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Hello guys!

It's another Friyay and I am as excited as your definition of excitement! I feel like Friday is naturally programmed with excitement just because it's next to Saturday (for people that don't work on weekends). So as has been custom in a few of my previous posts like this one and this one; it's another beautiful *sipping cold latte* style day for a movie review.

This one is Nigerian though.

I subscribed to irokotv this year and have watched a lot of movies on the app. I found myself asking questions, rolling my eyes, laughing my head off, even struggling to finish some movies, so I said to myself: "Lola?", myself said "Yes, beautiful?"; then I blushed back at myself and responded "Why not just write about it on the blog?". And here we are!

Note: I know the kind of hard work that goes into making a movie and I recognize it. However, I'm sharing my views so that we can have meaningful conversations about how amazing a movie was or how it could be better. I hope we can do that.


My own version of a background

A celebrity chef reconnects with his long-time love when she found herself on his cooking show, following a change to his routine by the TV network hosting his show. Their re-connection came with a shipload of unanswered questions and anger they had harbored in the past. Like every other story, they start really rough and end really smoothly.

This is me trying not to spoil the movie for you, you owe me a gift for this.

Review

While I really loved the movie, I had a few issues that kept bugging me throughout. Molade's (Enado Odigie) sister (Bimbo Ademoye) seemed to have a different costuming from her sister because, they were just really wrong. Maybe that also contributed to her acting because Bimbo is one actress I really admire (especially for her stellar acting in Backup Wife which made me scream when she nominated for the same role).Maybe it's just me, but I think she struggled with that role a bit.

I loved Labake's (Fehintola Olulana) interpretation of the role. We all need a Labake in our lives and trust me, I know because I have one in my life. She made me remember my great friendships and I would have "named names", but I won't like to embarrass my friends so I'll just pim. The Lead character Abbey (Jimmy Odukoya) though, I felt he could have done more with the role and be more believable. It seemed like he was better at being a celebrity chef than being Abbey himself. I felt like his supporting characters helped to carry him well, which was good.

And that towards-the-end scene, where Molade recounts the reason why she left - was off the charts! I felt every word she spoke and it was as if I could see the picture she was painting for me. I haven't really seen Enado in a lot of movies but in this one, she was everything.

Highlights

1. Of course, towards-the-end scene. Every bit of it.
2. Then there was the first time she came on the cooking show and while Abbey was trying to make egg sauce, she takes over the show by saying "That was not how I taught you". I felt every bit of that! 
3. Where Abbey and Molade had this hilarious argument about the correct pronunciation of scotch bonnet.

Gifer

Rate

6/10

Recommend?


I would definitely recommend you saw it. You might like it better than I did or not. Whichever way, let me know!

Have you seen this movie? What did you think? You know what to do: take a seat in the comments and let's have a chat!

Stay winning.
See you in my next post!

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Hi guys!

This is one Friday I've been waiting for, yoohoo! Not because of anything, but because it's the day before Saturday.

This is one series that fascinates me. Unfortunately, the few people I've asked for feedback didn't like it that much. I also have a weird love-hate view about the main premise.

The way their team of thieves and sub-thieves were developed was clean and organized and the characters were very well strategically killed off (Well till Siobhan was killed, because I loved her so much). I also dislike it when I come to like a criminal, but this particular series made me fall in love with the main character - referred to as Lucas Hood (Antony Starr) the entire time - even when he was a complete criminal.


The police precinct was run out of an old garage, with only four officers. Four!!! I found that really interesting. Along the line, two of them (Emmett and Siobhan) were killed and someone else joined but the transition from the town being completely vulnerable to the point where even the always terrified officers became really confident that they totally wiped out this vulnerability was epic.

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This is one series where I actually was emotionally attached to 95% of the characters. They were the most amazing criminals that carried out that criminality with such ruggedness and finesse. I should warn you however, that it has loads of sex scenes in it. Two people will literally look at each other and their clothes were off in a second. It could be distracting, but try to focus on the plot.

Kai Proctor (Ulrich Thomsen) though, was weird for me. You didn't know when he would be soft or hard hearted and I couldn't for the life of me figure out why his neice's (Rebecca) death affected him so much after the incest he committed and after getting back in the good graces of his mother. We can't say he "loved" her, could we? As ruthless as he is, I can't place my head round why he would kill anyone for her, really. A good reason will be that he and Rebecca's mother were really close, which we didn't see manifest in the series.

