Movie Review: Merry Men 2: Another Mission (2019 Nollywood Film)

Thursday, December 12, 2019 | Posted by The Entertainment Geek

Got invited to the premiere of this movie and it was a great watch!

 
A step above its predecessor! 
The Rundown
Behind the name: Based on Robin Hood’s outlaw gang
Country: Nigeria, 2019
Genre: Action, Comedy 
Production: Corporate World Entertainment & FilmOne Entertainment
Director: Moses Inyang
Cast:   AY Ayo Makun (as Ayo Abioritsegbemi), Ramsey Nouah (as Ayo Alesinloye), Jim Iyke (as Naz Okigbo), Folarin Falana AKA falz (as Remi Martins), Ireti Doyle (as Dame Maduka), Damilola Adegbite (as Dera Chukwu), Rosy Meurer (as Kemi Alesinloye), Alex Asogwa (as Calypso), Williams Uchemba (as Johnny), Ufuoma McDermott (as Zara), Nancy Isime (as Sophie Obaseki), Regina Daniels (as Kenya) & more
Compare to: Merry Men, The Real Yoruba Demons 
Hate it or Love it?  Watch it

Synopsis in a Sentence: A crew of four friends brought together by the idea that stealing from the rich to “give to the  poor” try to straighten their ways, but soon realise that once they sleep with the dogs, they have to deal with the fleas that come with them... 

On Writing: The Plot
The plot is clearer, more  engaging and overall relays a much better storyline than the first! 
With a slightly better exposition than the first movie, we get insight into the lives of the crooks, and what motivates them, and why we should actually like them. 
The climax is also better, some pieces of dialogue are funnier, and the rise and fall of the action is a step above the previous one; an overall upgrade on this front!
(3.5/5)
On Acting: The Cast 
The cast is, quite star-studded, and the characters are clearly written for the personality each actor brings. 
Here are the Merry Men: top comedian AY Ayo Makun plays the role of Ayo Abioritsegbemi, playboy and co ring-leader of the gang. Then there’s veteran actor, Ramsey Nouah, who plays Ayo Alesinloye, co-ring leader as well. Old school actor Jim Iyke plays pervie friend, Naz Okigbo, and talented musician and political commentator, Falz, AKA Folarin Falana plays Remi Martins, the techie, and we get introduced to comedian Williams Uchemba, who plays Johnny, the rival techie. 
And amongst others, including Francis Duru, who is chief investigator and  Damilola Adegbite who is investigator Dera Chukwu, we have Ireti Doyle, who is Dame Maduka AKA the villain AKA the devil. And she, quite honestly, carries the movie and relays the most believable character yet! A top performance! (3.5/5) 
On Production: The Creativity
The production is quite, maybe, the star of the whole thing; we get to see Lagos, Abuja, city life in Nigeria, and it’s quite well done. We get a few shots of creativity with the action as well, and the humour is quite well infused, so overall, production is well done! 
(4/5)                                              
On Resolution: The Conclusion
Alright. So. We are likely to get a part 3. 
It resolves nicely but there are a few hangs… does the villain go scott free, or does she finally lose her luck? Will the marriage ever happen? Can the merry men really stay out of the easy, glitzy life of crime they’ve come to know and love? All these lead us to believe that there's likely to be another movie coming, but for this movie’s resolution, it is quite alright! 
(3.5/5)
The Verdict: An upgrade from the previous movie! A more enjoyable watch! 
Overall Score = 14.5/20







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Movie Review: Chief Daddy (2018 Nollywood Film)

Sunday, April 14, 2019 | Posted by The Entertainment Geek
Started as a casual movie with family and got completely hooked!


