April 2016

Revue of "Wives on Strike"

Initial Release Date; April 8, 2016

Genre: Comedy

Directed By: Omoni Oboli

The name of the movie pretty much gives away what it is about. It revolves around a bunch of market women; Madame 12:30 (Uche Jumbo) Mama Ngozi (Omoni Oboli) and their friends who are quite unhappy that Mama Amina (Ufuoma McDermott)’s thirteen year old daughter is being married off to a wealthy Alhaji due to her parents lack of resources to cater for her.

The women ask their husbands to intervene in the matter but naturally, the men choose to mind their own business. These resolute women then decide to express their grievance by going on “strike”. You would think it’s a strike from the kitchen right? Well, you would be wrong. It is strike from the bedroom! LOL.

Featuring the talents of veterans like Kenneth Okonkwo, Julius Agwu , Ufuoma McDermott and Chioma Akpotha, with a cameo appearance by Emem Isong, Wives Strike employs comedy to tackle serious social issues like child marriage and the role of women in the family.

What stood out for me was the simplicity of the movie. It did not have an intricate plot and the actors mostly spoke pidgin English which I discovered is one of the best ways to communicate to a wider audience in Nigeria. (ask wazobia FM/TV).

I did notice a few lapses here and there especially when it came to the camera work. There were quite a few shots that became blurry and this impact on the viewing experience. Also, some scenes were rather long and exaggerated which is not totally a bad thing because I think it added to the comedic effect.

I am not one to subscribe to sexual blackmail in marriage but I think we all get the idea that child marriage is indeed a serious social issue that needs to be taken seriously. If a movie is one of the ways to fight the social ill of early marriage, then I stand with them on this.

Make sure you use this Mayday holiday and go to the cinema and support this cause by seeing this movie. I admit its no “Big bang Theory” but it is a movie that will resonate with many of us.

Make sure you bookmark this blog and visit us every day for new stuff. Follow us on twitter @ThaRevue too because I plan to give away 2 movie tickets every week for the next one year…just because I can.

The Maveriq

Revue of Road To Yesterday

Written and Produced by Genevieve Nnaji

Directed by Ishaya Bako

I must admit that I don’t watch a lot of Nigerian movies, but not to worry, I have begun voraciously consuming them to make up for lost time. So here goes my first Nigerian Movie Revue.

This movie is Genevieve's first attempt at production and apart from the obvious flaws that beset productions in Nigeria, i dare say it was pretty neat.

The story revolves around a couple Izu (Oris Erhuero) and Victoria (Genevieve Nnaji) who, like every other couple experience the highs and lows of that "dreaded but wonderful institution" called marriage.

It starts with the husband issuing the wife an ultimatum to leave the house which got me wondering if the movie started before it had even begun. I finally got my bearing when I realized that the movie was basically in reverse. Now that I did not see coming. I must say the use of flashbacks was nothing short of amazing, it really was. At a point, it was hard to predict how the movie would end.

What made the movie even pleasing to watch was the banter between two couples, it was almost real you'd think the two were actually married.

As for flaws, there was quite a number of them so I suggest you watch it yourself and make up your mind. Casting was great, costuming and lighting was pretty good too. Overall a very good effort. If you're expecting the usual rubbish story line and a "To God be the Glory" typical ending.... This movie would disappoint you.

I would rate Road to Yesterday 6.5/10 on my awesome-o-meter.

Review contribution by Olatomide Idowu

Thanks for dropping by, come back again would ya?

Follow us @ThaRevue

Revue of Beyonce’s Lemonade

I know this blog is about Movies and TV but then Beyonce’s “Lemonade” album that just dropped is not just an audio album but also its been dubbed a "Visual Album", so me thinks it won’t be out of place to Revue it.

So I have been following the chatter that Queen Bey was going to drop her visual/album on HBO on Saturday Night so in my usual curious manner, I had to go check it out.

First of All my jaw dropped ……..Beyoncé did not come to do nothing but snatch wigs! That girl waddnt playing on here. Gone were the tiny shorts wearing, booty shaking, platinum haired world class entertainer who had been groomed to be the perfect entertainer. Some critics previously described her as Robotic, clueless in her approach to music; constantly challenging her lyrics, performance outfits and disposition as fake and immature. Instead what I saw in this production was a Black powerful woman that had suddenly realized she had a great platform and was going to use her music to say everything that had been on the tip of her lips for a few years now…..boy, did she have a lot to say.

