All posts by Tarek Fayoumi…The Paterson of his Craft!

I am someone who strives to become a professional critic. I watch and review many movies. I view the eyes of movies as something as an art form. I have followed many critics over the years, but once I was thirteen I knew writing film reviews was going to be my passion. I learned from watching multiple episodes of Ebert And Roeper in my teen years, and then in middle school I began writing film reviews for a newspaper club. I am also an avid fan of the arts of Chicago including Theatre, Comedy, and music. Films, however, are my primary focus.
Film reviews

Elemental Review

Leave a comment

The many colors and animated places explored in Elementalmake it one-of-a-kind. From Disney and Pixar comes a tale of the relationship between fire and water. In the film, these elements are enemies of each other. To an extent, it seems somewhat like segregation, but it’s not. It is just an invigorating fictional story of wonders. Elemental may be one of the best animated features I have seen this year and it is going to be hard to compete with this one.

Elemental takes place in an environment where the key characters, “fire” and “water,” must be apart from each other in this enchanting adventure. The film follows Ember (voiced by Leah Lewis) who is “fire” and Wade (voiced by Mamamoudou Athie), who plays “water.” The world plays a significant role for Ember. Due to being “fire” she has not been able to experience much in the world that she loves. Her family who is all also“fire” owns a shop in a Water Town. Most of the characters in this town are also “water” and that is where Wade comes in. He is the one who conducts an audit on the business of Ember’s family. She tries to work with Wade to prevent him from shutting her family’s building down. Instead, the film begins to focus more on Ember feeling love for Wade. Is this love possibles once one of them is “fire” and the other is “water”?

The unique and touching moments in Elemental had me soaring with joy. It is a Disney and Pixar film that reminded me of Toy Story, The Little Mermaid, and Atlantis combined. Given this magical combination of prior cherished films, this story adds the theme of segregation based on “elemental” factors. It is a scientific ride of connections and realizations in a fictional world that is fun for the entire family. Spectacular features abound in many scenes of Elemental. It is a joyful and enticing ride that again proves to movie fans how Disney and Pixar films are truly about feeling connected.

To an extent, I feel that Elemental is bound to bring more enchanting additions into the world of animation. During the film, I kept thinking to myself about how many unique and interesting animated nuances I noticed, and how many I may have missed. The film’s extended usage of wonderful and captivating elements makes the feeling ten times more brilliant than what I am accustomed to. The world of “fire” and “water” in Elemental encompasses all kinds of places, scenery, experiences, and comparisons that are astounding and reflect the incredible concept of pure animation. Love is truly all-around during Elemental.

Elemental is breathtaking. It is heartfelt. It is dazzling withgorgeous colors. It will enthrall its audience to the core. It will touch families. There is nothing not to love about Elemental. It demonstrates that “fire” and “water” can play nice in a fictional world. This movie shines even more than audiences will anticipate. Four stars for Elemental.

Film reviews

Transformers: Rise of The Beasts Review

Leave a comment

The good news is that Transformers: Rise of the Beasts is not directed by Michael Bay. That’s a relief because as Bay continued to make Transformers movies there was less and less meaning to his films. Instead of Bay, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts is directed by Steven Caple Jr., who brings a bit of a nostalgic touch to the franchise. The film has almost a 90s vibe, so the new world in Transformers: Rise of the Beasts is moderately appealing. But the film ultimately fizzles out and lacks much exhilaration.

The plot of Transformers: Rise of the Beastsis that the Autobots are battling for the earth. Humans Noah Diaz (played by Anthony Ramos) and Elena Wallace (played by Domonique Fishback) leave a struggling life in Brooklyn to be part of the battle for their planet. The enemies of the Autobots are the Decepticons. Robots that are also part of the fight include the Maximals, Predacons, and Terrorcons.

