Review of 'The Hunger Games', the movie

By Amina Kollere

Drama, intrigue, suspense, science-fiction, and fantasy with a hint of romance all bottled up into a 2hr 22min movie in form of The Hunger Games, the movie adaptation of Suzanne Collins book.

The Hunger Games is a movie set in the future, where South America is today, but would be described as “used to be.” A new country, called Panem, emerges with twelve districts and the Capitol, where all decisions are made. “Every year, the evil Capitol forces each of its twelve districts to send a teenage boy and girl to compete in the Hunger Games. A twisted punishment for a past uprising and an ongoing government intimidation scheme, The Hunger Games is a nationally televised event in which "Tributes" must fight to the death with only one survivor.” (via hitfix.com)

The movie’s theme centers on oppression, survival, and hope for a new future. The oppression is depicted in the form of an authoritarian rule, with one character named Snow presiding. Survival is seen throughout the movie, from the first time we see the main character to the very last scene. The Hunger Games itself symbolizes a form of ‘bread and circus’ for the people of the capitol since they do not participate and seem to have a lot of free time on their hands.

As the plot unfolds, we meet the characters one by one. Katniss is the main character. Her character is that of strength and endurance, coupled with her ability to make ends meet through hunting, and trade. Peeta, the male lead, is sweet and charismatic, a definite crowd pleaser, which comes in handy in The Hunger Games. In terms of survival, he is the kind of character that relies on his wit and physical strength, as is apparent in the arena, where he forms an alliance with the bad guys in order to protect Katniss. They are featured as star-crossed, lovers destined to die in the arena. The audience believes this, both in the movie and in the book. It is obvious that Gale and Katniss go way back. He has a good sense of humor, not to mention HOT! He also has a secret crush on Katniss, as we see when Katniss and Peeta have a moment in the arena, and Gale takes his eyes off the screen.

Haymitch, their sponsor, is first shown as a drunk, who could care less. But after seeing Katniss’ abilities, he is motivated to help them, and he comes through in the end. Effie Trinket is one of my favorite characters in the movie. Like the rest of the capitol, she is unaware of the unfairness of the games. Instead, she believes it as an honor to be a tribute. She is more concerned about the mahogany table into which Katniss drives a knife than the issue of the argument. When Katniss fires an arrow towards the judges’ table because they are not concentrating during her evaluation, Effie is concerned about manners. She is the kind of absurdly oblivious character that can make your day.

President Snow is one sketchy, no-nonsense character that makes the hairs on the back of my neck rise anytime he is on the screen. He looks vindictive and ruthless because he doesn’t see anything wrong in eliminating people that could cause problems in his perfectly knit world at the top of the food chain. He tells Seneca Crane, the game maker, that he hates underdogs and thinks they should be eliminated.

As a sci-fi, the movie’s ability to mimic the setting exactly as it is in the book is commendable. The movie is able to properly depict the lifestyles of the Capitol’s citizens, especially their fashion and architecture. This adds to the fantasy of the movie. The scenes with bloodshed look so real and thrilling, as if you are right there with the characters. Amidst all the chaos, the romantic scenes fit right in and seem even more romantic. Peeta knows the right things to say, but since Katniss is not much of a chatterer but more of an actor, she kisses him, an epic scene that buttresses the star-crossed lovers’ angle.

The movie is a wild ride of blood-boiling, heart-stopping, and mind-reeling events. In terms of character, plot, and action, this movie has it all and deserves high ratings. I rate it 8.5 out of 10.

Turning to What Matters

By Halima Olajumoke Sogbesan

Vice President (VP) Namadi Sambo, of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, will be getting a new house soon, and N2bn from the 2013 budget will be spent to that effect. The VP is not the only beneficiary; there are other outrageous appropriations for the renovation and design of houses that belong to some senior political officers. While defending the planned spending, Federal Capital Territory Minister Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed said, “The projects that will be funded under ongoing projects include the designing and construction of the residence of the Vice President; the residence of the President of the Senate and the Deputy Senate President; the Speaker and that of the Deputy Speaker.”

In 2009, the Federal Executive Council (FEC) approved N7.1 billion for the design and construction of the VP’s house. Since then, the amount of money that has actually been spent on the house is unknown.

