MOVIE RUN By Shaibu Husseini

MY BEST FRIEND

Producer – Michael Ezeanyache (OJ)

Director – Andy Amanechi

Actors – Omotola Ekeinde, Ngozi Ezeonu, Charles Ukpong, Enebeli Elebuwa and others

Mama (Bukky Ajayi) seeks the divorce of Bridget (Ngozi Ezeonu) on account of childlessness. Godwin or sometimes-called Godi (Enebeli Elebuwa) her son puts up a resistance. To placate her in-laws Bridget seeks her best friend Uju (Omotola Jalade Ekeinde) and talks her into accepting to have a child for her husband- a way of securing her marriage. Well Uju accepts the offer painstakingly though but what was not established at this point was the condition in which the ‘contract’ was entered. The twist comes when Uju consults a sorcerer to secure Godi’s attention. She succeeds but the caveat is for her to return to the sorcerer every six month to renew the spell. Well somewhere in the story Bridget is confirmed pregnant but she soon looses the pregnancy to Uju’s evil machinations. Just when Bridget thinks all is lost she ridiculously gets help from her late mum, gets pregnant again and hey! she is delivered of a baby boy. With help no longer coming from the sorcerer for Uju, a once shackled Godi is freed. He seeks Bridget. Uju is pardoned and they all live happily ever after.

A riveting encounter, My Best Friend came through as a dramatization of one of those fictions that are served in the weekly issues of some of the popular soft sell magazines. Its an unlikely Nigeria telling perhaps because of the way the plot was executed. But this was one movie that had a lot of things going for it. Except for the stiff steward and security officer Lekan Salako, this is one movie that pulled a good cast. The elder artiste Bukky Ajayi was at home in her role as Mama so for Tony Umole who was outstandingly in character in his role as Pastor Peter. No Umole, a veteran of Nigerian soaps, made those other screen pastors look like clowns. He interpreted his role with quiet confidence.

Stock the movie if you like movies with good scenery, appropriate theme and mood music, rich costumes, crisp pictures and right set materials. You are likely not going to be alone if you find the story incomprehensible - not with the fabulous and illogical way it was treated. But see it though. You may be inspired to keep some of your friends away from your matrimonial home. That seemed the intended message but it wasn’t impactful probably because it was Bridget who set the stage for the misfortune she suffered.

MY MOTHERS MARRIAGE

Producer- Chuks Anthony

Director- Alex Mouth

Actors- Ofiafuluagu Mbaka, Ben Nwosu, Stephnora Okere, Ayo Mogaji, Sylvester Madu and others

Thought with movies like “What I Want” and “Love without Barriers” and so many others with that thematic thrust movie goers were through with stories with someone threatening a relationship that is built beyond barriers. Well here is a deftly handled addition which Chuks Anthony and Alex Mouth safely titles “My Mother Marriage”. Some other people would have titled this “The Refusal” or wait for this- “My Mama Can’t Stop Me”. Trust some of the folks here with titling.

Anyway Ofiafuluagu Mbaka that well built actor who is steadily improving with each new effort takes another shot at a lead performance here. He was fairly convincing as Chike in this flick with some dot of interesting moments.

The story briefly- Chike in love with one Funke (Stephnora Okere) proposes but Mama Chike played by the actress who plays the devious mother in every flick Patience Ozokwo would choose to take her life than allow her son to “marry a Yoruba girl”. In what is now very typical of the roles Ozokwo interprets, Mama Chike heads to a sorcerer to put a clog in the wheel of progress. By a twist, the oracle approves of the marriage, no thanks to Mama Chike insistence even though aware of the consequences-that the couple would remain childless. 6 years later she brings in one Ijeoma and insists that Ijeoma must marry her son Chike. Moving on now, the table soon turns on Mama Chike. She seeks to upturn the curse on the Chike’s but to do that she must die…

A good movie even though not at par with some of its predecessors, My Mothers Marriage may not have much thematic depth but it represents some 90 minutes of exuberant entertainment. On the score card, it scores low on costumes and lighting and this is aside some noticeable difficulties in transition. But it is roundly watchable. Viewers would like that scene between Mama Funke (Ayo Mogaji) and Mama Chike. The scene played out well. In fact it seem the only remarkable conflict in the entire flick.