Swing Street Publishing-Goswingstreet/Nollywood Reviewer Volume One

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Kings Battle/Return of Kings Battle: Identical twin brothers in an identity mix-up fight for the throne and the love of one woman. Starring Jim Iyke and Omatola Jalade. Superb acting and great chemistry between these two, sexy stars. Patience Ozokwor also stars, adding her special vibrance. Some minor technical issues with the production (including a hilariously-fake corpse that's obviously a dummy), but very entertaining overall.

The Black Sister 1 & 2/The Tiger’s Eyes 1 & 2: A general with a history of rape and murder finds himself in love with the product of his own crime. High drama with some unintended humor. The ending will be totally unexpected. Starring the sensuous Rita Dominic, Frank Brigger, Alex Osifo as the evil general and bad boy Jim Iyke. Watch out for the heroine's aunt and grandmother to give compelling performances. Contains adult themes and situations.

Battle of Honour/Last Battle of Honour: Two princes born on the same day from different queen mothers vie for the throne while competing for a woman they both love. Delightful drama with a very attractive cast. The situations are humorous and the ending is unpredictable. Starring the majestic Olu Jacobs as an aging king, versatile Mike Ezuruonye, handsome Nuhu Ali and gorgeous Jackie Appiah in a dual role. Some mild violence.

She Wants Him/Even in Death: A beautiful psychopath decides she must have a particular married man, even if she has to kill herself and haunt him to death from her grave. Horror with some unintended humor; has a surprise ending and some truly creepy moments. Starring Jim Iyke, the lovely Yvonne Nelson, Reverend Eddie Quophie and seductive Niccollette Somonas as a convincing psycho on a mission. Very well done for a low-budget film. Not a movie for children.

White Hunters 1&2/Return of White Hunters 1&2: A group of misguided, attractive women are hell-bent on marrying the "white" man of choice. A totally unpredictable plot, extremely colorful characters and a surprise ending make this a popular film. Embarrassingly funny with hilarious theme music. Starring beautiful Ini Ido, voluptuous Mercy Johnson and the outrageous Funke Akindele, who at times steals the show.

Rain Drop 1 &2/Every woman 1&2: Unable to get pregnant and desperate to keep her husband the prince from taking a second wife, a woman fakes her pregnancy, steals a newborn and presents the infant to her husband as his future heir. Graphic sex scenes in this one; Nollywood heartthrobs John Dumelo and Frank Artus get their stroke on. Not for the kids to watch; ladies however, might love it. Also starring Ini Ido and Uche Dili. Ruth Kadiri plays the luscious, promiscuous teen who just can't keep her panties on.

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THE GOOD: Leading ladies are beautiful, educated and well-dressed; male counterparts are articulate, handsome and charming. Location shots are often extensive and panoramic; some of the cinematography is breathtaking. Nollywood plots run the gamut: From adultery to rape and revenge, black market organ trafficking to battle over royal thrones, prostitution and ancient/modern mysticism to light romance. In short, these movies have it all. There is often a musical narrative, sung by an artist whose voice you'll come to recognize, and many of the same actors appear in different roles and combinations. Many of the older films are kid-friendly; newer films are becoming more racy and controversial.

THE BAD: Low budget productions resulting in some technical issues. Many of the movies are unnecessarily long (average 4 hrs running time including all segments) and present more like a television miniseries. Sound and picture quality may be compromised; some of the cheesy tribal and royal costumers can be humorous. But, what Nollywood lacks in production money, it makes up for with superb acting. Some of the best performances we've seen have come from: Olu Jacobs, Ini Ido, Genevieve Minaj and Jim Iyke. Production quality is improving as Nollywood gains in popularity. One negative thing we've noted: many of the scandalous movies involve promiscuity, yet no one ever pulls out a condom. With AIDS so rampant, particularly in Africa, we'd like filmmakers to produce more responsible sex scenes, with at least some of the characters practicing safe sex.

Potentially frustrating: Nollywood has very confusing movie titles. The movies we've seen are in several parts, each an hour or so in length. For reasons unknown, the title of each segment is different and unless you already know the order, you're very likely to watch the episodes of a movie out of sequence. In this review, we list segments in the order we've found them on YouTube and other sites.

THE CHALLENGING: Figuring out which movie segment to watch first. The dialogue can also be difficult at times for a Westerner to understand, especially when the actors speak rapidly, or in native Hausa or Yoruba. At times the actors switch between native dialect and English, but there will often be subtitles to help you follow along. After watching a few movies, it becomes a bit easier to decipher what's being said. There are some recurring sexist themes, including the scheming female/ wicked temptress/evil woman. Also, wealthy characters generally have black servants they treat with troubling disdain. As far as integrity goes, no man can resist temptation and women always forgive their men, no matter how bad the transgression.

If you're looking for a refreshing change from the Eurocentricity and pop culture of American cinema, Nollywood is a great choice. Touted as the third-largest movie industry after Hollywood and Bollywood, Nollywood is gaining in popularity and becoming more accessible to audiences worldwide.

The Nollywood Reviewer, Volume 1 presents an eclectic line-up of Nigerian cinema, including suspense, romance, horror and light comedy. Clicking a movie's poster or "Watch Now" button will take you to a third-party site/the first movie in its series.

Nolllywood Reviews (Continued)

Volume I