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.
Chicago Critics Film Festival 2023, Film reviews

Master Gardener Review

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The opening credits of Master Gardener include segments of different plants growing with disturbing music playing in the background. The environment in the film’s tense and eerie introduction displays the brilliance of writer and director Paul Schrader. After this setup, the film transitions to the main character elaborating on plant types and the history surrounding them. The mind of someone who has a fascination with plants is just the beginning of the unexpected in Master Gardener.

The movie’s main character is Narvel played by Joel Edgerton. Narvel is an expert of horticulture and gardening. His boss is Norma played by Sigourney Weaver. Norma asks Narvel to mentor her niece, Maya, who is played by Quintessa Swindell. The garden is called Gracewood Gardens. Narvel is the king and the guide to the operations of this beautiful environment. Narvel even narrates about plants and their background during sporadic moments in Master Gardener.

The enthusiasm of Narvel and is work at Gracewood Gardens is calculated and extremely accurate, but the gardening and plantations are not the sole focus of the story. The story is about Maya, the one doing the apprenticeship with Narvel. Gracewood Gardens is Narvel’s sanctuary, and it offers a landscape of potential knowledge and necessary patience for Maya.

There are tensions to consider as Master Gardener goes deeper into its character studies. Schrader always finds a way to stir the pot in his projects. Maya and Norma are related and there is a past conflict between them. Narvel has a bad track record as well and with his involvement, there is more depth to the film’s eerie continuity. As conflict arises, Narvel’s narration regarding gardening continues and begins to get more personal. Then Maya begins to grow more comfortable with Narvel. Is it appropriate, however, for them to have a close bond?

Narvel’s past is unsettling, haunting, and unexpected. Master Gardener is poetic in its approach to Narvel advocating for Maya due to problems in her life with individuals she can’t dismiss. This creates boundary problems as Narvel and Maya grow closer which in turn lead to problems with Norma causing hatred and disgust to linger.

Narvel’s knowledge of gardening begins to serve a deadly purpose. There is a moment where he mentions to some shady people that his sheers can do more damage than pruning. Schrader finds the right time to have the evilness rise in Narvel. As Maya is Narvel’s new responsibility, he must consider how both their lives could be impacted. There may be a point where neither can go back to a life where the darkness was once put behind them.

Schrader is a true auteur as a writer and director.  I felt the brilliance of his invigorating concepts throughout Master Gardener. What came to my mind as I watched this movie were previous films Schrader has written ranging from Taxi Driver (1976) to Raging Bull (1980) to The Last Temptation of Christ (1988).  All these films are masterpieces directed by Martin Scorsese. I have come to realize that the personalities of Schrader’s characters make his projects so amazing. No one can go wrong with the mind of Schrader.

Beneath all the troubles, the love of Narvel’s gardening has surreal moments. The pasts of both Narvel and Maya are painful. Narvel’s love for gardening symbolizes a craft which allows one to leave the past behind. This proves to be a daunting challenge due to the circumstances in Master Gardener. The writing and directing of Schrader, as always, allows the audience to develop a better understanding of the unexpected tensions and their eventual outcomes. Three and a half stars for Master Gardener.

Chicago Critics Film Festival 2023, Film reviews

The Unknown Country Review

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As The Unknown Country opens, the audience will feel its eerie vibe blended with vast lighting of majestic cinematography. It delivers the feeling that its main character is looking for resolution. The film also displays thriving moments of optimism. The Unknown Country is a portrait of illumination and the emotions throughout the movie dazzled me. There is a light to be found in The Unknown Country which makes its audience feel that it is imminent.

The Unknown Country gears on Tana (played by Lily Gladstone). She is depressed and trying to find positive redemption. Tana is on a journey to rejoin her family, so she drives from the Midwest and goes through the border of Texas to Mexico. Her journey is a harsh and tiring adventure. As she travels through the different towns and states, she passes through moments of real-life events ranging from the post-2016 election social climate to places that struggle with challenging economic impacts. Many of the people she visits are in turmoil due to scarce resources. Her realization is that she is not alone in feeling disconnected, but she appreciates the mountains and the landscape around her are positives in life. The many landscapes invigorate her mind and open her up for more change.

