Entertainment
These Five Movies Will Still Wow You This Weekend
Are you a lover of movies? Are you bored and you wish to get busy this weekend? This right relaxation series is right here at your finger tips. Hollywood is growing now and releasing new Sci-Fi and Action movies among others that you love to see again and again. You can simply visit the cinemas and watch them, or relax in the comfort of your sitting room to see some of them. They will surely worth your while. Some of them are:
- Annihilation
I have to confess that I haven’t yet read the Jeff VanderMeer novel on which this movie’s based, but there’s a very good reason for sticking Annihilation on this list:
Garland broke into directing with his stunning debut, Ex Machina. Annihilation‘s another genre film, a sci-fi thriller starring Natalie Portman as a biologist on the hunt for her husband in an area beset by environmental disaster. Oscar Isaac’s the missing husband, while Jennifer Jason Leigh plays a psychologist.
It promised to be astounding this, and in a year with some real treats ahead, this is the one that just about squeezed to the top of the list. Unfortunately, due to some very frustrating reasons not worth getting into again here, we may not get to see it on the big screen here in the UK, as it went straight to Netflix.
- Early Man
It’s telling that in a year when The Incredibles 2 is listed, there’d still be one animated movie we’d place higher in our anticipated movies list. But then director Nick Park hadn’t made a movie since 2005’s Wallace & Gromit: The Curse Of The Were-Rabbit, and hadn’t directed since 2008’s Wallace & Gromit short, A Matter Of Loaf And Death.
That he’d back directing, and introducing a whole new bunch of characters too, was a very big deal for us. The film in question was Early Man, a new stop motion animated venture that used the considerable skillset of Aardman to take us back to caveman and cavewoman times. This time, there was an adventure that involved football, fighting and lots and lots of comedy – All from a director whose mantelpiece heaves under the weight of Oscar gold. Don’t bet against him having to nip to Ikea for a new shelf…
- Avengers: Infinity War
It seems the end is nigh for the Marvel Cinematic Universe in its current guise, with Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige confirming that the Avengers film after this one will wrap up the main storylines. Infinity War, from Captain America: Civil War helmers the Russo brothers, promised to build up to something really rather special.
The gang was pretty much all here for this one, which dealt with the escalating stakes of the MCU. Hopefully, it would be more The Avengers than Avengers: Age Of Ultron? We were hugely looking forward to this one
- The Irishman
It’s unclear whether this one will get a theatrical release at all, but it’s hard to be a movie fan and not be excited about the reunion of talent the long-mooted The Irishman represents. Robert De Niro and Martin Scorsese for a start, back working together on a film for the first time since Casino. Then, Joe Pesci has been coaxed out of semi-retirement. Al Pacino is on board. Harvey Keitel is in there. Anna Paquin. Jack Huston, Bobby Cannavale. It’s a hell of a list. The film is a mob drama, as De Niro’s Frank ‘The Irishman’ Sheeran tells the story of how he got involved in the murder of Jimmy Hoffa.
It’s 50/50 whether we’ll see this in cinemas next year. Netflix is set to premiere it on their service in 2019, but we’d wager it’ll get an Oscar-qualifying big screen outing at the end of 2018. Hope so.
- Deadpool 2
In a year drenched with comic book movies, this was the highlight on paper of the three that were X-Men-tinged. Ryan Reynolds reprised the role of foul-mouthed merc Deadpool, this time with whatever shackles that were on firmly taken off. There was some early fallout on this one, with director Tim Miller leaving the project due to ‘creative differences’ with Reynolds. John Wick co-director David Leitch stepped in instead.
Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick penned the script again, and the cast featured Morena Baccarin, T J Miller, Brianna Hildebrand, Josh Brolin and Jack Kesy. We expected megamoney to be made.
Oscar-winning actor Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, were found dead in their home in New Mexico along with their dog, the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office told CNN. He was 95.
Their causes of death have not been confirmed, but foul play is not suspected, Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Denise Womack-Avila told CNN on Thursday morning.
Deputies responded to a welfare check request at the home around 1:45 p.m. Wednesday and found Hackman, Arakawa and a dog deceased, Womack-Avila said. An investigation is ongoing, the sheriff’s office said. The gas company is assisting in the investigation, The Associated Press reported.
The welfare check was conducted after a neighbor called authorities, concerned about the couple’s well-being, CNN affiliate KOAT reported.
A search warrant shows that Hackman, his wife and their dog had been dead for some time, and the couple’s bodies were in different rooms when deputies found them during the wellness check, the AP reported.
