This movie is proof once again that the Nollywood industry can only get better. We can all agree that everything from plot to actors in Breaded Life was spot on, but only people that really paid attention to details will ace this quiz.
There were a lot of cool Nigerian movies that came out in 2021. Which one do you think represents the kind of person you are?
Nollywood actors rarely get the opportunity to play real people, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have the ability. So, based on your personality and their previous roles, we’ve created a quiz that will tell you which famous actor (regardless of age) has the range to play you in a movie.
Take to find out:
I remember watching the trailer for Sugar Rush and being captivated by all the bright colours and big names (Adesuwa Etomi AGAIN?!) but not being able to tell what the movie was actually about. There was a lot of yelling and shots of Tobi Bakre’s character running so I assumed the movie would have comedic elements like the bulk of Nollywood movies out these days. So as soon as the trailer ended, I forgot about it and went about my day.
Thank God a friend convinced me to go see it with them a few days later because I would’ve missed out on a comedy that almost made me piss myself laughing.
Sugar Rush is a movie about three sisters, Susan (the eldest, played by Adesuwa Etomi), Sola (played by Bisola Aiyelola), and Bola (the youngest, played by Bimbo Ademoye). In an effort to better their lives and take care of their cancer-stricken mother and only living parent (played by veteran actress, Iya Rainbow), they stumble on and steal the sum of $800,000 dollars from a murder scene littered with the bodies of a politician and a dozen armed men. This leads to their involvement with some dangerous characters who want the money, and hilarious hijinks ensue.
One of the best things about Sugar Rush is the chemistry between the three leads. In the midst of hilarious and potentially dangerous situations, the hierarchical sisterly bond and love for each other shine through. Bimbo Adeboye especially deserves to win all the awards for her portrayal of the vain and social media-obsessed youngest sister, Bola. Other actors in the movie who deserve acclaim for their roles are Bisoloa Aiyeola (as the middle sister, Sola), Uzor Arukwe (as Knight, the mob boss who kidnaps the girls’ mother) and Williams Uchemba (as Obum, the idiot half of a pair of EFCC field agents).
From left to right: Bimbo Ademoye, Bisola Aiyeola, Williams Uchemba, and Uzor Arukwe.
Another great thing about the movie is how wild the story gets as it goes on. While watching, I could imagine the writers – Bunmi Ajakaiye and Jadesola Osiberu – frantically scribbling with maniacal smiles on their faces as they threw in one insane plot element after the other. Some examples of this are:
The wildly impractical chase scene involving the Sugar sisters and Andy, Sola’s one-time love interest (played by Tobi Bakre).
Andy’s surprise death scene.
The girls not being able to catch a break between getting kidnapped by shady characters who wanted the money and the EFCC agents.
The cherry on top of the insanely fun sundae that is Sugar Rush is how elements of the supernatural are just casually introduced in the third act in the form of the bulletproof mob boss, Anikulapo (played surprisingly well by Banky W) and a juju-infused car with the ability to turn invisible.
Banky W as Anikulapo.
Sugar Rush‘s biggest problems are the crater-sized plotholes that the movie is littered with. As a way to save time, I’ll just list some of them:
Who deleted the video of Susan and Sola leaving the dead politician’s house with the money from the EFCC computer?
If the politician was killed because of his reluctance to share the money (like Mrs Madueke, the EFCC boss who turned out to be a criminal, said), why didn’t the assassins just take the money with them when leaving?
Why does Gina, the dead politician’s daughter (played by Toke Makinwa), send the inexperienced Sugar sisters on a heist to rob the vault of Anikulapo, a man who is quite literally armed to the teeth with juju?
After that hilarious (night time) shootout, Anikulapo orders his henchman to kill and burn Susan and the EFCC agent, Dan (played by Mawuli Gavor). Why did he wait till daybreak to do it?
