Aright. I just finished a Google meeting with a client, did some exercise, then decided to hop in the shower, regular day right. Nope, Instagram algorithm got me. No jokes they did. For the last two weeks, I’ve been searching and looking for independent film production works, so I could learn because I am invested in the culture of film, especially writing. I love writing. Okay, yeah, you probably knew that.
All jokes, After the shower, I decided to get on my phone and log in on Insta. You know that apps is an addiction. After scrolling for a few minutes, I stumbled on an ad, a video to be exact. It got me from the first word, I did not understand it, but I liked it, it was vernacular. Ad from Skrrskrr_Ltd, no jokes. That's their name, I love the ad I clicked got linked to their page, so I could view the full video, they're promoting their first film I believe, it's called Intsimbi, I see It can be viewed on Amazon Prime Africa, so I open the app on the TV and funny enough I found the movie, I mean it's a short movie made my Africans, so I will support.
The movie focuses on a young guy named Funny. He does not have any. He has just purchased a Red Mercedes-Benz. He drives around the neighborhood just like an average man would when purchasing his first vehicle. The story focuses on him and his car as he goes on an adventure with his friends.
Well, I love the movie, I really do, a 19-minute-long film, let's say 19.30. I’ve just checked on prime, the story is well written, it wants us to believe we the viewers are the passengers that's where I got lost, really we only get one or three shot from the back-seat, I would have everything focus from the perspective of the back-seat, which would have given more debt and mystery to an amazing story, the script had less dialogue, which was great it let the actors communicate a lot with their faces which I loved.
My favorite shot happens when our main character cries while driving after a kidnapping happened.
The film only has three characters. I love everyone. They all did an amazing job. The cinematography was fire, the ending while the main character is in the car, that shot, I cried. That was epic.
The film had a twist which I didn't see coming. I must say it's on par with the best, great storytelling. I will continue to watch the movie for a very long time. It's inspiring.
How to Ruin Christmas: The Wedding, is a masterpiece, cinema at its finest. In my top 10 movies/series of all time. The series had glamour, wit, it celebrated African wealth and success just like Crazy Rich Asians did.
The weddings OMG the wedding! If you have not watched the movie, please watch it on Netflix. That is the reason why I wrote my first blog. How to Ruin Christmas: The Funeral, the sequel, as they said, lightning only strikes once, it could not live up to the standard season one gave us.
My friends and I watched the prequel so much that it became our benchmark for any African movies or series we watch on Netflix. It says a lot. Okay, enough bragging or flash credit for the prequel, let us talk about the five - episode miniseries that is How to Ruin Christmas: The Funeral.
Lighting does strike twice:
Season two has more episodes than season one. It makes sense, the series had a lot to digest. From the first episode, you can tell something is missing, Lightning did not strike this time around, the flavor is missing, everyone is angry, but to give credit, it started where season two ended which is with Tumi and Khaya finally trying to date (lucky them). How to Ruin Christmas: The Funeral focuses on Tumi trying to return a letter to Durban which was given by Tumi sister's grandmother in law who sadly passed away in the car with Tumi, yet at the same time she is trying to figure out if she wants to date or just drink a bottle of Tequila each night.
Why didn't lightning strike in the bottle? For me, the series started with an over the - top acting and an angry vibe. If you watch the first two episodes, you will understand, no one in this modern world speaks, thinks or talks in that manner to anyone, angry or not. There was no understanding, logic could have seen that Tumi was not at fault for the death of Nandi Nyembe Granny's character. Then the family refused to read the letter, which was the last message which was left for the family. I found that part of the script odd. The weird part was Beauty insulting a woman's newborn baby in an airplane.
This time the old shine:
Season two focuses on the old members of both families, and at the same time, gives a shine to the youth, I love the focus of losing a baby and the trauma that comes with it, Beauty, played by Thando Thabethe, She played her emotional role to the Tee, still keeping the princess charm that she portrayed in season one. Every character had a ghost or a monkey on their shoulder. If that makes sense, I love it. Mama Sello's former husband comes back just to ruin his daughter's life, yet her friends are forcing her to get back in the love scene, but she tries to stick to her guns.
Desmond Dube, AKA Uncle Shadrack was funny as usual, but I felt they did his character injustice. I really thought the man whose first love is Gin would finally settle down and prove to everyone why he should be the man of the family. The script gives it a hint but does not capitalize it.
The good:
Here I will list my favourite characters not in particular order and why I think they kept it cool, though the script did not come to the table.
Trevor Gumbi as Siya Twala; Trevor is a walking national treasure no doubt about that. He just killed his role, season one we saw a glimpse of him. The guy came full force in season two. The screen lights up when he comes on with his colorful outfit, I love how he is always trying to find problems, so he could fix them just to show his brother he too can help.
