article – Chocolate Flavoured Girl

The Girl of My Dreams

Over 3 decades ago…

She sat across the table from me at the senior staff canteen

Staring me in the face, her gaze seemed to pierce my soul in a warm way

This ebony beauty! All mine to behold!

In a soft and balanced voice, she asked “What is your name?”

Still shell-shocked, I muttered “…..”

Then she went on “Which department do you work?”

By this time, I had regained some composure

“Mechanical”, I managed to man up

I cannot remember exactly what else we talked about

But how could I forget the smooth voice echoing in my head and melting my heart

I must have said a few things, but she owned the conversation

I could not help but wonder at her grace, voice, choice of words, gesticulations

Her smiling eyes, most beautiful set of teeth I had ever seen…

Every word, and sentence was carefully packaged and delivered

Every trip her hand made from her plate to her mouth seemed to be calculated: pace and delivery

The munching was mechanical; I could almost feel myself moving to her rhythm

Words and food rolled into one beautiful symphony in my heart as I watched and listened

Beauty and brains!

She must be an angel! An angel is sitting across my table!

I was totally mesmerized that I almost completely forgot my food

She seemed to be eating for the two of us

With every spoonful of hers, I was filled and fulfilled

A soft touch on my hand brought me back to life

“Okay, see you around sometime” and she slid out of her seat to drop her plate

“Okay” I said dreamily

As her slim graceful figure disappeared into the afternoon sun behind the revolving doors I suddenly remembered my plate

I quickly rushed a few spoonful down my throat and made it in time to my department

Back at my desk, I could hardly concentrate

I had always seen her from a distance, admired her qualities but never had the courage to walk up to her to say “Hello”

I made several trips to her part of the administrative building with the hope of running into her

I saw her chatting with other people; the possibility of me doing same existed only in my dreams

She seemed so confident with everyone, the junior staff and even the big bosses

And today, oh today, she chose my table at lunch! And no one interrupted us; what luck!

It was like everything and everyone froze with only the two of us moving

I felt like the luckiest man on earth

My heart tripped with all sorts of possibilities and questions …

“If I could …” How will I …” “How will she …”

Then fear crept in …

It was another two weeks before I was able to catch up with her again after lunch

The canteen was the high point of the day for us in the factory; lunch time was our own social convergence

There was always some work that delayed me in my department; like the forces were against me

Then I tried to match her timing to lunch but my table always filled up with men before she got her food

On the flip side, if she was seated before me, her table was over-subscribed

No surprises there; I had stiff competition in an environment of 99.9% male population

But I was not going to give up just like that

So, on this fateful day, I rushed my food and caught up with her as she made her way back to her office

Without rehearsal, the words rolled out of my mouth before my heart stopped, waiting for an answer

“Hello, good afternoon. Would you mind me having your home address? I will like to visit you”

Her soft eyes backed up with the most lovely smile I had ever received was her immediate response

Those white teeth seemed to be receiving the right amount of calcium

“Okay, that will be nice” came next. My heart started beating again

She reached into her pocket; out came a pen and a sheet of paper, which she tore a part of

She scribbled something on it and said a few words

I was dazed. I could hardly believe it. Such a simple task that had taken me weeks

Her soft skin grazing on my rough factory hand brought me back to the present

I managed to mutter “Thank you. See you tomorrow” and made a dash to my department

I could not wait for confirmation of the day for fear of rejection

My head and heart were about to explode!
I managed to contain my excitement as the day went on

Getting back to the single room apartment, I got ready my best shirt, trousers and shoes

Sleep eluded me that night. I could hardly wait for the morning to come

I was going to meet the Girl of My Dreams!

The great, unforgettable and disastrous encounter …

By noon, I was at her address

As a true African beauty, she was having her lovely black hair done in braids ready for the next work week

I received a warm welcome, and that smile again …

She took me into a room and served me a bottle of chilled Coca-Cola and homemade chin-chin

Poor timing, I guessed, she hardly had time for me

My liver failed me when I saw the rows of shoes neatly organized in the room

“She is definitely out of my league” I concluded

From then on, I discountenanced myself as being worthy of this angel

On her part, I seemed not to exist; like I was just a ‘nice’ work colleague who dropped by

After her summer vacation job and my internship at the factory, we both moved on

Yet her image remained ingrained in my heart and soul

She is the Girl of my dreams!

