ladej: demola adedoyin. hes a newbie

Thanks dear. I've gotten a new crush

Brimmie:

I hope you aint the gurl behind me yesterday. Where did you watch it?

FilmHouse Surulere, Room 2.

Not me, watched it a citymall ikeja, 7:50pmn yesterday.

imonikhet: Kunle Afolayan is doing well.... I do not agree with the critic on this one.
He has failed to understand that we the audience watch movies for various reasons.
We do not do it just to see what $2 million can produce.
Kunle's forte is his ability to tell Nigerian stories....
We the audience dont worry about the technicalities....
And dat is why we will keep trooping to the cinemas to watch his movies
and ignore critics like you who don't see the good in anything

'We the audience?' How many persons are bottled up inside you?

Ko sogbon to le da
Ko siwa to le wu
Ko sona to le gba
To le fi taye lorun o.
May God av mercy on us

adioolayi: Constructive criticism is good...as good as it is, I will only ask the writer to tell us one film he/she has directed, produced or acted before....if non, then he/she should keep his/her mouth shut!

You don't need to insult the writer because something like this is really needed in this movie industry.There are so many critics in hollywood and none of this big budget hollywood movie is beyond criticism.So it's needed.Thnak you.

I don't know if there is a reading problem on nairaland, but seeing people criticise the op because they thought he said half of a yellow sun is better than october 1st is quite dumbfounding. The op is a critic and believe it or not he is meant to be unbiased no matter how you think the movie was. Probably we have been used to numerous mediocre movies, we see the next good one as the best ever regardless of glaring shortcomings. Maybe when we begin to watch movies with an open mind we can begin to see shortcomings that we otherwise won't notice because of our bias. Finally, Kunle Afolayan is a good director, but there is no denying he still has a lot of work to do to make him even better. Probably you guys should jump to all those great hollywood movies and see what the critics had to say about them. You could start with "now you see me"

mogroide: Kunle Afolayan’s OCTOBER 1: Review
A predictable direction: With a few award winning movies to his credit and a burgeoning legendary status, it is only normal that Afolayan would want to outdo himself… A “big budget” movie with a political backdrop that plays on the metaphor of unity to attract a diverse audience- a country with over 250 ethnic groups- yes, it’s a film that speaks in tongues, a la Phone Swap- a move that could easily see him sit on the throne as the first king of the (dis)united states of Nollywood. He can be trusted to be the star of his movie, not because he always finds (or forces) a role for himself in his films, but because he is usually a bigger name than his actors- a fact, but not necessarily a bad thing- I mean, where was Sadiq Daba before now? 

Inside critics who had seen the movie earlier had placed it over the glamorously superficial ‘Half of a Yellow Sun’ released a few months ago, consequently spiking interest in this two million dollar “David” that had supposedly struck down Biyi Bandele’s 10 million dollar (and if you are Nigerian, 1.59 BILLION NAIRA) Goliath. But then, both films seem to have a lot in common and with such budgets- bearing in mind that Nigeria has a high level of poverty- their efforts to raise Nigeria’s film reputation must be applauded, for Kunle Afolayan especially, who seemed to have had a very difficult time amassing resources “all alone” and had every aspect of the film (save the colour grading) done strictly by Nigerians in Nigeria- yeah, patriotic shit. So, our reaction to the movie would be tinted with compassion… If we were a bunch of ass holes, but that’s the cool part, we arent.

Afolayan has never been a visionary director- he is yet to develop visual nuances that would stand him out, but of course that shouldn’t be surprising as he has – for the entire length of his movie making career- been jumping through genres and ‘experimenting.’ Yes, we like our artists to not be too versatile; that’s why Quentin Tarantino does not do romance movies, James Cameron is always about technology, Teco Benson is quite good with action films and Tunde Kelani is unbeatable at showcasing Yoruba culture… and they are all great directors. They are great because their stories, techniques and nuances are deeply connected to their personalities; personal preferences and character traits. An artist’s greatest works are always their most personal, it just may not always be obvious. Afolayan is still too tensed with budgetary issues, camera techniques and commercial returns to find the serenity needed to shoot from within. What results is a work with much brain but no soul- good but not great.