Just few days ago, a N9 billion request was made for the same ‘project.’ This time, the executive secretary of the Federal Capital Development Agency (FCDA), Adamu Ismail, said, “The additional N9 billion was needed to build a banquet hall, protocol guest house, two other guest houses and civil infrastructure, as well as to purchase furniture and install security gadgets.”

In addition, the Presidency has secured approval of the FEC for an additional N2.2 billion to build a 150 seat capacity banquet hall that will be used to host the president’s events.

Are our public officials oblivious to the suffering of the average Nigerian? Isn’t this the same Nigeria where over 60% of the population live on less than a dollar a day? Or have the poverty and the illiteracy rates improved in the North? Are the educational systems now better? Have the maternal and child mortality rates now improved? Don’t we still have many other problems? How many Nigerians will get to spend a night at the billion naira house? How many will be privileged to attend the President’s event at the N2.2bn worth banquet hall? Why then should so much money be spent?

The former FCT minister, Adamu Aliero, attempted to give an explanation when he was minister. He revealed that the VP has been living at the President’s guest house for visiting heads of state. The previous house where the VPs resided had to be given to the Chief Justice of Nigeria, as stipulated by the Abuja Master Plan. Aliero had said, “It is imperative for us to provide accommodation for the Vice-President. The Vice-President has no accommodation; certainly, you will agree with me that it is unbecoming for any government not to provide accommodation for its Vice-President. We will now embark on the construction of a befitting residence for the Vice-President.”

Is the VP homeless, like many other Nigerians? Isn’t he comfortable wherever he is now? Instead of spending so much money for the comfort of one man, can’t this project be suspended? The country has too many problems to deal with, and the VP can still ‘manage’.

We say kudos to the Senate Committee on the Federal Capital Territory for refusing to grant the proposed N9 billion. However, we disagree with Smart Adeyemi, the Chairman of the Senate committee on the Federal Capital Territory, when he said, “Fourteen billion Naira to me is huge for the Vice-President’s house. If you are even talking of N10bn that would be understandable.”

We cannot call the use of N10bn for one house understandable. This should not be condoned in a country that has numerous debts to settle. We should remember that this is not Namadi Sambo’s money; it is the nation’s.

This is a clear indication that political leadership positions are becoming way too lucrative, albeit, illegitimately. What happened to leadership for service? Not only is this immoral and unwise, it displays a stunning disconnect from reality. While the majority suffer in abject poverty, our leaders get comfortable with the nation’s money. Let the projects that require such outrageous amounts of money be suspended, and let’s fix the country first.



News Source: The Punch (5 December 2012), The Nation (7 December 2012).

The CBN Governor's Outrageous Proposal

By Amina Kollere

The CBN Governor, Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi (SLS), stirred trouble on 27 November 2012, in Warri when he proposed that in order to increase government revenue, 50% of the Nigerian civil servants should be sacked. He argues that with a huge reduction on overheads or less spending on recurrent expenditures, more funds would be freed and directed towards capital projects, so that significant spending on infrastructure can be guaranteed to lift the economy.

Sanusi said “You have to fire half of the civil service because the revenue government has is supposed to be for 167 million Nigerians. Any society where government spends 70% of its revenue on its civil service has a problem. It is unsustainable…The country does not need over 100 senators, about 400 members of the House of Representatives to make laws.”

The President of the Nigerian Labor Congress (NLC), Abdulwaheed Omar, wondered if, to SLS, saving government funds was more important than saving lives. Omar added that, “The burden that will come with a mass sack of as high as 50% of civil servants, in addition to the already saturated unemployment market, can better be imagined.”

The NLC is clearly not happy with Sanusi Lamido Sanusi. As expected, he has been called many foul names. Some have called for him to be sacked, and the more aggressive ones called for his head. Clearly, SLS has ruffled feathers, and he is facing the consequences.

Although, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi is right when he says that spending about 70% of government revenue on the civil service is wrong, the solution he is proposing is outrageous and not viable. What he should have tackled is the unreasonable salary paid to senators in Nigeria. They are the most highly paid, but useless, public officers in the world. There are no legitimate laws and systems in Nigeria to show that they deserve the luxuries they are given. SLS should realize that sacking 50% of the civil servants will only increase unemployment and poverty rates, not to mention a rain of curses on SLS and his entire generation by the people of Nigeria.

It is highly irrational that with the top officials in Nigeria embezzling millions and fraternizing with the tax payer’s hard earned money, the innocent civil servants who suffer to earn a living should bear the brunt of the top officials’ failure to keep their greedy paws off the government revenue.