Lehlohonolo Saint Seseli as Vusi Twala; How can we speak about Siya without mentioning his yang Vusi, He showed why old actors are just gold, did not once go off beat, even during the more challenging part of the series, He kept me wanting more, I just want to watch Mr Seseli act.
Swankie Mafoko as Lydia Twala; Three Twala’s Wow, we all felt for her at the end of season one. In Season two, she finally got her child, got her husband back, who finally got sober, but she had to fight her large - to - life mother-in-law. You just have to love the way the script made her confront her mother-in-law.
Sandile Mahlangu as Sbu Twala; No, No I do not have a thing for the Twala family. Let me explain why I respect Sbu's character. The script shows his strategic side, which I really enjoyed. He figures his wife's deadbeat dad came back after all the years of absenteeism, and he finds a loophole in his father almost to jail government issues. He hardly had screen time, but when the chance came his way, Sandile went full throttle.
Bad ending:
Season two felt rushed, there was no chemistry amongst everyone, I am not sure why, Most people I spoke to felt it fell off, I do understand where they are coming from, but I think it’s the rush of shooting back to back, Tumi, was not really herself, something was missing, even in her eyes you could see it though Busi Lurayi tries her best with the cards she was dealt with, you could see something was not there.
The ending was poor. I am not sure maybe the writers wanted it that way, but her character did not have any arc in season two, she was just a running gag, it felt forced, things could have easily ended differently if should, could just think, I mean the script shows she is very intelligent. Yonda Thomas as Khaya Manqele who is Tumi's boyfriend throughout the series. I did not feel sorry for him when Tumi handed him the ring back. He definitely deserves better. The brother tried to please her and make it work, but she was just too much.
The end:
I am not sure if we are getting a season three, but I hope we do. The unanswered question can rest in peace. Maybe they will focus on Cape Town. I mean season one was Johannesburg, season two was Natal. It just makes absolute sense. They need to add new characters, just like season two did, bring the children this time around.
Nevertheless, I enjoyed season two, not as much as season one. Do you believe there are no ratings for these series anywhere on the internet? How odd, Thank you for giving me time to read my weird review.
I would like to apologize for my lack of posting, rent had to be paid, if you get what I mean. Yet I had time to watch Netflix under the circumstances. Okay that's out of the way let us start, since watching Crazy Rich Asians (which you could watch on Netflix) I’ve been eager to see if any African movie can do the Asians from Singapore one better, sadly I am waiting, I had hope A Naija Christmas could do Justice, I mean there's no country on this beautiful continent who does grandeur events like Nigeria.
Truth be told, I have watched more Nigerian movies this year than all the years prior combined, all thanks to Netflix Africa. A Naija Christmas is about three brothers who need to get married by Christmas to fulfil their mother's wish. Meanwhile, their mum sets out to plan the most beautiful Christmas celebration for the neighborhood. On paper, it's a good movie. I would also approve of it if I was an executive, yet two hours and ten minute the film feels like an event calendar, it's just long. I had to pause after an hour and fifteen minutes because every scene felt like eternity.
The bad gift.
I watched the movie with my neighbour who came for coffee and decided to watch the series with me. According to him, I am a harsh critic, but he understood my points. The scene where the brothers meet for the first time at the mall was useless. It had no impact, there was no chemistry between the three brothers. Kunle Remi plays Ugo, the oldest of the three. A record producer whose studio got damaged because he had not paid his debtors. My bet is he was supposed to be intimate and have a huge present on screen, yet it did not come across because of poor line delivery.
Efa Iwara plays the nerd middle brother named Obi, he's a marketer and the love of his life who turns out to be his boss, dumps him at the beginning of the movie. For me, Efa was supposed to play Ugo. He would have done the character justice because of his body physics, and he looks older than Kunle, I give it to him. He did the stuttering part of his character very well, but he could not pull the nerdy part. Anyway, I thought he was timid and nerdy, nope.
The younger brother, a gym instructor, the more charismatic of the two is Chicke played by Abayomi Alvin. He acted very well, especially when the trio were in front of the camera, maybe because he had less to say or even do in the film, but whenever it was his turn he did well, even performing in front of a GOAT actress like Mercy Johnson, who plays his love interest.
Weak plot.
In my opinion, the plot is the reason for the movie's low rating, scripted by Kemi Adesoye who I thought did a good job in terms of writing, but the plot was too obvious, there was no room for the audience to guest, everything was laid down in front of us, I should give credits when its due I thought Abayomi Alvin character was going to be a LGBQ, in my mind I was like “no ways, no ways” I was so anxious to see it happen, but I was not disappointed when the film reveal his love interest is Mrs Johnson.