The ultimate thing for me, about the series was that from the beginning to the end of all four seasons, we didn't know the main character's real name. He just went by Lucas Hood, impersonating someone else that was supposed to be the sheriff of that town.

Rate:  9.5/10

Number of Seasons: 4

Recommendations: 1. Daddy's home  2. Eye in the sky

By the way, have you read my last post?

Have you started watching or finished Banshee? What did you think? 

Let me know in the comments below!

Till Monday, xx.

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Hi guys!
How are you enjoying your Friday so far?

I've always been a fan of intelligence movies/series with a hint of comedy. It reduces the tension that comes with the genre, while still maintaining its uptight nature.

While I didn't quite enjoy the new light I was starting to see Ryan Reynolds (Bill Pope) in (he literally only spent 2 seconds in the film before his character was killed), I think I loved having Kevin Costner (Jerico) replace him. It took a while for me to really feel the plot's concept, as my excitement only started with Jerico's character towards the end.

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I get that he was strategically chosen to replace Bill Pope because he apparently didn't feel anything, but I'm quite shocked that no one even thought to check on Bill's family or at least inform them that something was being done about Bill's memory (secret mission or not), instead of having Jerico spring up on them like that. Bill's daughter had the cutest lines by the way.

The only character that kept up his game throughout was Jordi Mollà, who played Xavier Heimdahl. His brutality was real and his death was epic (you should have heard his last words!). Bill's wife's transition from being really scared of Jerico to loving him like he was her husband, was sort of the beginning of "the real dawn" for me. Generally, the movie took quite a while before it really gripped me, but I was glad I waited till the end.

Rate:  5.5/10

Recommendations: 1. Barbershop The Next Cut  2. A Hologram For The King

By the way, have you read my last post on Human Trafficking Awareness Day?

Have you seen Criminal? What did you think? 

Let me know in the comments below!

Till Monday, xx.

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Hi guys! How are you enjoying your Friday so far?

Like I said in this post, Fridays are for Movie/Series review and today’s pick is one movie that got me actually rolling on my back with laughter. By the way, have you read my last post on 10 things to do this January? The month is still young, you could find some things that can help steer your thoughts for 2017!

Before I go on, let me say that my reviews won’t be as intense as the usual ones you see. They are SOLELY my thoughts and points of views and can sound more like a conversation than the usual review style. I’ll also leave recommendations at the end of every review for those of you looking for a good movie to watch on a Friday.

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This movie is what you can call a “wake up call”.

Jason: While I’m not a fan of Zac Efron’s, I would say he totally pulled off the role of the uptight-daddy’s-boy-and-obedient-fiancé-lawyer-guy really well. It was an absolute delight to hear him say “I get to handle SEC Compliant, LP Agreements and LLC Agreements” like a bazillion times! It seemed like that was all he could talk about, when asked what he did for a living. His delivery was spot on from the intensity of his character till the transition into the flexible, creative photographer.

Grandpa: Robert De Niro kept winning my heart with his character in this film. Well, he had already set the crazy-old-man tone for me since “The Intern”, so I wasn’t surprised that he was picked for this role at all. I wish I could write out every one of his lines, but you have to see for yourself! He wasn't like your usual grandpa; he was strong and bad-ass, definitely a grandpa I’d love to have.

Two of my other favorite oldie stars are Morgan Freeman and Harrison Ford, but I really couldn’t see them in this light. RDN was amazing in this movie.

It encompasses the need to really do what you feel liberated doing and enjoying great returns from it. I think it expressly captures the essence of family, unity, passion and growth either as individuals or as a group.

Rate: 9/10 (because I don’t like giving full marks)

Recommendations: 1. Criminal  2. Mother’s Day

Have you seen Dirty Grandpa? What did you think? 

Let me know in the comment section below!

Till Monday, xx.

                                       

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Happy New Year, guys! It’s not too late to say that, is it? As is the usual fashion, when a new year comes like this one did yesterday, most of us already have our long lists of resolutions waiting.

This year, I have chosen to do just one thing with this blog: Put up posts on Mondays and Fridays (Come hell or high water). Mondays will be for random posts and on Fridays, reviews on movies/series, depending on what I have scheduled in my Cassiedaves Blogplanner.

