7 Old Nollywood Movies to Blow Your Mind in This Season

During my holidays at home, I’d usually be in my room all day long, either browsing on my phone or watching movies on my laptop. My parents would be in the living room watching my mum’s favorite station: Africa magic. This particular day, my gadgets were down and I needed to get them charged, so I plugged and decided to leave them to charge. With nothing to fondle, I got up and went to join my parents in the living room. As usual they were watching a movie on Africa Magic- Yoruba, and in my “let me sha see what they’re watching” I joined them. In no time had I joined them than I started picking mistakes, poorly done film tricks and some poor acting. In all, it did bring back memories of older days when we do not even care to know any mistake, bad video quality or film tricks in movies produced then. We would laugh our lungs out and eagerly tell our friends about the movies. Those movies made our childhood, from the days when cassettes were in vogue – I remember those times when my brothers and I would fight over who would 'rewind’ the cassette - then to the advent of Discs.

 From ‘Aki na Ukwa’, to ‘Living in bondage’, to ‘Jenifa’; these movies did not only fill our old memories with funny and unforgettable moments but also taught us life lessons. They indeed fit into the phrase: ‘old but gold’.

 Here are 7 old Nollywood movies you should watch to take you through that memory lane again.

The era of Aki and Pawpaw remains an unforgettable era in the Nigerian movie industry, I mean who didn’t know about them?

Their signature acts were chaos and trouble. If Aki and Pawpaw are not playing tricks on their father at home, they are in school being a pain to Ms. Koikoi or with their uncle, causing him trouble as well as other villagers that crosses their paths or offends them.

The movie stars the legendary actors, Chindeu Ikedieze who played Aki, Osita Iheme, who played Pawpaw  and Amaechi Muonagor, who was their father.

If you would agree with me, I’d say this movie would pass for the Nigerian version of ‘Home Alone’

The movie features one of the highest grossing producers in Nigeria, Funke Akindele as Jenifa. It tells the story of a village girl who goes to live in the city of Lagos and does everything to be seen as a ‘big girl’.

Whilst we are thrilled by the funny naïve acts and accent of Jenifa, we are also taken through the realities of many university students who join the wrong associations in order to live above their means. I'm sure you haven't forgotten the scenes where Jenifa introduced herself to people saying: 'moiname iz Jeniva' or the popular character 'gbogbo big girl'  played by Eniola Badmus.

Let this be our secret, but this movie was the inspiration behind the popular ‘Jenifa’s Diary’ that was made into series. Go and watch where the character Jenifa actually grew up and how her life evolved.

Do you remember the different facial expressions of 'pawpaw' that trended heavily as memes recently??  Trust me, most of them are from this movie.

Osita Iheme (Pawpaw ) again plays the lead role in this comedy, as a smart 6-year old bearing Dada, who goes about planting mischiefs and pranking people in his village. Because of this, his uncle takes him along to the city in the hope of curbing his acts which however became worse as he was always reported to the police.

Dada went from being a village boy to being a fake prophet, and to a fake police officer, with a lot of trouble up his sleeves.

Go and rewatch this pure comedy and laugh your hearts out!!!

If you want to remember the Nigerian style of horror movies, rewatch this movie.

Chidi (Teju Babyface), a rich, young and newly admitted university boy, joins a group of cult members who goes to  raid a burial ground, and takes the diamond ring of a corpse, Mrs. Gladys(Liz Benson) which would later lead to series of unfortunate events that causes the death of some members of the group and his friends. The angry ghost haunts and torments him by inflicting a sickness on him. In order to get things back to normal and avoid the wrath of the ghost, his parents race against time to return her diamond ring.

The movie also stars Richard Mofe-Damijo, Sola Sobowale, Bimbo Akintola, among others.

5. Osuofia in London (2003)

You know that feeling when Nkem Owoh is in a movie, it's always giving some old-school comic vibes, especially when he's playing the role of a villager, a foolish one who loves to drink himself to stupor (my oh my????????…you will laugh tire) funny enough, he's up against a white woman and this is because he receives a letter that his elder brother is dead who in turn leaves one of his property, an Estate in London…an opportunity to 'Japa' when his creditors are always on his neck, who no like better thing? He travels down there and meets his brother's English fiancee, Samantha(played by Mara Derwent) and where Osuofia(played by Nkem Owoh) goes, a comedy of errors follows. Rush ASAPUUU to Netflix and chill with the thrilling experience the movie brings!

6. Blood Sisters (2003)

Anywhere you see Genevieve Nnaji and Omotola Jalade Ekeinde together in a movie, trust me…it's a banger. It's either they act as friends or as enemies and are always fighting for the same thing. This movie is no different, acting like biological sisters from a poor background, where ulterior motives such as jealousy, anger, and hatred are being realized in their household. They live to fight another day and, in the end, it's always tragic…one of the sisters dies, and the latter ends up being blind. You should rewatch and compare now that there's a remake, maybe with very different story lines but you never can tell life lessons to understand. Pinky promise, yeah? ????

7. Living in Bondage (1992)

As the title implies, this movie explains why money is the root of all evil…(quick money, get rich scheme, innit) Andy Okeke(played by Kenneth Okonkwo) in a bid to make money joins a brotherhood cult. They request a life, and he murders his beloved wife as a sacrifice as you know, something from the devil never lasts, and the repercussions are bloody. Never say never to one of Nollywood's oldest. It's amazing to know the remake gracing our screens in 2019 is a fascinating experience that should make you compare and contrast. Yes or yes?

These recommendations span from comedy to horror and action.

What do you feel about seeing the old and young faces of your favourite Nollywood actors and actresses again?

Well, enjoy the fun while it lasts, and laugh away your sorrows, or maybe get scared and run to hide behind your chair from the ‘horror’ just like old times because these old Nollywood movies will blow your mind beyond expectations, what are you waiting for?

Grab your popcorn or eba as the case may be???? and sit back.

Stay tuned.

CO-WRITTEN WITH LISA OLAKUNLE