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

The Menu Review

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As a foodie, The Menu spoke to me on many levels. The subjects of food operations and related quality factors appealed to my taste. With Ralph Fiennes as the lead chef, I knew I was in for a treat. Again, he displayed the demonic attitude he often possesses in his roles. Given Fiennes’ performance, I would refer to The Menu as a film where Voldemort (from Harry Potter) opened a kitchen.

The Menu is stunning in its chronological order of events. The different courses and the high-class guests are one intriguing factor of the film. The continuation of courses is another factor. The courses are not the only interesting feature, because there are some dangerous consequences that come along in the restaurant as well. Audiences are in for some surprises as they embark on this wild food adventure.

The film begins with a couple, Tyler, and Margot (Nicholas Hoult and Anya Taylor-Joy). They travel to a high-end restaurant on a deserted island. Ralph Fiennes is Chef Slovik; opinionated, creative, passionate, and evil. The tale of food begins with an array of fancy dishes. However, as the night goes on, the Slovik’s attitude starts to deteriorate. As Slovik senses rudeness from his guests, he starts to make the restaurant experience go awry. The food choices start to be low-quality, the atmosphere becomes more harrowing, and there are more horrific surprises. Tyler, Margot, and everyone else in the restaurant may be at risk for something much more shocking than they have expected. The question is whether they can leave the restaurant safely.

As the more the film progresses, Fiennes’ performance is increasingly demonic. In the film, his character takes pride in his kitchen. When he sees his guests showing no appreciation (in his own mind), then the lavish experience takes a turn for the worse. Fiennes is fabulous when he is in his egotistical mode which is why I loved The Menu. Fiennes is simply fantastic playing the chef who must have his way like an evil king.

The Menu is anxiety-provoking with layers of dark comedy. Theaudience can sense that the experience is shady. Fiennes’ acting ability torments the viewers with invigorating madness. I found the film to be spectacular and stunning in large part due to the competition for respect in the kitchen which is especially challenging to receive in The Menu.

Is the restaurant experience harrowing? How much can go wrong? Did Tyler and Margot make a mistake? The Menu has those answers. It also has more witty and unexpected surprises which make this film the wild and twisted adventure of the Thanksgiving season. Three and a half stars for The Menu.

Film reviews

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Review

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The warrior we all know from the Marvel franchise, T’Challa, was played by Chadwick Boseman. Sadly, Boseman passed away in 2020. But despite this tragedy, the Marvel universe is still strong and the continuation with Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is fierce and faithful in the foundation that was created before his passing.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever has an array of characters and dynamics. This is a Marvel film with spot on writing, the right setups, and the right characters to continue the legacy of T’Challa. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is one of the Marvel films that tops the charts of awesome superhero movies this year.

In Black Panther: Wakanda Forever the chaos has risen rapidly after King T’Challa’s death. An army comes from miles out at sea and it’s up to some brave women to protect the world of Wakanda. These tough ladies include Ramonda (played by Angela Bassett), Shuri (played by Letitia Wright), Nakia (played by Lupita Nyong’o), and Okoye (played by Danai Gurira). These women have the power to take over Wakanda and protect its people, but the problems around them may be more powerful than they anticipate.

As I watched Black Panther: Wakanda Forever I could see that they wanted to take a different direction after Chadwick Boseman’s death, but the film also has a nod of appreciation for what Boseman gave the franchise. They have created a universe more meaningful and vibrant, and they are seeking the right path of victory. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever takes the Marvel franchise to a whole different level, and it shows that the franchise can continue to rise despite the death of Boseman.

My one minor issue with Black Panther: Wakanda Forever was I felt that it was a little too much like Avatar (2009) which, ironically, has the next film in the franchise, Avatar: The Way of Water, opening next month. This reason it resembled Avatar was because the warriors are blue, like Avatar, and many of the warriors are underwater in an Atlantis-like setting. So I found myself wondering whether the film was trying to feel like Avatar? But this similarity didn’t detract greatly from my enjoyment of the film and, otherwise, the film is top-notch.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is grand in its direction. The scenery is vast and brilliant, the action is fun, and the development of its continuity after Black Panther from 2019 is right on target. Three and a half stars for Black Panther: Wakanda.

Film reviews

Armageddon Time Review

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Armageddon Time is a powerful film set during a time of discrimination and racism. The film features domineering parents, which adds to its seriousness. It doesn’t necessarily focus so much on racism as it does on where families fall in terms of low, middle, or upper class.

Armageddon Time takes place in New York City in 1980. The film focuses on the Graff family, including Irving Graff (played by Jeremy Strong), Esther Graff (played by Anne Hathaway), and their son Paul Graff (played by Banks Repeta). There is also Grandpa Aaron Rabinowitz (played by Anthony Hopkins). Paul is close to his grandpa, but he struggles with meeting the expectations of his parents.

Paul has a friend, Johnny Davis (played by Jaylin Webb), who is Black. Johnny gets lots of negative attention and he gets blamed for many minor issues because of his race, which only causes him to be more vocal and angrier. Paul makes some bad choices with Johnny, and after the two friends get in trouble with drugs Paul’s parents send him to private school, which separates Paul from Johnny. But they continue to be friends in secret.

Paul and Johnny both have aspirations. Paul wants to become an artist and Johnny dreams of working for NASA. But they both feel they are limited in their ability to achieve these goals because they don’t have the support they need to develop their interests.

Paul you has a strong connection to his grandpa in Armageddon Time, and there are numerous heartwarming moments between them in the film. Hopkins plays a grandpa who is wise and supportive, and he always has Paul’s back. Paul vents to his grandpa about how he feels segregated from Johnny, and his grandpa reminds him to not let bad influences get him down. He wants Paul to have the best life he can have, and he doesn’t want racism or segregation to keep Paul from being happy.

Strong and Hathaway’s roles as strict parents hit close to home for me. I was someone who also had issues with schooling. From my experience I realized that Paul’s problem was how he thought he needed to act around kids in his social class. I could relate to that because in my younger days I felt limited towards who I could socialize with, although I wasn’t necessarily shy as a young man.

Armageddon Time is an enticing look at a challenging time for our country and its school systems. Paul and Johnny are treated differently due to their different backgrounds, which was a function of the times. But all they really want to do is just be friends. It’s hard, but it just meant that they would need to learn to navigate the dynamics of their homes, schools and parents better, and they didn’t let the difficulty stop them from being friends. Three stars for Armageddon Time.