enekaith Reviews

Big Love (2023)

The Effort Shows

[7/10 · 24 October 2023]

The Excellence and Flaws of Tradition told in a well known story of boy meets girl, boy falls in love with girl, then the other shoe drops: family drama. Families marry each other. However, this one highlights how the flaws in tradition, cause cognitive dissonance, when it frowns on people we love.

In comparison to most Nigerian scripts, this was a well written familiar story, and the star-studded cast delivered on some levels. Bimbola Ademoye's raw acting talent shines through as usual. Shaffy Bello remains an entertaining watch. Veteran Actor Kalu Ikeagwu has always pulled off the brooding role, but he shows enviable acting chops as the Chief, Leader, and Ruler of the home while being multi-dimensional. He has a certain welcoming warmth, tear-jerking humility, and understanding many children yearn for in a father. The dynamic in his marriage is thought-provoking though. It makes one really think about the strong and unquestionably dominant silent personality type. Our three year old superstar actor- Jedida Joe James (Jayden), was nothing short of brilliant. Timini Egbuson still has miles to go with his acting, but he was believable in a few scenes.

Yes, some chaotic fight scenes and the climax scene could be fine tuned somewhat. But they did the job. It is still a predictable watch, but very enjoyable. The only unrealistic part (for Nigerians) is how things got sorted out. We do not usually settle things that way, but hey- it is still a movie inspired by the Nigerian reality.

So 7 stars for not going over the top unnecessarily, allowing for character depth and growth, and just giving us a feel good movie. A solid watch for anyone who wants to merge their Nigerian roots with the modern times.

Well done.

The Witcher (2019– )

I could not stop watching

[10/10 · 22 December 2019]

As a passive audience participant of gamers to my brother, cousins and male friends, the Witcher has always been talked about and familiar to my ears and eyes. Knowing a movie was coming out of it piqued my interest, the trailers had me locked in to watch and the series? Nothing short of breathtaking.

I loved every aspect of this, I was glued. I finished all 8 episodes in one seating! Every character had a story, an arc, a layer to them. It was wholesome and it all blended in together. Nothing was one dimensional. To top it off, the excellent fight scenes and CGI. Henry Cavill looks and has the exact countenance of the Witcher. I cannot wait for more! Thank you for bringing this gem to peasant non-gamers like myself. I see what the fuss is all about. Time to find the books!

Merry Men: The Real Yoruba Demons (2018)

Improving at a fast pace

[8/10 · 23 September 2019]

We are homegrown and proud. Most Nigerian films are rushed, and tacky with so many plot holes in the story but they're home to Nigerians, made by Nigerians, for Nigerians. This movie was made well. A star-studded cast and veteran actors, you'll laugh, be charmed and notice how less tacky this is. Progress in the sweetest way possible. There is room for improvement, but well done!

Lionheart (2018)

What it means to be Nigerian

[9/10 · 4 January 2019]

Without spoilers: This movie is a lionhearted depiction of what it means to be a decent human being who keeps trying to do what is right, despite evolving cultures, sexes, differences of opinion and the painful history of Nigeria. Without a detailed backstory as to why there is almost a millennium-old ethnic friction among over 300 Nigerian tribes in one country, this movie did an excellent job of portraying the essence of being Nigerian, being a person (male or female) and showing how the country can evolve to live in unity despite cultural differences. It is also an ode to the bond of family, roots of any culture and using the best of both international exposure with being Nigerian to create different facets of what a success story for anyone can be. It had the pleasantly surprising comedy, a fresh take on what predecessors can do for their successors and so many sublime messages touching on love, family, culture, politics, leadership, feminine strength (no nauseating feminism I promise) that can be easy to miss.

Well done Genevieve Nnaji: a movie for all to see. Kudos Naija, keep improving.

Life of the Party (I) (2018)

The sublime messge

[7/10 · 21 June 2018]

This movie is more than just a comedy flick. It has a hidden message that slips in place with the 'me too' movement currently gaining momentum. While some scenes fell flat, the heart-warming message was certainly there. Be open-minded and patient. The directing and story-line may be a bit off-kilter, but it is a feel-good movie with a message most people, or I should say the 'male-sex' are oblivious to.

