Hey folks! You’re welcome to the review of Voice of Sacrifice, the third part of the The Keeper movies. This has been a challenging one to review because, in the words of a viewer on YouTube, “This is not a movie, but warfare”. That should have been clear as, from the publicity ahead of its release, the producers had advised its viewing be accompanied with a fast, and that certain precautions be taken if being watched in a church auditorium. Furthermore, a vigil would be held on the immediate Friday after each release. In other words, the movie was going to be a thoroughly serious business and it indeed turned out so.
The movie highlights the need for revelation in order for us to know key things that determine our success or failure in life. Hence, it’s a mystery drama that gradually unravels some of its unknown events. The dialogue was filled with so much exposition on altars that as again advised, you’d need a notepad to pen them down on.
More work was done to improve on the audio design from previous movies, while the dual subtitles were also more appropriately done. I would say that a charged spiritual delivery by Philip in a scene with his parents was glorious to watch.
With the way this ministration is panning out, the story might just eventually take a back-seat to its message. While this would be undermining the power of the film medium in my opinion, I cannot deny the profound nature and power of its dramatic deliverance sessions. Hence, I’d rather urge you to participate in the vigil after each episode, than do my usual review of the subsequent parts.
Hey folks! You’re welcome to the review of the much-anticipated Man Down, a top-notch gospel movie from Parables Film Productions, Nigeria. It was actually produced in 2021, but premiered on YouTube on July 10, 2022.
You know, there’s been a lot of hype about this movie and I’m quite sure that by now, you know it’s lived up to its billing. Its extensive publicity gave me a great feeling of excitement, and as I hit the play button, an expansive instrumental serenaded me through the gold-themed opening credits. With the opening scene cascading different emotions, I knew I was in for a joyride. I particularly love feature films and I don’t take it for granted that I can watch a nearly two-hour movie that has little or no hassles. That’s what Man Down did for me.
The beauty of this movie’s themes is that they are many. The title points to its powerful depiction of how Christians need to restore wounded soldiers on the battlefield of life through love. I saw the Scriptural ‘There is now no condemnation for those that are in Christ Jesus…’ vividly. Granted, Bola and Chidi, both children of God, make a mistake, but they acknowledge their sin against God and are willing to take a break, not to feel sorry for themselves, but to seek God’s face and mercy.
The only direction in Man Down was forwards: the reactions of Fejiro, played beautifully by Aanu Kolade, Pastor Aladese, and Julius in P.Dan Olawande’s cameo free Bola and Chidi, not to wallow in self-pity and guilt, but to receive the loving embrace of our heavenly Father who so graciously forgives our sins. What He wants is for us to change direction: turn away from our sins and turn to Him. This is so much better than the public humiliation the Pastor Mrs administers to Bola, basically ostracizing her. Speaking of the church, we see some human traditions or policies that are maybe doing more harm than good to the Body of Christ.
Asides that, Man Down touches on parenting styles that need to be adapted as a child reaches different stages of growth. The movie also doesn’t hesitate to address a tribalistic scenario by mirroring its existence in the Nigerian society.
Man Down flexes its musical muscles with a couple of original soundtracks and a variety of appropriate background tunes. Something I think the movie excels in is that aided by good music, it hits all its emotional highs and lows. Hence, you really feel this movie and invest your emotions in it. It further gives us a multi-purpose set piece at the end that provides a good example of the kind of music, level of production, and the way to shoot a prerecorded theme song. The lyrics of that song encapsulate the overarching message of the film. It was also a cheerful montage that showed us the life of the characters after a passage of time. That made it a perfect final curtain and I’ve had that part on repeat since its release.
Another thing that stands out in Man Down is the subtitles, which are on a higher plane to the usual, though some parts of it are better suited for a screenplay. The script was also well written as each character was given a unique voice. Every actor put in a good shift to make the movie credible; it’s a very big thumbs up to them all. The flashback scenes were artistically edited, especially the one that had an orange colour motif; I wish I knew how that was achieved.
Summarily, it’s a beauty to behold how forgiveness flows in all the relationships in Man Down. Truly, we’re blessed because in Christ Jesus, we get a fresh start; our slates are wiped clean. When we hold nothing back from Him, He holds nothing against us (Psalm 32:1-2).
So, Man Down! What did you think about the acting, the music and the way we handle anyone who falls into sin in the Body of Christ? Please let me know in the comments section below.
