Holding Hope

-Originality: [2 out of 5] For the most part it was made up of motifs that we had seen before

-Predictability: [1 out of 5] The end was a given…

-Directing/Editing: [3 out of 5] There were very obvious signs of potentially great cinematography within this movie… at least more cinematography than your average Nollywood movie has.

-Acting quality: [3 out of 5] Desmond did his thing in this movie. Uche Jombo! Oh dear Uche… in the beginning I was thinking “…hmm I just might have liked Mercy Johnson’s cancer performance in “Before the Light” better”. But by the end of the movie… as I was bawling like a crazed woman, my opinion had definitely changed. Uche carried the emotions magnificently. Nadia the seductress, all I have to say is FIRE! whhaaat… girl fine sha o. Biola Segun Williams (I almost typed Segun Arinze there lol) did a good job especially for a first timer. You might remember her as the mother to Joseph Benjamin’s character in “Spellbound“. Am I the only one who felt that in part one… Desmond and Nadia were alternating some semi-fake Americano accent? Anyways… Ngozi Nwosu was hilarious as always. Guest appearance by Rukky Sanda. Guest appearance by Bola Aduwo of NollywoodUncut. The one person who impressed me the most (in comparison with her usual work) was Moyo Lawal. A while ago I reviewed “His Royal Majesty“, a movie in which she played yet another ashawo role. See, prior to His Royal Majesty I’d seen Moyo Lawal in many ‘ashawo’ roles and honestly I could not tell whether or not she could act all I knew is that she needed to stop it… right now! Enough with the sluttiness. If you had asked me then whether the babe could act I would have probably rolled my eyes at you but after this… fashee the babe can act. Woe to me for even imagining that I could class her alongside Beverly Naya… well done. Ah! Moyo killed it though. And then there was this girl (ghen ghen)… the girl with the American accent outside the American hospital scene in the parking lot? What? Na from where them thief you come? Please… who told anyone that this girl can act?

-Setting: [2 out of 5] Good… I didn’t think the Badmus’ residence was that grand really (at least not as grand as Moyo’s character made it out to be)

-Costume/Make-Up: [3 out of 5] Oh My Dayz…. Nadia’s outfits! That is all… wait… no… that’s not all… not like the outfits were out of this world (like “where is your shop, I want to buy my own too” amazing? no) but it was the way they looked on her. Ngozi did an amazing job picking out her seductress wardrobe

-Video Quality: [2 out of 5] Couldn’t understand why suddenly the color and hue would just change when it wasn’t a flashback/dream or anything of the sort

-Soundtrack: [4 out of 5] Amazing! Slam is a musical genius and Ego’s “Bia Nulu” (which is a cover of Onyeka Onwenu’s original song with the same title) is embedded above

-Musical Score: [4 out of 5] Austine Erowele sha… no one can do it quite like him.

Nna bia nulu onu anyi o

(Father come and hear our voice)

Onwero mgbe ike mmadu

ga ka nke Chukwu (2xce)

(There is no time when man’s own

strength will be greater than God’s)

Chorus

Nna bia nu…

(Father come)

onye kere uwa o

(Creator of the earth…)

bia nulu onu anyi o

(…come and hear our voice o)

Ezinna bia nu

(Head of the household come)

Olisa keruwa,

(The king that created the earth)

bia nulu onu anyi o

(come and hear our voice)

Bia nulu onu anyi o

Nna bia nulu onu anyi o (2xce)

Onwero mgbe ike mmadu

ga ka nke Chukwu

Onwero mgbe ike ekwensu

ga ka nke Chukwu

(There is no time when the devil’s strength

will be greater than God’s)