Behind the name: Name it after who brings the money 
Country: Nigeria, 2018
Genre: Comedy 
Production: Ebony Life Films
Distribution: Netflix
Director: Niyi Akinmolayan
Writer: Bode Asiyanbi
Cast:  Aiyeola Bisola  (as Chief Daddy, Simbi),  Falz (as Femi Beecroft),  Joke Silva  (as as Lady Kay Beecroft), Patience Ozokwor (as Madam Pat), Nkem Owoh (as Chauffer Donatus) Funke Akindele  (as Tinu Beecroft),  Kate Henshaw-Nuttal (as Teni Beecroft),  Ini Edo  (as Ekanem) & more! 
                  Compare to: The Ultimate Gift, 2006
                  Hate it or Love it?  Luv it! 

Synopsis in a Sentence: Billionaire chief passes away, and who gets to keep all his cash—wife, mistresses or kids?  


On Writing: The Plot
A typical Nigerian's dream—big man passes away and everyone gets to share his wealth—or not? 
The story is quite interesting! It is entertaining and real and reflective of life in Africa, although augmented and exaggerated. There are a few undidactic lessons, but the basis of the story is to entertain, and that is what it does! 
The plot is quite well executed, despite the flurry of characters, and sometimes predictable instances. At the baseline, it is a comedy, and some lines were artfully executed. An entertaining experience! 
(4/5)
Cast


On Acting: The Cast
The acting is honestly, larger than life and exaggerated, but that's Nollywood style, so what can we do? 
The cast is quite start-studded, and chuck-full of everyone from the Nigerian movie industry.      Everyone from Joke Silva to Patience Ozokwor to Nkem Owoh , to first-time actor Falz! The actors were well selected and cast, and overall, thoroughly entertaining. 
First time actor, Falz (Folarin Falana) blew us out of the water with his rendition of the idiotic son, Femi—the wannabe celebrity rapper. As the star if the show, some might say he was playing the caricature of himself, but he was darn good at it! 
Patience Ozokwor comes in as a fastidious, overzealous house manager, Madam Pat— the stereotypical overzealous Nigerian worker. While Nkem Owoh depicts the self-important "chauffeur" we've met a few times before. We get reasonable and unreasonable characters, a mix of all types and cases in this cast. And we also get the comedy from Chioma Omeruah, or Chigul and 
A job well done!  
(4/5)
L-R: Chauffer Donatus & Madam Pat 

On Production: The Creativity
No major complaints about the production— it delivers just as well, and in fact turns production on its head by reflecting a caricature of the music industry through Femi's character. This is so well done, it is quite remarkable to achieve, especially for producers, editors and staff that are quite good, so kudos on the creativity! 
(4/5)


On Resolution: The Conclusion
The resolution is jot completely predictable, so a job well done! Although it comes close to what is expected, there is a twist. Watch to see what it is! 
(3.5/5)

The Verdict: A thoroughly entertaining watch! 

Overall Score = 15.5/20





Watch: https://www.netflix.com/title/81074015 

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Review: Hello My Twenties, Season 2 (2017 TV Series)

Sunday, April 15, 2018 | Posted by The Entertainment Geek


I couldn't wait to finally see season two of this series! And I finally did, just a bit after seeing Ode to Joy season 2, because again, I wanted a light-hearted girly TV fix. And again, this series was so very well done, and certainly deeper than your usual chick flick series! Luv it!


“Miracles don’t happen to everyone who works hard.”

~ Yoon Jin-myung, Episode 9.


The Rundown

Behind the name: Also known as "Age of Youth"
Country: South Korea, 2017
Genre: Drama, Comedy, Coming of Age
Network: JTBC
Director: Lee Tae-Gon
Writer: Park Yeon-Sun
Cast: Han Ye-Ri (as Yoon Jin-Myung), Hwa Young (as Kang Yi-Na), Han Seung-Yeon (as (Jung Ye-Eun), Park Eun-Bin (as Song Ji-Won), Ji Woo (as Yoo Eun-Jae) and Jo-Eun (as Choi Ara)
                  Compare to: Age of Youth, Ode to Joy
                  Hate it or Love it?  Love it! Very Much!

Synopsis in a Sentence: Five girls share their lives in a house called “Belle Époque,” and they get even deeper into each other’s secrets—a reformed sugar baby works to straighten our her life and become independent, another girl tries to get over the trauma of abuse; one girl works to get over her first real breakup, another is working to live her dream after a hard life, while the perpetual liar gets caught up in her own web of lies—which one of their secrets will get the best of them?  

