Author Archive: FrankOchieng
Frank Ochieng has contributed film reviews to SF Crowsnest off and on since 2003. He has been published in other various movie site venues throughout the years. Ochieng has been part of The Online Film Critics Society (OFCS) and had written film reviews for The Boston Banner newspaper (USA) and frequently is a media/entertainment panelist on WBZ NewsRadio 1030 AM on "The Jordan Rich Show" in Boston, Massachusetts/USA.
The Iceman (film review by Frank Ochieng).
Director/co-writer Ariel Vromen’s ‘The Iceman’ will leave audiences cold with its chilling account of a monstrous family man whose balancing act of a level-minded head of household provider and psychotic slayer-at-large will have one scratching their befuddled noggin. Vromen’s stirring portrait of a societal menace in contract killer Richard Kuklinski (highlighted by an astounding and [...]
Erased (film review by Frank Ochieng).
The thought of churning out another ‘daddy-and-daughter-in-danger’ spy flick seemed somewhat bewildering considering the exhaustive overdose of the Liam Neeson ‘Taken’ films still fresh in the consciousness of moviegoers’ action-packed psyches. Well, ‘Erased’ looks to capitalise on the repetitive Neeson cat-and-mouse narratives as yet another recycled knockoff filling the void until another ‘Taken’ film makes [...]
Star Trek Into Darkness (film review by Frank Ochieng).
In 2009, director J.J. Abrams revitalized the theatrical ‘Star Trek’ franchise by instilling a distinctive and decorative charge that provided avid Trekkie enthusiasts with a renewed sense of adventure and action. In predictably borrowing, the overused legendary phrase ‘to boldly go where no man has gone before’, Abrams skillfully did just that gesture but with [...]
What Maisie Knew (a film review by Frank Ochieng).
The deeply affecting ‘What Maisie Knew’ is a tyke-oriented tearjerker that works on the soul. Filmmakers Scott McGehee and David Siegel present a disturbing drama that routinely captures the major heartache of a vulnerable child caught up in the psychological rigors of her off-the-wall parents’ divorce. There are so many threatening obstacles that can be [...]
Kiss Of The Damned (a film review by Frank Ochieng).
Writer-director Xan Cassavetes makes an ambitious yet misguided attempt to sink her teeth into the neck of the vampire vixen market courtesy of her brooding bloodsucking drama ‘Kiss Of The Damned’. Although somewhat imaginative and meditative, ‘Kiss Of The Damned’ is a syrupy macabre melodrama chopping at the sensibilities of an untapped teen scene looking [...]
Iron Man 3 (a film review by Frank Ochieng).
Well, everybody’s favorite Marvel Comics metal-head is back in the fold while combining action, aerodynamics and angst in the explosive yet slightly uneven ‘Iron Man 3′. Most ardent fans of the comicbook capitalist super-hero will appreciate the further antics of the high-flying and adventurous billionaire Tony Stark and his conflicted heroic alter ego. ‘Iron Man [...]
The Big Wedding (a film review by Frank Ochieng)
One might want to get a quickie divorce from the annoying and convoluted comedy ‘The Big Wedding’ and try and see if the reception party is worth the wait afterwards. Needlessly tired, tacky and aimlessly foolish, the nonsensical narrative strives to pull together a dysfunctional bunch and hope that the familial farce holds its own. [...]
At Any Price (Frank’s Take) (film review).
Writer-director Ramin Bahrani (‘Chop Shop’, ‘Man Push Cart’, ‘Goodbye Solo’) tries his farm hand at the rural drama ‘At Any Price’ as he tries to plant the seeds of despair and dysfunction regarding Midwest farmers and the corporate world that threatens their livelihood. Bahrani’s soil-and-toil saga means well but it has all the dramatic effect [...]
The Numbers Station (Frank’s Take) (film review)
The figures simply do not add up in director Kasper Barfoed’s sleepy-eyed spy thriller T’he Numbers Station’. Uneventful and sluggish, ‘The Numbers Station’ is a grainy actioner that is embedded in blandness and mechanical follow-the-dots intrigue…not an ideal portrait for the supposedly riveting spycraft genre. The premise is rather original but Barfoed’s draggy narrative feels [...]
Mud (Frank’s Take) (film review)
Impeccably whimsical, observational, moody and soul-searching, writer-director Jeff Nichols’s downhome drama ‘Mud’ slings its share of southern charm and tension as it presents a different kind of coming-of-age tale that radiates with absolute certainty. Triumphant and thought-provoking, ‘Mud’ also places a noteworthy stamp on the cinematic prominence of star Matthew McConaughey whose movie career has [...]
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