TOP MOVIES THAT ROCKED NOLLYWOOD IN 2012
 |
| Phone Swap |
endless stream of excellent major studio releases from action, drama, comedy or
romance. The industry saw a great mix of movies throughout 2012.
best, the decision-making process hinged on a few simple questions. Which
movies have stuck around in our minds the longest? Which ones will we
frequently revisit? And, most importantly, which films excelled the most in
their respective genres?
movies that rocked in 2012
‘Phone Swap’ is a romantic comedy produced and directed by
Kunle Afolayan starring Wale Ojo, Nse Ikpe Etim, Chika Okpala (Zebrudaya), Tina
Mba, Joke Silva. The movie is between Akin (an arrogant businessman) and
Mary (a warm hearted fashion designer); who exchanged lives after accidentally
bumping into each other at the airport and mistakenly swapping their phones –
which coincidentally happened to be identical. Completely unaware of the phone swap, this leads to destination mix up after
receiving each other’s travel destination text. As a result of the phone swap,
they agree to facilitate each other’s mission armed with the information/data
on each other’s phone.
But it’s not as easy as they both think as new obstacles and complications rise
at every turn as they both struggle to adapt to their alien environment and
situation.
Mary has to walk in Akin shoes and represent him in a company meeting while
Akin has to represent Mary in her family meeting. This they do with hilarious
results.
Shattered produced by Carol Nguta and directed by Gilbert Lukalia of Kenya is
one of the most highly anticipated film releases of the year, a
first of its kind collaboration between the Kenyan and Nigerian film
industries.Shattered tells
the story of a woman whose traumatic childhood in a seemingly ideal middle
class family becomes a precursor to a life of turmoil, depression, and self
destructive behavior.
Inspired by several true life stories, Shattered is a harrowing watch as the
plot follows the struggle of Keziah Njema (Rita Dominic) to overcome her demons
and downward spiral caused by years of abuse.
Other cast members include Melvin Alusa, Ainea Ojiambo, Mumbi Maina,
Robert Burale.
director Obi
Emelonye released yet another stellar suspense filled
movie Last
Flight to Abuja
starring some of the biggest names in the movie world including Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde,
Hakeem Kae-Kazim, Jide Kosoko, Ali Nuhu, Jim Iyke and Anthony Monjaro .Based on true events. A set of everyday Nigerian traveler’s
board the last Flamingo Airways flight scheduled to fly from Lagos
to Abuja on a fateful Friday night
in 2006. The plane cruises at 30,000 feet, tranquil and on schedule. But like a
bolt out of the blue, through a mixture of human error, technical failure and
sheer bad luck, the plane rapidly develops major difficulties that send it
teetering on the brink of disaster. As the pilots fight with the controls of
the stricken plane, a series of flashbacks unravel the twists, turns and leaps
of fate that put each passenger on the fateful flight. Young lovers, an elderly
couple, a corporate party, a sportsman on the threshold of greatness; all the
passengers are caught up in the nightmare scenario and sense the final moments
of their lives approach
movie hit the cinemas in style, large number of them have been showering
accolades on the cast and crew of the popular movie.
have continued to applaud the captivating story line and stellar cast of ‘The
Meeting’, a new movie from the stable of the Audrey Silva Company (TASC), which
is currently showing in cinemas across Nigerian cities.
Directed by Mildred Okwo and co-produced by Mildred and Rita Dominic, the
romantic comedy, which also stars Rita Dominic and Jide Kosoko, addresses an
array of contemporary issues that resonate with audiences, ranging from love
through African time, to tackling officials and manoeuvring red tape.
The movie has been described by movie buffs in superlative terms such as
“spectacular”, “thoroughly entertaining”, “hilarious” and “a movie that weaves
a love story with serious expose on bribery, but reveals both sides to the
story at the same pace”.
by former CNN and BBC reporter, Charles Aniagolu. Streets of Calabar, which
Charles also wrote and produced, is his first outing as a feature film director
(though he has a masters degree in film production). But what a phenomenal
debut! Charles’s eye for a shot and ear for dialogue, drawn from many years in
front of and behind the camera, along with his writing skills, ability to
create fully fleshed characters and considerable post-production experience,
are credited with giving the movie its strikingly original backdrop, darkly
comic riff and tense, rollicking action-gangster-thriller portrait, which
arguably have helped place Streets of Calabar at the pinnacle of the Nollywood
movement. The movie features Rita Dominic,Wale Ojo, the renowned Keppy Ekpenyong and UK
based actors Anthony Ofoegbu and Maynard Eziashi.
fee fraud) scammer and illegal immigrant recently deported back to his home
country Nigeria
from London. Once there he manages
to wangle his way out of a possible jail term and ends up in the holiday resort
city, Calabar, living with his loyal, much younger British girlfriend Margaret,
who insisted on travelling with him to Nigeria.
