"Champagne " Movie premiere review

The Introduction of the film was classy. Then it drags. The introduction of Magid's character was appalling, and that was clearly not filmed in the US.
The story is lovely, but the delivery in some scenes is childish. Alex Ekubo is a good actor, Rosemary has a lovely back side, but not cute enough to carry the character she played (Her hair was a travesty). A few production baby mistakes I will not go into.
The movie is very commercial, the best scene for me is the "Proposal scene". That was a masterpiece. Then the psycho side of Mr Douglas (Played brilliantly by Majid) was revealed in a very interesting twist. Then the movie  drags again losing momentum. In a typical commercial movie climax, Alex the hero comes to rescue his bride.
The location and cinematography was exceptional, the sound was very bad in some areas, and where  they used voice-overs it  was  too obvious.
In summary, I LOVED THE MOVIE. I would recommend it. I actually sat through the movie and was intrigued. The "Twist" was a masterpiece. A wonderful story by Emem Isong.




Synopsis: A young couple couple (Alex Ekubo & Rosemary Zimu) who are in an Open marriage, date unsuspecting people mainly for money and perks until they bite off more than they can chew when they meet the enigmatic Mr. Douglas (expertly played by Majid Michel). A romantic thriller, the movie keeps you guessing till the very end.Shot in the cities of Johannesburg, South Africa and Houston Texas, U.S.A, ‘Champagne’ also stars Tana Adelana, Mbong Amata, Susan Peters, Padita Agu & Anita Chris. It was produced and directed by Emem Isong.

"Over-acting" The new standard

Extreme non-verbal acting (Body language) infused in over-the-top delivery of dialogue, is the backbone of commercial comedy . This acting style is mainly utilized in Nollywood films and is fast becoming the norm.
This style is easily adopted in West Africa because some tribes are actually very expressive. The growing acceptance of Nollywood movies, is an indication that this is the new trend.
It must be noted however that acting style is dependent on what the Director wants to potray. My point here is for commercial purposes there is a trend towards "Over-acting"
 

Director's Cut: Nelson Spyk: Happy Birthday Brun Njua

Director's Cut: Nelson Spyk: Happy Birthday Brun Njua: UK's finest Nollywood export. A brilliant actress, with a very unique look and a beautiful mind. Like a tsunami she is shaking Noll...

Happy Birthday Brun Njua

UK's finest Nollywood export. A brilliant actress, with a very unique look and a beautiful mind.
Like a tsunami she is shaking Nollywood to it's foundation.

 

Her dedication and creativity will not only see her as one of the fastest growing actresses in the history of Nollywood, she is also producing four big budget Nollywood movies of her own in different African countries. She is trying to move as fast as she can within the Nollywood genre, because Hollywood is planning a major coup to steal her. That is not surprising considering her talent. She is definitely in the running to be the first person from Cameroon to win an Oscar.

 

As Brun celebrates her birthday, get ready for a creative ride this 2015.

NOLLYWOOD WILL NEVER BE THE SAME.........................................

MoneySupermaket's #EpicStrut is the advert to beat in 2015.

An advert about insurance comparison, that has absolutely nothing to do with insurance. Why is this advert a hit?
1. The theme tune "Don't cha" by Pussy cat dolls is well known.
2. Instead of giving us a sexy female to do the lambada, we are given a middle aged, stock-broker looking guy. First we have the head shot when we see him corporately dressed. The camera then reveals he has jean shorts on, and wearing stilettos. Then we see his enormous "BACKSIDE". That immediate destruction of our stereotype in a comical manner attracts interest.

Harman-Turner and Rose the creative directors said: said"High heels, hot pants and a bottom wider than Kim Kardashian. All of them can be found in the latest Moneysupermarket film that shows Dave saving on his car insurance, strutting his stuff like a queen diva.
"Our recipe was simple; a sprinkle of J-LO, a dash of Beyonce and a side serving of guilty pleasure in the Pussycat Dolls.
"All of which were channelled via the hot pants of a middle management bloke from Croydon."

Majid Michel escapes death : Armed Robbers Invade film Set

Four armed men invaded the set Magic Movies in the forests of Enugu on Sat 12 noon broad day light 10th Jan 2015. This took place in Amechi  village in Enugu.Ghanaian heart-throb Majid Michel, UK based Cameroonian beauty-queen Brun Njua and Chioma Judith saw 4 men approach them, initially taught they were extras in the movie. Before they knew bullets were flying and they placed a gun on Brun's head.They were robbed of all their smart phones and cameras. It all happened so fast and the cast and crew were all in a state of shock.

Majid Michel

Brun Njua

BrunNjua // MjidMichel // ChiomaJudith

  



















This is very worrying for Nollywood filming. When I shot a film in the forests of Asaba with Tchidi, we had to go with armed guards.In the good old days, when armed bandits attacked, once they realise you are a Nollywood star, they will apologise and ask for autographs. That is not the case these days.

Filming with ace director Tchidi

Filming night time. We had heavily armed security on set.

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This is not the first time armed bandits have attacked a film set, but is is becoming worrying. The Association of Armed Robbers should look into this and ban their members from attacking Nollywood artist and film crew.
It is more embarrasing because Majid is from Ghana, Brun Njua is one of the fastest growing Nollywood actresses in Nollywood from Cameroon, but based in the United Kingdom. This will not give Nigeria good publicity abroad.

As Nollywood continues to grow at this phenomenal rate, we should not be hampered by these kind of behavior.

We are grateful to the Almighty God that no one was harmed. But they are greatly shaken. But as it is said in showbiz : THE SHOW MUST GO ON.

CREATING ROMANTIC CONFLICT

Scene form "3 London Girls"

CREATING CONFLICT
1.Both parties separated by physical distance
2. The male subject defies film convention by backing the camera, but this further enhances the conflict
3. The female subject gives a blank stare, in the opposite direction. It is important she looks down, which implies shame or contemplation.
This as an opening scene with the right background music, you will have staged the perfect "Romantic" conflict scene without words.

(c)2015 Nelson Spyk