Wouldn’t it have been better if the character of Anikulapo was a looming figure the entire movie, felt (and maybe heard) but not seen until the end? So his reveal would’ve been more “So this is the guy!” as opposed to “Oh, look. It’s Banky W with a dyed beard and on fleek eyebrows.“
CONCLUSION:
Sugar Rush is nowhere near perfect, but it does deliver on its promise of plenty of laughs and a good time. It’s the Nollywood equivalent of Hollywood movies like Hobbs & Shaw, pure mindless fun. And sometimes, that’s all viewers want.
Sugar Rush is currently available to stream on Netflix.
The Lost Okoroshi, a 94-minutes film, snagged its audience from the first scene, which was reminiscent of childhood nightmares. The lead character, Raymond Obinwa (played by Seun Ajayi) ran from a masquerade, also referred to as ojuju, in his dream; his wife, Nneka Obinwa (Judith Audu) would have none of it, advising him to seek help from her pastor, in order to rid himself of the recurring dream.
Obinwa is a security guard with a jaundiced view of the urban city life in Lagos — what he and his colleague Musa (Jamal Ibrahim) term as “city madness”. He is a dissatisfied man who is lackadaisical about his job and his living condition in a cube-sized apartment.
He mostly finds solace in the discussions he has with his best friend and elderly neighbour, Chief Okonkwo(Chinwetalu Agu), who supports Obinwa’s beliefs and his yearnings to leave his city life to pursue a quiet farm-life in the village.
Okonkwo is a vital character in the mysterious journey that Obinwa would eventually embark on, unknown to both of them. Being a great supporter of tradition and ancestral heritage, he instructs Obinwa to confront the masquerade he runs away from every night, informing him that there must be something the spirit wants to tell him.
Twinged with an infusion of satire and humour, The Lost Okoroshi takes a swift turn from the comical to tragicomedy when Obinwa gears up the courage to confront the masquerade in his dream. In the first instance, the audience is swayed to believe that this might bode well for him, until he wakes up as a masquerade himself. Nneka’s attempts to get rid of Obinwa’s shocking regalia proves futile and for a moment we are able to glimpse the harmony between husband and wife, birthed in despair.
So begins Raymond’s spiritual journey into unfamiliar waters, as the spirit he embodied constantly teleports him from place to place, this is how he is able to be of help to a prostitute (Ifu Ennada), reprimand a thief and dance in different open markets (where he meets a comical character, Willy Willy).
However, halfway through the film, the pace of the film slowed down — this was mostly during Okoroshi’s teleportation and his dancing scenes. There were a few disjointed scenes here and there and some confusing aspects of the movie — like, why didn’t the TV in Obinwa’s bedroom ever go off? After a while the audience can see it’s deliberate, but why? It didn’t add to the narrative, neither did it serve as a piece to a significant puzzle that would have given us a eureka moment at the end.
Despite these, the film left the audience in awe especially with its deep dive into tradition. A classic example of this was when Okonkwo explained the importance of masquerades and when the fictional Igbo People’s Secret Society of Heritage Restoration and Reclamation (IPSSHRR) reclaimed Okoroshi and tried to integrate him back into society.
The afrobeats vibe of the soundtrack in combination with the mist of colour in the air from the masquerades, the moon and the costume of the ancestral spirits gave the film a surreal and eerie feeling.
The Lost Okoroshi is not perfect but it is a film that will consistently leave its audience asking themselves questions about tradition.
The movie is an Osiris Film and Entertainment production and it is co-written by Abba Makama (producer and director) and Africa Ukoh, with Rimimi Makama as the executive producer.
After months of anticipation (and 25 years after the original), The Lion King remake finally came out last week. Overcome with nostalgia, I rushed to go see it at the cinema like the dedicated Disney fan that I am.
It may have had something to do with my mind not being able to handle the photorealism of the animals but the entire time I was watching it, I kept noticing things about the story that I never did when I watched the original.
Things like:
1) When do you think the other animals are going to wake up and realize that the whole “Circle of Life” thing is a lie made up by the lions as an excuse to eat them from time to time?