Chuks takes on menial jobs to make ends meet, but life is difficult .When he
runs into his old 419 mate, Mike, a Nigerian pleasure seeker who is full of
wild energy and loves to take risks, the two down-on-their-luck friends, with
no jobs and no prospects, soon find themselves back in the criminal world
HEROES AND ZEROES
Top Ghollywood actress, Nadia Buari teamed up with veteran Nollywood stars
like Olu Jacobs, Bimbo Manuel, Tina Mba, Nobert Young, Akin Lewis and other in
making sure that ‘Heroes and Zeroes’ is
a blockbuster movie in Nollywood. Heroes and Zeroes centers on a true story. It tells the story of the
destructive pursuance of Tonia (Nadia Buari) by Amos Fele (Bimbo Manuel). Amos
Fele was a wealthy celebrity director in the Nigerian film industry.
Now, he lives in a ramshackle flat, doing occasional low-paying TV commercials
for nameless products. He’s a daily comic relief on the local soccer practice
pitch: because though he’s already 45 years old, he nurses a new, insane dream
of making it into the dollar-soaked world of international soccer!
His joyless marriage to Tinuke (Tina Mba), a junior bank worker, is crumbling
fast, especially after the death of their only child. A boost to his sagging
spirit comes when a big-budget French-Nigerian film project appoints him as
director. Suddenly, the press begins to (re)celebrate him. Top actors and producers begin
to call him up. To his wife’s distress, Fele also quickly re-establishes his
wane reputation as a first-class womanizer.
Fele becomes obsessed with Tonia, a ravishing beauty and lead actress of the
Nigerian-French film project. Ignoring the warnings of his best friend, Nnamdi
(Norbert Young), a psychology professor, Fele pursues his obsession with Tonia
to its tragic conclusion.
Cast and crew worked on the movie in partnership with entertainment
powerhouse, Koga Entertainment as they put up sterling performances in the
flick. At the technical end, Niji Akanni did not fail to add his midas touch in
directing the movie which was also written by him.
HOODRUSH
Hoodrush is a musical thriller starring some of the best and emerging young
talents in the industry, O.C Ukeje, Gabriel Afolayan, Chelsea Eze, Ijeoma Agu,
Lilian Byoma and host of others. The movie was directed by Dimeji Ajibola, a
new comer in feature film who has done quite a number of production works for
multinationals, media houses and has a number of short films to his credit.
Hoodrush is produced by Flipsyde Studios where Dimeji is the CEO.
Dimeji Ajibola adopted an unusual genre in telling the story about love,
passion, lofty dreams religiously stalked by ‘shattered pro’, daring
ruthlessness… faced in Pursuit of Happiness. The lip synched songs which tow the
Bollywood path, unveils song after song, which triggers off cinematic
restlessness, except you’re a fan or patience happens to be one of your
virtues. It is child’s play when compared to Bollywood’s renowned customary
musical lifestyle powered on the big screen, but it still finds a sense of
identity in the maze of untapped genres in Nollywood.
Two vocally talented brothers Shez (O.C.Ukeje) and Tavia (Gabriel Afolayan)
dangle at the bottom of the social ladder. They dream of breaking into stardom
having entered into series of talent hunt shows. The mega star dream is once
more shattered following a scammed audition of a talent hunt show. Tied down
with the chains of penury, despair and misery, Shez clutches at the straw of
freedom Alhaja Kadisha- AK1 (Bimbo Akintola) offers him. This unwholesome
relationship is financially rewarding and he dives into the pool of greed and
selfishness, scheming to have his record label, but there’s a price he has to
pay.