Proud Mary (2018)

Generous rating, but all support

[7/10 · 3 February 2018]

This was an OK movie. Its progressive to finally put a black woman as the lead character in an action movie (that's why I gave 7 stars). However, I feel the rest of the movie crew had more work to put in, well one person in particular: the director. There were times of unnecessary emotion backed by sappy soundtracks. Some of the characters were more annoying than giving the story solidity and believability. Everything else was well made, just quit it with the sickeningly sweet music scores. Raw emotion the actors displayed does not need all the extras. Real rating would have been 6/10, but Taraji is my 1 star.

Fifty Shades Darker (2017)

Such hate over FICTION!!!

[7/10 · 24 February 2017]

I have read all the books. Twice. America is too conservative for this film. I agree the movie is 'soft porn' to those who like to hide the fact that they sometimes have 'nasty sex'. Everybody has sex, it's human nature. America is throwing a childish tantrum and being hypocritical in it's reception of this movie. That being said, here is my take: Calm the f*ck down. Making a choice to watch this movie is clearly yours alone, if your money feels wasted, then no use crying over spilled milk. I love how unapologetic they were in this one. ALL THE SEX scenes were tastefully done, this movie can not have a story-line without sex. The books are less tame than the movie. Even though it brings a light to certain sexual notions of BDSM, it remains a rated-18 film for only adults to watch. Adults that can't be swayed easily by what they watch, except dumb Americans (in general). Europeans watched this for the entertainment, and the 'love' feel, which the actors did a good job of portraying. I will watch this again because it feeds the pictures i have in my head while reading the novels. The novels do a much better job however. Such judgmental reception of a movie skews quality critique when the only thing people are worried about is their personal feelings when it comes to associating with a potential significant other. It says more about the viewer than the acting or directing.

They did way better in this than the first one. I personally felt Christian and Elliot were too skinny in the first one, but they bulked up. All the actors did good. Mia is my only issue, she is supposed to be way curvier, but oh well, I can live with that. Christian is supposed to be more affectionate with Mia; affectionate enough for Ana to notice how different he acts around her. That is one character development that would have added dimension to his character; made him at least a tad redeemable in the eyes of unnecessarily harsh American critique. If it was Brad Pitt... he'd get a better reception, probably outright acceptance. They almost doubled their money, so that means people are watching but no one wants to admit that they watched it, or liked it.

Watch this as a guilty pleasure. It may not be true BDSM, but then again it is FICTIONAL. (except your brain can't grasp the meaning of the word).

Rush (I) (2013)

Came for Hemsworth, stayed for the movie...

[10/10 · 2 February 2017]

This movie came out a while ago. Years ago. I watched it with a couple of friends, who slept off during the movie. I was too absorbed in it to notice. Simply put: I came for Hemsworth and stayed for the movie. Great casting it was. Hemsworth proved he has some serious acting chops with this movie. Shocking how they did not get some Oscars. This shows to prove the Oscar prejudice affects everyone not American. The end scene, confused my emotions, in a good way (joy, grief, pain, accomplishment, pride, glory and victory). Rivalry with respect is like a jewel in a rock; hard to find, but totally worth it. You can choose to live life to the fullest and burn out early, or take your time and live a long, safe life. the goals of the two protagonists were felt and seen, without it having to be said. I love this movie, and I had no knowledge of racing and Formula 1 prior to this. This movie made me appreciate sportsmanship, why we do what we do, and what makes us tick. I have it on Blu-Ray, it may get old, but it will always be gold.

Excellent Work.

Sherlock: The Six Thatchers (2017) Season 4, Episode 1

A necessary evil, and yet...

[5/10 · 10 January 2017]

I wouldn't go as far to be a harsh critic because of the next episode. They more than made up for it with that one. As someone who loves how much Sherlock stimulates my brain while enjoying the way a story is dissected by their refreshing character development, this one felt like a Sherlockian-out-of-body experience. I guess they needed this for the next awesome episode, yet, i feel they didn't have to drop this low. I dragged myself through the episode expecting something to spark my brain. Sadly, it didn't happen. Compared to their brilliant high standards of writing, this did not match up. A 5 from a loving fan. Please let the quality not be this low again.