Let me break down some of the tracks;

HoldUp:

It’s one of the few radio friendly tracks on this album in my opinion, its catchy reggae beats will be all over the countdown in weeks to come, and seeing Beyoncé all fluffy and beautiful in a yellow sun dress but turn around and smash those car windows with a baseball bat lets you know she may hide her fur and go gangster on you at any moment.

Don’t Hurt Yourself :

Collaboration with Jack White …Rock lovers would feel a lil bit of this song but it’s the pure lyrics that catch my attention one time she spits ultimatums here “you may lose your wife” and screaming "Who the fuck do you think I am? / You ain't married to some average bitch, boy!"

Sorry:

This is the track that woke the Hive all the way up, Bey is threatening divorce here and telling her man you can call Becky with the good hair…( When a woman knows you are cheating and has the identity of the side chick you should be very afraid).

Daddy Lessons:

Is hands down my favorite track in this album, it’s a country song with Beyonce wearing different outfits including an African print dress in a lone corridor with just a man playing on a guitar. The Lyrics are honest and for everyone who has followed the infidelity of her father and his alleged ruthless upbringing in ensuring his daughter became the world’s greatest entertainer you believe every word she sings here. “Daddy made a soldier out of me / Daddy made me dance / Daddy held my hand,” and towards the end she alludes to the alleged similarity between her husband and her father with lyrics like. “My daddy warned me about men like you,”

Freedom:

In this song Beyoncé collaborates with rap great Kendrick Lemar in a song that marks her new foray into feminism and a human rights activist or a #Blacklivesmatter activist. The video highlights a lot of cameos but most notable are Sybrina Fulton (Trayvon Martin’s mom), Lesley McSpadden (Michael Brown’s mom), This is a position I truly believe Beyoncé is enjoying, to become a voice for Black women and women all over the world, to be a beacon of hope and power to let her music be a voice for the downtrodden.

Formation:

No words needed here, formation was pure slayage, with Beyonce even urging you on with words like " Slay!..Slay!" its subtle Anti Police sentiments flayed some nerves but as she said at the end the best revenge for haters is to get your paper.

All together this is a solid work of Art, from the African Traditional Imagery that to be honest left me both proud and confused. Yes I love being African and I understand an ignorant person's awe of the African deities but I get uncomfortable when it crosses into reverence. Half of these African Americans don’t know the implication of the spirituality they are toying with but I digress.

To the pure honest lyrics; this is Beyoncé like we have never seen her before- Hurt, Angry, Betrayed, Jealous, In Love, in tune with her Culture, African, Feminist, Mother, Lover and best of all what I have always hoped she would become ARTISTE.

I give the album 7.2 on my awesome-o-meter just because without the Visual element I am not sure a lot of people will get it.

Review contribution by Adakku (www.dakkylove.com)

Heard/seen the album yet? Let us know what you think in the comment section below or let’s just take it to twitter @ThaRevue

Thanks for dropping by, come back again would you?

Revue of Motion Picture Soundtracks

Just the other day, I was thinking to myself that It’s been a while Hollywood did a great Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (OST), maybe music albums no longer bring in the big bucks?

Let me list my favorite soundtracks albums;

Why Do Fools Fall in love Soundtrack
Romeo Must Die Soundtrack
Blue Streak Soundtrack
Love & Basketball Soundtrack
Nigeria's own "Out of Bounds" soundtrack by the Black Masqueraders (where are those guys sef).
Dirty Dancing Soundtrack
The Bestman Soundtrack
Batman Returns Soundtrack (especially Kiss From a Rose by Seal)
Boomerang Soundtrack
Waiting to Exhale Soundtrack
Fighting Temptations Soundtrack
Doctor Do Little Soundtrack
Space Jam Soundtrack

My all-time favorite is "Romeo Must Die" because of “Try Again" by Aaliyah.

Let’s hear what you think. You can comment below or on twitter @ThaRevue

Thanks for dropping in, come back again would you?

