Review: The CEO (2016 Film)

Monday, February 20, 2017 | Posted by The Entertainment Geek
Went to see this one in cinemas in Nigeria and was enthralled by the storyline—top managers from all over around Africa vying for the title of global CEO? Yes!


“A story of intrigue, power and all the political/financial struggles of modern day Africa.”

The Rundown
Behind the name: The Chief Operating Officer   
Country: Nigeria, 2016
 Genre: Thriller, Drama
Written by: Tunde Babalola
Director: Kunle Afolayan
                  Cast: Wale Ojo (as Kola), Angélique Kidjo (as Dr. Zara Zimmerman),             Hilda Dokubo (as Superintendent Ebenezer), Nico Panagio (as Riikard), Jimmy Jean-Louis (as Jean-Marc), Fatym Layachi (as Yasmin), Peter King Nzioki (as Jomo), Kemi Lala Akindoju (as Lisa)
                  Compare to: Itself
                  Hate it or Love it? Like it

Synopsis in a Sentence: Top managers from all over Africa meet in Lagos, Nigeria to compete for the CEO spot, but will any of them live to take the no.1 spot? 
           

On Writing: The Plot
The story is unique and quite new, at least for Nollywood’s typical fixation on family dramas, so points for that! Also, we get to see continental representation of Africa, including the North! Otherwise the story is relatively disjointed and a bit patchy, and with a few unbelievable bits, but at least points for exploring a new storyline, right? 
(3/5)

On Acting: The Cast
The cast is quite famous and very diverse and that’s by far the highlight; perhaps a wonderful cast would have taken the alright storyline and made it almost great, but quite honestly, the cast was just like the plot—alright; perhaps not because the actors were bad, but because they weren’t cast correctly. For Example, acclaimed actress Hilda Dokubo makes her big come back in this movie, after what seems like 20 years, and she’s cast to play a super-charged, super aggressive inspector; which is not the best choice for her, because the legendary actress we know from the 90s is famed for playing the sweetest, saddest characters, and this role is simply not her, especially after she’s spent so much time away from the big screen. And then there’s Angelique Kidjo, legendary Grammy-award-winning musician, but she is not quite her character here.
But the best actor goes to Peter King Nzioki, who plays the top manager from Kenya. He is absolutely convincing and believable, which is much needed from this picture!
 (3/5)


On Production: The Creativity
Production is the best thing in this movie! The shots are gorgeous and we get to see Lagos in a new light! A far cry from the hustle and bustle and craziness of the city, we see the touristic part of Nigeria’s largest city in the most gorgeous way! And the actors and the plot are saved by the magic that is production. A job well; very well done!
(4/5)                                             

On Resolution: The Conclusion
So much to say here but let’s get straight to the point—the resolution is quite a fail. Mostly for the premise of the conclusion, it’s incomplete and unconvincing, and haphazard resolution. Don’t believe it? Watch and see—even if just for that.
(2/5)

The Verdict: A good watch; novel storyline and outlook to African actors, but overall, average
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Overall Score = 12/20
Watch the Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lm0pmb0CXxg




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Review: Age of Youth (2016 TV Series)

Sunday, December 11, 2016 | Posted by The Entertainment Geek
Saw this one a bit after seeing Ode to Joy, and I wanted a light-hearted girly TV fix. After it was done, it was anything but “light.”Dare I say it was my fave South Korean series of 2016? Yes, I dare say so! It’s SO well done, it’s ridiculous!


“The truth is rarely pure and never simple.”

The Rundown
Behind the name: The perfect name for the coming of age of young women
Country: South Korea, 2016
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), and Park Hye-Soo (as Yoo Eun-Jae)
                  Compare to: Ode to Joy
                  Hate it or Love it?  Love it! Very Much!


Synopsis in a Sentence: Five girls’ lives cross paths in a “shared house” and they all get into one another’s business—two of them are murderers (maybe three), the other’s an insecure girlfriend in an abusive relationship and another’s forever alone—can they help fix one one another’s issues?  
           
On Writing: The Plot
The plot is everything! It’s so good, it’s exceptional! It’s layered and complex and multi dimensional and intriguing and fun, and like I said, everything!
Love, love, love the story of these five, very different young ladies. The characters are relatable, and most of all, their stories are real! In every episode there were scenes so real and relatable.
The plot’s also deep, as it deals with too-real-for-TV drama, and very relevant social issues, including abuse, death, young prostitution (even male prostitution), sex and family secrets, while managing to maintain a didactic outlook without the preachy righteousness of any specific moral leanings, all with a comedic twist. Very, very excellently done! 
And a thousand cheers to the writer, Park Yun-Sun, this is absolutely one of the best TV stories I’ve seen in my life! The writing is excellent and deep and playful and complex and light-hearted and true-to-life all at the same time. It’s unlike anything seen on South Korean TV in the last decade. Gorgeous, gorgeous work! 
 (4.75/5)