           
On Writing: The Plot
The plot is—again, amazing! From episode one we are re-introduced to the fun and depth and simple complexity of this extremely layered story that marries comedy with tragedy with the awkwardness of youth and growing up.
This season tackles the aftermath of suffering from emotional and physical abuse, the struggles of a newly divorced family and the abandonment of a father, the heartbreak of breakups, and the trials of being known as “the girl who cried wolf.”
The writing is so well done its enviable! The scriptwriters and story developers are truly, truly talented and the star of the entire production, really. It is very rare to see stories like this told almost so perfectly, it deserves all the accolades possible!
A very, very well done and written story! Kudos to the writers!
(4.5/5)

On Acting: The Cast
This season, we are introduced to a new character, Jo Eun, played by Choi Ara and honestly, for a bland, rude, character, Choi plays it quite well. The character seems to have been cast well; it might have been hard to infuse with a cast already so in-tune with their own chemistry, but Jo Eun plugs in quite well, so no complaints here!
It is so sad that Park Hye-Soo, no longer plays Yoo Eun-Jae in the series, because we miss her the entire season. This time, Ji-Woo plays Eun-Jae’s character, but just comes across as creepy and deranged—quite honestly, there seems to be a casting mismatch here. It’s amazing how an actor gives life to a character and we certainly appreciate Park’s work throughout the first season even more!  

Han Seung-Yeon, plays Jung Ye-Eun, the formerly “Boyfriend-Obsessed,” and had-it-all, lost-it-all girl working to recover from the abuse of her last relationship. We feel for her and can honestly say that Han is a fabulous actress with the range of character she displays through this character. She actually comes from the girl group, Kara, where she was the lead singer, and in this series, she proves she is a triple-threat star! A job well done!
We are so glad to see, Han Ye-Ri’s character overcome her struggles from the first season, and she defines Yoon Jin-Myung in the series. Her story inspires us not to give up on life! A fabulous, fabulous job!
We get to know Hwa Young’s character more deeply through Song Ji-Won’s portrayal of her in the series. Hwa is not “The Awkward Loner,” any more, but she is “The Girl Who Cried Wolf” in this series. We get to see more depth and complexity and even brilliance from Ji-Won, and Hwa plays it to the T! A fabulous job!
This season, we miss Kang Yi-Na, “The Hot One,” still played by Park Eun-Bin apparently, due to a “scandal” in Korea. We’re unsure of the fine details, but it seems quite evident that the producers want her on, because she makes quite a few appearances throughout the series, and she brings in a ray of sunshine with her unto the screen! Certainly hoping to see her in the next season!
Of course, the series is cast well, but honestly, there is an apparent fail in the casting of Yoo Eun-Jae’s character, unfortunately, and the new character doesn’t quite blend in. Other than that, a great cast!
(3.5/5)


On Production: The Creativity
The production will almost certainly always be the star of this series. The the script, cast and series play out in fabulous fashion through the production and it’s absolutely beautiful to watch!
The interplay between drama and comedy and real-life is artful and deep and enlightening. If you thought production couldn’t do that, you need to watch this series!
(4.5/5)                                             



On Resolution: The Conclusion
Since the first season, it’s always sad to reach the end, but this time, we get blessed with two additional episodes, so we have 14 in total! This is great, except that one of the final episodes seemed like a ”filler,” while the actual final episode seemed rushed—almost cut and edited to the end even. We experience some “jumps” in the story, which don’t quite flow together, and are left speculating whether this is due to production budgets or low viewer ratings. In any case, it could have been done better, but it doesn’t sully the overall delivery of the series, and we are certainly crossing our fingers for season 3!
(4/5)

The Verdict: A fun, meaningful watch! Even for the guys!  

Overall Score = 16.5/20




Watch Hello My Twenties, Season 2:

Hello, My Twenties! | Netflix Official Site 

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