Movie Reviews

Ghanaian filmmaker-Shirley Frimpong-Manso has succeeded in coalescing two paradoxical stories, of love and chaos, into her latest film-‘Us in Between’. What seems like an obvious departure from her kind of stories still takes with it her years of perfection in romcom—serving chops of comedy and love, alongside recounting the international and local events following the … Read more

Joselyn Dumas Garners Plaudits for Ethereal Performance In Latest Movie ‘Cold Feet’

06/6/2019 12:25 pm

Over the years, Joselyn Dumas has proven what she can do already, either as a screen goddess or a broadcast journalist. However, there’s no question where her strengths lie most; as an actress with unlimited range and undoubted talent. She has played all sorts of roles spanning the entire spectrum of the human experience – … Read more

Game of Thrones Series Finale Review — The Iron Throne Is Gone, But the Game Goes On Forever

05/20/2019 8:10 am

Spoilers follow for the series finale of Game of Thrones, ‘The Iron Throne’.

After 8 long seasons, featuring sometimes outstanding, breathtaking and sometimes mediocre television, the juggernaut known as Game of Thrones, the biggest show ever filmed in terms of scale and one of the best in terms of story, has drawn to a conclusion.

The titular game of thrones, the constant bickering to sit atop the Iron Throne by all the lords and ladies of Westeros, was symbolically drawn to a close by the destruction of the Iron Throne, but the actual game is never going to end so long as ultimate power, the end goal, resides in only one person.

Game of Thrones Season 8 Episode 4 Review — After the Great War Comes the Last War

05/6/2019 11:29 am

Spoilers follow for those yet to watch Game of Thrones Season 8 Episode 4, ‘The Last of the Starks’.

For nine long years since Game of Thrones debuted in 2011, this grave threat to the realm posed by the White Walkers had been hanging over the entire show, affecting not only how we watch and interact with the show but how the characters themselves conduct themselves around each other.

‘Winter is Coming’ has not only been the unofficial motto of House Stark, but also of the whole show. We were led to the believe the greatest threat to mankind was the White Walkers marching south, leading all the armies of Westeros and Essos gathered by Jon and Daenerys to take them on in one final battle for the survival of the realm.

Game of Thrones Season 8 Episode 3 Review — Saved by the Girl

04/29/2019 9:04 am

Spoilers follow for those yet to watch Game of Thrones Season 8 Episode 3, ‘The Battle of Winterfell’.

Nine long years in the making! Game of Thrones has always been about the mystery of court intrigue and the terrible things men (and women) are willing to do to satisfy their quest for power. It is what drives the show and has made it the biggest television show ever made and one of the best-written tv series of all time.

Yet since the very first episode of the very first season, we have known that a time would come when the mystery and intrigue would have to take a backseat for the great war, the battle for humanity’s very survival against the threat of the White Walkers.

Game of Thrones Season 8 Episode 2 Review — The Beginning of the End (of the World)

04/22/2019 8:57 am

Spoilers follow for those yet to watch Game of Thrones Season 8 Episode 2 — ‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’.

For a global behemoth of a show which has left people waiting two years for its grand resolution, Game of Thrones sure is moving really slow towards its endgame. It’s hard being a fan waiting two years for a tv show and then having to wait just a little bit more for the clearly imminent end of the world.

Thrones only had six episodes to tell its remaining story this season. Yet after having watched the first two episodes of season 8, you would be forgiven for thinking they have the same ten episodes every single past season bar 7 had. Of course, episodes are going to be far longer this season (particularly from episode 3, most spanning well over an hour), but that has not stopped the season’s first two episodes feeling a bit like that of a normal ten episode season and not that of a truncated, six episode final season.

Game of Thrones Season 8 Episode 1 Review — Stilted Reunions Dominate Return of HBO’s Mega Fantasy Drama

04/15/2019 9:58 am

*spoilers follow for Game of Thrones Season 8 Episode 1 ‘Winterfell’*

The biggest, most successful and arguably best television show of all time, Game of Thrones, returned Sunday night for its final season run on the cable television network HBO.

Thrones returned from a two-year hiatus with a near hour-long episode which was light on action but featured approximately 10,000 reunions between long-separated characters.

MOVIE REVIEW: Inner Woman – ‘God Is Wicked’

03/11/2019 11:43 am

by Clement Enoku

Just this past Saturday, (2nd March 2019) was the premiere of the much-anticipated movie – Inner Woman – directed and produced by ace Nigerian film producer Destiny Augustine Omon. For a movie that did not drive a lot of conventional publicity prior to its premiering date, the attendance, however, was very impressive.