The Revue of Game of Thrones S6E1

And after over 9 months of waiting, we get our first taste of GOT Season 6. Finally, we can put the “Winter is Coming” memes to bed and move on with life.

GOT Season 6 is special in that it has gone beyond the books, so there is absolutely no way to tell what would come next (except you are President Obama, I hear). For this reason it was widely, and highly, anticipated. Which is probably why some might feel that Episode 1 was a letdown. But really, what did we expect, other than the resurrection of Jon Snow, that is?

Episode 1 basically brings us up to date with our characters. Daenerys meets her captor and discovers what is to be her fate; Arya begins her sightless life, and yet continues her training; Sansa (and Theon) reunite with Brienne; Cercei learns of her daughter’s death; The High Sparrow still holds Margaery captive; Tyrion and Varys ponder on governance; Davos and his men contemplate their next actions; Melisandre reveals… well, reveals; and – It is GOT – people die. People always die.

So in all, Episode 1 doesn’t reveal much, other than the power shift in Dorne and Melisandre’s revelation. We are still coasting along, and can only look forward to the coming episodes. On the bright side, we still have characters like Bran and the dragons to look out for, so it’s not all doom and gloom.

That said, let’s wait for Episode 2 – without bated breath.

Review contribution by Noel Orji

we like hearing from you in the comment section below or on twitter @ThaRevue

Thanks for dropping by, come back again would you?

REVUE OF THE MOST ANTICIPATED MOVIES OF 2017

Is it too early to start talking about movies to be released in 2017? I don’t think so.

So I was trolling online and bumped into a list of “The Most Anticipated Movies of 2017”.

Here are some of them and what I think.

Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales- Aren’t we tired of Jack Sparrow already? I know it’s been a money spinner but c’mon guys, isn’t it a little too much?

Resident Evil: The Final Chapter-I like the way they called it “The Final Chapter” to try and con us. They should just give up…Please!

Justice League: Part I- Now this is one I am looking forward to. Batman Vs Superman has got me going already.

Star Wars: Episode VIII- Well, we all knew this was gonna happen. I am a huge Star Wars fan, so I am curious to see this.

Fast 8- They may need to kill another cast member to get me to watch this.

Transformers 5- It’s Transformers, of course I am going to see it.

Jeepers Creepers 3- Do they really need to do a 3^rd part? The first part was awesome, but I think we have had enough of it.

Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2- Why call it Volume 2? Isn’t that an exclusive right of Quentin Tarantino?

Friday The 13th Reboot- I know Hollywood couldn’t resist doing this reboot.

Amityville: The Awakening- Another legendary movie for Hollywood to kill off.

Thor: Ragnarok- Hmmmm

Power Rangers- Tsk, Tsk, Tsk

Wolverine 3- I think it’s about time they hung their boots on this one, Hugh Jackman has.

Despicable Me 3- Enough already!

World War Z 2- What, the Zombies come back again?

Alien: Covenant- Why woun't they just leave these old classics alone? What are they gonna do next, another Planet of the Apes?

War For The Planet Of The Apes- Danm, I spoke too soon.

Maze Runner: The Death Cure- Wait, who is watching this movie that they thought to do another one?

Smurfs: The Lost Village- Sigh!

Beauty And The Beast- Double Sigh!

Dark Universe: The Mummy- Errr, will Brendan Fraser lose weight for this? I hope Imhotep is in it though.

Fifty Shades Darker- I am just gonna watch porn instead.

Jumanji- We have better visual effects now, so yes please!

Spider-Man: Homecoming- Spidey never fails me.

The Equalizer 2-Really? Denzel isn’t tired of coming out of retirement?

Kingsman: The Golden Circle- Now this I did not see coming.

Baywatch- Please don’t make me laugh! Women running in slow mo with bouncy boobs no longer interests me. I have real women for that now.

John Wick: Chapter 2- Another post retirement movie?

Blade Runner 2- The thirst goes on….

Annabelle 2- Creepy dolls never gets old.

Ascendant- Nobody watches that s***t.

Bad Boys III- It was funny the first time, but not anymore.

Godzilla – It’s like sleeping with an ugly side chick, the first time was okay, the 2nd time was barely there, the third time is just for pity.

