnap her and to secure her release, Bishop must take out three targets. Expectedly, Crain goes back on his word and Bishop comes for him.

If you are a fan of fast paced butt kicking and shooting, this is definitely the movie for you. The plot was clichéd but the action sequences made up for that. Statham fans never go to see his movie to see his acting, because that will be like watching Porn for the plot, rather we just go to see him break peoples necks and shoot the crap out of people.

My favorite part was when one of Statham’s targets fell out of his sky pool. I totally liked that scene. Meanwhile, I am not sure the impact Michelle Yeoh and Tommy Lee Jones were supposed to bring into this movie. I guess it’s just to increase the profile of the movie because the movie could have gone just fine without them because their roles were quite insignificant.

One other curious thing though, for a movie titled "Mechanic" there was absolutely NOTHING about cars, not even a little car chase or sumtin.

Oh, by the way, there was this African guy in the movie with a serious Nigerian way of talking; he was funny…and creepy with all his juju paraphernalia.

Statham is one of the best action movies stars at the moment and as usual, he does what he knows how to do best and that is, killing people. The plot was pretty patchy but the action was worth watching. It’s for these reasons that MECHANIC: RESURRECTION gets a 5.8/10 rating on my awesome-o-metre.

Make sure you bookmark this page and visit us every day for new stuff. While you are at it, let’s hook up on social media on Twitter and Facebook and Instagram make sure you follow me and tag a friend.

Wait, it’s just Tuesday? I need the weekend to get here real quick.

Take care.

The Maveriq

Revue of MIKE AND DAVE NEED WEDDING DATES

Release Date: July 7, 2016

Genre: Romance/Comedy

Directed By: Jake Szymanski

Dave (Zav Efron) and Mike (Adam DeVine) are two unruly brothers with a penchant for ruining special family gatherings who in an attempt to curb their wild tendencies are mandated by their father to each bring respectable dates to their sister’s Hawaiian wedding. The brothers place an ad on Craig’s list (of all places) for prospective dates and settle for Alice and Tatiana (Anna Kendrick & Aubrey Plaza), two seemingly decent waitresses. However, at the wedding, the ladies are not exactly the tame ladies the brothers anticipated.

The critics have already begun to bash this movie in, but I am not with them on this. Zac and Adam seem to be coming into their own and this is another funny performance. Even though the guys were both at their raunchy best, but their dates totally stole the show. The girls totally conned the guys into thinking they were nice chicks but just a few seconds into the wedding and BOOM, their true selves come out and it was hilarious.

However, I am worried that in his recent movies like Dirty Grand Pa and Bad Neighbors, Zack is beginning to stereotype and box himself into the party animal mold. We all know how difficult it is to get out of a mold in Hollywood, so I think it’s time he tried his hands in another kind of role because he does have much more to offer.

Other than the ridiculously long title, MIKE AND DAVE NEED WEDDING DATES is a funny gig and makes for good fun and earns it 6.5/ 10 on my awesome-o-meter.

I am curious to hear what you think about it please leave your comments (and your twitter handle) in the comment section below and you could win a free movie ticket to see it at Genesis Cinemas. Make sure you follow @ThaRevue on Twitter who knows, you could be the winner of the free movie ticket.

Have a wonderful Wednesday.

The Maveriq

Revue of WAR DOGS

Release Date: August 19, 2016

Genre: Drama/Crime

Directed By: Todd Philips

Efraim (Jonah Hill) and David (Miles Teller) are best buddies from school but while Efraim seems to be a successful businessman, David is having a rough time with his massage business. Efraim gives David a break to join in his international arms dealing business which is booming because of the ongoing Iraqi war, but their astronomical success and greed brings with it, dire consequences.

Wow! This movie was one crazy joy ride. I truly expected a comedic movie with some sprinkling of criminal drama and that’s what I got but on a proportion that I did not expect. The movie started up with Jonah Hill (who I must say has gained soooo much weight) being his usual comic self. Miles was also fooling around but then gradually, the comedy faded away and one intense thriller began to take form. Funny enough, I was expecting a movie laced with war scenes but surprisingly for a movie with “War” in its title, there was no such scene.

The movie illuminates that during a war, there are people making a killing out of it (pun intended). We see that war is a big money spinning business where some people in the background are getting rich, while blood is being spilt. These people justify their actions by insisting that they are legitimate business men.