Having people from all walks of life, immaculately dressed to perfectly suit the occasion, it was somewhat a bit of a hustle for media men getting still shots of individuals we spotted in the crowd. However, we rose to the occasion and have for you our dear readers some pictures we believe you will find amazing.

SHAMPAIGN — Sparrow Productions’ Intriguing, Captivating and Nerve Wracking Political Drama Returns for An Explosive Second Season

02/23/2019 9:14 am

There’s just a gulf of class between almost every production Sparrow Productions puts out there and anything else on tv in Ghana that it seems that they’re not even part of our ailing movie industry.

Shirley Frimpong Manso has long been regarded as one of the best screenwriters in Ghana and every single time you watch a movie (or series) she releases, it’s hard to shake the feeling she is playing in an entirely different league.

CHRIS-VINCENT Writes: Genevieve Nnaji’s Lionheart—Is That All?

01/13/2019 3:49 pm

I’ve stopped watching African movies, even as a critic—unless I am paid or asked to watch it with incentive. The reason is obvious: almost all of them are a waste of your time and with a stream of films from different parts of the world available online, why waste my limited time watching garbage?

And then came Lionheart. For all this time, I have been reluctant to watch it, over fears of wasting my time, once again.

Potato Potahto Review — An Insightful Look Into What Makes Relationships Tick Which Masterfully Subverts Society’s Black And White Gender Stereotypes

11/14/2017 3:48 pm

Shirley Frimpong Manso’s latest masterclass, ‘Potato Potahto’, has been causing waves around the world, winning awards and being met with rave reviews. The movie recently swept the stakes at the Toronto Film Festival, picking up four awards, and watching it one can see the reason why its such a darling and guaranteed to break box … Read more

‘Banana Island Ghost’ Review: Extensively Hilarious—Even When the Name Sounds Puerile

10/21/2017 11:02 am

If you’ve said you wouldn’t watch an African movie that vividly tells you from the title that it revolves around a ghost, that’s a prudent position to take—because, during its infant days, Nollywood took its audience for granted with absurd ghost stories, befitting the Palaeolithic era. But B. Sasore’s ‘Banana Island Ghost’ offers more: it … Read more

ISOKEN Review: Jade Osiberu’s Attempt at Challenging Perennial Social Compulsions On the Back of Romance and Sometimes Vapid Comedy

05/25/2017 11:30 am

Sandwiched between a relationship that seems conventionally desirable and perfect with more enviable prospects—and another that departs from societal expectations and acceptances filled with looming joy and uncertainties, Isoken, played by Dakore Akande had to make an onerous choice in Jade Osiberu’s lead-titled debut film, ISOKEN.

It wasn’t just the huge disparity in the sort of relationships Isoken found herself that burdened her choice, she was also perched against her own contentment and that of society, especially her drama-filled family.

The film starts with the usual Nollywood build up, introducing us to Isoken, a 34-year-old successful single woman and her hysterical single friends, Agnes played by Funke Akindele, Kukua played by Lydia Forson and the married but miscarriage suffering Joke, played by Damilola Adegbite.

‘John And John’ Review – Kofas Media’s Well Scripted, Well Acted And Well Directed Story Of Greed Ticks All The Boxes

04/21/2017 10:15 am

No movie in the history of the Ghanaian industry has drawn the budget, cast or marketing campaign put on for Kofas Media’s latest production ‘John and John’.

GhanaCelebrities.Com’s film critic, Godwin Nii-Armah went to see for himself to decide if it’s worth all the hype.

‘Mechanic: Resurrection’ Review: Jason Statham Once Again is Too BadAss to Be Killed

08/27/2016 11:39 am

British actor-Jason Statham is just not a great talent, even though many of the movies he has starred in fall short of his excellence, his unique individual brilliance has kept his contemporary action hero brand well in-tact.

Statham is like the Bruce Lee of guns and kicks: his speed, intelligence and strong ability to improvise never leave him pathetically vulnerable in the hands or camp of his enemies. Once again, he proves in ‘Mechanic: Resurrection’, a far better movie than its prequel-Mechanic, that he’s indeed the skilled killer.

‘Mechanic: Resurrection’ seals the disappointing holes of its antecedent but its storyline is still not super fascinating—it’s too direct and makes little use of the elements of suspense and surprise.

Nevertheless, the action is thrilling, brutal and flawlessly presented.

Arthur Bishop (played by Jason Statham), the killing mechanic had gone under the radar to live an ordinary life in Brazil, in attempt to leave behind his past in search for a peaceful non-violent fun.