I longed to run into her one day

I prayed and searched for her, to no avail

Her qualities I searched for in every lady I came across, but none matched

Time was running out, I had a business with great potentials and needed to settle down and start a family

My mates already had children in high school

I reasoned, “Surely, she must be happily married to a lucky bloke out there”

But the Girl of My Dreams never left my heart; I still longed for her with every fabric of my being …

Out of the blues, at a function, came another work colleague from back then; an intern too

I called out his name and introduced myself

After catching up for a few minutes, and with great control, I inquired if he was still in touch with some other names I mentioned

I hoped he would help me find the Girl of My Dreams

And yes! He had a number for her! Oh, what divine arrangement!

I could not believe it; 33 years searching for her and getting her number just like that!

Getting home, I wasted no time …

“Hello, is that …?”

“Yes please. May I know who is calling?” … came the angelic sound in my ears

“My name is … We worked together at … in 1983; … gave me your number”

“Oh, really?” she giggled, and my heart sank. Then something more reassuring “How are you?”

After the pleasantries, I went down memory lane carefully touching on the nice spots only

But the Girl of My Dreams had only a faint recollection of the events

I cannot blame her though; I never made my intention known

And she probably got more concrete advances

I was just a faint and distant memory …

Anyways, we chatted over the next few weeks on phone

Finally, we had a lunch date set up

I had to look my best … I wondered if I would still feel the same way when I saw her …

No longer as slim as I remembered, but with no less grace in her steps

With maturity, she looked more elegant and graceful

Her ebony skin still glowing, even better than I remembered it

Those beautiful black braids adorned her hear, neatly bunched up on her head

She strode across the floor to my table, every step mechanically coordinated

My table, again!

But this time, it will be different

I was not going to leave this table without making my intention known, I resolved

The afternoon wore on and we lacked nothing to discuss, moving from one subject area to the other; one discipline to the other, for hours, over lunch and after lunch, running into dinner time

She was just the way I remembered her, just more alluring

Once again, the world around us seemed to have stopped as we chatted, laughed, ate and drank
.
Before departing, and almost without a second thought, I blurted out my 33 year old script, “… will you marry me?”

“Where did that come from?” she calmly asked, in her usual characteristic, her eyes dazzling and a chuckle in her throat

“I will not repeat the mistake of 33 years ago” I declared in a confident tone.

We left the question hanging

I had fulfilled the desire I had lived for, for over 3 decades – seeing her and asking for her love, her response notwithstanding

But life has its own complications …

A glimmer of hope …

Today…

The Girl of My Dreams is my friend once again

What tomorrow has in stock for us is yet unknown

All I know is that I have her in my sights, and I intend to keep her there, whatever her answer …

Author: Yemisi A. Ikuomola

Hope

I dream of a tomorrow bright and shiny, borne from a yesterday gloomy and bleak. I envision a future ripe with plenty, to quench the hunger of the past, sate this thirst I was born into. I see a time to come with joy and dancing, atonement for suffering and strife of days gone past. I see in tomorrow big, bold lights, to illuminate the darkness that rid my yesterday. I dream of a future with color and music, birthed by a silent past in greyscale. I envision a day to come with prosperity, and wealth in the most divine of senses, an atonement for the need and hardships of days gone past.

I look to a place beyond the horizon, green and flowing with life; healing, and resurrection from the ashes that mark this ground. I look to a place in the skies, vast, with beauty incomparable, growing from the seed of sacrifice in this small space with little to live on. I look to a place so close, yet so far; a dream so fickle, yet so real. A place where the real and the unreal mingle; a place where earth and sky collide. A place where divinity meets humanity. A place where royalty greets the common man in humble adoration. A place of liberation from the shackles of a time which must now end.

I look to a future beautiful and peaceful, borne out of the pain of yesterday, and the hope we had through it all.
(Photo Credit: Google search, http://www.ifreex.deviantart.com)

The Madness Inside

There are no words quite suitable to describe the emotions that course through my being daily. I could liken some to a sinking…but, really, without a bottom to sink to. Sort of like falling through the black hole, but with the sinking sensation. I could liken some to the feeling of nothingness. Like feeling it there and reaching for it, only to end up grasping at a shadow of something that never existed. It’s like cotton, I know it is soft and nice, I can almost feel it, but it is not really there, and I have actually never felt it before, so truly, this feeling is like nothing, and it is nothing.

I could liken some to a thick, but invisible smoke; choking and choking out of me life and will. But no one sees it, not even me. It is like being haunted by the very air you breathe. Being haunted by an airy spirit in a windy field. I could liken some to a dark cloud. Sad and depressing, but such beautiful death. Shiny silver pain, with some dusty black anguish, and some sooth in the form of my tears. A pretty type of misery. A truly enchanting sorrow, keeping me glued and dependent on the bright shiny knife, piercing into my skin.