Before I run away from the topic, I want to give massive hugs to my readers. You are awesome people! I sincerely appreciate the love you’ve been showing me and my utter laziness towards writing. I hope you keep sticking with me.

For the “clean slate” type of people like me, here are (In no particular order) ten things to do this January:

1. Major goal anyone?

It’s January, you’ve written down your long list of goals and you have the entire year to fulfil them. Sometimes, we get overwhelmed trying to achieve these goals all at once, so the interesting thing to do in a month like January is to pick the major goal. This task could be quite herculean because, a few goals can be on the same levels of importance, but they can still be narrowed down depending on priorities.

Once you have picked the most important one, make sure you are able to set it rolling and if possible, achieve it before the month runs out. If this goal is achieved by the set deadline, you are well on your way to receiving the best striker award.

2. Save Save Save

Save in any way you can! Financially, morally, every-other-something-ally-you-can-think-of! Saving is one term that has earned its way into my favorite bank. No matter how small, saving always ends up being really useful at unexpected times. The internet, being an information hub is an advantageous tool for saving facts. Don’t be left out of news flying by every second, they can be useful in business, personal life, even financially! You should subscribe to Google Alerts, it’s great for that. You even get to choose what news you want in your mailbox.

I also came across this handle on twitter and on their website, you can save a certain amount of money (no matter how little) towards a certain period of time. It’s amazing how small numbers can magically transform into big numbers!

3. Who doesn’t love a challenge?

Challenge yourself to try new things. These things are usually the types that never make it on your interests list. Back in school, I hated Computer Science and had to even further deal with it once I got admitted into the university. I still hate it, but I’m trying to see if I can learn coding. Some schools are teaching it online for free and so far, the only one I have registered to is Code Academy. You should check it out, their website is so beautiful and easy to navigate, you would think you were about to have the best meal of your life!

4. Everyone has a brand

A brand can have different definitions, depending on the person. I have two brands – my entrepreneurial business where I sell caps (more coming on this pretty soon) and my writer/poet brand: Lola Ogunnupebi. In a month like January, you can research the different strategies, techniques, methods in which other people in the same field have employed to grow their brand(s). Check out their journey, what makes them unique and use these as inspiration to form your brand’s identity.

If you already started, this is a fantastic month for reviews and future needs/goals for your brand. Constant brand development is an essential part of brand growth and there is no better time for that!

5. Stare the year in the face

So it knows you mean serious business! Just like you did for January, assign other goals to other months in an order of priority. I’m not saying that some of our goals are more important than the others, it can be easier for execution when we plan accordingly and follow that plan the way I follow food (which is really strongly).

6. Give gifts that keep on giving

One thing I think I want to do more this year is give. No matter how little. I know Christmas isn’t going to be for another eleven months, but who says it can’t start early? There are amazing causes to support on GoFundMe, you could also register to give blood on Haemo. It’s also still a gift if you can start a campaign on any crowdfunding site. We all need to help in every way we can.

Another way to gift is to help other peoples’ voices be heard or even tell your own story (ies). You absolutely do not have to be a writer to do this at all. Stand To End Rape (STER) is one platform you can contact, to volunteer as writers or story tellers.

7. Mini Self-discovery/Rediscovery

Pick a place to visit this month. Let it be away from everything else familiar. Sometimes, there are parts of us we still haven’t been introduced to. You don’t have to travel to this place, it should just be one to give you solitude. Reflect on everything and every step you’ve taken, are taking or about to take and think of ways to better achieve them.

8. Who wants coffee?

Drink more coffee this year. Because I’m liking it and I want to initiate you into its awesomeness. If I ever get addicted to coffee, please blame Nana Aisha Salaudeen for this hehehehe!

9. Smiles don’t kill, do they?

It is super liberating to smile, guys. The internal tension a smile reduces is out of this world and it’s reception is magical. Even in situations where you can’t seem to make yourself smile, try. Take a deep breath and pop out those gorgeous babies that the English language have decided to call teeth and smile! It calms, it’s peace.

10. Let’s pick a song

We all (well, maybe most of us), have a song that takes us back to some goal or want or action we have neglected, yes? Create a playlist on your phone (with any fun name you want) and collect songs that remind you to either take things steady or never give up, songs that inspire! Listen to them often to remind yourself of where you are going. Don’t forget to have fun along the way!

What is your January looking like? Do you think I’ve left out some salient points? Let me know in the comment section below!

Till Friday, xxx.

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