The worst part of the script was having everything negative link to Tony Torpedo, who came across as a gimmick character, He was just over the top. Maybe that's how the script wanted him to be, but I did not feel Lateef Adedimeji was a gangster character.
The good gift.
I felt the Christmas spirit, I truly did. The film leads to a grand party, which did not disappoint. I want to be in Lagos for Christmas. The party was just beautiful, the cinematography of the Christmas party was spectacular. The children receive gifts while the choir sings a Nigerian version of a carol. If I could insert Emoji I would put the watering eye Emoji, That scene stole my heart.
Okay, don’t hate on me, but the women stole the whole show, they ate their male counterparts. The best performance was Ade Laoye who played Kaneng Efa Iwara's best friend, from her first appearance in the mall to the last. She was full of energy, stole each scene from my opinion. My favourite scene of her is the staff after-party, when she cries and tells Efa character that she loves him.
Vera, a lady boss character who will stop at nothing to get a client, played by the beautiful Linda Osifo, did a great job at bringing the importance of her closing the deal for her company, even if that was to hurt Obi's heart, it's nothing personal it's just business.
The message of the film is that family is important, the family legacy should be protected, I did not feel the family love, I did not even care for the house, There was not much scene in the main house for me to worry about who gets the house, or how important the house is for the mum to let the son who marries first get it, and who falls in love and get married in four weeks, I need to know because I want to drink the same water, A Naija Christmas has one scene depicting Christmas, the rest feels like a two-hour January meal, it lacks gravy for the dry meal. Imdb gave it a 4.7/10. It says a lot about the movie.
For me its ⛾⛾⛾ of coffee out of ten cups.
But I am sure we will get other Nigerian Christmas movies about weddings. I just hope they spend time on the script and choose the right cast.
There's one crime I cannot tolerate not matter the reason, it's Human trafficking, you cannot sell another human being for profit, turn them into slaves, or whatever those devilish people do.
That is just beyond crazy to think some people gain profit, it's sickening. If you want to read more on human trafficking in Africa and which countries are involved head to intechopen you won't regret it.
When I think of Nigerian movies, my mind goes into a spiral. No, not the Chris Rock and Samuel Jackson horror movies. Well, just not up that alley. Netflix gave me time to appreciate Nigerians movies or series, even though there's tone, most feel the same, there's one that stands out, not the acting, not the visual but the story, the message the writers and directors wanted to share, and that is Òlòtūré, I usually get bored after ten minutes into a movie, if I pass the ten-minute part, it means one or two things, one the movie is good or two something caught my attention, it's either the story or the cinematography, for Òlòtūré it was the former, the movie intro was exceptional the best intro I have seen in a long time in any movie, I stand by my word. The first five minutes inform the viewers of what will be expected. The single shot from the time we meet our protagonist Òlòtūré to her escaping her sexual client, to her running for her life through the streets of Lagos, oh that one shot it’s a thing of beauty.
Òlòtūré Trailer
The movie explores the dark side of Nigeria's night-life, from prostitution to human trafficking. The film follows Òlòtūré as she takes a role as an undercover cop trying to explore the lifestyle of prostitution in Lagos but gets herself untangled in the rabbit hole.
Let us talk about the good of the movie; sometimes a movie is impacted by the actors and their aura in front of the screen, often a particular aspect is neglected and that's the design/wardrobe department. Òlòtūré stylish is top-notch, each scene is a work of art, the characters clothing, their lodge, the interior design, especially the lodge, the market, I would not be surprised if most of the budget was spent on the design category because that department understood the assignment.
The message of the movie is very clear, Nigeria has a problem which should be highlighted, the rich politicians raping young women, the human trafficking all taking place under the government nose, well that's what I took from the movie.
Sharon Ooja plays the role of Òlòtūré for me, she is the weakest link of the cast but does an amazing job when showing her emotions, though she gets my attention when first glanced the scene, her detective skills were poor, if it was a real-life experience she was going to get caught so many times, first in the market when she almost let her friend get caught, or lure clients and try to get away, you can do it once but twice or three times it will become suspicious, then there's her playing a prostitute which she did not pull of well, when she's near her other cast you could see she does not blend but besides them. Though she does have flows, Ooja makes us feel the emotion of being Òlòtūré and her friends, especially her best friend Linda, played by Omowumi Dada As the film is long, you can understand her role as a sister and daughter, she has a purpose. Each mistake or action she commits is due to her emotions, though her sacrifice was done for a more dramatic impact. I think it could have been her running away with her sister at the end and Òlòtūré crossing the borders with the bandits Few roles were poor not in acting but just their actions had no purpose, I did not like the role Blossom Chukwujekwu plays I know he is a great actor as he body his role as a lawyer in the series Castle and Castle but his character Emeka who is Òlòtūré boss, and he is also in love with her but does not know how to express his love, I like his character at first, but halfway through the movie I just lost interest in him, I felt him being a high power officer in the Nigerian police he could have use his power better especially in the last scene, or he could have done a better making sure the victims does not leave the country.