October 1 is not Afolayan’s  first thriller (The Figurine was), if at all we can call it that, so it was expected that by now he would have perfected his approach to film noir. The story is built on a series of virgin girl killings and a police inspector who must find the killer before Nigeria gains independence on the 1st of October 1960. The major problem is that the writer pens a weak story with too many holes and too lazy to rewrite, makes it worse by finding excuses for all his shortcomings; alibis, suspects, red herrings and twists. As a matter of fact there is no twist, everyone guessed right. Inspector Waziri is not an interesting character- rarely seen outside his uniform, he is nothing but an inspector and is easily outshone by his side kick Kayode Aderupoko (Inspector Afonja). Somewhere along the story, the writer tries to impress another layer on Waziri’s character by bringing up his ‘wife and child’ story and ofcourse, it fails. 

The whole charade of Nigeria’s independence even feels super imposed on the story. We do not understand or feel the circumstances leading to or people’s reaction towards it. Ofcourse the learned ones in Akote talk about it but the issue is approached with the depth of a pseudo-intellectual, much is spoken but nothing profound is really said. 

So what if the killer doesn’t get apprehended before the 1st of October? Funmi Ransome Kuti makes an appearance- and yes, one appearance with no relation to the story at all. The cameo parts of veteran actors like Femi Adebayo and Kanayo O Kanayo are like Brad Pitt’s “Deus ex machina” appearance in 12 Years a Slave, very brief, except that their presence is not felt either because of their under par acting and/or bad story writing. The dialogue through out the movie is either overly rehearsed or dispassionately delivered. Only a few characters hold their own and they are usually not the major actors. It picks up only at the end when Waziri magically becomes a proud black man in an argument that aspires to what should have been experienced long before that moment.

Ofcourse, the film is littered (however unevenly) with funny moments but it is by no means a great movie. The issue of paedophilia is touched on in the film and obviously aspires towards controversy, but it is approached with such one dimensional flippancy that it gives off the aura of a PR stunt to get people talking and increase ticket sales. 

The movie is simply an embodiment of marketing gimmicks- it may make its money back but like Phone Swap and his other films, it will not revolutionise film making in Nigeria. Kunle Afolayan needs to be a deep thinking artist with a strong vision that will flow through every aspect of his work. 

He isn’t there yet. 

Rating: Lacking in depth. 5/10


From: colawole.

Honest analysis.

Kunle Afolayan simply wanted to do a movie to release on October 1, the Independence Anniversary of Nigeria. But failed to capture the essence and significance of the event in the drama of his motion picture.
His 2009 horror movie "The Figurine: Araromire" has more depth.

Darray: Well, this is what critics do. So, I hold no grudges against the writer.

For lack of a better way to say I enjoyed the film-from role interpretation to directing to, inshort the total package- I will say it in our usual way. This film is 'SWEET'.

In other news, go and watch the film. The tickets were sold out for all the time slots, I had to settle for the last show of the day late in the night. Even at that, they brought in extra seats to accommodate the crowd.

IMO, it is still the best so far this year, I will rate it over 'HOAYS'.It was worth the money spent,you will not regret watching it.

How many of the new Nigerian movies released so far in 2014 have you seen?
Have you seen Lancelot Imasuen's "Invasion 1897", Teco Benson's "Accident" and Dagogo Diminas' "Stigma"?

I might go see this movie this weekend.

By the way, I regretted paying my sweet money to watch that crap called half of a yellow sun.
So much hype about the movie yet it didn't put me at the edge of my seat. Plus the tribal bigotry the movie promotes.

I could not stop hissing as I was leaving the cinema.

unmask: I don't know if there is a reading problem on nairaland, but seeing people criticise the op because they thought he said half of a yellow sun is better than october 1st is quite dumbfounding. The op is a critic and believe it or not he is meant to be unbiased no matter how you think the movie was. Probably we have been used to numerous mediocre movies, we see the next good one as the best ever regardless of glaring shortcomings. Maybe when we begin to watch movies with an open mind we can begin to see shortcomings that we otherwise won't notice because of our bias. Finally, Kunle Afolayan is a good director, but there is no denying he still has a lot of work to do to make him even better. Probably you guys should jump to all those great hollywood movies and see what the critics had to say about them. You could start with "now you see me"

Well said. Big nail on the head @ bolded part... so true.

