By Ali Baylay

A Devine Touch film. Starring: Genevieve Nnaji, Ramsey Nuoah, Kofi Adjorlolo, Mercy Johnson, Jackie Appiah, Smith Asante. Editor: Uche Ike; Producers: Emeka Igwemba, Kinsley Okereke, Ikechukwu Onyeka; Executive Producers: Emeka Igwemba, Kinsley Okereka, Ikechukwu Onyeka;  Director: Ikechukwu Onyeka; Screenplay: Chisom Juliet Okereke. Run Time: 148mins.

Sleepwalker is a vengeance film and by Nollywood standard, this film is a class act. Too much seriousness went into making this film. It all starts with the lineup of  Nollywood heavy weights like Ramsey Nuoah, Genevieve Nnaji, Koffi Adjorlolo, and Smith Asante, and fabulous locations and wardrobe,  and interprets so on screen in a steller act that could go on to become Nollywood movie of the year.

Sleepwalker, is a movie about a girl, Francisca-later in the story, Angel (Genevieve Nnaji) whose parents are murdered in front of her at a tender age, by Chief Diminas (Kofi Adjorolo). Though Francisca’s  trauma wore off with time, but by the time she becomes an interior designer, and named Angel, and placed in a special assignment with Chief Diminas, the old anger locked in the deep recesses of her psychic, returns.

To add juice to the story’s main plot, there’s this fascinating little sub-plot in which Stone (Smith Asante), manager of interior designing company, is cajoled into making love with Angel in the name of a bribe so she can win the contract by  way of getting to the chief. Angel unremorsely falls out with her room mate (Stone’s girlfriend) over this juiceless rendezvous, and in fact  works out on her onto becoming a society woman, as she marries Chief Diminas. Here the protagonist and the antagonist are placed under one roof, same bedroom, in marrital relationship-sleeping with the enemy.

Another interesting sub-plot to this vengeance story is the shrewed ploy of  Angel to destroy the chief completely by first dating the chief’s son, drops him off like a penny with a hole in it, and along the way, fires the chief’s confidential secretary-cum girl friend, before then secretly connived with chief’s young lawyer and confidant, Justin (Ramsey Nuoah) to bring the chief down.

At about this time in a review, when much of the good has been said, it is customary to bring out the other side of the film that could stand out  as a flaw. The  unscreen presence of Mercy Johnson (Beth), for whatever reason, do not contribute to the story at all. Such parts do not meet her status as a major Nollywood player. In other words such bit parts are introductory parts for Nollywood newbies. In structure and composition for commercial films, a scene that do not forward the story is not necessary. 

Sleepwalker has great moments and I believe much could have been made of those moments, but not the same much was made of them.

By Ali Baylay

The last time I was ridiculed, confused, and puzzled by a literary genre was when I read Wole Soyinka’s Interpreters. I read it twice with no success at understanding the novel, until an O’level class friend of mine recommended Fourah Bay College Edred Jones’ treatise, Interpreters Interpreted. Even at that, I can’t hardly have intelligent discourse on the Interpreters. In all my movie reviewing experience, Wicked Intentions baffles me the same way Interpreters does, though in the case of Wicked Intentions, the problem doesn’t come from literary ingenuity as with Soyinke’s Interpreters, a sage from the class of the likes of James Joyce, than from pure editorial oversight. Wicked Intentions is narrated mostly in flashback mode. I guess.

The movie starts with a playerlike character, Jim (Desmond Elliot), who brings girls after girls to his shag (breakheart mansion), his palour, the likes of a nouveau-riche, and creates steaming love scenes with them. He makes them believe he’s all they dream about in relationship, only to discard them the next day like a penny with a hole in it. Jim’s quest is to win over a love partner with just enough money and beauty as not to intimidate him. He runs into Charlene (Stephanie Okereke). She kisses men and leave them crying. Charlene has similar characteristics to that of Jim. Like two liars, their relationship thrives on deceptions, false promises, and hopes. I guess.

On the other hand, Charlene’s bed-ridden dad fakes heart attacks to snare her into marrying a Chubby fellow of her distaste. The chubby fellow tries couple of attempts to win over this miss-hard-to-get, but instead gets splashed in his face with a bucket full of water. Relentless though, he hired two guys who kill Jim on their wedding day even as Charlene escapes town before she says, “I do”. I guess.

Charlene explains the entire story to Kamsi  (Nadia Buari) from her POV,  by way of giving her reason why she Charlene couldn’t accept Chris (Smith Asante) in marriage even as he placards banner of love on the wall for her. A writer once said, “Stephanie has an infecteous smile, and get to talk to her, she’ll treat you like an old acquaintance”. Since her Nollywood debute in Compromise 2 in 1997, Stephanie has always brightened Nollywood screen in most of her movies. Wicked Intentions is one of those movies she performs her flawless acts. With no sweat, Steph could easily be a Hollywood material.