So which movie do you wanna see remade? I really think there is no better time to remake “Spawn”.

Thanks for dropping by.

Revue of Zootopia

Initial release date: February 10, 2016

Directed By: Byron Howard

Rich Moore

Jared Bush

Is it just me or has Disney been on a roll lately! From the guys that brought us Big Hero 6 comes another animated feature about Juddy Hopps (voiced by Ginnifer Goodwin) the first Rabbit to join the police force in the metropolis of Zootopia. By the way, Zootopia is a mammal metropolis where various mammals (predators and preys alike) live (and thrive) together.

Juddy quickly learns that police work in Zootopia is not a walk in the park. She enlists the help of a street smart Fox called Nick Wilde (voiced by Jason Bateman) to crack a mysterious case and prove herself a real cop. Nick Wilde kinda reminds me of the Racoon from “Over the Hedge” voiced by Bruce Willis.

Zootopia is filled with lovable characters and my favorite of them all are the sluts….sorry I meant the sloths. It features the voice talents of Idris Elba as Chief of police Bogo, J.K Simmons as the Mayor Lionheart and recording artist Shakira as Gazelle the hottest musician in Zootopia. The voice talents did not appeal to me as much as The Jungle Book, but I still think they did a great job.

I did notice some thinly veiled adult subtexts but they did pass a message to the kids about self-belief. I couldn’t help but laugh when in attempt to discourage Juddy from joining the ZPD (Zootopia Police Department) her father told her: “Ever wondered how your mum and me got to be so darned happy? We gave up on our dreams and we settled”. That’s the funniest thing I have heard in a long time!

Zootopia is almost like a buddy cop movie…only that it’s animated…and features animals.

Disney are gonna rake in some serious cash for this one and for good reasons too.

I would rate this movie 7.8/10 on my awesome-o-meter.

What are your thoughts? Let me know.

Revue of The Jungle Book

Initial release date: April 6, 2016

Directed By: Jon Favreau

Disney’s reboot of the Classic Book & Movie was one I was scared they will blow. And I was proved wrong.

The story is basically the same as the classic; Mowgli (aka Man Cub) is raised by a pack of wolves after he is left alone in the jungle after his father is attacked and killed by the fearsome Tiger Shere Khan (Idris Elba) . Mowgli (voiced by Neel Sethi) under the guidance of the Bagheera the Panther (Ben Kingsley) has to flee the jungle for fear of being attacked by Shere Khan. On his way he meets a lot of other characters like Baloo the bear (Bill Murray), Kaa (Scarlett Johansson) and King Louie (Christopher Walken).

What really got me was the voice talents. Maybe because I have some experience in voicing, got me biased but I think the characters did a marvelous job. Idris Elba for instance with is suave English accent made for a ferocious and evil tiger and Bill Murray made Baloo such an adorable character. Also, the contrast between the voices and the characters made the characters come to life. For instance King Louie’s voice and character were so different, even Johansson made for a one helluva sexy slithery snake.

Was it just me or were you happy to hear the rendition of “Bare Necessity” - one of the most memorable songs from a Disney animation. I am glad they didn’t try to make it sound like a perfect professional song but allowed the characters interpret it with their real voices, giving it a natural feel.

After seeing this, you will come away with some lessons on togetherness and how one shouldn’t be ashamed just because one is different. The kids would love it, so I think you should take them to see it. While there, look out for the motivational speech by Mowgli when he said, “The strength of the pack is the wolf and the strength of the wolf is the pack”. Very moving stuff.

I would rate this movie 7.9/10 on my awesome-o-meter.

What are your thoughts? Let me know by posting your comments below.

Revue of “The Ridiculous 6”

December 11, 2015

Directed By Frank Coraci

The Ridiculous Six can only be described in one word- RIDICULOUS!!!!!

Produced by Netflix (and chill), this movie is supposedly a spoof of western movies featuring Adam Sandler (Tommy) as an outlaw who was raised by Native Americans. Tommy is joined by his 5 half-brother (yes you read that right) on a mission to save their father from a band of robbers led by Cicero (Danny Trejo) who have kidnapped him because he has stolen a loot of $50,000.00 belonging to them.

