Tuesday, June 28, 2016

A failed state

I am living in a failed state. That's a horrible thing to say about your country but unfortunately in Nigeria's case it so happen to be the truth.
I know the Nigerians that read this will probably go all self righteous and start crucifying me, saying all manner of unprintable things but before you do let me ask you what your definition of a failed state is.
Is it a place where the system appears broken? Where nothing good seems to work?
Is it a nation where criminals are allowed to roam free and even administer justice and legislation in the nation's capital?
Is it a place where 27 out of 36 States are not paying workers salaries? One of the governor's even had four billion naira of state funds in his private account
Is it a nation that electricity is only on about 2hours or so out of 24? If I wanted to categorize what living in this country is for the average man I'd say it's a step away from hell on earth.
If I could run from this nation I would and I have it relatively better than most.
I smile when I consider the fact that David Cameron resigned cos of brexit and Roy Hodgeson cos the English team lost in the Euro 2016.
My country's Senate President is being accused of multiple counts of corruption and he sits in the Senate still administering justice.
I hate to say this --- but we are probably the laughing stock of the international community. I won't even mention the sexual misdemeanors of some of our house of Representatives in merry ol US.
This wanton looting and gross mismanagement of the nation's resources can't continue.
We've all heard of the Arab spring... If things don't change I forsee a situation where the streets will run red with blood.
I am not a prophet of doom, I am simply a man reading the terrain. Anyone reading this if you are a lover of peace please pray for my country. This injustice cannot be allowed to continue

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Monday, June 27, 2016

Independence day underwhelms


'Independence Day 2' Underwhelms With $41.6M; 'Finding Dory' Sprints to $73.2M

The Hollywood Reporter
June 26, 2016
By Pamela McClintock, The Hollywood Reporter
Roland Emmerich’s Independence Day: Resurgence failed to ignite the biggest fireworks at the North American office, where it came in behind expectations with an estimated $41.6 million from 4,068 theaters.
While that’s hardly a disastrous start, the long-awaited sequel to the 1996 blockbuster will need to do sizable business overseas to land in the black for Fox and Emmerich. So far, the tentpole seems to be getting its wish, debuting to $102 million from 57 foreign markets, including China, for a global debut of $143.6 million (specific territory breakdowns weren’t immediately available).
The popcorn tentpole was no match for holdover Finding Dory, which continued to wow in its second weekend, paddling to an estimated $73.2 million from 4,305 theaters. The animated sequel has now earned $286.6 million domestically and $397 million globally. And if Sunday’s estimate holds, Dory will boast the biggest second weekend for an animated film, beating Shrek 2 ($72.2 million), not accounting for inflation. Final numbers will be released Monday.
Independence Day 2 placed No. 2 behind Dory in North America, while topping the foreign chart.
Emmerich’s film sports a hefty net budget of $165 million and was made without Will Smith, who opted to sit out the sequel. The first film, released 20 years ago over the Fourth of July holiday, broke records on its way to temporarily becoming one of the top-grossing films of all time with $817.4 million worldwide, not adjusted for inflation.
Related: Cannes Lions: Will Smith Says Hollywood “Smoke and Mirrors” Marketing “Is Over”
As in real life, ID4 is set two decades after the events in Independence Day (including the spectacular destruction of the White House and other iconic landmarks), and sees the same menacing aliens once again wreaking havoc.
Smith might be absent but a number of other stars appearing in the original film reprised their roles, including Bill Pullman, Jeff Goldblum, Judd Hirsch and Sela Ward. Newcomers include Liam Hemsworth, who plays a hot-shot military pilot whose parents died in the first alien attack and who is now dating the former first daughter (Maika Monroe), and Jessie Usher, who plays the stepson of Smith’s character, now deceased.
Elsewhere, Sony’s shark thriller The Shallows was the only new film to beat expectations, biting off an estimated $16.7 million from 2,962 theaters for a fourth-place finish behindDory, ID4 and holdover Central Intelligence, which just declined 48 percent in its second weekend to $18.4 million for a 10-day domestic total of $69.3 million for New Line and Universal.
The Shallows, starring Blake Lively as a surfer in a fight-to-the-death battle with a great white shark, cost a modest $17 million to make and is a needed win for Sony. The big question now is how well the movie holds up; Sony believes it has transformed into a classic summer thriller, but horror-thrillers tend to drop fast.
Jaume Collet-Serra, known for such action films as Non-Stop and Unknown, directed The Shallows. In an unexpected twist, it was the best-reviewed new film of the weekend with a Rotten Tomatoes score of 75 percent. Shallows earned a B+ CinemaScore from audiences.
Related: ‘Ghostbusters’ Tracking for $40M-$50M U.S. Debut
The outcome was grim for the two other new nationwide offerings. STX Entertainment’s Civil War drama Free State of Jones opened to a dismal $7.8 million from 2,815 locations, McConaughey’s worst showing in years. Directed by Gary Ross, Free State of Jones is no doubt being hurt by generally poor reviews; it’s current score on Rotten Tomatoes is 40 percent.
The movie’s net budget is $50 million. STX insiders note the company’s financial risk on the film is minimized thanks to a number of partners, including IM Global, which is handling the movie internationally.
Free State of Jones tells the real-life story of Newt Knight, a defiant Southern farmer and Confederate medic who led an uprising and later married a former slave. Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Keri Russell and Mahershala Ali also star in the film, which played best in Mississippi, where the story is set.
Nicolas Winding Refn’s Neon Demon, a twisted take on the modeling industry, is D.O.A. at the box office, opening to an estimated $606,594 from 783 locations. The movie’s theater average is $783.

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