Saw Half Of A Yellow Sun, decent effort but not up to par, what irked me most in it was the consistent writing of Ugo as Ugwu and Aba as Abba, not my criticism but it just pissed me off.
Kunle Afolayan is wonderful in his works although I think his stories lose touch along the line most times, I can say that especially about The Figurine, he does not have to take major roles too because I think he usually struggles with some. In all, he makes huge efforts and should be encouraged.

Exponental: Good write up. I wish Kunle can see this so he can pick one or two from this to help him improve on his future works. Criticism is good, let's do it to improve but not for beef, sentiment or jealousy sake.

Exactly! These works can only live through criticism so I don't understand why some are just so quick to attach tribe or hate to things around here. This is the way to go and the writers opinion should not stop any decent chap from seeing the movie. We all have opinions to give too

I think me and OP watched different films oooo .

btw, I don't get you people. "Half of a Yellow Sun" was directed by Biyi Bandele, financed by Yewande Sadiku ----- Yorubas. "October 1" was directed and Produced by Kunle Afolayan ----- Yoruba. So why would anyone feel people like/dislike October 1/Half of a Yellow Sun cos of their tribes? I don't get it Mtcheew Nairaland will never get out of this petty tribalism.

I have seen the movie. Ordinarily I shy away from Nigerian movies at the cinemas because my first two attempts were terrible. I had expected that Silverbird would show only the highest quality movies at the cinema but I was wrong. By the way, the first two movies I tried were Inale and Maami. Inale failed for me because the acting, the story and directing were below expectation. Maami was unacceptale because the picture quality was below par for cinema and the ending seemed rushed due to director fatigue.

October 1 on the other hand delivered. Though, it was predictable, it was still enjoyable to watch and I would gladly award a pass mark. Other movies that I have been impressed with in the past (though I did not see them at the cinema) include Six Hours to Christmas and The Meeting. I was not impressed with Mr and Mrs and worse still Two Brides and A Baby.

I would like to ask the op to mention other Nigerian Movies he would rate higher than October 1 besides Half of A Yellow Sun. Otherwise, either he's expecting Kunle to be at par with Hollywood or he thinks as a critic, one must critique critically.

I''ve seen the trailer and i feel its gon be tight

I have not watched the movie neither am I sure I will even watch it. But as long as the caste and crew are mostly Nigerians/Africans, am cool with it.

Orikinla:
How many of the new Nigerian movies released so far in 2014 have you seen?
Have you seen Lancelot Imasuen's "Invasion 1897", Teco Benson's "Accident" and Dagogo Diminas' "Stigma"?

Sir,
I have been waiting for Invasion 1897 for a million years, I will pay good money and sacrifice time to watch it when it opens to the public.But I think I will pass on the other two mentioned.

One of my beliefs is that the entertainment industry thrives on publicity. The marketing effort for the 'rushed October 1' is enough to beat Invasion 1897 that has been in the burners for a very long time- check their YouTube views. And I referenced Invasion 1897 alone because it is the only one that comes close.

But I acknowledge that all the producers u mentioned are also very good.

Just my opinion.

Saw the movie yesterday the movie was meh. Chai overhyped men kunle is not beta than those surulere directors he just has resources I could not even finish the movie. Most director think that having a whiteman in their movie makes the movie good.

For real, there were several blunders and it seems he was in a rush to end d movie, probably so he could release it on October 1 so he tied up the story in a very nonchalant way, there were holes and even some elements that I guess were suppose to constitute some sort of suspense were given away too cheaply and till this moment I still don't understand why it had to be that Waziri man that acted as d inspector, he barely had d charisma and countenance of an inspector. The problem with a lot of Nigerian movies is that they don't take time to correct all the mistakes, they leave so many loopholes like that hoping the viewers won't see them and that just kills their movies. But anyways even tho they are not there yet, I salute his efforts, it was a good one and tying d story to d independence day events was a smart move, cos we all know they had noting in common.

kay29000:


Lovely breakdown of the movie. It is true, Kunle Afolayan needs to be a deeper thinker. But you have to give it to him for at least doing something far better than the dozens of movies Nollywood releases every week. He might not be THE ONE, but he would spark the mind of dozens of intending Nigerian movie makers to make their move, and create something greater.