Hey folks! You’re welcome to this short film review. It’s one I’m really excited about: Sons of Sceva is an impressive short film that is based on the biblical story of its eponymous characters. The way Freedom Studios approached these ten verses of Scripture (Acts 19:11-20) is so creative that honestly, it can be developed into a feature. It introduces a few new characters, prominently the Documentarian, whose perspective a full-length story would be interesting to tell from.
I would describe the acting as fresh and the characterisation as convincing, in spite of the fact that the movie is just about 14 minutes long. The framing of the shots was well-orchestrated and the cinematography as a whole was dynamic. The dialogue was quippy and intelligently written. The music had no original soundtrack; yet, the sound design was outstanding.
Conclusively, the end credits, though creative, missed out on the character names/descriptions in the cast list. I’d have really loved to know these fine actors with their individual real-life names. Nevertheless, Sons of Sceva is quite simply brilliant, and I strongly recommend it for your viewing pleasure and blessedness.
Have you seen Sons of Sceva? The producers described it as “a faith-based horror drama like you have never seen before”; what did you think about it? Please let me know your thoughts in the comments section below. The link to the movie is https://youtu.be/NUZ4J5lOL6s
What’s up, gospel movie lovers all over the world? You’re welcome to this Fantalk article where I discuss the progress made in the drama ministry this year so far, as well as improvements still to come. Without further ado, let’s dive straight into it.
1. INCREASE IN QUANTITY I think the increase in the turnout of gospel movies in the past few years is now clear for all to see, especially on the YouTube platform. I remember that in 2020, I could barely watch all movies, and in 2021, where I managed to watch almost everything, I couldn’t review them all. This year, I’ve scarcely seen every production, not to talk of reviewing them. These just go to show that gospel drama and film production have come a long way this year.
2. QUALITY FILM SERIES There has not only been an increase in the number of gospel film series; the quality of story writing and production has also gone up a notch. Opeyemi Akintunde’s series have been very good, Love in Hell was fantastic, and Japa has been a beauty to watch. That’s a big kudos to gospel filmmakers.
3. MORE SPECIALISATIONS There was a time when the norm was to have one person as the writer, producer and director of a particular movie. While I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with that…I mean, if you’re just starting out, that might be inevitable…but it’s a thing of pleasure to now see more attention being given to specialized offices. We’re all differently endowed and we would be certain to get the best of people when we let them function in their areas of strength. Someone may come up with the concept, another with the script, and yet another to direct it. In fact, the video editor might not necessarily be the person that edits for sound design. Take a look at the Games Series, The Bond, Shadow Chase and the upcoming Enoch: different people came up with the story concepts, wrote the scripts and directed the movies. So, specialisations have resulted in better films.
4. MORE COLLABORATIONS Another phenomenon that has resulted in gospel movies fulfilling their potentials is collaborations, and I’m happy a few more have materialized this year so far. I don’t think I’ve seen a film collaborative effort that didn’t turn out well. Mount Zion particularly has done this to produce the amazing Abejoye Series with Flaming Sword Ministries International, worked with Bethel Campus Fellowship to deliver the outstanding Last Man Standing: Into the Den, and are about to release a big one in the widely-anticipated Enoch in conjunction with Solid Rock Foundation. Where necessary, collaborations are greatly encouraged, and the outcome will definitely be great to behold.
5. BETTER THUMBNAILS I don’t think I’ve seen a distasteful or blurry poster picture this year at all. This goes to show that more attention is being paid to it. I’ve come across some thumbnails on YouTube, not of gospel movies, that are so appealing that you’d want to see their videos, only to sometimes discover that they’re fakes of what they promised. That highlights how vital thumbnails are in getting gospel movies watched. While some still use a captured image from the movie, I would say, ‘let’s go for gold’ and do proper poster pictures.
6. MORE TRAININGS There was a time when, to get trained in your areas of calling or interest, you’d have to travel down to the few places where they were organised. Now, there are many trainings, even online, that are geared towards empowering believers for the work, particularly in drama. The Mount Zion Institute of Christian Drama, now an affiliate of Ajayi Crowther University, has a diploma course in Christian Drama, Mount Zion Film Academy has a couple of online courses, P2O Academy has an imminent training, G-Bay Film Productions has an annual Excursion to a Film Village and PREM Film Academy has the Fejosbaba Talent Workshop. All these are valuable opportunities to work towards getting skilled in what God’s called drama ministers to do.
