By Ali Baylay

Starring: Ramsey Nouah, Magid Michel, Nse Ikpe-Etim, Mercy Johnson, Desmond Elliot,Omoni Oboli; Screenplay: Uyai Ikpe-Etim/Bula Aduwo; DOP: Austine Nwaolie/Issac Martins; Executive Producers: Emem Isong, Desmond Elliot; Editor: Uche-Alex Moore; Producers: Emem Isong, Desmond Elliot; Director: Daniel Ademinokan; Assistant Director: Desmond Elliot. c.2009

Guilty Pleasures is one of the few Nollywood productions that’ll surely go into cinematic history as a classic. To a large extent it has the makeup and flare of Citizen Kane. Terso in Guilty Pleasures shares the insolence and self righteousness of Orson Welles in Citizen Kane in his Zanadu mansion.  Just the way Welles idolizes Susan Alexander, so Terso idolizes Liz in Guilty Pleasure and they do so to a fault that cause their happiness to go asunder.

Guilty Pleasures is a narrative of two divorced wives telling how they were each robbed out of their marriages. Each story has a semblance of classic Hollywood: Citizen Kane on one hand and Fatal Attraction on the other. The stories are told interchangeably by the two and the screenwriters Uyai Ikpe-Etim and Bula Aduwo do so cleverly without confusing viewers. In one account the wife throws the husband out, and in the other, the rich husband cannot help but throw the pig back into the sty.

Kinetchi (Rob Loner) is a photographer who on a gig, runs into Boma (Mercy Johnson) and have a one night stand with her and vanishes out of his life at least, for a moment. Later, their path crosses and it is portraits after portrait at the beach and a night at her pad. When Kinetchi too vanishes obviously on a honeymoon with a newly wed, Boma is stressed out and goes into a massage parlor. While there, the newly wed wife Nse (Omoni Oboli) visits and she’s introduced to Boma and found out that Boma is an interior decorator.  She invites Boma to their house for a dinner and sleepover. Boma,  having come to know this lady stole her heart jumps on the invitation. While Kinetchi’s wife sleeps, he tiptoes into Boma’s room more to satisfy an insatiable desire for her than for her to get out of his life. They’re caught having it out in the living room and he lost the marriage.

The other guilty pleasures take place in the household of Terso. He is a wealthy man of good taste who showers his wife with anything beautiful, but his attention. Terso’s attention could not be dissuaded from his business meetings and trips in exchange for the attention to his wife, so when Terso’s wife takes his photographer younger brother Bobby (Magid Michel) from the airport, at first there’s love-hate introductory relationship between them.  Bobby is young and hot, and every young girl’s dream, especially any girl posing for his camera will fall under his spell and warmth, as did his brother’s wife Liz, an old model. She in turn has been missing the glare and glamour of showbiz coupled with Bobby’s presence in the house, fills the vacuum created by Terso’s absence from her bedroom. She falls prey to Bobby’s almost psychotic gesture towards her, and allows him to deflower the long buried flame of desire in her. That is how Eve (Liz) left Eden.

One cannot review this movie without looking at the line up of the cast. No one other than Ramsey Nuoah would have played the character of Terso more exactly than himself. He has the persona and the perfect grit  for the role. Ramsey has played mostly affluent Nollywood roles to the point that he can be typecast. Most of all, forget the skin tone, the camera loves him. He doesn’t pose he acts and he delivers in Guilty pleasures. Other surprising acts that capture ones attention are those of Magid Michel and Mercy Johnson. Both roles are either psychotic or bordering on  neurotic. You can hear it in their deliveries, in their actions, their laughters and in their behaviors. I think the authors of this remarkable work are portraying artists as loonies.

If there’s a focal attention in Guilty Pleasures, that attention belongs to Ramsey Nouah. Like I said earlier, his acting in this flick is a carbon copy of Orson Welles at both the height of his glory and his downfall-losing his wife. And he acts with such integrity and persona that George Clooney would envy. In the whole movie he’s neither too aloof in the beginning nor softhearted in the end.