You can only judge others if they have kunle's resources. October 1 was shot with over $2 million does that look like a movie shot with 20 million naira.

bossmini84:

You can only judge others if they have kunle's resources. October 1 was shot with over $2 million does that look like a movie shot with 20 million naira.

Na! If Nollywood movie producers/directors had $2 million to shoot a movie they would not know what to do with it. They would rather shoot 30 low budget movies than shoot ONE with all that money.

Orikinla:

How many of the new Nigerian movies released so far in 2014 have you seen?
Have you seen Lancelot Imasuen's "Invasion 1897", Teco Benson's "Accident" and Dagogo Diminas' "Stigma"?

Accident was a nice Film

Joavid: I might go see this movie this weekend.

By the way, I regretted paying my sweet money to watch that crap called half of a yellow sun.
So much hype about the movie yet it didn't put me at the edge of my seat. Plus the tribal bigotry the movie promotes.

I could not stop hissing as I was leaving the cinema.

After you watch it., come and give me gist on weda you enjoyed it.

bioye: I have seen the movie. Ordinarily I shy away from Nigerian movies at the cinemas because my first two attempts were terrible. I had expected that Silverbird would show only the highest quality movies at the cinema but I was wrong. By the way, the first two movies I tried were Inale and Maami. Inale failed for me because the acting, the story and directing were below expectation. Maami was unacceptale because the picture quality was below par for cinema and the ending seemed rushed due to director fatigue.

October 1 on the other hand delivered. Though, it was predictable, it was still enjoyable to watch and I would gladly award a pass mark. Other movies that I have been impressed with in the past (though I did not see them at the cinema) include Six Hours to Christmas and The Meeting. I was not impressed with Mr and Mrs and worse still Two Brides and A Baby.

I would like to ask the op to mention other Nigerian Movies he would rate higher than October 1 besides Half of A Yellow Sun. Otherwise, either he's expecting Kunle to be at par with Hollywood or he thinks as a critic, one must critique critically.

Did the op say that HOAYS was a better film than oct 1? because I cant see any thing like dat in d writeup o

bossmini84: Saw the movie yesterday the movie was meh. Chai overhyped men kunle is not beta than those surulere directors he just has resources I could not even finish the movie. Most director think that having a whiteman in their movie makes the movie good.

What do you know abt filmmaking? I am very sure you have not watched the film

HimHer: For real, there were several blunders and it seems he was in a rush to end d movie, probably so he could release it on October 1 so he tied up the story in a very nonchalant way, there were holes and even some elements that I guess were suppose to constitute some sort of suspense were given away too cheaply and till this moment I still don't understand why it had to be that Waziri man that acted as d inspector, he barely had d charisma and countenance of an inspector. The problem with a lot of Nigerian movies is that they don't take time to correct all the mistakes, they leave so many loopholes like that hoping the viewers won't see them and that just kills their movies. But anyways even tho they are not there yet, I salute his efforts, it was a good one and tying d story to d independence day events was a smart move, cos we all know they had noting in common.

He can not be in a rush....the film has been shot since 2011

Orikinla:
Honest analysis.

Kunle Afolayan simply wanted to do a movie to release on October 1, the Independence Anniversary of Nigeria. But failed to capture the essence and significance of the event in the drama of his motion picture.
His 2009 horror movie "The Figurine: Araromire" has more depth.

figurine , horror movie? Lool

Marsatto: Accident was a nice Film

very nice.but ofkos Teco knows his onions

I hissed after watching figurine,a great story was messed up.give that story to tunde Kelani and he wud blow ur mind. I no jus know why Kunle dey always rush for all of him movies,he leaves holes here and there,a very good story turns out almost good. Figurine cud have been a lot lot better.