The Lion King’s opening sequence is amazing, not just because of the glorious music and stunning imagery but because Mufasa really got all the animals to come admire his newborn son, regardless of the predator/prey relationship they will forever have with his kind. When Simba addresses this later in the film, Mufasa counters him by spilling some spiel about the Circle of Life.
It’s reminiscent of how the pigs in George Orwell’s Animal Farm (because they were in charge) kept changing the rules until it became one rule that permitted them to do whatever they wanted without consequence.
2) Has it occurred to anyone how these lions clearly have a religion type of thing they follow and Rafiki is kinda like the shaman?
Simba’s dedication in the opening scene is clearly a ritual. We see Rafiki spend most of his screen time talking to the spirits. The spirits are the ones who reveal to him that Simba is still alive. He’s even able to summon Mufasa’s spirit at will.
MIND BLOWN.
3) If Mufasa and Scar are the only adult male lions in the pride, who fathered all the other cubs running around?
And Mufasa was king, which meant that he was the only one allowed to get it on with the lionesses. Does this mean Simba and Nala are brother and sister? I get that we’re talking about animals here but JESUS CHRIST. “Can You Feel The Love Tonight” suddenly gives me Flowers In The Attic vibes.
4) Wouldn’t it be interesting to explore Zazu’s backstory?
Timon’s backstory got explored in Lion King 1.5. Why not Zazu?
In the remake, after Simba and Nala narrowly escape getting eaten by the hyenas at the elephant graveyard, Zazu tells Mufasa to be gentle when reprimanding Simba because he remembers Mufasa also being stubborn and adventurous as a cub. Given that hornbills have a lifespan of 50 years, it’s possible that Zazu has been a part of the royal court for many generations of lions. This would also explain why he’s so fiercely loyal to the pride lands, choosing to stay and help the lionesses with intel even though he was constantly at risk of being killed by Scar.
GIVE US ZAZU’S BACKSTORY, DISNEY!
5) Speaking of Zazu, why didn’t he counter Scar’s version of the events leading up to Mufasa death?
Scar tells the pride that he didn’t get to the gorge in time to save Mufasa and Simba, which is insane because he’s the one who comes to tell Mufasa that Simba is in danger. Even worse, Zazu was with Mufasa at the time and all three of them got to the gorge together before Scar, wanting no witnesses, sends Zazu off to get the other lions. So why did Zazu not scream, “I KNOW YOU FUCKING LYING!” when Scar was telling his versions of events?
6) Did anyone else notice Timon and Pumbaa constantly breaking the fourth wall?
They are the only characters in the movie that make human references. In the original, when Simba asks them to distract the hyenas while he and Nala sneak back into the Pride lands, Timon sarcastically says, “What do you want us to do? Dress in drag and do the hula??” before going on to do just that. In the remake, they distract the hyenas by singing “Be Our Guest” from Beauty and the Beast. They acknowledge that Simba grew to adulthood during the “Hakuna Matata” musical sequence.
7) Timon was kind of abusive to Pumbaa in the remake. Did anyone else catch that?
It wasn’t a lot but it was there. He constantly blamed Pumbaa for his own mistakes (like when they laughed at Simba for saying that old kings live in the stars) and stole Pumbaa’s ideas (deciding to adopt Simba). I feel like this narrative would end with Pumbaa angrily eating Timon one day.
8) Do you realize how insane it is that Timon and Pumbaa managed to domesticate a lion?
They even made him a vegetarian! LMAO! I do love that the remake took time to show the discomfort the other animals (living in Timon and Pumbaa’s paradise) had with having a predator live among them.
9) Did anyone else have a problem telling the lionesses apart?
These are photos of Nala and Sarabi, with their voice actors’ names cropped out. Good luck telling who is who.
One of the many side effects of the movie’s photorealism, all the lionesses (like they do in real life) looked exactly alike. I couldn’t tell who was who until they spoke. It was even more stressful during the final battle as I couldn’t tell who exactly was getting their ass kicked at any given time.
10) All that money and Disney couldn’t afford facial expressions??