Overall Òlòtūré message is clear there's a huge trafficking problem in Nigeria and West Africa, and that needs to be handled, I appreciate Kenneth Gyang for the film, the visuals were stunning the plot was excellent, yes there was the poor scene here and there, but that was not enough to bring the movie down, Mo Abudu writing is amazing, the script was well handled, I think he just became my favourite Nigerian film writer.
The movie can be enjoyed by watching alone or with friends, but I recommend watching it alone to focus on the story and don't let anything distract you, not eleven the over performing role of the villain Victor played by Sambasa Nzeribe.
For me, Òlòtūré gets a six-cup of coffee out of ten.
March 2020, I find myself standing outside my work building staring at my phone watching the Zack Snyder: Justice League, final trailer for the 10th time. I get disturbed by a voice “can you hear the noise?” I looked up, it's my regular customer Alex. I answered “No! Sir, I cannot”. He gets out of his car, puts his face mask on and replies ''ah, youth, lack of experience is the modern youth's downfall. Chaos my young friend, chaos is coming, and you need to be prepared”. This time my phone heads to the back of my jeans pocket, my eyes are glued to his, arms folded. I replied, “prepared for what exactly, Alex?” “During chaos, there lie opportunities. During war, when there's huge smoke, run to the hills, look from above where you can benefit and plan your attack”. He replied.
Alex was talking about life after the pandemic. Our conversation lasted for about 15 to 20 minutes. The message I got from the conversation with Alex the wise is to learn to anticipate an opportunity. If you look over the pond you will see smoke. Well, not literally, American film industry is at war, a deadly one. They're fighting for numbers, so their streaming platform can help the African continent benefit from the war.
My name is Drey. Welcome to Coffee and Netflix, there's no denying the world is changing. You hardly see children playing in parks. Wait, hold up, are they still parks? COVID-19 pandemic sped up the process, the world stopped, no sport, no cinema, TikTok lit up like fire in a wild forest, Hollywood lost trillions of dollars in a year, video on demand became the centre of the world.
November 2019 Disney+ goes live, halfway through the COVID-19 pandemic year (2020) It launches in Latin America and Europe respectively. April 2020 ANBCUniversal launches their very own video on demand platform, Peacock. As of the publishing of the blog, it is only available in America. In May 2020, HBO MAX, a division of Warner Media, released in America. June 2021, launched in Latin America. Later in the year it will be available in Europe. Paramount joins the war in March 2021 with Paramount plus, like Peacock, it is only available in America. They are all competing with the likes of Apple TV, Amazon Prime and the main giant Netflix.
South Africa new streaming service
Need of content:
We have established the rise of the Internet on the continent, the streaming service which is operating on the continent. In my first blog post I discuss the growth of the African film industry. Click here to read more. In it, I explore the elevation of our industry. With so many streaming services in the market, the only way they can survive is by expanding and offering more content.
The year is 2025. Disney+, HBO MAX and Peacock are established on the continent. I can finally watch Zack Snyder's Justice League 2, the day of release (Lord hear your son's prayer) on HBO MAX. Would the content each platform offers be good for us?
Disney dug into their repertoire and got us another princess along with a song that's number one in the HOT 100, One problem is the princess is based on a character from Alaska, a young girl from Djibouti who is watching the latest release from her mother's lap, moral of my little story the young girl from the country of Djibouti might enjoy the latest Disney princess blockbuster, but can she relate? Solution; Disney exec’s with their 100 years of experience know they have to release content for the specific market, so they will need to hire African writers to create African stories.
That was only Disney. It only takes one to make the first move, the rest will follow. The formula will be beneficial for content creators on the continent, the film economy will be boosted and, out of it, the African studios will be amongst the best in the world.
Why is Netflix winning in Africa?
In 2022, Netflix Africa will release their first African reality show on the platform Young, Famous & African. The show will focus on a group of famed, affluent young media stars in Johannesburg as they build careers, look for love and rekindle old flames. If the show is successful, it will send shock waves across streaming services. If not, Netflix won't give up. They will try again. Here lies Netflix's strength, the will to be ahead of the streaming curve, realising their 20 million plus African subscribers need content they can relate with, and establishing infrastructure on the continent is key to their success.
Amazon Prime, arguably the second-biggest streaming service globally, also available in Africa since 2016, has not released trending, exciting African content as yet. Showmax with the help of Multichoice has been releasing amazing African content, such as “Temptation Island South Africa, Uthando Lodumo, Skemerdans, Crime and Justice” to name a few. Showmax has been available in Africa since 2015, but this guy has not been a subscriber yet.