I can bet my bottom dollar on Guilty Pleasures to make your evening grande. The energy that went on to produce this movie is visible on the screen. Thanks to Desmond Elliot and partner for having such a sumptious production. An engrossing story! Guilty Pleasures is a romantic, nostalgic, and a sentimental presentation, period. 

By Ali Baylay

EXECUTIVE IMAGE MOVIES and FRANCO FILMS. Starring: Olu Jacobs, Larry Koldsweat, Alex Osifo, Saidu Balogun, Francis Duru, Bimbo Akintola; Screenplay/Director: Akinlosotu Femi Despy; Producer: Larry Koldsweat. 145 mins; C 2009.

 AFTERWARD: Nnamdi marries Sandra, Scorpion marries Iky. The law finally caught up with Sandra and Scorpion and they served two years each, Chairman served 20 years. Nnamdi pays the medical bill of his bad uncle, Iche Okorie, and also pays the university tuition for the uncle’s daughter.

Unwritten is a drama based on one  family’s land dispute between the son, Nnamdi (Francis Duru), the rightful owner and his uncle, Iche Okorie (Alex Asifo), who wrongfully claims ownership. In the process of owning the property, he plots with the police, to pin armed robbery on Nnamdi but as his good luck should have it, he’s able to escape to the city in search of a friend but unluckily falls in the hands of a gang of three women who live by crime and reports to a hoodlum who goes by the name of Chairman.

Upon falling in the hands of the gang, the leader, Sandra (Bimbo Akintola), sexually depraved,  assumes influence over the vulnerable Nnamdi and even to the point of having him in bed but she’s disappointed and annoyed but keeps her cool until they use Nnamdi in one of their capers and Scorpion kills a man. Nnamdi with his saintly character gets the true nature of the group which habors him and runs from there into an old friend, who hires him as a driver.

While driving one night, he happens upon a heist just taken place and rescues a young lady.  Sandra and her gang are the culprits, unbeknown to both him and the gang, but the lady forgot her purse in Nnamdi’s car. Upon returning the handbag to the owner, Nnamdi finds himself account position in a construction company belonging to her father, Alhaji Usman (Olu Jacobs), who’ll not allow Nnamdi have relationship with his daughter, for differences in religion and culture. Sandra on a visit to Alhaji, obviously her sugar daddy, discovers Nnamdi in his employ and soon after while Nnamdi is fired from the job, Sandra and her gang go on the run from the law. Meanwhile in the village, the wicked uncle is fallen onto hard times, abandoned by both his wife and two sons recently deported from America. Alhaji comes face to face with Nnamdi,  over the sale of Nnamdi’s land to him. Alhaji is subdued, humbled and ashamed once he finds the true sense of integrity in Nnamdi, and even allows Nnamdi and his daughter have tit a tete, something unimaginable before this meet. Film ends.

Unwritten has two distinct plot lines: family feud based on land and a caper. Writer/Director, Akinlosotu Femi Despy, puts too much on his plate in this movie but manages to pull it off by stage managing the two plots as a counterpoint to each other until they converge amicably at a successful resolution. Though these two themes could have run independent of each other, as they did sometimes leaving one theme hanging in the air for almost half an hour,  in the process of interweaving them, Depsy did commit a literary crime of interjecting surprising scenes and incidents with no cause and effect. I feel cheated but all the same grateful for a wonderful production.