One thing I particularly liked was the text that was intermittently displayed to explain the next scene because these texts have a way of keeping you in suspense by giving you a clue as to how the scene is going to play out.

The movie is rated 15 but I think it’s a little too intense for a 15 year old and may have been more appropriate for a rating of 18 but maybe that’s just me.

War Dogs is an intense movie with a tinge of political undertones and makes for an entertaining watch. This earns it 7.0/ 10 on my awesome-o-meter.

The Maveriq

Revue of ANY OTHER MONDAY

Release Date: August 5, 2016

Genre: Drama

Directed By: Pascal Amanfo

This Ghana/Nigeria collabo stars Yvonne Nelson and Kunle Remi as a busy couple who have secrets that are exposed by a freak accident one blessed Monday and their lives never remain the same.

The plot of this movie sounds awesome… on paper. There are some stories that sound really great when you someone tells you of it, but that does not necessarily translate to a good movie, and this is one of those kid of movies. The plot is quite scanty and the producers were faced with the challenge of stretching a short story into a full length 80 minute movie…

Usually, movies keep their best scenes till the end but this is the first time I am seeing a movie with its best parts in the first fifteen minutes. The next hour after that was totally irrelevant and boring with no bearing on the whole movie whatsoever.

I must say that movies on the African continent are really buying into this advert/product placements that will put Michael Bay to shame. There was the not so subtle advertisement of the Huawei Ascend phone and even an advert for Kia Motors. I think we need to learn the art of subliminal marketing.

There isn’t much I have to say about the movie probably because I was basically zoning in and out only to see that the movie was still dragging. Even the sensual/erotic scenes didn’t make it any better.

Genesis Cinemas are giving away free tickets to those that leave comments (and their twitter handle) in the comment section below. Make sure you follow @ThaRevue on Twitter who knows, you could be the winner of the free movie ticket.

Have a great Monday!

The Maveriq

Revue of THE ARBITRATION

Release Date: August 12, 2016

Genre: Drama/Thriller

Directed By: Niyi Akinmolayan

Touted as Nigeria’s first real legal drama, The Arbitration stars O.C Ukeje as Gbenga, a super-rich young entrepreneur who has an affair with his star employee; Dara (Adesua Etomi) who accuses him of rape. An arbitration panel is set up to review Dara’s allegations which are threatening to ruin Gbenga’s family and his company.

I must say, the cast did an amazing job! O.C Ukeje and Adesua Etomi share a great onscreen chemistry; their flirting seemed really natural and even when they made out, it seemed really passionate. Ireti Doyle who is cast as Gbenga’s lawyer, just oozed of confidence, class and finesse but Sola Fosudo (The Arbiter) seemed rather lost and uninterested.

For once I have no complaints about the video and audio quality and the soundtrack was really cool and I particularly liked the use of the song “I Put A Spell On You” by Annie Lennox.

Special mention must be made of the editing of the movie because the transition between scenes was exquisite and classy and also the timelines seemed pretty accurate but…

I have never seen a movie drop so many names of corporate organizations- there were mentions of Diamond Bank, GT Bank and Zenith Bank. I am not sure if this was some form of marketing or advert placement but they should have toned it down a bit.

Immediately, I heard that this is a legal drama, my lawyerlyinstincts started tingling and I came to the cinema ready to pick loopholes in the plot. However, the producers, (wisely) downplayed the legal aspects so as to escape the technical legal minefield. Firstly, the producers chose an arbitration panel rather than a court of law so as to escape the technicalities that the courts will present but one rather big oversight is that criminal offences (like rape) are prosecuted by the state and Law 101 will tell you that criminal offence can never be subject of Arbitration. I guess they can be excused for enjoying the creative (poetic) license.

Other than slight legal issues here and there, The Arbitration is a smart, intelligent and witty movie and made for good entertainment. However, you shouldn’t see it with kids because there were some sensual scenes and cussing.

I really appreciate all the feedback on social media, I am really humbled. So to reward loyalty, Genesis Cinemas are giving away free tickets to those that leave comments (and their twitter handle) in the comment section below. Make sure you follow @ThaRevue on Twitter who knows, you could be the winner of the free movie ticket.

Have a great weekend guys!

The Maveriq

WELCOME TO THE REVOLUTION

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