I could liken some to a dream, no matter how fast I run, I never seem to be able to get away. I feel the fear like bile rising in my throat. I know I should be bold, and face this like a man. But my skin is made of wax, and unrepentant and relentless is this fire I have been cast into. I could liken it to a promise, the one yet unfulfilled by that scornful lover. The cast away child, who was wanted by no one, and wanted no one. A spirit so free, yet so caged by an oppressor as valid as nothing.

I could liken some to a bird, with wings of iron and steel. Such strength, built for the worst of it all, yet my maddening composition will tear me apart, and cause my existence as we know it to fall into a cycle of nothingness. It till fuel me, and make me tough, but it is driving me mad with pain and hurt, and all this anger that lies restless in me. I could liken some to a child, with a gift to heal but a heart worth dust. It will make me great, and build me into this fortress, but hear me again, I am mad, and being driven mad by the ache that is permanently present in my chest. I will walk out of it a stronger man, but my mind is damaged, and begging to be put out of its misery.

These angry thoughts, these warring feelings; I am bursting with life and death. I am overjoyed, yet overcome by the sorrow that is in me. I am rejoicing, yet mournful, for what it is that is in me. Again, do you not hear my plea? My desperate cries to be saved and sane? I could liken some to doom and death, to joy and life. I am bursting with life and death.

(Photo Credit: Yahoo Search, http://www.electricbluskies.com

“You Have No Right to Insult Nollywood”

Hello everyone! Happy new month 🙂 I hope the new year has been good to you and yours so far. Well, apart from January not wanting to end though lol…but we thank God it’s finally February. Many birthdays too! ^.^

Anyway, the reason for this piece is besides all that. I’m angry today actually. I usually get these emails about top stories, or interesting stories on Twitter. I mostly ignore them, cos I don’t really care these days. But I’m never one to shy away from controversy, and this particular story looked promising. It was a YouTube video actually, it was tweeted by popular Nigerian female actor (correct, I don’t like the word ‘actress’), Omotola Jolade-Ekehinde. In the video, another popular female actor, Stella Damasus, expresses her grievances and anger towards a comment made by Ghanaian filmmaker Leila Djansi. I really didn’t know what to expect when I clicked on the link, and when I saw the 12 minute duration, I thought I’d just exit the page as soon as I got the gist of the story. But when I started the video, however, I was beyond furious. The beginning of it all- Leila Djansi in an interview said the new filmmakers should be distinguished from the rest of the Nigerian film industry (nicknamed Nollywood) and they should be called Independents because of the negative connotation that comes with Nollywood. According to her, it would be like naming your son Hitler. First of all lol. Secondly, Hitler was a great leader, misguided and terrible FUBAR, yes, but he was a great leader…but that’s another controversial issue for another controversial day. Lol. Besides,we get the negative connotation Hitler gist, and that was terribly uncalled for. Now Stella goes on this very detailed rant about why Miss Djansi should please shut the fuck up. And I agree with Stella 100%.

If you know me, then you’ll know that I will always always take a jab at Nollywood whenever I see a movie that should not have even been allowed to exist. I’m not even going to act like I don’t think Nollywood does nonsense at times, cos the truth is that they do…too many damn times sef lol. Just like our idea of magnificent art at age 5 was drawing jargon on mummy’s kitchen wall. Are you now going to say because some 20 years later, and you’re now an art graduate, you want to make sure you are distinguished from the 5 year old kid you used to be? Madam Djansi, who studied in America, did you not watch older movies, and see some whack ass gunshot scenes for example in some noir films, or even those terrible punching effects. Have you ever heard Steven Spielberg or Martin Scorcese ask to be distinguished from the industry that produced those movies? Instead, are those movies not still celebrated because of the great visionaries, brilliant minds, risk takers behind those movies? We’ve seen better gunshot scenes than when Peter O’Toole got shot in Lawrence of Arabia, but do we say oh, let’s differentiate that industry from the industry that produced Die Hard? Everyone understands that advancements were still being made, even till date, people are still searching for better ways to do things. Madam, why don’t you make yourself useful and do that too?