AWAKENING
Awakening produced by Theresa Ananenu and directed by James Omokwe features
Bryan Okwara, Femi Brainard, OC Ukeje, Kehinde Bankole. When the contents of a
box for centuries is opened, a series of events begins to unfold. Nicholas, a
young advertising agent suddenly begins to have dreams that eventually become
premonitions of his death. In a bid to unravel the mystery he meets an
ambitious journalist who thirst for adventure leads them on a path to an
unimaginable past and their futures are inextricably changed forever when they
uncover the truth about a curse and the existence of an immortal tube
‘Damage’ is a thriller which stars Kalu Ikeagwu and other talented actors. It tells
the story of a married couple who love each other but fight violently almost on
a daily basis, which on the long run affects their marriage and children.It’s a collection
of three distinct but interwoven stories. Aimed at advocacy for social issues,
each story addresses important problems affecting individuals, families and
societies at large. The movie features Uche Jombo, Kalu Egbui Ikeagwu, Tonto Dikeh,
and several other interesting casts. The movie is produced by star actress Uche
Jombo.
I’LL TAKE MY CHANCES
‘I’ll Take My Chances’ is a dance themed movie that is centered on love and
the challenges faced in its pursuit by its two principal characters. The movie
jointly produced by Ini Edo and Emem Isong features Brian Okwarra, Jide Kosoko,
late Sam Loco Efe and Ini Edo herself among others.
I’ll Take My Chances centers on a medley of drama, dance, love and suspense,
which is intended for people who are very passionate about dance and movies but
not like the type often portrayed in most Bollywood films, but this time, it’s
more Nigerian in perspective and philosophy.
Directed by Desmond Elliot, a prolific actor, I’ll Take My Chances is a real
departure from the frequently seen story lines in the movie industry as the
content, style and philosophy behind it distinguishes it from most of the
scripts daily churned out by directors and producers alike.
DR BELLO
If ever there was a star-studded movie it would be the film written,
produced and directed by American based Nigerian filmmaker, Tony Abulu, titled:
Doctor Bello. In fact, it has been described as one of the most anticipated
movies of 2012.The mix of American and Nigerian movie stars that took part in the film shot
on location in the United States of America
and Nigeria,
also gives the choice audience of Nollywood stakeholders and lovers of the
Nigerian film industry reason to jeer.
The story is about a Cancer specialist, Dr. Michael Durant (Isaiah Washington)
who is troubled emotionally, due to the traumatic loss of his 10-year-old
daughter from the said ailment. He immerses himself in his work in the
hospital, away from his wife (Vivica J. Fox) who blames him for their child’s
death and eventually leaves him.
Dr. Durant forms a bond with a sick seven-year-old boy Sam (Evan Brinkman),
the son of a rich Jewish-American couple, who are major contributors to the
hospital’s cancer research fund and are desperate for good news about Sam.
Unfortunately, Sam’s health deteriorates drastically and soon, he slips into
a coma, with only a few days to live. Dr. Durant becomes desperate, willing to
risk anything to save the child’s life. A Nigerian nurse (Ebbe Bassey) convinces
him to seek the help of Dr. Tayo Bello (Jimmy Jean-Louis), an uncertified
Nigerian doctor, known in the Brooklyn-African underground as a miracle worker.
Dr. Bello, an introvert with a controversial past, secretly visits the child
at night and administers a strange African potion replete with incantations and
by the next morning, miraculously, the child begins to recover, the cancer
speeding into remission.The hospital’s medical board immediately orders an investigation and soon
the secret is revealed and Dr. Durant is suspended. Dr. Bello is arrested and
charged with medical malpractice. Durant soon falls into depression after his
wife leaves him.Meanwhile, Bello has fallen
critically ill in jail and can only be saved by the ingestion of the same
potion that can only be found in the mysterious Garden
of Life, nestled on the peak
of Idanre hills in Ondo
State of Nigeria.
It is the story of Durant’s quest to Nigeria
for a cure for cancer where he finds much more than he bargained for.
actors give a good account of themselves leaving no doubt that they are true
professionals
directed by award winning director Elvis Chucks and features Funke Akindele,
Patience Ozokwor, Helen Paul, Bishop Ime Umoh.
trader with no opportunity of education, having ONE WISH, to see her child go
to school and explore the opportunities she never had but faith struck, she had
to struggle to achieve her dreams against all odds. Finding out she has a few
years to live after being diagnosed of cancer.
- HOW TO DRESS LIKE PARISIAN WOMEN: ACHIEVING EFFORTLESS CHIC - August 14, 2024
- THE BRAVE ADVENTURE OF JOSH THE GREAT: A FAITH-FILLED JOURNEY OF COURAGE AND FORGIVENESS - August 14, 2024
- FASHION AND BEAUTY ICONS FROM AROUND THE WORLD - July 28, 2024