The 2011 budget includes N18 billion to service the presidential fleet. Does it make sense for the president to have 9 aircraft? Having one or two aircraft will not limit his itinerary, but extravagance is running high within the power-brokers in Nigeria. Imagine what N18 billion could do if invested in Agriculture or in the educational sector. All these are the issues Sanusi Lamido Sanusi should have identified, because they are the main problems, not civil servants.

The governor asked whether or not Nigeria needs its 36 states, as some of the states are in pitiful conditions. No doubt, the governor asks very good questions, but his answers are not well thought through. If the constitution were amended, and some of these states merged with more resourceful ones, has the governor thought about the chaos that could wreck? Should we keep merging until, well, when? No doubt the ethno-religious tension already paramount in Nigeria will be heightened as each group struggles for control. God knows we do not need any more fighting.

Instead of looking back at the things that cannot be changed without severe consequences, we should find a way to move forward despite. How about improving the agricultural sector in all states so that they can come up with part of their revenue instead of relying solely on the federal government? Or how about training our youth on how to be entrepreneurs so that they can be employers in their respective states? We need our leaders to be intelligent, outspoken, and even a little eccentric, which Governor Sanusi Lamido Sanusi is, and that’s admirable. However, when talking about social issues, it shouldn’t just be about the profit to the federal government. It should be about the profit to the entire nation, and sacking 50% of civil servants is no profit.

A Review of 'The Sky is Falling' by Sidney Sheldon

By Amina Kollere

The Sky Is Falling is a spellbinding novel of glamour, power, and murder. The title suggests chaos and mayhem. From the beginning, there is a secret auction going on, which suggests something illegal, giving reader’s room for imaginations and speculations. Is it drugs, human trafficking, or something worse?

The popular, charismatic Winthrops have captured the imagination of the world with their commendable public service, their enormous charity, and their glamorous lives. But in a single year, all five members of the family are killed in a series of accidents. Dana Evans, a beautiful, young anchorwoman with a Washington D.C., TV network, who has just come back from covering the war in Sarajevo, finds the deaths of all family members suspicious, not coincidental.

She begins an investigation and starts discovering compelling evidence that she can hardly believe. In her determined pursuit of the truth, Dana never anticipates the cat-and-mouse chase that leads her through a half-dozen countries in search of a serial killer. During her search, she is accused more than once of being ‘chicken little’ (That is probably where the book takes its title). She keeps chasing a story no one else believes, until the evidence is uncovered.

As she closes in on her suspect, the shocking secrets she unearths place Dana and her young son in dire jeopardy, and, in an unpredicted twist of events, Dana becomes the hunted. Can Dana outsmart her pursuers, and expose the truth that will shock the world?

This is a book that highlights a myriad of societal problems in one breath-taking fiction. Although the book is fiction, there are some elements of reality. For example, as the search for the truth takes Dana across the U.S. and Europe, the glamorous places she visits are real, and they add a touch of reality to the book. The use of suspense is gripping and eye-popping. The fact that she travels across the world to as far as Siberia looking for a killer while the culprit is right under her nose is ironical, and makes the plot as interesting as ever.

I love how her boss tells her that she runs in like Chicken Little yelling “The sky is falling, the sky is falling.” Once the murder conspiracy starts, I have a hard time dropping the book; my eyes literally pop out of their sockets, and I am glued to my seat waiting to see what happens next.

Readers should buckle up and prepare for the amazing journey through the twists and turns of the plot that is Sidney Sheldon's trademark; a mind-blowing explosion of thriller, action, and adventure, filled with all the features that have made his previous works sensational bestsellers, The Sky Is Falling is Sidney Sheldon at his best, and I would award it a 4-point rating out of 5.

The Trouble with Nigeria: A Review

By Halima Olajumoke Sogbesan

Title: The Trouble With Nigeria

Author: Chinua Achebe.

Length: 68 pages

Publisher/Year: Fourth Dimension Publishing Co. Ltd 1983

 ISBN: 0435906984.

Chinua Achebe, the literary genius, starts the book by asserting that, “The trouble with Nigeria is simply and squarely a failure of leadership.” This gets me interested in what he has to say for the remaining 67 pages of the book. Though the book was first published 29 years ago, towards the end of the twentieth century, it is relevant to modern day Nigeria with all its troubles and challenges.