It is good to be educated. Good to be able to improve yourself, and return to improve the society that brought you up. But don’t you ever make the mistake of bad mouthing or demeaning that same society that you owe your very existence too. Yes, I’ll use a similar analogy to the one Stella used, cos Africa is very keen on family. Your parents strive, and work their butts off for you to do better than they could ever dream of. They will give their all for your success in a heartbeat. It might mean they have to go without food or water or decent clothes, but as long as someday, you will be better off than them, they will delight in their toil. Then you finally become big madam/oga, and return to defecate on them, because you are “enlightened” now, and you no longer want to be associated with the poverty that they connote. This child is nothing but a bastard devil baby, who will roam the earth to never find fulfillment. No curse. A child with a good head will come back to improve her/his parents’ lives because she understands the sacrifice they willingly endured so she/he could be, and do better.

We may criticize and bash Nollywood all we like, but it still doesn’t change the fact that because of the seemingly silly movies, mistakes, whacky scenes, editing and production flaws many have made, we are now seeing better quality films being made. You will ask what about stupid movies like Blackberry Babes, or Azonto Babes, or Brazillian Hair Babes, or Kukere Babes, or whatever other God-awful titles there are out there. My question is this: isn’t that part of our story? Do you not go to campuses and observe girls who are actually like those wayward characters you see in the films? Are those stories not close to home? Lie and deny and kid yourself all you want in your high chairs, but the truth is those stories are not THAT far fetched. You want to see a high speed chase in a Nigerian movie? Lol, ok. Why should it even happen? How many high speed chases have you ever seen in Nigeria? Okay, or even heard of? How many?? So why should we take a thing that is not ours and then try to force it into our stories? Even police shoot outs, how many have you ever witnessed? Is it not true that we value our lives more than anything else in this world? For ‘gossake’ what is police shoot out? Somebody cannot come and die o jare, don’t kid yourself. On the flip side, that juju, that Babalawo (native doctor/shaman) that you see speaking and arming that amulet or charm, casting that spell…hell, some of you even have these cults or covens or herbalist in your very own families. We see you at deliverance services 😒What of that woman carrying the bowl with the sacrifice in it? Eskisss (excuse) sir, didn’t you just see a real life bowl of sacrifice at that T-junction? If nothing else, with regards to the nature and ideas of the stories, Nollywood wins for realism. Because those stories are as close to, and whacky as our real lives, and the different characters we encounter are.

Now, with regard to the disappearing scenes, or the special effects, even plot development and script sef, we do have a long way to go. And it is a VERY long way. But how old is this industry for heaven’s sake? And how old is Hollywood in comparison. Seestra (sister), Hollywood wasn’t built in day you know, and even your great achievements are passable B movies at best in the eyes of The Academy, just so you know. The African film industry is still growing, and believe it or not, you have not outgrown it, don’t kid your disillusioned self to think you are too big for Nollywood. There are concepts known as process, work-in-progress, growth, and development aunty Leila. Don’t sit on your high chair, with your fancy equipment and spew idiotic rubbish about men and women who have labored with bleeding hands to make it possible for you to even be able to know that you can express your thoughts in film. Do not for one second even try to imagine that in some parallel universe, that Nollywood didn’t make you, and isn’t still making you sef. Aunty, you can speak all the English in this world, with your eye glass that’s even asking for independence from your face, but Fuji House of Commotion over you, any day, any time. There are some of us who genuinely want to help grow Nollywood, don’t sit down there and think because you have “arrived”, you have license to operate without common sense. Career anybody le ku any fucking time (anybody’s career can die any fucking time). And it’s not even in a place like Africa that you’ll be burning bridges you haven’t even finished constructing, but that’s by the way…

Fellow Africans, Nigerians especially (everyone else is welcome though), let us address the issues and challenges we face, and proffer sustainable solutions for positive growth and development. One critical Wole Soyinka is enough abeg (please). We need more people saying this is how we move forward, not people trying to show us how wrong and bad we are. You think we don’t already know that? Please, refrain from actions to dabaru (scatter, confuse, etc) us any further.