7. STRIDES IN CHANNEL SUBSCRIPTION It was a great delight to see Fejosbaba TV YouTube channel reach 100,000 subscribers in the first half of this year. It was a testament to the hard work, grace and favour drama ministers get from God, and also highlighted the importance of consistency in whatever we lay our hands on to do. I pray that many more gospel films channels will celebrate such a feat soon.
8. BETTER ORGANISED FILM COMPETITIONS You could be forgiven for wondering whether there are ‘competitions’ related to gospel films. Somehow, they’re not very popular. Over the years, I’ve filled in for a few gospel scriptwriting competitions that were unfortunately, not very well organised. This year though, I came across the Peculiar Priesthood Productions Scriptwriting Challenge 2022, where we had to come up with a potential script to the sequel of a movie Mended. By God’s grace, I came tops, along with Odusina Abraham and Ogunyemi Oluwatobi. For me, what stood out was the way the organisers conducted the whole process, even holding a winners’ announcement ceremony that was still another avenue to learn more about gospel screenwriting. I hope there will be more like this subsequently from other individuals or organisations who may want to plan contests like this.
So, those are the areas of growth and development that I’ve noticed so far. We’ll now discuss the things I feel still need improvement.
1. BETTER SOUND DESIGN Music is so important to film production and it is an aspect I desire more attention is given to. It’s an art and I believe that apart from a natural ability for music, it is a skill that further needs to be learnt and honed. Some of the challenges I’ve seen in our gospel movies include using a single original soundtrack throughout the movie, which has a way of giving the film a single mood and tone, thereby causing drabness. Some do better by using the instrumentals during the movie and the full track only at the end, but even such instrumentals should only be used where it serves the story. Background music comes into play here but even the right type has to be applied depending on the atmosphere in scenes. Furthermore, sound should not cut abruptly between scenes. The ‘coolest’ level in my opinion, is being able to use both OSTs and copyright songs, though this might involve some paperwork, I’m not sure. As we strive to make our productions better, the icing on the cake would be for the song details to be included in the end credits, as found in technically standard movies.
2. CONSISTENT RELEASE TIMES This relates particularly to gospel series. You watch an episode that ends with a cliffhanger, and you have to wait till the following week to see what happens next. It’s when the episodes don’t come at the expected time that some people might say things like: ‘When all the episodes are released, then I’ll watch the series’. That means that the audience is mindful of our productions and we need to try as much as possible not to disappoint them. If unforeseen circumstances pose challenges, the producers need to communicate with the audience promptly in order to manage expectations.
3. A JOINT YOUTUBE CHANNEL? This is just to echo a suggestion I saw in an open letter online, that perhaps, there could be a single YouTube channel on a large scale where people can watch gospel movies from different ministries. I think it’s an idea worth considering, especially if it’s a conglomeration of ‘smaller’ ministries. Importantly though, there would need to be proper planning, sufficient understanding and detailed agreement among whatever parties would be involved.
4. BETTER ORGANISATIONS FOR COMPETITIONS As I hinted at earlier, a good number of the gospel movie contests I’d been involved in were crippled by poor organization. Going forward, I would say that having a timeline for each stage of the competition is a good place to start. Also, constant updates on social media handles would go a long way in cementing the viability of such competitions.
So, that’s my mid-2022 review of gospel movies. How about you: what progress or improvements have you noticed this year so far? What things still need to be worked on? Please, share them with me in the comments section below. Thank you very much.
Hey folks! You’re welcome to the review of Scar of Desires 4. It was a serene episode that contrasted the tumultuous atmosphere of its preceding sequels. It features the arc of Warrior, which, to be honest, I had doubted would come after seeing how unruly he had been. The secret to this turnaround is in the word ‘encounter’, and it serves as the answer for many parents and guardians who have recalcitrant children. Only an encounter was able to reach Warrior and the hope is that he won’t turn back again.
For the other subplot, Darasimi, who had been patient all the while, finally lost it when her husband’s infidelity bore an unwanted fruit, and this almost brought her disastrous consequences.
To me, Scar of Desires has always seemed like two separate movies: Folakemi’s story, which I consider the primary one, and Warrior’s on the other side, only loosely connected by the thin thread of the kidnap in the original movie. The ordering of the sequels has enhanced this notion of mine. I would suggest that more definite decisions be made with regard to the choice of protagonist in subsequent stories by the writer.
So, this is the end of my thoughts on the Scar of Desires sequels. I hope you were blessed by them and learnt a thing or two. The link to the movie is https://youtu.be/3WknFms-piQ
You can also watch the video of this review below.