The film begins with an introduction as to why the robots face danger. Later the film transitions to the life of Noah and Elena, and then they get thrown into the world of the Autobots. The robots include Optimus Prime (voiced by Peter Cullen), Optimus Primal (voiced by Ron Perlman), Scourge (voiced by Peter Dinklage), Mirage (voiced by Pete Davidson), and plenty of others.

The introduction to the plot does have some fascination, so the universe around Transformers: Rise of the Beasts initially had me sold. But for me the film often felt like a repeat of previous Transformers projects. There was the same basic setup from the other projects, and many aspects from previous films were repeated, especially in terms of the Autobots and the Decepticons. So I found myself beginning to lose attention and enjoyment. As it progressed the film seemed to be going more and more in the direction of Michael Bay’s versions.

The technology and robotics in Transformers: Rise of the Beasts is phenomenal, and maybe it’s worth seeing just for that. And it has humor and witty surprises, so it’s good for some giggles. It’s 90s setup also saves it somewhat. The faithfulness of the 90s with the Autobots and the Decepticons is its strongest suit. But the writing is stale and the storyline is weak. The introductions are rushed and the film became a sleeper for me. I feel this one is a dull installment in the franchise that doesn’t leave much to look forward to. No question that it will find its audience, its fanbase of those who love the franchise, but I’m not a fan of this one.

To be clear, I didn’t find Transformers: Rise of the Beasts awful. It just lost the opportunity to take the franchise in a new and exciting direction. I have no doubt that new director Steven Caple Jr. was trying for an invigorating experience. But he just didn’t get there. Two and a half stars for Transformers: Rise of the Beasts.

Chicago Critics Film Festival 2023, Film reviews

Starring Jerry as Himself Review

Leave a comment

When one wants to experience a film based on actual events, it does not get any more real than Starring Jerry as Himself. Directed by Law Chen, the film provides real-life documentation of an elderly man who faced many financial constraints due to being scammed. Starring Jerry as Himself may even be one of the most important films of 2023 because of the way it presents a harsh scenario, i.e., being scammed, which is all too common today. Starring Jerry as Himself held my attention due to the intense struggles Jerry faces and how much stress they cause in his life. The stress, however, is just the beginning in Starring Jerry as Himself.

The film focuses on a family that documents the various facets of their father Jerry. He is an immigrant who has supposedly been recruited by the Chinese police to be an undercover agent. This may or may not be true. Within an instant Jerry starts to see his life spiral downhill when his accounts are messed with.  Inspector Ou (played by Fang Du) and Officer Zhang (played by Haosong Yang) inform him that he needs to be careful, and that the Chinese government are onto him. Jerry now finds himself facing a scam that can even impact him at his age.

The film shows that a trail of funds is in odd places. Jerry struggles to think clearly and his decisions cause the audience to be curious about how much disaster Jerry can create for himself. Starring Jerry as Himself give off vibes that are stressful yet invigorating. The investigations, the realizations, and Jerry’s thinking all turn this true story into a conspiracy.

Overall, the feeling that the audience will feel is distress. They will feel this way because there is no easy way out of the choices Jerry makes or the orders he must follow (or assumes he must follow) from the authorities. Starring Jerry as Himself is a film which offers a realistic experience, where an event based on actual events strikes its audience to its core. Starring Jerry as Himself is a movie that is bound to enthrall its audience due to its serious subject matter.

In Starring Jerry as Himself, the problems complicating Jerry’s life appear to potentially be a setup. His experience involves situations in which Jerry assumes he is talking to authorities he can trust, but it may in fact not be the case. Sometimes he thinks he is doing the right thing by keeping certain people in the loop regarding his finances, but his communication with them may instead cause him to go down a deeper hole. Jerry must rely on the right resources before he loses his funds which provide his support and livelihood.

The experience of realism is Jerry’s life as he deals with a complicated conspiracy makes this film intriguing. An error with a scam sets off a turmoil of conflicts for Jerry. Can he recover what was taken from him? Find out in Starring Jerry as Himself. Three stars out of four stars.