Kind regards,

Madam Controversial

P.S:
Click on the link below for the video containing Stella’s comments on Djansi’s statement. Gotta love aunty Stella ❤️

Stella Damasus- You Have No Right to Insult Nollywood

(Photo Credit: Yahoo Search, http://www.terangaweb.com

Movie Talk: The Hannibal Lecter Franchise

Perks of having a “movie-addict” husband? One, you get to watch and have intelligent discussions about movies, cinematic techniques, plot development, etc. Two, you will NEVER run out of movies to watch. And this is no exaggeration. 😶😶 Anyway…so I thought to myself, hey, I have seen some pretty amazing movies, why not do a sort of review on my faves. Hence…my first ‘Movie Talk’ piece- The Hannibal Lecter Franchise, which is a trilogy. Well, it’s not really a trilogy cos there’s a fourth one- Hannibal Rising which is a prequel to the trilogy. But I don’t plan on seeing that soon, and the actor I’m drooling over isn’t in it. Actually, I had done a piece before this one. It was on JJ Abrams’ Star Wars: The Force Awakens, but my laptop crashed and I couldn’t find it in my OneDrive cloud storage 😭😭😭 such pain, much sad…oh well…

So…a little bit of background. The movies are based off the books by Thomas Harris. The original adaptation of the first book which Harris titled Red Dragon, was directed by Michael Mann. Oddly, the film was titled Manhunter (1986). I say oddly because since the book was titled Red Dragon, I would assume the film would also be titled Red Dragon. But it doesn’t really matter! It is still an amazing film; Michael Mann is brilliant of course. Great film! Lol…you can tell I’m just trying to skip through this one eh? Aahhh…yes. So the original first film in the series is Manhunter. It was a great film to watch, but the problem for me was, I had already seen Brett Ratner’s 2002 remake (Red Dragon), and I had fallen in love with the actors. So going back to watch Manhunter wasn’t a very fun experience.

It was still a good watch though lol. It had this slasher film vibe, yet, it also gave off some Psycho (Alfred Hitchcock) vibe as well; thee violence being more implied as opposed to being explicitly shown in the film. The protagonist, Francis Dolarhyde (the Red Dragon), also had a ‘Michael Myers from the Halloween franchise’ scary vibe; terrifying and creepy as hell. If you like horror, I think you’d like Manhunter. It gave me chills down my spine. But as I mentioned earlier on, I didn’t exactly give it my 110% in watching it, so maybe I’ll try again soon and update you on my future experience.

If you’re more of a sexy thriller lover like me, then Red Dragon is definitely it!!! Ralph Fiennes plays the Red Dragon (Francis Dolarhyde) and gad dammit! 😍😍 The giant tattoo is kinda creepy, but still subtly sexy…or maybe I’m just strange. Edward Norton plays detective Will Graham. And Daddy Anthony Hopkins 😍😍❤️❤️ plays the unbelievably intelligent and brilliant psychiatrist, Dr. Hannibal Lecter who just happens to be a cannibal 😁😁✌🏾️✌🏾 Lol. Some serious stuff. This first movie focuses more on the Red Dragon, a serial killer who Will Graham is trying to catch. Though the story is essentially about him, the solving of the case gives us an introduction to Dr. Lecter, and we sort of get a feel of the kind of character he is, as he helps Will solve the case.

I think Hannibal Lecter is one of my favorite movie characters so far. The dynamic between him and Will was very interesting to observe. It was a very strange relationship, to put it one way. I mean, the movie starts with Dr. Lecter trying to kill Graham, so errr…yeah…not your conventional everyday relationship. Anyway, Dr. Lecter is behind bars now, and is helping Graham solve the case in exchange for some things. I won’t spoil it too much. What interests me about their relationship is the subtle competition between them. Dr. Lecter was basically Graham’s mentor and teacher, and suddenly, he’s trying to kill him cos he uncovered who he is. Sort of like training your protégé and then trying to take him down when you realize he has gotten as good as you, if not even better. Very interesting, but subtle idea I noticed.

But that is not where my infatuation with the character stems from. It begins in Jonathan Demme’s The Silence of the Lambs (1991), which is based on Thomas Harris’ second book in the Hannibal Lecter series, which is also titled same. Dr. Lecter is still in jail, and this time, no Will for him to continue his crazy games with. We have a young lady, Clarice. Even now, I still hear Hannibal calling her name… “Clarice”…and boy do I wish I was the damn Clarice! 😒 Oh well. Jodie Foster, amazing amazing actress plays Clarice, an agent in training at the FBI academy. Dr. Lecter says she’s a honey trap…gotta agree with him. Crawford knew Lecter would be interested in a fine young lady with a great head on her shoulders 😏 Anyhoo…there’s another case, but I won’t go into the details much. Moving on now, Lecter helps Clarice navigate the tricky case, while playing games with her of course. Lol. There’s a quiet bond forming between both of them, strong as that between a father and a daughter…low key though. He gets to know her on a deeper level, slowly crawling into her head to explore her deepest fears, hopes et al.