In 2016, my younger self rushed to class late as usual. It's a mid-year marketing exam, I get to the hall, sit down, take my books out, am exhausted, I sigh, then look across the desk, my good friend Simone calmly looking at me while laughing, “you had one of those nights haven't you?” I replied, “yes, six hours of study”. “You should stop doing that to yourself. It is not healthy”, Simone answered back, He leant towards me then whispered “you should stop working hard. Learn to work smart”. Those four words “learn to work smart” have been echoing in my ears ever since, and that's the Netflix formula: they work smart, not hard, they understand what the customer needs, and they are always ahead of the competition.
Be prepared for the opportunity
Conclusion.
I am staring at the dismal maths test results which I got back from my teacher. I am disappointed with myself. I don't look up, observing each question as if I could now get it right, My train of thoughts gets disturbed by the teacher's voice, She writes on the board the final exam dates that's two months from the day, she turns back to the class, then says “the more you bleed on the training ground the less you sweat on the battlefield” that was 2012, I eventually passed the final exam, but those words are printed in my brain.
The message Alex and my intelligent maths teacher have in common is get ready now, don't wait, because when all those streaming service companies establish themselves on the continent, they will need content creators, so pick up that pen and write, stop thinking about that perfect shot, dust the camera and practice your skills even when you don't have an audience you will eventually be a professional in what you do. Just like Netflix being ahead of the curve, that's why I am writing, I am tired of thinking I am practicing. I accept criticism and I will get better.
Thank you again for reading till the end. I hope it was worth your while, four cups of coffee it took me to finish the article.
First thing first let's set the record straight the marketing for Jiva! Was not the best, prior to the release, there was no hype. I only found out about Jiva! Four days before it was released, while searching for music on YouTube the ad popped up, and I fell in love with the trailer, the choice of music, the dancing; it felt like a groove.
Compared to the others Netflix South Africa released. The Jiva! Advertising was not on par, Less marketing campaigns usually led to one or two things, one the budget allocated for the marketing was low, two the people in charge did not have any expectations for the project, I’ll go for the former Jiva! Is an awesome series. My name is Drey. Next to me is a hot cup of Burundi organic coffee. Let me try to complete the article before the Cape Town cold front turns my hot beverage into ice. Shall we?
Jiva!
Is about a street dancer from Umlazi, Durban township juggling a dead-end job, family duties, and a rocky love life realizing her moves are her ticket out of the struggle. A story each of us can relate to, especially the rocky love life and the family duties, certainly I can.
For those of you who are not aware, Jiva is a South Africa slang word which translates to dancing, made popular by R&B singer Chomee, 2007 hit songJiva Sexy. The series does not disappoint with the dancing, if you are a fan of the genre then you are in for a treat.
Jiva! trailer
The series is written by South African veteranBusisiwe Ntintili who wrote the 2016 movieHappiness is a 4-Letter Wordfun fact that was the last time I was in a cinema to watch a local film. She shares the script credit withBakang Sebatjane who is well known for her writing gigs on SABC 3 iconic drama soapie Isidingo. Behind the camera we find a trio partnership of award-winning directorMmabatho Montsho,Mandla Dube as the cinematographer (my favorite cinematographer on the continent by far, he caught my attention in the 2016 biopic Kalushi, also on Netflix, the final act of the movie, the courtroom scene till this day gives me goosebumps), andScottnes L. Smith who I do not know much about.
Just reading the names above, Jiva! Should be a hit, no-brainer right? Channel24 gave it a 3/5 score and IMDb rating is 5.7/10. A five episode series, each episode lasting an average of 40 minutes, it can easily be a bench watch, especially on a weekend, just like I did.
We are introduced to Ntombi played by Noxolo Dlamini, Miss Dlamini first appearance on screen you can tell she is different, her smiles overtakes the screen, she is well cast as the show frontrunner. After hearing about a dance competition that will be held in her town, Ntombi decides to create a group of misfit dancers called the Trollies with the aid of Vuyisa her flamboyant best friend played byCandice Modiselle, their first recruit is former high school friend who got pregnant in matric Zinhle played by professional choreographerSne Mbatha the trio on screen burst with energy, you can feel the hate and love when they all share the screen especially the tension between Sne and Candice characters quarrel about one stealing the other boyfriend back in high school.
They then recruit the best Pantsula (a tradition and also a highly energetic dance form that originated in the black townships of South Africa during the apartheid era) dancer in town Lady E who I think is an LGBT character, Lady E is played byStella Dlangalala, the group needs a Gqom (a genre of electronic dance music) dancer to become whole, with the aid of Ntombi brother Samukelo who is played byGiven Stuurman he introduces the group to his high school crush Nolwazi, after witnessing her dancing skills at an after school dance off that he initiate, so he could get her number. Nolwazi comes across as innocent; she is played by a charismaticZazi Kunene.