The Unknown Country is one of the best films about a fictional story because of how fiction is blended with true historical events. These real-life situations made me think back to the days of 2016. The film helped me realize that during hard times we need to learn to embrace the little things that make us feel alive. In The Unknown Country Tana gets better as her journey continues. As she learns from her own narrations, the audience will feel a sense of encouragement regarding a new life for Tana.

The trail for Tana is long and challenging. Her loneliness is on and off, but as she experiences new faces and places, the narrative continues to be compelling. It is a film that reminds us that sometimes escaping to new worlds of reality can have meaning and improve empathy. Audiences will feel Tana’s heartache and they will have faith in her. The turmoil is just the beginning for Tana, but it is not forever. The Unknown Country portrays a meaningful ride.

Finding the light in hard times can cause mixed emotions. It creates anxiety and can cause us to overthink our own errors. While it is painful to think about persona failures, it is important to remind ourselves that making mistakes is natural. Learning from mistakes is most important.  The Unknown Country is a representation of Tana starting fresh on her road to reconnecting with her estranged family. It is not so much about focusing on her family, it is focused on the positive vibes that slowly come her way on her road trip. I absolutely loved the scenery, and I loved the writing. It is a story that is unlike any other. Four stars for The Unknown Country.

Film reviews

Fast X Review

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There was a time when the cult following for the Fast franchise was strong and invigorating, especially when Paul Walker was alive and playing Brian O’Conner. Walker was a big component of that franchise, but his role ended with Furious 7 in 2015, when he died in an auto crash as that film was wrapping up its production. Fans of the franchise have seemed to remain loyal up to this most recent film, Fast X. That loyalty may not survive this film.

Vin Diesel is still in this Fast film as Dominic Toretto. There are some new characters, but there are enough of the old ones to still have continuity with the franchise. The main characters are Mia Toretto (played by Jordan Brewster), Roman (played by Tyrese Gibson), Letty Ortiz (played by Michelle Rodriguez), Tej (played by Ludacris), Cipher (played by Charlize Theron), Deckard Shaw (played by Jason Statham), Queenie (played by Helen Mirren), and Jakob (played by John Cena). The enemy in Fast X is Dante, played by Jason Momoa, and that is where the film starts to plateau with misdirection and out-of-focus writing. The film seems to degrade into basically just bad guys and car destruction.

In Fast X, Dominic finds himself in danger once again. This time he has been targeted by Dante, the son of a drug cartel leader who delivers all kinds of dangerous technology so powerful that it can destroy cities and even continents, and do all kinds of extreme damage at the click of the button. Dominic must rely on the people in his life including Mia, Roman, Letty, Tej and Jakob to help get through the life threatening danger Dante poses. But there is no escape from the reality of the situation that Dominic finds himself in.

Fast X does have some hidden gems to give its viewers an idea of where the Fast franchise will likely head going forward. But to me, at this point it seems that it’s about making money rather than trying to create a stronger story. The bottom line is that it’s a challenge to carry on this franchise without Walker. The role of Diesel is what is keeping the franchise going. But Fast X has gone from street racing and gangs, to cars in space and cars destroying cities with tons of mass damage that is over the top and doesn’t always seem to have a purpose.

In my view Fast X shows that this franchise is running out of ideas—in storyline, plot development, and in keeping its characterizations intact. There is a rather long line of boredom in Fast X, with over-the-top car explosives repeated continuously. As I said before, it seems to just be about profit.

Fast X also seems to me to be a lot like a film by Michael Bay, but with cars doing the damage instead of robots. Its stunts are more and more like the styles of Bay, which does not create a strong direction for this franchise. Instead, it’s becoming confusing and frustrating. Two stars for Fast X.