MOVIE RUN By Shaibu Husseini

DANGEROUS BABE

Producer – Kingsley Ogoro

Director  - Chico Ejiro

Actors – Regina Askia Williams, Charles Okafor, Ayo Adesanya Hassan, Paul Obazele

The producer’s first choice for a movie cop Ayo Emmanuel returns in Dangerous Babe and for the umpteenth time Ayo finds himself playing a cop as if that is all he is good at. But the story is not about the gangling and ebony black “screen cop”. Somehow the plot zeroed in on Janet Obahon (Regina Askia-Williams) who walks into a conspiracy and earns a jail term. Rita (Ayo Adesanya Hassan) her friend who was responsible for the death of her husband Steve (Paul Obazele) and who planned it all takes on Emeka (Charles Okafor), the family lawyer. She insists on having an affair with Emeka (who has his eyes though on her friend Rita) and also wants her husbands ‘will’ altered. Janet soon gets out of jail and predictably she falls in love with Emeka. Not pleased, Rita frustrates the relationship. But by some stroke of luck, Emeka steps on a revelation that finally nails Rita. The movie rolls to its climax when Emeka eventually weds Janet.

Ogoro and Chico’s got something gripping here even though it was obvious that realism was sacrificed for aesthetics. It was evident too that the crew took so many things for granted and so details became second place. There were a few drawbacks aside the unpardonable synch problem with the songs Janet mimed to and wrong institutional representation like where a suspect was hounded into jail without proper investigation. In the flick, Regina Askia was introduced as Janet Obahon. This leaves her as someone from the Edo/Delta axis. But when she soliloquized at some point, she did it in Efik? Also there was something not just right with some of the costumes. The warders in the flick were presented as if they were private guards. It seemed as though there was no costume and make-up artist on set? Well a good costume and make-up artiste would have properly made up and costumed Janet if for nothing to justify time lapse after she got out of jail.

But see this.  Aside the drawbacks, this movie with the signature of the self proclaimed Mr Prolific of the Movie- Chico Ejiro, makes for an interesting viewing and has a number of life lessons to teach. Great soundtrack and spectacular performances especially by Charles Okafor, Ayo Adesanya Hassan and Paul Obazele.

WHAT GOD HAS JOINED TOGETHER

Producer – Gabriel and Damian Moses

Director   - Ifeanyi Azodo

Actors      - Patience Ozokwo, Ini Edo, Tony Umez, Steph Nora Falana and others

Here is one of those efforts with a suggestive title. It falls in the category of the “title say it all stuff”. There is just nothing more left to see in this flick when from the title alone, the producers have suggested that there is no stopping what God has destined. That was the synopsis the title suggested but this didn’t play out like that though. Rather than allow Ada played by Ini Edo and Harry played by the stiff actor Tony Umez to remain man and wife despite the mounting odds, the producers choose to end the movie gratingly for Umez and on a happy note for Ini who survived the devious antics of her in-laws.

The story. Harry married to Ada, secures a visa to travel abroad. Henry assures that he will keep in touch and provide for her upkeep. He does even against the wish of members of his immediate family. Irked by Harry’s over abundant expression of love to Ada, Harry’s mum and younger sister Janet (Patience Ozokwo) and Sandra (Steph Nora Falana) descend on a helpless Ada. Harry returns and he is cowed into divorcing Ada. He sends her packing and allows himself to be forced into another marriage that turns out a disaster. With counseling from a priest Ada picks up again, re-marries and repudiates all attempts to settle her scores with Harry. We are told via a postscript that Harry was eventually forgiven while Ada and her new love lived happily ever after.

On the whole, this is involving and it entertains too even though some of the scene didn’t enjoy the right amount of light. It made some of the scenarios to appear improbable. A few of us didn’t even find probable those shots that were intended as “offshore shots”. Those locations don’t look a bit like Europe. We found incomprehensible, the attempt to re-create Europe just by asking someone to pose outside a building with those winter dresses.

See it. One plausible aspect of the flick aside its didactic content is the fact that the movie with a collection of some of the sectors famous faces, threw up an actress who if given the right push will go places. Here again is Ini Edo. Ini was believably in character. She didn’t allow herself to be dwarfed at all by the older hands in the flick. Her steady characterization and Ifeanyi Azodo’s directorial effort gave this movie its credit.