‘Suicide Squad’ Review: A Group of Meta-Humans Fighting for the Interest of the State in A Plot-less Heavily Computerised Chaotic Film—Much More Like A Recorded Grenade-Themed Computer Game

08/6/2016 12:04 pm

Written and directed by David Ayer, “Suicide Squad” is plotless and chaotic—-so bad that I had to keep stuffing Doritos into my mouth just to stay awake throughout the movie.

It’s perhaps the worst I’ve seen so far in the cinema this year: the chaotic fighting between meta-humans and evil spirits turned into some sort of futurist machines comes no where close to being an interesting fantasy.

It is just like watching a recorded video game full of grenades and heavy weapons having been played by a clueless child whose keen interest was to see the screen in flames.

‘Suicide Squad” is that extensively pathetic.

It does not lose its bearings mid way or at the end, it just has no direction or even a weak plot, worse than “Fantastic Four”.

'Jason Bourne' Review: A Snowden Style Whistle Blowing Attempt Sends Assassins Once Again After Rogue-Bourne

07/30/2016 12:11 pm

After failing to appear in the 2012 Bourne spinoff-The Bourne Legacy, Matt Damon has returned to the Bourne franchise to keep the Bourne cinematic legacy going, as the infamous rogue CIA agent whose existence is regarded as a threat to the agency’s top chief and its whole global covert operations.

We were introduced to Jason Bourne, in The Bourne Identity (2002) and saw his pack of special “assassin” skills in The Bourne Supremacy (2004), followed by The Bourne Ultimatum (2007) and now this name titled film-Jason Bourne somewhat introduces us to the emotional compass of Bourne.

‘Cocoa Brown’ Review: A Poor Opening With Overt Execrable Acting and Unpardonable Production Flaws

07/11/2016 10:02 pm

On the back of the initial success of her first TV series-Afia Schwarzenegger which somewhat lost its momentum and audience to the exit of its lead character, Deloris Frimpong-Manso recently aired her latest production, Cocoa Brown directed by Kofi Asamoah—-after months of social media promotion and a failed machiavellian attempt to generate media buzz with an in-house orchestrated controversy as to who actually owns the name-Cocoa Brown.
The first episode of “Cocoa Brown” is currently on Youtube with comments disabled, perhaps, an attempt to prevent those who would watch it from discouraging others with their disparaging remarks about the overt execrable acting and unpardonable production flaws of the episode.
When the first episode of a TV series, which ought to serve as the strongest bait is clouded in glaring production flaws agglutinated with egregious acting, you would find yourself summing up how disastrous and odious the rest of the journey would be.

'The Legend of Tarzan' Review: A Remake That’s Far From the Tarzan We Fell in Love With

07/9/2016 12:07 pm

The popular English adage; “if it’s not broke don’t fix it” perfectly captures the feeling I walked out of the cinema with after about 2 hours of a 3D journey, watching director David Yates’ remark of Tarzan—-the jungle being whose connection with the jungle animals in the original film was so touching that a separation got some people teary.
This time we are dealing with a fully grown civilised Tarzan; yet he could still swing, connect with the animals and had a great rapport with the villagers stationed near the jungle where he grew up—-but there were deeper problems with the remake, as attempts through flash backs to take audience back to how Tarzan came about awfully fails.
For the many times that Tarzan’s former existence as a younger jungle man was shown, he was depicted as fully shaven, sleek, semi-clothed and the emotional connection between him and the animals couldn’t be fetched. The magic was missing…
But that was Tarzan then—-now, he is John Clayton, Lord of Greystoke (played by Alexander Skarsgård), married to an American-Jane (played Margot Robbie) who saved his life when ironically he tried to save her while a resident of the dangerous yet wonderful jungle.

Game Of Thrones Season 6 Episode 10 Review – The White Wolf Rises

06/27/2016 11:43 am

From BrutallyUncensored.Com
*Spoilers, naturally, follows for those yet to watch Game of Thrones Season 6 Episode 10 ‘The Winds of Winter’*
Game of Thrones has a tried and tested formula for its episodes, a formula which has worked consistently for its six years on the air. It’s a formula which most shows use, except tweaked in the tiniest way, concerning the functions of its penultimate and finale episodes.
Whilst most shows would build everything up to an explosive finale, Thrones typically keeps those blockbuster episodes for its penultimate ones, the dreaded episode 9; episode ten just becomes the vehicle to tie up all the storylines in a nice little bow.