The five ladies have more screen time than the other cast. Jiva! Formula is very simple, young and new energetic actors for the heavy lifting e.g.; dancing and buoyant atmosphere, the more experience well known actors for the supporting roles that helps the main character development arch,Tony Kgoroge as Bra Zo the family uncle, he had an outstanding performance andSibulele Gcilitshana who plays Thuleleni Ntombi and Samukelo disable and old school (stubborn) mother.
The Trollies in action
The problem (cons)
Spoilers ahead.
Jiva! Has its share of problems, here lies the series misstep, there was never a shadow hurling over Ntombi. There was no urge to go into season two, the series makes you feel the emotion each character is going through, Ntombi past hunting her dreams. It's either her ex leaving for the city of gold or her father death which happened the day of her biggest audition, she abandoned her her dream to focus on helping the family. Ntuthuzelo Grootboom's character did not do much, the series portrays him as the villain, but he does not deliver, he could not keep up with his cost star Dlamini energy, each time they share the screen, but when faced with another actor on screen you notice why they chose him for the role.
If it was up to me, I would have use Makhekhe who is Ntuthuzelo Grootboom's character as season two antagonist, make him appear now and then as flashbacks scene to build suspense for the upcoming season, I felt there was too much going in Ntombi life and the lease problem was Makhekhe. The second issue is the speed of the series, it rushes to get to the end, each episode covers so much detail that the following episode details a new problem, the episodes could have been eight, with a run time of 30 minutes each, that might of came across as not rushed and gave a proper build up, showing Makhekhe in the final battle and feel his presence influence Ntombi team.
My opinion
Jiva! Is an amazing series. What makes it stand out is Mandla Dube cinematography, Durban beauty was on display in each episode, the set design made me want to visit certain locations like Ntombi backyard garden. The soundtrack backed with amazing choreography made me add Amapiano (a hybrid of deep house, jazz and lounge music characterized by synths, airy pads and wide and percussive baselines) to my music collection. The representation of South Africa music culture was respectively shared on the screen. Character development was well established for each main character besides Ntuthuzelo Grootboom's character Makhekhe. I just felt he did not have much to do in season one. The message is clear, don't give up on your goals no matter the circumstance, and don't put up with bosses who do not look after you.
Conclusion
All in all, Jiva! Is a Netflix production that could be better at least they gave us a great cast with amazing script and directors that did not disappoint, if you're looking to pass time on weekend, or you simply love dancing movies/series Jiva! Would be good for you, three cups of coffee was required to write a six-minute review, not bad. Until next time, thanks for reading.
If you look back through the lens of the African movie industry, you have to admit we came a long way, I mean from Cape Town to Cairo kind of long. There was a time I detested (I write it down with the utmost respect) detested African films. I would change the channel immediately upon seeing an African movie on my parents TV. Please don't judge me, hear me out for a second, okay maybe like ten minutes. My name is Drey, I would like to welcome you to my first blog post. Let me explain why I hate and love African film industry in that order.
I love art, I believe earth is a museum, everything we do is art, before social media and the internet the only way we could demonstrate our art as Africans was through music, books, fashion and films the second most important being films it captures a vast audience with the TV as the best channel of distribution. What makes art so powerful is the fact that it stood the test of time, earth has been around for mother knows how long, but each day we are left in awe by her beauty, just when we thought we figured her out, our hands are constantly holding our face like Kevin in Home Alone, what I am trying to say is that a film can be seen a thousand times across the years through the same eyes, each time we learn something new without getting bored. I am trying my best not to get to the point (deep breath I don't want to be judged or misunderstood, like I care).
Mr. Ibu, I never watched the movie but I have seen so many memes that I can tell what it is about. In High school they used to call me Mr. Ibue whenever I did anything dumb or stupid, it never bothered me, my curiosity let me to ask people what was Mr Ibu about and none could get past the part where it was a young man causing havoc by doing stupid things, what did they learn from the movie no one could tell me, The movie was designed for gags but could the same people years later watch a three plus hour movie? I highly doubt it.
