SHAKARA
Producer- Anayo Nwafor
Director- Mc Collins Chidebe
Actors- Victor Osuagwu, Uche Jombo, Ofiafuluagu Mbaka, Ricky
Eze and others
The comic actor who is obviously ‘out of circulation’ (he
has not featured in any movie lately and he is not on the list of the ‘banned’
actors) Victor Osuagwu aka ‘Man na Mumu’ and the actress of the Ibinabo and
Adure fame Uche Jombo are the lead actors in this comic encounter that has one
of those titles you flag on a movie when you have no good idea of what to call
it. Shakara simply suggests that the movie would be a pretty simple take on how
human nature changes over time.
The synopsis briefly: Agnes (Uche Jombo) heads to the city on the invitation of her
kinsman Hyginus (Victor Osuagwu). On her arrival in an imagined Lagos, Agnes
who has never traveled out of her village is led into some form of
prostitution. Hyginus got busy fixing her up with men. Months pass and a once
timid Agnes break loose. She becomes a master of the game. The movie however
taxies off at the point where the city dame Agnes is nabbed for trafficking.
This falls in the genre of ludicrous dramatic ideas. But it
was plausibly acted and realized. Its real victory is in the sheer acting
energies of the lead characters particularly that of Uche Jombo and Victor
Osuagwu. But Osuagwu gushed his lines out in most cases uncontrollably so much
that he gave the impression that the movie was unscripted. Someone mentioned
once that it is always difficult to get both Osuagwu and his other half Nkem
Owoh who is popular as Osoufia to abide to a script. This explains why in most
cases they make a disaster of grammatical expressions and make it difficult for
shots to be precise in the movies where they star as lead characters.
If you love Nollywood’s brand of occasional comic
performance that doesn’t generate half the excitement that its making made us
believe it has, you would appreciate this Collins Chidebe account even when the
outcome is telegraphed from the start. But keep a straight face on this and
just enjoy some of Osuagwu’s occasional scene stealing performance and Uche
Jombo’s ‘runs’ in the movie.
AFTER THE FIGHT
Producer – Obinna Okeke
Director – Tchidi Chikere
Actors – Kanayo Kanayo, Stella Damasus, Eucharia Anunobi Ekwu
and others
Amaka Okeleke, the video outlet attendant who recommended
this said we would find it interesting. The only snag being that she does not
think that so much thought went into the casting. When we saw the movie, we
agreed and concluded that the fact that one is a recognizable face does not
make the person a novel concept in a movie.
Let’s attempt a brief synopsis. Jenny (Stella Damasus
Aboderin) is unable to cope with the depression of pregnancy. So she pounces
regularly on her husband Dominic (Kanayo Kanayo) and her elder cousin Jessica
(Eucharia Ekwu). This got Dominic falling out of love with Jenny. He thinks
Jessica is domesticated enough so he settles for her so as to ward of
frustration. The result? Jessica is pregnant and wants to keep it. But Dominic
wants it aborted. She says the pregnancy must stay. The revelation that Jessica
was pregnant for her husband was what later led to Jenny’s untimely death or so
it seemed.
This excites. It is likely to keep you hanging out with it
because there is plenty to enjoy just as there is much to trim off. In fact
this didn’t have to run for about 140 minutes since it was a one plot story-a
nagging wife and a cousin is to the rescue. Here we like to play scenes out
even when just a mention of the event would have served the purpose.
But After The Fight was decently acted and the
convincing performances by its competent cast led by the dependable Kanayo
Kanayo and the watch able Stella Damasus makes some slip here like in
cinematography and continuity easily forgivable.
Stella Damasus was likeable as Jenny but not Eucharia
Anunobi Ekwu. She had a built for a role that made her appear a miscast. But
for Stella’s staying power, Eucharia who more than exaggerates her actions
would have dwarfed the widowed actress. May be it would have worked if the
roles were reversed.
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