Game Of Thrones Season 6 Episode 9 Review : Underwhelming Battle Resolution Undercuts Brilliant Episode

06/20/2016 4:05 pm

From BrutallyUncensored.Com
*Spoilers, naturally, follow for those yet to watch Game of Thrones Season 6 Episode 9 ‘Battle of the Bastards’*
Game of Thrones has handed us some magnificent battle sequences in the past, sequences that took all the elements of the greatest battles of history and personalised it to the nitty gritty of our beloved Westerosi characters.
Mostly, these battles involve heroic, almost futile but ultimately successful last stands. Tyrion held King’s Landing against the might of Stannis Baratheon’s army, utilising pluck and guile to hold on long enough for the Lannister/Tyrell army to arrive on the scene and smash Stannis to bits. Jon held the Wall against similarly insurmountable odds, putting on a defensive masterclass that still looked doomed until Stannis and his army rode in to crush the wildling army under its heel.

Game Of Thrones Season 6 Episode 8 Review- No One Is Going Home

06/13/2016 10:27 am

From BrutallyUncensored.Com
*Spoilers, naturally, follow for those yet to watch Game of Thrones Season 6 Episode 8 ‘No One’*
Arya Stark has been divorced from the main storyline of Game of Thrones for so long, she has unfortunately started to feel like a cheap appendage, who gets trotted out every once in a while to remind fans she’s there, to keep us invested in her storyline.
In many ways that is inevitable, what with the sprawling nature of the series, and the diverse cast of characters. It is not uncommon to go one or even two episodes without seeing even consequential characters like Jon or Tyrion, so in Thrones that is a feature more than a bug- except for those storylines, checking in with them often gives you a suitable progression with the story that you can live with.

'The Boss' Review: Melissa McCarthy’s Fall from the Top and An Aggressive Comeback

06/11/2016 9:35 am

Co-written by Melissa McCarthy and her husband-Ben Falcone who also directed this corporate themed fused with family comedy, The Boss, has unexpected hilarious scenes and lines on the back of Melissa’s amusing personality. But the storyline and the pack of many begging to be funny characters leaves the film undeservingly starved. Melissa McCarthy is funny … Read more

Game Of Thrones Season 6 Episode 7 Review- The Calm Before The Storm

06/6/2016 4:16 pm

From BrutallyUncensored.Com
*Spoilers, naturally, follow for those yet to watch Game of Thrones Season 6 Episode 7 ‘The Broken Man’’*
Game of Thrones returned to its strong episodically thematic roots in ‘The Broken Man’, as writer Bryan Cogman delivered a solid but unspectacular hour predating the sh*t storm about to hit us.
Game of Thrones has a carefully structured flow of events that ensures the biggest holy sh*t moments are reserved for the second to last episode of the season, ala the Red Wedding and Ned’s beheading- this ensures an inevitable lull mid season as the story is built in the direction of the crazy endings- the calm before the storm, so to speak.

Game Of Thrones Season 6 Episode 6 Review: Ahoy For Westeros!

05/30/2016 2:52 pm

From BrutallyUncensored.Com
*Spoilers, naturally, follow for those yet to watch Game of Thrones Season 6 Episode 6 ‘Blood of my Blood’*
Season six of Game of Thrones has, so far, turned out to be one of the absolute best of the show’s entire run, churning out episode after episode of fascinating, gripping television. There has scarcely been any dull moments, and the number of huge climaxes and significant deaths has kept the show at a level unmatched since Season 3.
But even Game of Thrones, as gripping a show as it is, has to suffer its mid season lulls; when the story is caught between the fascinating set ups of the early season and the brutal climaxes of the late, and ‘Blood of my Blood’ was the first true ‘hanging’ episode of the season.

Game Of Thrones Season 6 Episode 5 Review: Hold The Door, Please?

05/23/2016 9:55 am

From BrutallyUncensored.Com
*Spoilers, naturally, follow for those yet to watch Game of Thrones Season 6 Episode 5 ‘The Door’*
This season of Game of Thrones has been one smooth roller coaster of fun, accelerating colossally after a less than stellar premiere. Since the slow building first episode, we’ve been hurtling wantonly towards the season’s major stories, with several feel good moments such as the return of Jon, Dany’s Dothraki barbecue, and THAT STARK REUNION.
‘The Door’ gave us a solid mid-season episode that advanced some stories slightly whilst totally ignoring others, ending with a mind blowing final scene which is probably the saddest we’ve ever seen on Thrones. For a brutal show like Thrones, scenes with blood and death and gore, even those involving our favourite characters, are almost guaranteed. And whilst scenes like Ned’s death, the Red Wedding and Jon’s stabbing can and does leave one sad, it mainly gets the blood raging hot, as you fume over the betrayal imbibed in getting our favourite characters killed. The story of Hodor’s death and simultaneous disabling leaves you nothing but absolutely dead inside.

Cannes Film Review: ‘The Wailing’—Brutishly Intense And Yet Deeply Emotional

05/19/2016 3:21 pm