Checkmate

Overview

Item Reviewed

Checkmate

Author

Nollywood REinvented

August 13, 2012

Cast

Nadia Buari, Senanu Gbedawo, Ekow Blankson, KSM, Kwaku Boateng, Khareema Aquiar, Naa Ashorkor Mensah-Doku

Synopsis

CHECK MATE comes with a theme "play smart or lose everything" in a story about Kwame Asante (Senanu Gbedawo), who has made all the right movies in his life thus far: a good job, a beautiful devoted wife, an adorable child, and a pending promotion as a senior customs officer at the airport.

Memorable Quotes/Scenes

"We choose whether to be queens or pawns" -Ekow Blankson (as Kiki Newton)

Length

The movie, Checkmate, has only one part. It might be sold in two parts at your DVD store.

Director

Shirley Frimpong-Manso

Producer

Ken Attoh

Screenplay

Selassie Tetteh, Shirley Frimpong-Manso

Year

2010

The suspense

Seems to drag

Rating

Our Rating

Audience Rating

Rate Here

Story

38%

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Originality

52%

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Predictability

25%

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Directing/Production

58%

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Acting

68%

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Music

50%

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49%

Total Score

—

User Score

You have rated this

-Story: [4 out of 5] There’s a reason this movie took me so long to conclude: I just couldn’t seem to get past the first few scenes. I had read the synopsis so I was pretty certain I knew what was going to happen. Plus the cast wasn’t that much of an encouragement (I mean… Nadia? Really? And who is this new guy?) However, I still wanted to see the movie. If not for anything, then because it was a Shirley Frimpong movie. Regardless, whenever I started… I always fell asleep. Well, I eventually made my way through it and it really wasn’t that bad. I loved loved loved the last lines of dialogue by Naa Ashorkor:

“I found this in your pocket! Who the hell is she and why is Ewurama calling her ‘aunty’?”

-Originality: [2 out of 5] For an African movie? Maybe! But definitely a concept that has been repeated numerous times over

-Predictability: [3 out of 5] Like I said earlier, I didn’t want to see this movie because I felt I knew what was going to happen so why waste my time. But the last couple of scenes definitely saved this movie from being overly-predictable. Well done Shirley!

-Directing/Editing: [4 out of 5] Three words: Under. Water. Scenes. In an African movie? That’s a first… I mean, maybe it has been done before but I doubt it was ever done so well (if you disagree, leave proof in the comments). However, Shirley and Ken and Chris and everyone involved did a good job with this.

-Acting quality: [4 out of 5] Like I said about Tonto Dikeh in “Private Enemy“, it takes a great director to bring out the best in an actor. Complacent directors get mediocre performances and trust me when I say Shirley is anything but complacent. I don’t know how she did it but she definitely brought a new Nadia to the screen. Alright! Maybe not entirely new but at least a better Nadia than all the Nadia’s we had been seeing prior to this movie. Loved Loved Loved Senanu Gbedawo. See, I’m a bit backwards and it’s for this reason that the first time I saw him was in

“The Adams Apples Series” in which he played the role of Eric, Babaa’s ‘lover’. After a couple scenes of him in that movie, I had to pause and google him (<–which is the ultimate compliment I can give). He did an amazing job for a first timer. Naa was a bit of a one-leg-in-one-leg-out for me. Sometimes she was good. She was digging it and just embracing the character. Other times I was shaking my head like “you call that acting?”. Khareema and Ekow were brilliant. Love seeing KSM! (I can’t explain this my new found love) and everyone else was at the least, impressive.

-Setting: [4 out of 5] Great. Loved the actual use of an airport

-Costume/Make-Up: [4 out of 5] Ah! All I have to say is… NADIA’S HAIR! Dayum girl… I think that was the same hair cut/weave she had in “Holding Hope“. It’s a good look on her (although the rate at which baby girl was changing the hair just made me think it was a wig. And if it is… then in the words of Mario Winans “I don’t wanna know”). And ofcourse, everyone else looked amazing from Senanu in his uniform to Naa Ashorkor in her ankara.

-Props and Graphics: [4 out of 5] Under water scene and airport scene… enough said!

-Video Quality: [4 out of 5] Good

-Audio Quality [3 out of 5] Ok

-Soundtrack: [3 out of 5] Loved ’em

-Musical Score: [4 out of 5] Nicely done

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Ekow Blankson Khareema Aguiar KSM Kwaku Boateng Naa Ashorkor Mensah-Doku Nadia Buari Senanu Gbedawo

Ekow Blankson, Khareema Aguiar, KSM, Kwaku Boateng, Naa Ashorkor Mensah-Doku, Nadia Buari, Senanu Gbedawo

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