Mr Ibu and PawPaw
My Hate and love for African movies or series came from my mother (an artist herself) but in the music industry, she used to spend hours watching African movies on DStv during the weekend while cooking or plating my little sister hair, movies with the most brutal titles like “A villager in London” “My wife gave birth to a snake” or “The church or money” and many more weird titles I could not make up. If you try to Google these titles and they do not appear, don't blame me. My biggest problem was not only my mum spending her weekends watching four hours movies back to back, it was the barber shop, as I waited for my turn to get spanked with a firing dragon flame turned liquid which lands on the edge of my head after a haircut, I would kill time by gluing my eyes to the screen watching a tireless scene or boring dialogue, the make-up on the artist was not that great, there was no cinematography, weak script, lack of consistency in the drama, low level scenes, poor sound editing, you have every right to say I am being hard but my mother always told me if you wanted to do something do it right and give it your best for me that's what art is about giving your best, making it your last touch. Praying for the barber to just say next, my eyes wander again to the screen above a ten feet mirror with a biblical verse stamp on it.
Seeing a scene where a gentlemen driving his car while talking to himself, the scene would take more than five minutes of him just driving, upon arriving at his gate we see the gentlemen getting off his car opening the gate, get back in the car, park his vehicle in the driveway goes back and close the gate then proceeds to walk to his huge castle, those scenes used to drive me insane.
You must be wondering what am I reading, I do not grasp the concept, and he said ten minutes of reading. Let us dwell deep should we? The point I am trying to make is most casual African movies or series had no direction. I don't mean as a blockbuster because we have a few of our own, for example, The Gods must be crazy, District 9or Tsotsi, to name a few. We should not ignore the fact that those four plus hour movies were being made because it had an audience to feed which is why Nollywood is the biggest distributor of movies in Africa making $590 million annually, certainly it has fans. Just like the life cycle in marketing a product needs to find ways to stay relevant to please its client I felt like Nollywood hit a recession and has not elevated yet, to feed the young audience. I mean the guy who likes chilling on weekends reading a book and contributing to everything which is black and beautiful. If I wanted to watch a series or a movie on the weekend it was difficult to find good African movies to watch with friends or by myself.
Feeding the Gap.
The west was growing in popularity with quality content series such as Game of Thrones, 24, Gossip Girls, Glee and Jane the Virgin or Jason Bourne movies. In our beloved continent we were fed with the same old formula of soap opera which have been on our screen since the start of the millennium, actors we saw growing on screen, their characters' names shadow their real names. We needed content, intellectual content, out of the blue the African Gods blessed us with Jacob Crossto me it was on the same level as the previously mentioned series and movies, what a series it was, a masterpiece especially season one. I recommend you should give it a watch, a series about one man's quest to establish a business empire in the cut-throat world of the African oil industry. The very first time South Africa and Nigeria work together in a production, it's worth a watch. There I felt the African film industry gave us what we wanted, a series which spoke about African excellence, business and power, IMDb rated it 9/10.
The Jacob Cross trailer
Shuga, A group of students whose futures are balanced on a knife-edge due to their love of risk and danger. The series was well-received in Africa and around the world. What I love about Shuga the producers and directors did not hold back, there was kissing, and cursing. They represented what young African girls in African college were getting up to. The series premiered on MTV Base, a channel targeting young adults. I might be wrong, it was the first time we saw Lupita Nyongo on screen.
Shuga season one trailer
What did all of those series have in common with the next one? The fact it did not last long, there was not much noise (hashtags) around to put fire under the network exec bum, only if social media was alive back then, because if social media had been around when Ayeye was airing, Vuzu would given us a second or maybe a third season, Ayeye was ahead of its time, the best African series of all time in my opinion, someone tell Thapelo Mokoena I said that. The series followed three room-mates who worked in an advertising company in Johannesburg, as we see each character go through their struggle of life from breakups, drug abuse, understanding life and starting a business.
Ayeye trailer
My only problem was there were no major networks at the time to see the potential of the above series, we cannot have everything in life, I guess. There was a transition in African films, writers and directors questioned themselves. They dug deep and came out with series which could stand the test of time without a doubt. The teams behind each show mentioned above were their own competition, each episode better than the previous one. As soon as the respected show ended there was a void which needed to be filled. A young man lost his appetite for African series. I felt lost and my heart needed something but I could not explain that urge.
Netflix saved the day.
Along came Netflix, gone are the corporate film studios, the government network channels with execs that lack visions. I for once was excited to have Netflix in Africa, little did I know about them. It was just FOMO (fear of Missing out), Netflix and chill waves. I knew aboutorange is the new black and house of cards, never watched either of them but twitter was buzzing about it, all I knew they were a Netflix production, so crossing the Atlantic just for us to watch their American shows did not add up with me, I knew something was coming, and I was excited. Bare with me please, we are almost there, almost.