My introduction to Chinua Achebe was through Things Fall Apart. In an article featured in The Guardian, a Nigerian newspaper, approximately 8 million copies of Things Fall Apart have been sold since it was published in 1958. I found Achebe’s writing brilliant and easy to comprehend. In fact, I’m not surprised at The Paris Review’s reference to the literary genius as, “the father of modern African literature.” As a result, I looked forward to what the pages of The Trouble with Nigeria had to offer, and I was not disappointed.

In the preface, the then younger Achebe states that the book has been written for his children and their peers throughout Nigeria. The book, as he further states, is an argument about their future.

The table of contents clearly outlines the troubles with Nigeria. In the first chapter, he introduces the topic, and then uses eight chapters to discuss the trouble with Nigeria in detail.

In a Nigeria that was dealing with issues of tribalism, high rates of corruption, and the aftermath of the Nigerian Civil War, the book couldn’t have come at a better time. It explains the problems with the 23 years old Nigeria, and makes suggestions about how those problems could be solved.

The problems that Achebe discusses are tribalism, the false image of Nigeria as a nation, the Nigerian style of leadership, patriotism, the social injustice and the cult of mediocrity, indiscipline, corruption, and the Igbo problem.

Achebe uses the first person narrative technique in the book. Using this technique, he incorporates fascinating stories that reinstate his arguments. He also uses sarcasm, and humor to make the book more interesting. These elements make the content of the book stronger, and so I relate to it better.

There are things to learn. In the book, it is quite unbelievable that sometime after independence, Nigerians put Nigeria first. The Nigerian of the time would say, ‘I am Nigerian’, before hinting at being Yoruba, Hausa or Igbo. Though sad to note, Nigeria had also planned to become a force to reckon with in terms of its development by year 2000. It is 2012 and we are still projecting into the future.

I thought the most interesting chapter in the book was chapter two on tribalism. Achebe says about the tribe, “Tribe has been accepted at one time as a friend, rejected as an enemy at another, and finally smuggled in through the back-door as an accomplice.” In this chapter, Achebe ridicules so called ‘nationalists’, who are in the actual sense, the perpetrators of tribalism. He mentions names and cites examples of how people, like Obafemi Awolowo, played tribal politics.

Outside politics, Achebe laments on the detrimental role the state of origin plays in a so called unified Nigeria.

I was disappointed in the author’s chapter nine on The Igbo Problem. Just 40 pages away, Achebe bashes the idea of tribalism, and then ironically, he writes a whole chapter that fuels the idea. In the chapter, Achebe portrays the Igbo as superior in character. However, the words in bold struck me the most. Achebe says, “They (Nigerians of other ethnic groups) would all describe them (the Igbos) as aggressive, arrogant and clannish. Most would add grasping and greedy (although the performance of the Yoruba since the end of the Civil War has tended to put prize for greed in some doubt!). I thought that was inappropriate of Achebe and the remark contradicted some of the lessons from chapter two.

The book ends well with chapter ten on the example of Aminu Kano. In this concluding chapter, Achebe explains that change is possible in Nigeria. He praises the simplicity of Aminu Kano, and compares him with Mahatma Gandhi. The last sentence is particularly interesting, “Nigeria cannot be the same again because Aminu Kano lived here.”

This is a book Nigerians should read, especially to understand that the problems of the country did not start today. Every young person should read the book. As the ‘leaders of tomorrow’, it is imperative that the youth know the problems of yesterday and look at their relationship with what is obtainable today. In a Nigeria with even more contemporary problems, such as security issues, and a disturbingly high rate of corruption, young people need to help try to fix some of these problems. If they cannot fix them, then they should not contribute to them.

Film Review: Mr. & Mrs.

By Halima Olajumoke Sogbesan

Movie Title: Mr. & Mrs.

Year: 2011

Director: Ikechukwu Onyeka

Producer: Chinwe Egwuagu

Cast: Nse Ikpe Etim, Joseph Benjamin, Thelma Okodua, Paul Apel, Barbara Soky, Chioma Nwosu, Mpei Mapetla

This is one movie that attempts to tell a truth about some of the conflicts and struggles in marriages. Mr. & Mrs. is a Nollywood movie directed by prominent Nollywood director Ikechukwu Onyeka, and written, and produced by Chinwe Egwuagu.