By Ali Baylay 

EXECUTIVE IMAGE MOVIES & FRANCO FILMS presents Emeka Ike, Uche Jombo, Uche Elendu, Queen Nwokoye, Emeka Enyiocha, Adoara Okoh; Story: Collins Chidebe; Production Manager: Solomon Apeti; Associate Producer: Uche Elendu; Director: Mac-Collins Chidebe;  129 mins. 2008

 Screenwriter, Nkem Alu’s use of a clever motif (oversize picture of a naked man placed at a focal point in the primary location of the movie) quite justifies its theme: nestfull of not-too-young-spinsters, whose biological clocks are out of whack,  laying in their nest awaiting vulnerable bachelors and cheating husbands. Koko Babes is a farce with poor production by a large measure. In some cases it touches on serious themes like serial killings and four-one-nines with no serious outcomes to affect the advancement of the story.

 Digressions and subplots aside, Koko Babes is a story of four spinsters (Princess/Uche Elendu; Esther/Uche Jombo; Halima/Queen Nwokoye; Titi/Udora Ukoh) each out to get one guy they admire , a local star (DJ/Emeka Ike) and to get him in bed.

 At the beginning of the film, Princess runs upon promoters putting up fliers about a local celebrity’s upcoming musical appearance at a local night club. She grabs some of the fliers, gets back into her car and runs home to her nest, their nest (spinsters) and lies that her boyfriend DJ, will be performing at a local club in town. Though the gang did not buy into the lie outright, they half convince and with envy, that there must be element of truth in Princess’s claim. Now, with the exception of Halima, Esther and Titi too want DJ for themselves. From thereon, is Esther and Titi versus Princess, and altercations after altercations, stand offs after stand offs, and near-fight after near-fight ensue.

 Writer Nkem Alu builds a little dramatic tension here to the climax, when all the girls and even Halima look to the day of DJ appearance at the club. Not much ado in this scene but it surprises viewers when DJ falls for innocent Halima, and the story ends.

 Half of Koko Babes’part one doesn’t in any way contributes to the story except the expositions about killing cheating husbands in hotel rooms and making away with lot of loots. Part two has meaning, tension and direction.

 If I could guess one essence of this movie, is that stardom in both Nollywood and Gollywood has taken off in the same way the western world views their celebrities: Do whatever it takes to get closer to the stars, and don’t mind losing your soul in the process. If the writer’s intended objective was to write humor, the incidental killings in part one would not have been done on a serious note. But these incidents really injured our viewing pleasure of this half-baked humor.

I DIDN’T IMPREGNATE MY DAUGHTER, SAYS ACTOR OBI

Ernest Obi is a household name in Nollywood. As an actor and film director, he has seen the good, the bad and the ugly sides of the film industry and life itself. Being a star, Obi’s life is not devoid of controversy. One of the controversies that have dogged his life is when his ex-wife accused him of impregnating his step-daughter a number of times and subjecting the girl to several bouts of abortions. In this interview with DAVID AJIBOYE, Obi who is president of Actors Guild of Nigeria, Lagos Chapter, talked about his crashed marriage, the movie industry, his most embarrassing moment among others.

What is the most embarrassing moment of your life?
When my ex accused me of impregnating my daughter several times and had her terminate them. I was pushed to the wall and it got me thinking of murder. My woman and I separated in 2007 and she moved to London. I think she heard of my impending marriage to my fiancee and was angry so she came up with the allegations . I almost died. Two days later, she called me to apologise. I asked her to tell the press the truth but she said she could not face the world. I also could not go round to say it was a lie so we left it like that.

What could have been her reason for doing such a thing?
I don’t know and I don’t want to know. It is no longer important. I have moved on with my life. Let God judge between the two of us.

What was your reaction then?
The day I heard of it, I didn’t know what to do at first because I was confused. Absentmindedly, I walked into a church. Tears just ran down my face. I told the pastor what had happened and he asked the congregation to pray for me. I really thank that pastor and my fiancé who stood by me. Her friends mocked her but she told them that I could not do such a thing.

What do you think is the reason marriages are crashing especially among artistes?
Marriages are breaking up everywhere and it is not restricted to artistes alone. I always tell people not to get into a relationship out of pity. It is the worst thing you can ever do to yourself.