It features an array of Stars like Rob Schneider (obviously) Terry Crews, Jorge Garcia, Taylor Lautner, David Spade, Luke Wilson with guest appearance by Vanilla Ice as Mark Twain. With such a galaxy of stars of course it’s gonna be a kick ass movie right? WRONG!!!!!!. How do you make a movie with talent like Steve and with all his acting skills you relegate him to a bit part? You guys don’t wanna know what they did to Harvey Keitel. I don’t blame the actors, they really did their best to put some hope into an otherwise drab script.

You may have heard that some of the Native American actors billed to appear in the movie walked out of the set because they felt that some of the jokes were racist or downright disrespectful to them. So what did the producers do? They simply gathered a bunch of Asians, Caucasians (generally any human being they could lay their hands on) and painted them a dark tan to get them to appear Native Americans. PURE GENIUS!!!!! You guys should look out for Adam Sandler’s wife as a native Indian named; Wears No Bra (Yeap, you read that right) and her name is quite literal *wink*.

If you ask me though, I think the jokes were stereotypical but were funny as s**t! I won’t advise that you go see this movie expecting to see a –knock- me- out- of-my seat-funny-movie, but expect to see some crazy (and sometimes downright disgusting) ridiculousness.

I know it’s not a great movie and I can understand why it’s been getting awful reviews, but it did have some funny scenes. I would rate this movie 4.5/10 on my awesome-o-meter.

What are your thoughts? Let me know by posting your comments below.

Revue of “50 Shades of Black”

Initial release date: December 26, 2015

Director: Michael Tiddes

Obviously this film is supposed to be a shade of 50 Shades of Grey (Pun Intended). Also, it is obvious that the only person (or people) dumb or funny enough (depending on your perspective) to pull this off is the Wayans.

In a spoof of 50 Shades of Grey, Hannah Steele interviews Christian Black (Marlon Wayans) a very successful business man. They flirt with each other and end up “dating”. Not sure if dating is the right word though.

If this was an attempt to shade 50 Shades of Grey, I am sorry but they failed at it …WOEFULLY! Immediately, I saw the trailer, I knew this movie was going to bomb!

Truly, I can’t remember one scene that made me even crack a halfhearted smile. I think they were trying too hard to be funny. The Wayans attempted to leech off the notoriety of 50 Shades of Grey but dammit, I have not seen this level of thirst in my life!Marlon wasn’t funny at all, even, Hannah Steele seemed to be trying too hard.

The Wayans have barely gotten away with spoofing movies, but this was one was their most epic of fails. Those guys should just give up. Since White Chicks, they have failed to impress. They should just go and try their hands in porn, maybe that's where their success may be.

I don’t advise you go to the cinema to watch it.

I would rate this movie 2.0/10 on my awesome-o-meter. I don’t advise you go to the cinema to watch it.

What are your thoughts? Let me know by posting your comments below

Reveu of “IP Man 3”

Initial Release Date: December 2015

Directed By Wilson Yip

I am a huge fan of Martial Arts movies, so when I heard Donnie Yen was coming back for IP man 3, I was ecstatic. Many people consider Yen as the best martial artist at the moment (with due respect to Jackie Chan).

This 3^rd installment of the series, still follows the life of Yip Man (Donnie Yen) who is a Wing Chun (a form of martial arts) Master. He has retired to a quiet life with his wife and young son. However, during a visit to his son’s school, he witnesses the beating of the school’s headmaster by a band of miscreants sent to buy the school. Obviously, he couldn’t stand aside and watch it happen and interferes and gives them a good butt kicking. His involvement pitches him against the miscreant’s employer- Frank (Mike Tyson).

Of course we all expected a mouthwatering fight scene between Mike Tyson and Donnie Yen pitching two distinct art forms and we were not disappointed. That fight seemed to end in a draw but Mike Tyson actually fractured his finger when Yen used his elbow to his punch.

However, the Tyson scene was not my best. My favorite was the fight sequence in a stairwell, where Yen was attacked by an assassin. He was his usual calm and smooth self, with deft and silky touches and fancy leg work. I loved that scene.

