1. Think Like A Man – I have to applaud the writers of this screenplay (Keith Merryman & David A. Nweman) for their ingenuity in creating a dramatic story revolving around an actual book by Steve Harvey titled “Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man” especially for the witty dialogue. I also have to acknowledge the Director (Tim Story) for casting such great choice of actors, their act were believable and their characters, loveable. This 2012 movie may not be uniquely different from the movie written & directed by Mark Brown in 2001 Two can Play that Game, particularly for those whose genre preference isn’t Romantic Comedy, but what stood out for me in this movie was the way the principles of the book were portrayed by the characters. With a production budget of $12.5millon, it went on to become a worldwide hit grossing about $99.1 million; I guess it’s safe to say this film is a massive success. Thanks to the film, I sincerely believe that every single woman should get Steve Harvey’s book because the truth in it is so subtle and realistic (infomercial objective achieved). As for this movie, I learned that in the end Love is not a game to be played but a choice that we make to share our lives with someone who truly matters to us.
2. Total Recall – Someone asked me if they should go to the cinema to watch this movie when it just came out. Based on the previews and Behind the Scene shots I had seen, I encouraged him to and it was worth the cash spent. This 2012 dystopian Sci-fi action flick reminded me of Minority Report & Aeon Flux especially with the futuristic approach to societal living and technological advancements. Funny, I hear this movie is also a remake of the 1990 version of Total Recall starring Arnold Schwarzenegger as lead character. Also that the film is based on a short story by Philip K Dick titled We Can Remember It for You Wholesale which is also responsible for inspiring the movie scripts for Christopher Nolan’s Inception and Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner. What I liked about this 2012 futuristic thriller was the great fights between Kate Beckinsale and Colin Farrell, Kate Beckinsale and Jessica Biel (now Mrs Timberlake) and the interesting car chases. The twists in the plot that was not easily predictable especially since we were left guessing if the entire movie is real or just in his subconscious. Even though I got to watch a pirated version compiled in a DVD I bought where the heads and eyes of the characters were completely out of the screen in some shots, while other screens were blurry, it was still an enjoyable movie to watch but the storyline is highly unmemorable.
3. I am Number Four – Although it was released in 2011, this movie by Dreamworks Pictures to me was all about the chase amongst aliens on earth (kinda reminds me of a cartoon I love watching on Cartoon Network, Symbiotic Titans) and the fight to live a normal teenage life by the lead character John Smith aka ‘Number 4’ played by Alex Pettyfer. The movie is actually an adaptation form a novel within a series called the Lorien Legacies written by Pittacus Lore (James Frey & Jobie Hughes) and published by HarperCollins in 2010. The story from the book is engaging but the movie had its low almost clichéd moments that nearly turned me off from watching it to the end. You want an example? How about Number 4 running off with the other characters and forgetting his wounded shape-shifting dog in the school bathroom after the dog fought to protect him; leaving the dog hopping on 3 legs to find its way to him at the end of the film as both he and (Teresa Palmer who played) ‘Number 6’ drove on to find the other numbered aliens on earth which had not been found or killed by the Mogadorians. My worst almost clichéd moments were Alex is seen playing love in the river at night with a girl and when Teresa set a house on fire and walked away in slow motion with Adele’s Rolling in the Deep score as the house exploded behind her. After a movie like Jaws or Piranhas, why would people playing in the water at night not let you know something bad is about to happen? Besides the fact that Number 6 was fire resistant, thanks to Jasmine Sullivan’s Burst Your Windows' musical video, messing up a property in anger is now overrated. At the end of this Young Adult Sci-fi movie, I kept asking myself “where on earth was Number Five?”
4. Footloose – Until I heard the footloose soundtrack at the end of this 2011 movie, I found it hard to believe it was a remake of the 1984 version starring Kevin Bacon, Sean Penn, John Lithgow etc which frankly, i don't remember. The storyline is basically the same with the 1984 version which was around overprotective parents stifling the freedom of expression their teenagers so desperately desire. This modern version adds technical modern dance moves like housing, windmills, head spins, flips, lindy hop, texas-line dance and acrobatics to the mix (in the old version, the dance move was mainly tap dancing). I like that teenagers were encouraged to put forth their strong reasons for their intentions logically to their parents while acknowledging their parents efforts as necessary for their own good. There was an adequate balance between the story being told and street racing (not as much dancing as I would like especially after watching tight dance movies like Step Up Revolution) making it quite an enjoyable movie overall but not one I would like to watch more than twice.
5. Battle for Terra – hah! Life won’t be complete without a little Animation. This Sci-fi Anime is the tale of heroism and how desperation and grief drives one to hostility, be it humans or aliens. It was popular in 2008/2009 when it was released winning a Grand Prize for Best Animated Feature at the 2008 Ottawa International Animation Festival held in Ontario, Canada. For some reason we in Nigeria never really heard about this film. I thought maybe because there wasn’t any shockers in the storyline despite the voicing been done by Chris Evans, Danny Glover , Evan Rachael Woods, Luke Wilson, Amanda Peet, Dennis Quaid, among a long list of others. It reminded me of the beauty of an Alien World as created by the 2009 movie Avatar starring Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldana, written and directed by James Cameron. this anime may not have been 100% visually stunning or have tight gripping plot but it is still a nice film to watch when you are looking for a delightful light hearted entertainment that has 3D graphics and cool CGI effects.
6. New Year’s Eve – this star-studded romantic comedy is fun to watch on the 31st night of any year. It shows how much value people place on what they hold dear to, love or believe in and how special being alive to celebrate a new year is. My favourite character was Sophia Vergara, her accent and lines were just as hilarious as her act. There were a few moments I loved in the movie; one was Katherine Heigl slapping Jon Bon Jovi, another was Zac Efron interpreting Michelle Pfeiffer’s fantasy wish list into a meaningful reality and last but not least was Lea Michele getting her moment in the spotlight as she sang the first song in the New Year celebration at Manhattan after the countdown to the New Year. I wasn’t fond of the kiss someone as the clock strike 12midnight/12am culture portrayed at the end of the movie though. There is a sharp contrast though between how the New Year is celebrated all over the world and here in Nigeria.
In Nigeria, we tend to go to our places of worship, pray into the New Year and celebrate with brethren of similar faith before the fan fare of fireworks, knockouts, walking in a single file with lighted candles till 1am, begins. If not that then people choose to stay home watching a televised service of any denomination into the New Year or go out partying in a club or joint and what not depending on which part of the country you find yourself.
There you have it. With this I say good bye to 2012 and hello to 2013 where a ton of great movies are waiting to be released.