What attracted you to the lady you want to marry?
It is the fact that she does not see me as an actor. She sees me as her husband, friend and above all, someone she can talk to. If I make the wrong move, she tells me straight to my face without blinking and without caring if I am angry or not. She is a very principled person, down to earth and believes in me.

Any marriage intention?
We are looking at having the traditional marriage this December, although we are having an argument that December is not a very good time for people to attend functions. However, we are still considering it.

Where did you meet her?
She came to register to act about seven years ago. I saw her and told her not to act. She asked why because she had already paid for the form but I told her not to act and that was how the whole thing started.

Was the other lady still in your life then?
No. We had our problems then and we were separated.

Does your previous lover have children for you?
Yes. She has two children for me. She is in England with them.

What part of your fiancée’s body appeals to you most?
Every part of her body appeals to me. If you see her, you will understand what I am saying. She is an angel and the love of my life.

What does she do?
She works with an IT firm here in Lagos. She studied Linguistics and majored in French.

Can you tell us about your family and educational background?
My father was Chief Dara Onyia Egwu, the Oba 1 of Ukpor. He married many wives but my mother was the first. I attended Onward Nursery and Primary School, Surulere, and Baptist Academy Secondary School. From there, I went to the University of Ife, where I studied Dramatic Arts and majored in directing.

How was growing up among your sisters like?
It was fun. I was my daddy’s pet. I slept in his bed even while I was still in secondary school. He helped me to have focus. I was extremely comfortable while growing up. I thank God for my life because I almost became a girl. My sisters doted on me.They thought I looked like a girl so, they would always want to do girlish things to me like apply lipstick on my lips until my mother came back from the U.S. and screamed that they should stop turning her only son into a girl.

How do you see women?
I respect women a lot. Maybe, it is because I grew up among women. However, women are the most difficult species on earth. Men are generally childish. We love attention. We want to be pampered even when it is not necessary. Women, on the other hand, are very complicated. They are like picking a piece of cloth from the middle of a pile. If you are in a hurry, you will rumple it all. So, you take it one piece at a time until you get to that one you want.

There is this complaint about professionalism in Nollywood. What is your take on that?
I disagree totally with you. I don’t understand what you mean by professionalism. People who started from nothing are now making something out of nothing. I think that is the height of professionalism.
Being a professional is not holding a PhD in a particular field. It takes dedication and commitment to become a professional. If you have a PhD and you are not dedicated to that field, you will fail.

When did you become famous?
I don’t know because I started from stage and moved to TV. I think what actually sent me into the limelight was the role I played in The Glamour Girls. In the film, I cooked and washed my girl’s underwear. I did it perfectly that I caught the fancy of filmmakers. After that it went on and on.

Do you think you have arrived at the peak of your career?
No, I have not even gone half way. I need to be able to buy a car for myself, my mother, buy property, open schools and others without shaking. With the way things are in Nigeria, one needs to sit up to survive. There is no money in this country and majority of the people are crying. Yet, the banks were giving N88billion to individuals. To be frank, I have not arrived at the peak of my career at all, I still have a long way to go.

Was there a time you thought you went into the wrong profession?
No. It is a dream come true. I was once a manager in a shipping line and I also manned a company, but I was never happy. Nothing in life would have made me happier than acting.

Was there a time your parents thought or felt you chose the wrong career?
Initially, my mum thought so. She thought I was too intelligent to be acting. She thought I should be outside the country where my sisters are. I am extremely stubborn, so when she realised I was bent on doing it, she left me alone and today, she is enjoying it.

Pains and gains of fame
You cannot balance it out. Sometimes, it paves way for you but at other times, it becomes the reason why you will be hated and humiliated. There are occasions where police will recognise you and allow you to pass but there are days when they will be stubborn simply because they feel you are pompous. People also disrespect you because they feel you are better than them even when you don’t feel so. Sometimes, someone may call you when you are sleeping and if you tell him or her to call back, they take offense. I can go on and on.