There was a rumor that a CGI Bruce Lee would make an appearance in the movie but I was disappointed to see that the plan never materialized. Apparently, the company managing Bruce Lee’s image rights declined to allow his image to be used. That was quite disheartening.

The shortcomings of the movie were that some of its drawn scenes which seemed to drag and the fight scenes were too far in-between.

I would rate this movie 7.7/10 on my awesome-o-meter. It was a good and enjoyable movie with some nice fight scenes.

What are your thoughts? Let me know by posting your comments below.

Reveu of “Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny”

Initial Release Date February 2016

Directed By Yuen Woo- Ping

The sequel to the Epic movie, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon stars Michelle Yeoh as Yu Shu Lien who is still mourning death of Li Mu Bai and has withdrawn into retirement. She however reemerges to protect his sword (The Sword of Destiny) from falling into the hands of Hades Dai (Jason Scott) who believes that whomever wields the sword is undefeatable and will rule the martial world.

In her quest, Yu Shu Lien enlists the service of a band of warriors including Silent Wolf (Donnie Yen) to protect the sword.

Sadly, the movie fails to impress me. Maybe it’s because I kept comparing it to the first installment and my expectations were probably too high. I can still recall that day I watched the first one, I was in my hostel with 3 friends and we kept screaming our heads off at how magnificent the movie was.

Who can forget that scene with Chow Yun Fat locked in a sword fight atop a swaying tree? Sadly, this instalment has no such memorable scenes. The swordsmanship was at best average, and the “fakery” was below par.so I watched this movie with the expectation that it will be superficial and action crazed film. But sadly, it wasn’t so.

It wasn’t altogether a bad film sha, and I think Netflix’s greatest undoing was naming it Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon. They should have just given it a new name so we do not compare it to the iconic award winning first installment.

I would rate this movie 5.0/10 on my awesome-o-meter. It was just an average movie that barely made it.

If you liked, “House of Flying Daggers”, you will like “Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon: Sword Of Destiny”.

What are your thoughts? Let me know by posting your comments below.

Reveu of “The Voice Nigeria”

The Nigerian adaptation of the international reality television singing competition franchise has finally hit Nigeria.

The idea of the show is to find aspiring singing talents drawn from public auditions who will be mentored/coached by a panel of judges. Winners are determined by viewers who vote for the best acts to win juicy cash prizes and even a record deal.

The Voice Nigeria #TVN premiered on Africa Magic on the DStv platform on Sunday, the 10^th of April and is hosted by Ik Osakioduwa and Stephanie Coker.

The premier episode opened with a performance of Tuface’s Implication by the panel of judges made up of Tuface Idibia (now called 2Baba), Waje, Patoranking and Timi Dakolo.

It was kinda funny when I saw Patoranking as one of the judges. He may be the king of dancehall in Nigeria but he is not known for his voice. I guess he was put in there for some diversity or maybe for comic relief, I am not sure. The other panel of judges seem fit for the part, so I am curious to see what Patoranking is bringing to the table.

The show kicks off with the aspiring singers taking to the stage trying to impress the panelists to pick them to join their coaching school. It is at this point that the judges show their true ‘Nigerianess’. Let me explain. You see, we Nigerians are very dramatic by nature (which is why AFMAG is such a hit station) and we look for every opportunity to ‘show ourselves’. I was thoroughly embarrassed when I saw the panelists struggling and jostling to pick Victoria one of the most talented of the contestants. I admit that the she was a pretty good singer and I think she was a runner up in one other reality TV Show (I need to confirm this) but did Waje have to kneel down and beg her??? Even Patoranking started sulking, the whole thing played out like the quintessential Nollywood presentation- It was just childish.

Other than that show of shame, the show was entertaining. Ik Osakioduwa and Stephanie Coker were great anchors and their presentation was spot on. The set was well done and the production was top notch. Methinks the show will be a huge hit and Airtel (the show’s sponsor) should get some good brand exposure from it.

One last thing - yesterday someone asked me what panel I would choose if I were given the opportunity. That really got me thinking. I believe my best panel combination would be Tuface, Timi, Brymo or Bez & Asa.

So if you were to choose a panel of Judges, who would it be? Comments are welcome below.

WELCOME TO THE REVOLUTION

Editor's Choice

Labels

Like Box