Happy new month, folks! You’re welcome to the review of Scar of Desires 3. Like I opined in my review of the previous sequel, this third instalment has the form of an episode rather than a feature film. I would say that the movie is increasingly becoming more about the personality of Warrior, who is indeed a character that you cannot ignore, even if you tried to. The background music repeated severally contributed its quota to Warrior’s foregrounding.
The many Warrior-led scenes would be better interjected with those regarding Johnson, Darasimi and Folakemi. Scene ordering and editing scene-to-scene movement also need to be done more smoothly and not abruptly.
With regard to visual and sound effects, party scenes have to be more convincing, while gunshot and blood spillage sounds don’t have to be generic, and can be more creatively portrayed.
It’s important to note that there are a few new characters in these sequels, most prominently Richard Omidiwura’s Officer George. Priority needs to be given to embedding new characters deeply into an existing story, so that the audience would understand and possibly, relate better with their plight.
Ahead of Scar of Desires 4 to be released tomorrow, Sunday, July 3, 2022, I need to commend the use of both English and French subtitles in order to have a wider reach. However, I believe the standard practice is to have the second subtitle in a different colour – usually blue or yellow – so that there would be no confusion as the audience follows the text onscreen.
Those are my thoughts on Scar of Desires 3. Watch out for my review of the next part coming out a few days after its release. Also, I’ll be doing a mid-2022 review of gospel movies this new month; so, watch out for it!
Hey folks! You’re welcome to the review of Scar of Desires 2 from PREM Film Production International. Continuing almost immediately from where the original movie ended, this sequel focuses more on Warrior, the ‘celebrity criminal’, rather than on Folakemi’s story. Contrary to what we might have thought from the closing of Scar of Desires, Warrior further despises Jesus and has instead, reaffirmed his reliance on idols for power. It’s noteworthy that Warrior, impressively played by Femi Adebile, is a good example of a compelling character who has been given peculiar features that make him stand out in each of his scenes.
The second focal point of Scar of Desires 2 is the Johnson-Darasimi-Folakemi triangle. Folakemi presently has the upper hand, but only because Johnson has, uncharacteristically, been untruthful and insincere. Ayele is another character that is almost unrecognisable in his idiosyncrasies from the first movie. Chief Gbade on the other hand, literally makes the translation from the kingdom of darkness into God’s Kingdom of Light. I would say that his side of the story is the most consistent in time continuity, though that would pose an issue for other sub-plots. His reference to the curse of insanity after seven days suggests that almost all events in Scar of Desires 2 take place within those days. Yet, Johnson and Darasimi get married and Folakemi is able to walk within that time. Thus, character and temporal continuity have to be better in subsequent productions.
Scar of Desires 2 ends with a revelation that is likely to sensitise Darasimi to the crack in the wall of her home. This ending gave the movie the feel of an episode in a series, rather than the sequel of a feature film. I would therefore propose that it would be more apt to say that the sequel of the original Scar of Desires movie can be further divided into three parts, though we’d have to watch the movie tagged Scar of Desires 4 to be certain of this.
Conclusively, I would like the ministry to look into achieving better subtitling like it did in Kembe Isonu Season 4 and 5, and execute sound design with more finesse.
What’s your takeaway from Scar of Desires 2? Please share your thoughts with me in the comments section. The link to the movie is https://youtu.be/bciQWy7PEtU. Scar of Desires 3 will be out on Sunday, June 26, 2022 on Fejosbaba TV YouTube channel. Be sure to subscribe to it and click the notification bell to get alerted when it drops.
Hey folks! You’re welcome to this Fantalk article where I discuss what I have tagged ‘Higher Grounds’, using the 2020 biopic of Evangelist Mike Bamiloye – The Train – as a case study. This is an article I’ve wanted to do since February last year, which I didn’t get around to. But in the wake of an upcoming biopic, Enoch, I’ve had to get down to working on it and here we are. This is what I mean:
The release of The Train two years ago was such a tremendous blessing in a way that was different from other gospel feature films. It had this X-factor that made it my Number 1 2020 gospel film, and I think this was just because it was the story of a man we have here with us, in real life. We know how much he’s been blessed by God, and how much of a blessing he’s been to the world. To then see how his journey has never really been a smooth ride – a road filled with potential sabotage by the devil, spiritual slip ups, marital choice challenges, and a couple of God-inspired tough decisions – gives us a clearer picture of the journey of faith. It’s a story that inspires, encourages, strengthens, upholds and satisfies with God’s way of taking His children from the miry clay to the rock, from the valley to the mountain, from the prison to the palace, from shepherding flock to ruling His chosen people, and from being fishermen to becoming fishers of men.