The characters are singing “Hakuna Matata” (a song about how you shouldn’t have any worries) but they all looked pissed. I honestly want to fight Jon Favreau for insisting on this photorealistic nonsense.
The hype leading up to Kajola’s release was insane. Hundreds of excited moviegoers queued for tickets at Silverbird Cinemas Abuja for the premiere of the film that had promised an action-packed dystopian sci-fi saga set in Nigeria, all made possible by groundbreaking CGI.But almost 30 minutes in, people began storming out. Some approached the ticket handlers and demanded refunds. The movie’s director had expected this might happen. It didn’t make it any less heartbreaking.
In 2008, an aspiring filmmaker named Niyi Akinmolayan decided to make a movie. Depressed after a recent robbery incident and influenced by the works of Tunde Kelani, Niyi wanted his film to be a metaphor for society. He noticed at the timethat there was a lot of ongoing development on Lagos Island and very little on the mainland. He began writing a dystopian sci-fi epic where a civil war has destroyed most of Lagos, destroying the third mainland bridge, causing the elite to migrate to the Island and start a new government. The survivors on the mainland are left to live in poverty. He named it The BlackHole. This would be his directorial debut.
Shots from the movie portraying a destroyed Lagos mainland.
Niyi had started a production company (Anthill Productions) in 2007 with a few friends who shared his passion for animation. They had also lost everything in the robbery with Niyi and decided to work with him on this project. With N400,000 (Niyi’s savings), a borrowed camera, and a lot of greenscreens, they set out to make the greatest Nigerian movie ever.
A CGI robot from the finished movie.
Niyi met Adonijah Owiriwa, the actor who would go on to play the movie’s protagonist, in a music studio in Port Harcourt. Niyi was there to discuss the movie’s score when Adonijah, a producer at the same studio, overheard their conversation. He expressed interest in auditioning for a role, which Niyi didn’t take seriously until 3 months later when the production had run out of funds. He called and begged for an audition while also promising to help them with whatever they needed. He auditioned and got the lead role. Niyi and his team got the money they needed.
Principal photography had begun at this point. The movie was to be 90% green screen.
It was suggested they get a star to play the main antagonist. After negotiations with a few actors fell through (Van Vicker and Eedris Abdulkareem), Desmond Elliot was approached and he signed on as soon as the movie’s premise was explained. Since the movie was mostly green screen, Adonijah (who had become the production’s benefactor) suggested the crew move to Port Harcourt to finish principal photography. He rented a house for them with 24/7 electricity. He was optimistic about the movie’s chances. They all were.
It was when the time came for post-production that Niyi realized he had greatly underestimated what it took to make a movie like this.
A before and after shot from the movie portraying the protagonist, Allen, having a conversation with his mother on the doorstep of their home.
The special effects meant to sell his movie looked terrible. The CGI sequences written into the script were too complex for the equipment they had available. He began cutting off scenes that had the most visual effects (40 minutes of scenes crucial to the storyline). He wrote in some martial arts scenes to replace the ones he’d taken out and changed the name of the movie from The BlackHole to Kajola (to make it more Nigerian).
At this point, word had gotten out about the work being done and excitement was in the air about Nollywood’s first big-budget sci-fi action movie. Adonijah suggested a teaser be put out to get more people talking so they did and sent it to Silverbird. The people at Silverbird, impressed by the little they’d seen, agreed to run the teaser without payment. Ben Murray-Bruce himself called Niyi on the phone to commend the good work and to offer the free use of his Abuja cinema for the premiere. To have all this hype for a first project would be any filmmaker’s dream, but for Niyi, it was a nightmare. All these people had invested so much in what they believed was going to be Nigeria’s The Matrix but he knew what he had didn’t even come close.
Niyi and his team realized there was nothing to do at this point but to jump on the hype surrounding the movie and release it. They decided on Friday the 30th of July 2010 as the date for the premiere.