It’s almost as if he may fill that void in her life…almost as if he cares, in his own twisted fashion of course. I think, maybe, just maybe Dr. Lecter has a human side, oh wait, he just…ugh, nope, false alarm people. Oh well…but something is brewing…oh, Dr. Lecter definitely has a soft spot for Clarice. Then comes Ridley Scott’s 1991 Hannibal based off Harris’ third book. And boy oh boy, do we indeed see Hannibal! I love Ridley Scott. I mean Gladiator, Alien, Prometheus, American Gangster… This man is a legend. Lol. See what I did there? (N.B: Prometheus! That’s all. One word. Prometheus. Finish. You owe it to yourself to see that movie in 3D. It is just everything! And Alien, oh my God. There are some great people in this world).

The final film reveals a part of Dr. Lecter that we do not expect. It is a continuation of what happens in the second film. Dr.Lecter has unquestionably developed a thing for Clarice. And it is as freakishly creepy as it is truly beautiful. Without giving too much away, I’m going to share my thoughts on that. Dr. Lecter is a cannibal, ew, bad man yada yada yada. True…but Hannibal Rising (the fourth movie which is actually the prequel to the original trilogy…George Lucas’ people 😒) shows us his backstory, and helps us empathize with the character. In the final film, Hannibal, he explains how he chooses those he eats. Not the sincerely good people, but the rude… And the first thing I thought to myself is well who is he to decide who is rude and who is good. It’s funny because any justice system operates the same way. It doesn’t matter if this person only lashed out cos he/she was having a temporary crisis, the deed has been done, the evidence says bad person, and hey, this person has done this or something similar before. Doesn’t really matter who the person truly is beneath all the layers of dirt, the evidence of the person’s guilt is all that matters. Hey, Dr. Lecter might as well be any law enforcement body or official. Standard set of codes to determine who is good and who is bad. Pretty universal codes though? No?

And then there’s the Lecter-Clarice situation. Jullian Moore plays Clarice in this one, and she’s equally as great. What really got me was how Dr. Lecter basically watched over her like a hawk. Anyone who wanted to harm her would have to go through him first. Example: there’s this douche who makes false accusations and gets Clarice suspended. And what does Dr. Lecter do when he gets wind of what’s happening to his baby girl? He cooks dinner. Cuts the douche’s head open, and cooks a part of his brain, and feeds it to the heavily drugged douche who raves about how good it tastes. Bruh. That’s a whole new level of sick. But what else says don’t fuck with my baby better than that? 😭😭

When I started watching this last chapter, I was really creeped out by Lecter’s character, especially as his feeding process got more graphic in comparison to the earlier films. I almost wanted him out of the story. But as the film turned towards the relationship between him and Clarice, I didn’t realize when I fell in love with him. I even cried at the end. It just warmed my heart; it was twisted, and it was sooooo beautiful. And the way he’d draw out her name… ‘Clarice‘… 😍😍 oh, we definitely have a “much older man” crush! His protectiveness of her was very admirable and worthy of an envy. Visiting her house when she wasn’t home, coming by in the middle of the night in a totally non-creepy way, and the way he brushed her hair with his fingers on a couple of occasions ❤️❤️. Also, the very adorable and sweet way he notices her heart’s desire and gifts it to her later. Very fatherly gesture…or older man in a relationship with younger lady kind of thing. 😉😉

Oh well. It really got me thinking, and longing for the same protectiveness. Someone who is going to take it that personally when I am hurt or upset by someone else. But damn, that has to be one sick son of a bitch…and hey, gotta be careful what you wish for. In summary, I love ANTHONY HOPKINS in this film! 😍😍😍 I love Hannibal Lecter, I love Clarice, and I absolutely adore the dynamic between the two of them!!! ❤️❤️ And we really wish they’d make another Hannibal movie. 😭😭 I feel like there’s so much that could still be explored with regards to the Lecter-Clarice dynamic/relationship. Especially after that ending…hmmmm…fingers crossed. Honestly, they seem to be done with though. But hey, a girl can still be hopeful right?

Books: (by Thomas Harris)

Red Dragon (1981)
The Silence of the Lambs (1988)
Hannibal (1999)
Hannibal Rising (2006)

Films: (in suggested order)

Hannibal Rising (2007, Peter Webber)
Manhunter (1986, Michael Mann)
Red Dragon (2002, Brett Ratner)
The Silence of the Lambs (1991, Jonathan Demme)
Hannibal (2001, Ridley Scott)

(Photo Credit: Yahoo search, http://www.teammovies.com)