Hackman was found dead Wednesday in a mudroom, and Arakawa was found dead in a bathroom next to a space heater. There was an open prescription bottle and pills scattered on the countertop near Arakawa, the AP reported.
Medical examiner’s reports with the final cause of death “generally take anywhere from 4-6 weeks to generate,” said Chris Ramirez, spokesperson for the New Mexico medical investigator’s office.
CNN has reached out to Hackman’s representatives.
The actor’s death comes just days before the Academy Awards on Sunday.
Hackman’s performances in such films as “The French Connection,” “Hoosiers,” “Unforgiven,” and “The Firm” elevated character roles to leading-man levels.
Hackman’s best roles were often of conflicted authority figures or surprisingly clever white-collar villains, such as the iconic, evil Lex Luthor in the “Superman” film series in the 1970s and ’80s. Many held a hint – sometimes more than a hint – of menace.
He won an Oscar for his portrayal in 1971’s “The French Connection” of New York cop Popeye Doyle, a detective who gets his man but at a high cost. His surveillance expert in 1974’s “The Conversation” is single-minded to the point of obsession, losing all perspective.
He won his second Oscar for his performance as Little Bill Daggett, the violent sheriff in Clint Eastwood’s 1992 film, “Unforgiven.”
Source: CNN
Nigerian music star, Patoranking, is guest this week on the Glo-sponsored African Voices, the magazine programme of the Cable News Network (CNN) International.
He will share the story of how he rose from the slums of Lagos to global fame to host of the programme, Larry Madowo.
The programme will equally host Ghanaian Derrick Cobinnah, who has been using his “Forces Help Africa” to turn round for good the fortunes of Ghanaian war veterans.
Patoranking, whose full name is Patrick Nnaemeka Okorie, hails from Onicha in Ebonyi State. He was born in Lagos on 27 May 1990. He is a Nigerian Afrobeats and reggae-dancehall singer and songwriter who starred out in life as a street musical performer.
He has won notable awards including Headies, Vodafone Ghana Music Awards as well as the MTV Africa Music Award in recognition of his hit albums including God Over Everything (2016), Wilmer (2019), Three (2020) and World Best which was released last year.
Patoranking has used his wealth and his position as a UNDP Regional goodwill ambassador to champion the cause of youth development in Nigeria.His counterpart, Derrick Cobinnah, has been employing his Forces Help Africa, a non-government organisation to render help and support to war veterans who are sick, injured, displaced or destitute.
The current edition of African Voices started airing on DSTV Channel 401 om Saturday, with repeats coming up on Sunday at 7p.m. and at 4 a.m. on Monday.
Entertainment
Behold the Prophetess: DJ Cuppy Foretells End of Singlehood in 2025 As Nigerians Offer Advice
Disc Jockey, DJ Cuppy, has prophesied that Valentine’s Day 2025 will be her last one as an unmarried woman.
The 32-year-old, in a post on X, expressed faith in God to help her get a husband.
“Happy #ValentinesDay to me! Manifesting that this is my last one unmarried… Lord, do your thing!” she wrote.
There have been diverse reactions to her post. While some professed love to her, others dished out unsolicited advice and even made recommendations for life partners.
Ogunniyi Taiwo (@tcarz45) wrote: “Baby come let me give you love unconditionally.”
Another X user “SanTa ExqCobar”≠ (@SanTaExqCobar) commented: “If na bad character make you never marry, change am. Happy Val.”
Mr Gibenny (@mrgibenny) suggested: “@uchecrypt is single @cuppymusic. @Crypto__hub is single @cuppymusic. Choose either of them, you won’t regret it.”
Mezie Abia (@MezieAbia) had this advice for Cuppy: “I hope you do realize that the Lord will not find husband for you? Go out there and make use of your woman skills to lure a man who will stick with you. We can’t have a good number of handsome and single men roaming the cities, and you’re always worrying and disturbing Lord to do His thing every damn year.
“Heaven helps those who help themselves, therefore, make a haste while the sun shines (sic).”
Olubunmi Aro (@bummiearo) wrote: “Don’t be under any pressure to marry please.”
Sulucious (@sulucious) asked Cuppy to marry him. “Let get married, na you they fine who get money,” he wrote.
DJ Cuppy announced her relationship with British boxer, Ryan Taylor, in December 2022.
After getting to know each other for 25 days, she disclosed that they got engaged.
However, after un-following one another on Instagram in July 2023, the couple gave rise to rumour that they were no longer together.
Cuppy later opened up about the failed relationship while recounting the setbacks in her life at an event.
Born as Florence Ifeoluwa Otedola, DJ Cuppy is the daughter of billionaire businessman, Femi Otedola.