The Kajola post-production team at the premiere. From L-R: Rume Omojituko (music), Charles Paulinus (Motion graphics), Niyi Akinmolayan (Director), Bode Adewole (Matte Painting), and Bisi Adetayo (3D animation)
Opening weekend was a mess. The reviews were scathing, and the movie got pulled from cinemas two days after it premiered. Niyi stayed away from the public eye for two years to avoid humiliation but this didn’t help because angry people who had paid to see the movie found his social media accounts and insulted him there.
A lot of people look back on Kajola and see it as that N130 million disaster but it was so much more than that. It inspired upcoming filmmakers who, mentored by Niyi, went on to make their own sci-fi short film. Kajola might have been a failed experiment but its mistakes taught the original members of Anthill Productions the dos and don’ts of filmmaking, and since then, almost all of them have gone on to do great things.
As for Niyi, he’s gone on to become a prolific filmmaker, directing critically acclaimed movies like Make A Movie (2015), a Nigerian dance musical film; The Adventures of Lola and Chuchu, a 3D animated series; The Arbitration (2017), a Nigerian romantic movie currently available on Netflix; and The Wedding Party 2 (2017), which is currently the highest grossing Nollywood movie of all time.
A classic example of a massive failure being a stepping stone to greatness.
If you never saw Kajola, here’s the trailer:
Also, check out the sci-fi short films made by Niyi’s protegees, Eri Umusu and Genesis William.
1. State of Emergency
Directed by Teco Benson, this movie told the story of a group of terrorists (they were former soldiers) who kidnap and hold 9 Ministers hostage.
The movie starred Saint Obi, J.T Tom West, Kunle Coker, Rachael Oniga and many others.
If you somehow haven’t seen this movie, you should. It is hands down, the best action movie Nollywood has produced till date. There is this one scene where Saint Obi saves Rachael Oniga’s son from a bomb blast that will make you shout “Wawu!”.
2. Most Wanted
This movie tells the story of 4 unemployed female graduates who are unable to find jobs so they decide to go into armed robbery instead. Dressed as men, they carry out all their operations smoothly. The movie starred Regina Askia, Ibinabo Fiberesima, Liz Benson and also Genevieve Nnaji in her first movie role ever. Also, a lot of people don’t know this but “Most Wanted” was pretty much a rip-off of the American movie “Set It Off”.
3. Issakaba
Issakaba had FIVE PARTS. This is the first thing you need to know. It was pretty awesome though so that shouldn’t really bother you. It was about a time when corruption was all over the place so a group of vigilantes took it upon themselves to cleanse the land using juju and supernatural powers. It starred Sam Dede, Chiwentala Agu, Amaechi Muonagor, Susan Obi and a lot of other familiar faces. How insane is it that pretty much every Nollywood movie has like 4-5 parts?
4. Kajola
Kajola was supposed to be groundbreaking. It was different from anything Nollywood had seen at the time. It was a dystopian Sci-Fi/Action movie set in the year 2059. It was about a bleak future version of Lagos where all the rich people had moved to The Island and the third mainland bridge had been destroyed, leaving all the people left on the mainland to fight for survival. It starred Desmond Elliot and a bunch of other familiar faces. The only thing wrong with this movie was the special effects. The filmmakers had awesome ideas, like this shot of the Third Main Land bridge destroyed in the year 2059…….
……but they didn’t have the funds and technology to back it up and because of this, the movie’s special effects were terrible. Like Play Station 1 terrible. It was so sad. You should still see it though.
Now that you know some of the awesome Nollywood action movies, check out this next article to see a list of the greatest Nollywood movies of all time!
So naturally, this was us when we heard that there was going to be a sequel to The Wedding Party!!!
And here are 5 reasons why we can’t wait for The Wedding Party 2 to come out:
1. Dunni And Dozie are expecting twins!!
Yes! In keeping with the Nigerian tradition to start dropping babies immediately the wedding is over, behind-the-scene images have revealed that Dunni is pregnant! Whoop! Wouldn’t it be perfect if The Wedding Party 2 ended with the delivery? Hello Dunzie Jr!