On Acting: The Cast
The cast is beautiful and we just can’t quite get enough of the characters’ quirks and cuteness!
We are first introduced to Park Hye-Soo, as Yoo Eun-Jae in the series and she’s so apprehensive and shy and modest that we can all relate to her at least once in our lives. We watch “The Shy One” become stronger, grow and even blow up a few times in the series, and she’s a great actress for portraying all these emotions so well. There is also much, much more to her character than meets the eye, but you’ll have to watch the series to discover that!
Next, we meet Han Seung-Yeon, who plays Jung Ye-Eun, the “Boyfriend-Obsessed,” almost-has-it-all girl with an adorable boyfriend, but we are almost immediately introduced to her insecurities, masking itself under meanness and feigned kindness. Han actually comes from the girl group, Kara, and it’s a delight to watch her here as she’s absolutely convincing!
Kang Yi-Na, “The Hot One,” is Park Eun-Bin in real life and we love the way she portrayed her fearlessly confident, smoking hot, loose, reckless, irresponsible and kind character. Park makes the typically hated role completely relatable and she’s a star for making that possible!
Arguably the coolest, Han Ye-Ri defines Yoon Jin-Myung’s character in the series, who is “The Tough One.” Han is to hard-shell, icy cold, and yet so relatable it’s amazing. She highlights the enduring spirit of her character that we’re inspired not to give up on life! A fabulous, fabulous job!
Finally, we get to know Hwa Young through Song Ji-Won’s character in the series. Hwa is “The Awkward Loner,” and Hwa is her in this series. We can totally relate to the her friendzonability, but her character soon proves to be the binding agent to this deep friendship, and Hwa does more than well through Ji-Won’s character
An overall great cast! Can’t wait to see this promising group of actresses in other series! Manse!
 (4.5/5)


On Production: The Creativity
Production is—dare I say—the star of the series. The entire story, despite its fabulously talented cast and its excellent plot, could have easily been a flop with rubbish production. But with editing, transitions, music, shots et al, this one is pure gold!
The opening shots are gorgeously, artfully, perfectly done; I’ve really never seen anything like it, especially in South Korean cinema! The opening themes are a production of thematic videos beautifully edited together to set the tone for the start of each episode. Production really is artful and absolutely gorgeous!
Transitions are so beautiful and meaningful and… oh gosh, I could gush forever, but honestly, exceptional work on the creative front!
(4.75/5)                                             

On Resolution: The Conclusion
The saddest thing is that the series ends only after 12 episodes! What a travesty! A production like this should go on for at least 20, or 24 if possible. But we know not all TV stations can afford the budget, so we are at least glad we get to see a production like Age of Youth at all. Great job everyone! And the ending is just as good too!
(4.5/5)

The Verdict: An absolute must watch! Even for you, guys!  

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Overall Score = 18.5/20


WATCH Age of Youth: https://www.viki.com/tv/32334c-age-of-youth?locale=en

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Review: Ode to Joy (2016 TV Series)

Monday, August 8, 2016 | Posted by The Entertainment Geek
I have been scouting for a story from Mainland China, and I just happened to be craving something based on young women, and luckily a friend recommended this fabulous series that I couldn’t stop watching!

“Grit your teeth ‘til you make it through…
Dreams and love, they all belong to you… ”

The Rundown
Behind the name: The name of the apartment complex that brings the girls together
Country: China, 2016
Genre: Romantic Comedy, Metropolitan, Drama
Network: Dragon TV, Zhejiang TV
Director: Kong Sheng, Jian Chuan Su
Writer: Yuan Zi Dan
                  Cast: Liu Tao (as An Di), Jiang Xin (as Fang Sheng Mei), Wang Zi Wen (as Qu Xiao Xiao), Qiao Xin  (as Guan Ju Er), Yang Zi (as Qiu Ying Ying), Zu Feng 祖峰 (as Qi Dian), Wang Kai (as Doctor Zhao), Zhang Lu (as Wang Bai Chuan), Zhang Xiao Qian (as Yao Bin), Jin Dong (as Tan Zong Ming)
                   
                  Compare to: Age of Youth

                  Hate it or Love it?  Love it!

Synopsis in a Sentence: Five womens' lives cross paths on an apartment floor in the Ode to Joy building, and we watch them navigate work, love and life from the perspectives of a rich spoiled-brat turned business tycoon, a timid new-entrant employee, a (kind) social climber, a finance guru and math genius, and a clueless, happy-go-lucky small-town girl trying to make it in the big city—can they all get along?


On Writing: The Plot
The story is fun and didactic and entertaining and fabulous!  It gives us a unique, modern window into the lives of different young Chinese women working to make it in Shanghai and we don’t quite get this perspective often. It also offers different perspectives and the nuances into the lives of different people.
The plot is layered and we get to see the viewpoints of people from different walks of life—rich and poor, ambitious and unmotivated, privileged and not-so-privileged, and everything in between. It gives us a little think about the clashes between social class and age and opportunity. A great one!
(4.5/5)

On Acting: The Cast
The actresses and actors are very well cast! I hear some of them are some of the best from the Mainland so there’s no surprise here! So we have, from left to right:
L-R: Wang Zi Wen (as Qu Xiao Xiao), Liu Tao (as An Di), Jiang Xin (as Fang Sheng Mei), Yang Zi (as Qiu Ying Ying), Qiao Xin  (as Guan Ju Er)

(4/5)

On Production: The Creativity
Production is the weakest link n this one. It’s all right but needs to up its cliff-hanger game. These are some of the weakest cliff-hangers I’ve seen since I cannot even remember! Other than that the techniques are quite routine standard so they quite needed some creativity, and the opening music was… blah. The interesting thing is that I
(3.5/5)                                             

On Resolution: The Conclusion
The conclusion is quite the star! The first season ends wonderfully and we can’t wait to get more of these girls! By the ending, looks like production learned how to deliver—the end has the best cliff-hanger!
(4.5/5)

The Verdict: A fun, meaningful, entertaining watch!

Overall Score = 16.5/20


The Complete Main Cast




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