The 2011 movie features upcoming actors. Joseph Benjamin plays the role of Kenneth Abbah, the Managing Director of Hills Oil and Gas, who emotionally maltreats his wife of ten years. Nse Ikpe Etim is Susan Abbah, Kenneth’s wife who has to put up with the unfairness of her husband. Thelma Okodua is portrayed as a Career woman, Linda, who is so consumed with work she hardly has time for her family. Paul Apel is Charles, the loving husband of Linda who, ‘supports’ her career and never complains.

Plot

The movie depicts the lives of two families: the Abbah family, and the family of Charles and Linda, whose surnames are never revealed in the movie. The family that receives more dramatic attention is the Abbah family. Susan is portrayed as the housewife who has been relegated to the position of a maid in her marital home. She has to make fresh meals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, because her MD husband dislikes stale food and eating out. Her husband barely eats the food she makes, nags constantly, rains insults on her, and never pays her attention except when he wants to satisfy his sexual needs. He also suggests that she is incompetent. She accepts all the abuse in an attempt to please her ungrateful husband.

Charles and Linda, on the other hand, seem like the perfect family. Linda is a career woman, who spends most of her day at work. Her husband, Charles, appears supportive of her career.

The story relates the experiences of Susan and Kenneth and how they work out the problems associated with their marriage. At the end of the movie, Susan is able to get back a husband that respects and loves her dearly. Linda and Charles, on the other hand, have to deal with a challenge in their marriage before a happy-ever-after. Linda finds out that her marriage is not perfect after all; her husband had been having an affair with the maid all the while. However, she is willing to make sacrifices in her career to make her marriage work.

The story is told in a linear way, with no flashbacks or foreshadows. However, there are times that the viewer disconnects from the movie as a result of some weak transitions.

Themes

The movie has two important themes. These are consistent marital conflicts and the wife’s struggle between confinement and independence.

Susan’s representation of the struggle women face in marriages is good, though with some flaws. She is a smart and outspoken woman with a lot of potential yet it is difficult to believe that she cannot convince her husband to treat her differently. However, the minute a divorce is in sight, she becomes the bold woman that does not care what her husband thinks.

The movie also shows that marriages will always have challenges no matter how little. At the end, what really matters is that the couple involved is able to tackle their problems.

Characters

The characters could be better represented. In almost all the Nigerian movies I have watched (I have not watched too many), the career woman never has time for her family, and the needy husband always has to end up having a sexual relationship with the maid. It also always appears that every other person, including the viewer, knows or suspects when a man is cheating on his wife. However, the career woman is always oblivious to her husband’s apparent affair(s). Come on!!! Though, this has become a cliché of some sort in the Nollywood industry, I question the truth in this representation.

In this movie, it is difficult to tag a particular character protagonist or antagonist because these characters change based on the events that occur. However, if we are to tag people antagonists, then Susan’s mother-in-law will be one. She contributes to the discomfort in Susan’s marriage. Kate, the maid in the household of Charles and Linda, would also qualify as an antagonist because she is portrayed as a threat to Charles and Linda’s marriage.

The flat characters are Kate, the security guard, and the mother-in-law. These characters do not change or develop as the movie evolves. The round characters that change as the movie progresses are Susan, Kenneth, Linda and Charles.

The movie also has some stereotypical characters. From when Kate, the maid is first presented, we already expect that, given the circumstances in the household, she would have sexual relations with her boss’ husband. The gateman, on the other hand, as exemplified in many other Nigerian movies is a Hausa man. Though in reality, the man’s name is Edet, in the movie, he has a Hausa accent and he is portrayed as a dumb man that cannot properly purchase a box of pomegranate juice. If you ask me this is very improper and annoying. Our movies should not encourage these representations.

Symbolism

The symbols in the movie are evident from the characters. These characters represent more than they show. Susan represents the struggle for respect in her marital home. Linda represents the image of the independent woman, and Charles represents the force against the independence of his wife.

Unlike many other movies, the climax of this movie is not just one scene but a series of scenes which prepare the audience for the denouement. These scenes are well presented. The ending is good because though the movie ends, I think about various other ways the movie may have ended.

Genre

The movie falls into the family/drama genre, with some elements of comedy.

The movie attempts to show what is obtainable in the Nigerian society. It has the potential of passing messages of women empowerment across to its audience, but instead, it does the opposite. Notwithstanding, it is a movie I would recommend especially because it is funny. Overall, I award Mr. & Mrs. six out of ten stars.