2. The Wedding Party grossed a record 3.5billion at the box office and we can’t wait to see if The Wedding Party 2 will beat this record!
The Wedding Party remained sold out in cinemas all over the country for weeks after its official release. We can’t wait to see how well the sequel does. Although if all this growing anticipation is anything to go by, we suspect it’ll be a smashing success!
3. We also can’t wait to see if some of that post-engagement chemistry between Banky and Adesua will carry unto the big screen.
If you didn’t know these two are now engaged, you’re slacking and there’s no amount of elastic that can fix it. We can’t wait to troop into the cinema to see if these two are loved up for real, or if all that engagement talk was just publicity for the movie (because we have trust issues).
4. There’s an even bigger and more hilarious cast!
If you thought the cast of The Wedding Party was star-studded, The Wedding Party 2 has an even bigger cast with many returning acts and a few new ones such as Dakore Egbuson Akande, Omoni Oboli, Seyi Law and our one and only ChiGul acting as an Immigration officer!
5. Aand the movie is not out yet but there’s already so much drama!
According to the official synopsis, The Wedding Party 2: Destination Dubai is centred on Dozie’s brother, Nonso (Enyinna Nwigwe), who while on a date with Dunni’s oyinbo friend Deirdre (Daniella Down) – who was crushing on him anyhow in the first movie – somehow managed to propose by accident. How someone proposes by accident we don’t know, but we suppose that’s the suspense these people want to kill us with.
If you too can’t wait to watch The Wedding Party 2 do like this:
And now, if you need help getting into your The Wedding Party vibes, this post should do the trick!
If the comedy is set in a rich home, these are the rules to follow.
1. First things first. Mr. Ibu has to be in it.
Nigerian comedy movie that doesn’t have Mr. Ibu. Is that one Nigerian comedy movie?
2. His name in the movie will be Mr. Ibu and you must have him play a gateman or driver.
Because at this point, John Okafor plays the exact same character in every movie he appears in.
3. Have there be an amebo housegirl that the driver/gateman can gossip with from time to time.
Everybody loves a good amebo partner.
4. The gateman must flirt with the housegirl in every scene they’re in together and the housegirl will PLAYFULLY reject his advances.
She has to play “hard to get” na.
If the comedy is set in a village, these are the rules to follow.
5. If the movie’s main characters are poor, have them be uneducated too. Make their illiteracy really obvious by having them speak nonsense English from time to time.
Mr. Ibu must be the husband and Ngozi Ezeonu must be the wife.
6. The man must be a womanizer who is stingy to his family but gives the little money he makes to all his side chicks.
Because men are scum.
7. Because of the stingy womanizing husband, the wife must be a nagger.
GIVE ME MONEY FOR SOUP JOOR YOU SHAMELESS BASTARD!!!
8. To make the lives of the poor family worse (funnier), make them have one son who keeps getting in trouble because of “get rich quick schemes”.
This child will either be Aki or Pawpaw.
If the comedy is set in a Nigerian university, these are the rules to follow.
9. The main character must be a young girl. A new student in 100 level.
An innocent fresher.
10. The actress playing the main character MUST be obviously older than a real life 100 level student.
Like this Yoruba movie I saw one time where FATHIA BALOGUN (48 Years Old) played a 200 level student and FUNSHO ADEOLU (also 48 Years Old) played a Fresher.
11. She must be from one of the three major tribes in Nigeria Make her tribe really obvious by giving her an intense native name.
If she’s Igbo, name her NKECHI. If she’s Yoruba, name her SHAKIRAT . If she’s Hausa, name her SALAMATU.
12. Make her nice and naive so eventually she’ll join bad gang.
So she’ll start raising shoulder.
13. Have something terrible (almost) happen to her so she will change her life and go back to being a good girl.
At this point you should know what movie I just made reference to. Lol
Now that you know the rules to making a comedy movie in Nollywood, read this next article that details how to fall in love according to Nollywood.