With this kind of gigantic impact, I thought to myself then that the drama ministry can draw unparalleled inspiration from this; that is, putting up the stories of great men of God with tested integrity, on the big screen, putting them into film. I believe strongly, that they would really bless the hearts of God’s children, establishing them in God’s ways, and giving them the firmness of faith that all Christians that desire to fulfill destiny must have. Cue: we’re gonna have one soon; it’s a concept that keeps blowing my mind over and over: the soon-to-be-released Enoch, a biopic of the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (and my father-in-the-Lord), Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye. Yippee!
Poster for ‘Enoch’
When the release date is announced, I’ll do a Fantalk preview of it. So, I’m saying that this is one genre, I mean the biopic genre, that can be further delved into. This would be a fabulous blessing to the Body of Christ.
Hey folks! You’re welcome to the review of Shadow Chase, conceived by Gladys Ehis Ogbe, written by Joshua Bamidele, directed by Adeoye Omoniyi and produced by Femi Adebile. It was YouTube-released on May 22, 2022, and tells the story of Dorathy, a vibrant worker for Jesus Christ, whose courtship has a big question mark behind it.
I believe in the supremacy, so to say, of Story; that is, the core element of any film is the story. You may not have the technology to do computer-generated imagery (CGI); you may not have the recent de-aging techniques; you may not even have adequate resources to realise your movie concept exactly the way you pictured it. The one thing however, that shouldn’t be faulty, the one thing that must stay strong in spite of them, is the story, and with regard to that, I must say that Shadow Chase does give us a solid one.
We follow Dora, played by Gloria Oyinloye, as she tries to navigate her way, desperately trying to cling to the world in her boyfriend, Kunle, played excellently by Tolu Adegbo, while attempting to hold on to her Christian values. As far as God is concerned though, you’re either for Him or against Him; you’re either serving Him or serving money; you’re either His child or the devil is your father. An impossible place to be in reality is the middle of the road where one can easily get run over. The temperature God can’t tolerate is “lukewarm degrees Celsius”, and He spits such out of His mouth. That is the struggle Dora experiences in Shadow Chase and we see how futile such a pursuit is.
Going forward, I would say that music is an aspect that needs to be greatly worked upon by Nigerian drama ministers and film producers. There are too many possibilities in the musical art form than to continue repeating an original soundtrack at the beginning of almost every scene. That’s a no-no for me any time of the day. Also, we need to learn how music (or the absence of it) can be used to aid our storytelling. For example, using the same kind of tune in both tense and comical scenes could be distasteful and does the audience’s enjoyment of the movie a disservice. So, the diversity of sound has to be explored. I pray that God will help all drama ministers to seek mastery in this area.
In conclusion, Shadow Chase is worth your watching and you’ll be left to ponder on some ironies of life and the importance of letting Jesus Christ be Lord over all, and not just over some.
As paint on a plastered building, “Spoken 2” beautifies its original movie more.
Hey folks! You’re welcome to the review of Spoken 2. The movie is a good example of how to write a Mystery. While there is a question to be unraveled, it doesn’t leave any holes that keep the audience questioning the plot. The focus is laser-like and there is only one answer we seek. This is beneficial because it affords the viewer the opportunity for self-examination. You wonder what you would do in the characters’ shoes and how your decisions and actions measure up in the light of God’s word. What a blessing gospel movies are!
The conflict in Spoken 2 is an amplified version of the first. I was kept on the edge of my seat almost throughout the film. The theme of this movie is so well grounded that at the end of nearly each scene, the words on my mind were “This is serious”, and the verity of my thoughts was buttressed when a new character, Pastor Biyi, played by Evangelist ‘Shola Mike Agboola uttered the same words towards the end. The plotting was orderly and easy to follow. Also, the music, particularly the introductory tune, was very good.
Since Spoken 2 was only just released, I’d like to keep this review spoiler-free, not giving away any plot details. While watching this film, I remembered the director narrated on Instagram, how it was God that inspired this sequel; so, it came to my heart that if we regard this film as God speaking to us and we believe His message through it, then we will be empowered by His word in it.
One thing is certain, Spoken 2 will deeply bless you, and shows us that God can bring us out of the knottiest circumstances. If you’ve seen it, please share your thoughts with me in the comments section. The link to the movie is https://youtu.be/3ZEh70lBync
Witness Gospel Movie Reviews 