Netflix was going to do what other African production companies could not, they gave small/independent production companies a chance, a chance to offer premium stories, quality production, while African governments were busy rewriting regulations so Netflix could pay taxes, Netflix went on a shopping spree of acquiring movies rights. They were about to fill the void that I could no longer bear. While the sun was shining on African films along came Shadow, Netflix Africa first ever production, forgive the pun but the spotlight was on Netflix. The series is about a tragic loss, an ex-cop with a rare inability to feel pain strikes out on his own to catch offenders who have eluded Johannesburg police. I am not sure who gave the clapper board to the director of Shadow but that person needs help. The series cast Pallance Dladla as Shadow, Nnekwa Tsajwa as the villain, Amanda Du-Pont as Shadow main chick, for me it was my first time seeing these actors on screen. The series rating on IMDb at the time of writing is 6.6/10. Am not impressed the series was not what I expected, Shadow had a Luke Cage kind of powers, bulletproof skin and all, the dude was harmless but full of emotion I did not get it, my attention span only lasted till episode three, the acting was poor, the actions was good to be fair, the cinematography was on point especially at night the visual was stunning, the dialogue lord has mercy that's all I’ll say.
Just like my branding lecturer used to say, “being first can either be a blessing or a tragedy” Shadow was the case, first to the party and no one gave them attention except critics. I will give the production team a hand, they did their very best, the script did not get the assignment. Shadow demise did not hurt Netflix emotions. Catching Feelings was what Netflix needed. It had Kagiso Ledigafront and behind the camera, star -studded cast of Pearl Thusi, Akin Omotoso (my favourite actor and director on the continent) and Loyiso Gola, they helped Kagiso make the film a must-watch. Catching feelings follows a formerly-famous writer and his wife whose life gets disrupted when a famous and very self-indulgent author comes to stay with them. The film is a masterpiece. Rotten Tomatoes has it on 100% rating, I mean it cannot get better.
Check out the trailer for Catching feelings
Let us be frank Netflix Africa had its hits-and-miss with series and movies, but who can blame them, they tried to feed us with content we needed but at least they tried, that's what is important. There're gems on Netflix which they have not advertised as much, story for another day.
The point am I trying to make is, we should not set our standard low when it comes to African films industry, not because it is set in the continent and has an African cast, we should learn to be tough on them and push the creative team to do their very best and I have two examples to end this essay. Queen Sono produced once again by Kagiso Lediga starring his Catching feelings co-star Pearl Thusi. Am not sure if its an espionage or revenge series not going to lie, the script was poor it lacks meat and vision. what made Queen Sono great was the acting the cast did an amazing job, the cinematography is jaw dropping, the director did his best with shots that looks like things of beauty, there's a scene in the park when they show young Sono and her mother wow what a scene, the director strengths was his skills with actions scene and visuals. Queen Sono is about a spy who takes on her most dangerous mission yet while facing changing relationships in her personal life. I did not pass episode three again, I got bored because of the script, you know what? I’ll give it a try again, now that I am blogging about African films.
Saved the best for last, whoever gave the clapper board to the director of How to Ruin Christmas: The Wedding needs an award, what a mini series. Well I will say a good three-hour movie with some ad breaks. IMDb gave it a 6.2/10, while remaining fresh on Rotten tomato with a 93% rating, The series focuses on Busi Lurayi whose character Tumi tries to make things right after ruining what should have been her sister's picture-perfect Christmas wedding. Each character on screen had an amazing development one could feel the emotions and the stake at hand, a well cast series, it reminded me of Crazy rich Asians, a movie I felt needed an African version, the writer and director of How to Ruin Christmas: The Wedding literally said “say no more fam” the movie represent Africa poor and rich lifestyle without making it feel unpleasant. Just like Crazy rich Asians the wedding scene will leave you crying, No, I almost cried. Thando Thabethe as Beauty had a princess vibe, she pulled her role to the T’. I will write more about the series in due time.
How to Ruin Christmas: The Wedding trailer
Look, I am sure you might not be like me, but what we have in common is the love for the African art no matter the medium. Just like my mother said, we should always give our best, that was my problem with certain African movies or series, we should not blame the low budget nor the actors, some have been in the industry for decades. Our standard for movies which are made by our people should be of high standards, we should be the first to tell them that, because we love the project, and we are fans. Netflix gave our African production companies a platform to show their skills, we now have quality content on demand which depict our lifestyle, us fans can relate to them at the same time we put the continent stories on a huge platform for the world to watch, I hope someone across the pound watched How to Ruin Christmas: The Wedding and was like “I would like to have a Zulu wedding”
I am a lover of African films. The main reason I make use of Netflix Africa is to watch movies or series is because it offers African productions which I love. For those of you who have read the whole article till the end, I would like to thank you for reading my first ever article. Now let me go and make me some good organic Ethiopian coffee.
You're all access place for what you should or shouldn't watch on Netflix Africa, because I did. My obsession for the African movie and entertaining industry made me do it. I'll be reviewing and analysing African content on Netflix Africa and offering my two cents on the film industry.