Knocking on Heaven's Door (2014)

A huge step in Nigeria's Movie Industry

[7/10 · 25 December 2016]

This movie captures the core of the relationship in any abusive marriage, it's values and the hypocrisy of pride. The cast were good. All portrayed their roles well enough, it was almost seamless. This says a lot for most Nigerian movies. They are usually rushed, quickly made, and not enough time is put into production. Desmond Elliot is a former well-known actor. He took to directing, and he shines through his works. He brings something to the table that most Nigerian directors are yet to grasp, and that is: Depth. Depth of the characters and depth of a story. Majid Michel (Thomas Dacosta), has a passion for acting, we can clearly see he loves acting, and it took him this long (5-8 years) to achieve a believable character in this movie, why? his looks aided his progress in the industry. While he may love to act, he's worked so hard to train a skill, and not a talent, he lacks the raw talent to act, but he has overcompensated with hard work. Too bad, in most of his movies, the overcompensation shows through with, cringe... over- acting. While West Africa has a long way to go in film, this movie depicts our progress thus far. The rest of the actors have the talent to act, but need a lot of refinement. You can see they are naturals but have hiccups with the rules of acting. However, the message is clear, and thought- provoking in aspects of marital bliss, belief, morality, love and spirituality. I am a Nigerian, living in Europe. In order for our movie industry to rub shoulders with the likes of Hollywood, our quantities of movies need to stop overshadowing the qualities of a good movie. It deserves a solid 7, with regards to the backdrop of the Nigerian movie industry. A win that may garner international acclaim.

There's room for improvement.

Into the Woods (2014)

Good acting... average story... acceptable music...not for children

[4/10 · 8 January 2015]

This was a barely OK movie. What ruined it though were the too obvious lyrics and the struggle of the story. This is not a movie for kids but rather one that tries (horribly) to show and point out the loopholes of wishes and fairy tales and the fact that children always listen... even when you think they don't. One loophole was that the FarAway Prince was Charming, but dishonest. Other loopholes were stressing, with bad taste, the differences between being good and being nice, playing the blame game, etc. The fact i was able to deduct all that from the movie was truly a feat because it's not what children would expect. Were they trying to lecture children or adults? Was adultery supposed to be bad or good? Whatever the case may be, the cast was awesome, the story needed more clarity in the message they tried to get across, albeit haphazardly. The only saving grace of the movie was the Rapunzel story.

The Devil's Violinist (2013)

good theme... passable acting

[6/10 · 4 June 2014]

Please, if you are one of those that won't watch a movie simply because it has bad reviews, DON'T watch this. This movie had dimension and a great backstory that most people seemed not to notice. Well, the synopsis covered everything, all the roles were well played except for the lead role himself, Niccolo, but that is passable since he did not have a lot of lines.

I got mashed up at a point during the movie when the reporter got jealous, then I got the plan. The mastermind behind this entire movie is Urbani!!!! That is what should have been standing out to those viewers who just look at the superficial and physical. If anything, try looking at Urbani as the devil in this movie. He freaking asked for Niccolo's soul to be signed to him for the afterlife at the beginning of the movie. That alone got me hooked to see if Niccolo could get his soul back, maybe through the pure love Charlotte had for him. He was foolish though, and Urbani made sure he died not at a ripe and old age by encouraging him in acts of drugs and sex and using it as an avenue to spike his 'medication'. That was ANOTHER critical minor detail that should get all the viewer's attention.

Other characters in this movie did well, Urbani brought everything together with all the snide comments he made at all Niccolo's outbursts. Another big clue!!! All i have to say is if you end up watching the movie, keep a close attention on all Urbani's words, lines, actions, behaviour, etc, and the movie will make more sense.

At the end of the movie, it was written in German that Paganini's body was not allowed to be buried in 'consecrated ground', now if that doesn't tell you what happened to Paganin's soul, I don't know what will.

I liked the movie, but its not something that's worth multiple views.

Noah (2014)

Should have been better

[6/10 · 29 March 2014]

Now this movie is based on the biblical story of Noah, as much as i understood their viewpoint in trying to entertain the audience with all the cinematography, which they accomplished, they twisted the story of Noah to their own benefit by making Ham seem more inclined towards the behaviour of Cain rather than following the bible that never depicted Ham as such. last I remember, ALL Noah's sons had wives before they even entered the ark. Maybe they just did this to leave room for a saga or something...well good luck with that.

I am a firm believer and as i have read the bible with an imaginative mind, this movie did surpass my imaginations by creating a good scenery for the story, and the creative ways they brought in the dove search for land as well as the final words of Noah: 'and so i say to you, be fruitful and multiply' was great.

All in all, the movie was just slightly above average. it would have been better if they did not twist the story so much for entertainment. Everyone knows the story already, the watchers were a great addition, the visions Noah received were amazing on screen, but the 'Ham thing'... that should have been erased.