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 essays, Film reviews

E.T. the Extra Terrestrial the IMAX experience

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In 1982, director Steven Spielberg brought the world one of the most beloved tails that spans four decades now. E.T. the Extra Terrestrial. The film’s success to this day has an estimated earning of 792.9 million dollars, and it was one of the film’s to be in the cinemas for a long time of over a year. My first experience of E.T. the Extra Terrestrial was in year 2002, when it was re-released for its twenty-year anniversary. That is one of the most memorable cinematic experiences I have ever had in my childhood era of growing to love movies. In IMAX I felt more in-depth than ever before with my love for E.T. the Extra Terrestrial. That is because I felt I was coming face-to-face with the reality of the film, the connection between Elliot and E.T., but above all I felt I was more face-to-face with E.T. himself.

Spielberg’s use of directing throughout most of the film was shot at eye-level. This is because he wanted to create a more empathetic and connecting experience for his audience with the film. In IMAX, the eye-level footage is grandeur of sympathy and empathy. It is a mind-bending experience of many positive emotions. As Elliott breaks the ice in growing to love E.T., I felt I was feeling that connection of feeling connected again. Connected in terms of Spielberg’s use of directing to create a loving tail of one boy and the creature he be-friends and hopes to protect. Not only protect, but eventually help him find his way home.

In the film Henry Thomas is Elliott. A young boy who is troubled and introverted in his suburban California home with his single mother Mary. Mary is played by Dee Wallace. Then there is Elliot’s brother Michael (played by Robert MacNaughton) and then there is his younger sister Gertie (played by Drew Barrymore). Barrymore’s young performance still lives to this day of her brilliant performance at such a young age. Elliot’s life comes to a change when he comes across an alien who is stranded around his home. With Elliot scared at first, he begins to realize that this alien is not dangerous, that is someone just trying to get home. Elliot names the alien E.T., and then he soon has Michael and Gertie by his side to keep him a secret from his mom and hide him from the outside world. The issue that Elliot faces though, is all the press and government officials that are in search for Elliot’s new friend. However, as E.T.’s stay lasts longer than expected Elliott feels that E.T. is his new friend and that he is new responsibility. E.T. The Extra Terrestrial still lives to this day to be one of the most inspiring and loving films that the world loves including myself.

E.T. The Extra Terrestrial in IMAX is grasping. Fans will feel they are on the bicycle chases with Elliott and E.T., and they will feel they are flying as E.T. is bound to make it home. The bicycle chases and flying sequences have always been a monumental moment in cinema history, and the IMAX experience with the imagery being even sharper feels it is more enhanced with greater detail of beloved sequencing. Fans can even feel the sound of the excitement in both the suspense sequences and the connection sequences. As E.T. tells Elliott, “I’ll be right here,” I never felt more connected to this film. The giant IMAX screen made that cinematic moment of my life even more special.

Though, I felt like I was Elliott in the IMAX experience. I felt I was at the eye-level tune of Spielberg’s directing. I also felt that the environment around the habitats of Elliott made the world of the film a much bigger and vibrant place. A place of beloved cinematic moments bound to be revisited on new levels of excitement. Take the ride and experience E.T. the extra Terrestrial in the breathtaking IMAX experience.

E.T. the Extra Terrestrial remains to be a true classic. It still holds its specialty in being brilliant forty years later. It must be experienced in IMAX. Even if it is someone’s first time, they have got to see it in IMAX. The moments are even more special than ever before. Get on your bicycles, take the ride, and join Elliott in helping E.T. find his way home in IMAX. Four stars.

Film reviews

Day Shift Review

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The humor in Day Shift, a vampire action and comedy flick from Netflix, is innovative, especially in its use of the fine art of farce. The film is simply a blast.

The title of the film is a hint toward the setup—Day Shift is a film about a hunt for vampires during the day instead of at night. In the daytime, the vampires in Day Shift are just living a quiet, secret life of being vampires. Jamie Foxx plays Bud Jablonski, a father who tells everyone that he cleans swimming pools. But his real job is hunting and killing vampires around the San Fernando Valley. To support his daughter though, he must try to find bigger incomes in his shady job. In doing so he teams up with Seth, played by James Franco. Seth in turn teams up with Bud and they go on a vampire killing spree together. But the vampires are more evil and more terrifying than Bud and Seth expect.

Foxx’s role in the film is like his roles in Collateral (2004) and 30 days of Night (2007). In Collateral he played a taxi driver working a hit man who had to make tough decisions based on his hostage situation. In Day Shift he makes tough decisions based on his experience with killing vampires. Franco teaming up with Foxx makes for a very alluring duo. Their relationship is like Sherlock and Watson, but with vampires. Foxx would be Watson, because he has more common sense. Sherlock has always been known from the books and films to be absent-minded and witty, and Franco’s character is quirky and disorganized, so he would be Sherlock.

For director J.J. Perry, this is his first time directing a big feature, and he nails many hidden gems with this vampires film. Snoop Dogg is in the film for a few scenes, and although his role is minor, he keeps that sappy vibe going.

The days are bright, and the vampires await in this one-of-a-kind film from Netflix. Can Foxx’s character accomplish the impossible and pay off his debts for his daughter? Maybe, but this film is full of unexpected revelations. Day Shift is a vampire film that takes things in a different direction than we’re used to. Three stars for Day Shift.

Film reviews

Bodies Bodies Bodies Review

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Bodies Bodies Bodies is a film that wants to be the next young adult party film. The film attempts to find comedy in its brutal and grisly violence. I was not laughing—I was appalled.

Let me try to describe the awfulness of this comedy, directed by Halina Reijn. The plot is dry, and the depictions of all the problems encountered by the characters make no sense. It’s clear that the director is using the problems to try to make Bodies Bodies Bodies a killer funny flick, but it’s not that at all. Instead, it’s a killer terrible flick. It would like to be the classic film Risky Business(1983), but it has a generous amount of Project x (2012) thrown in, and it’s wrapped up with a spike of Spring Breakers. The combination of which makes for a very poor movie. That’s how I see Bodies Bodies Bodies.

The film is set in California in a big mansion, with college kids, drugs, and rock and roll. Pete Davidson is David, the host of a party for his friends at his giant mansion near the mountains in California. He invites a ton of friends over, including Sophie, played by Amandla Stenberg, Bee, played by Maria Bakalova, Alice, played by Rachel Sennott, Emma, played by Chase Sui Wonders, Jordan, played by Myha’la Herrold, and Greg, played by Lee Pace. The party involves the usual teen fun—drinking, drugs, talks about sex. But there is more damage than the audience can anticipate. A party game starts to create personality clashes and one of the friends gets injured, which is just the start of the party going awry. When you combine drugs and alcohol and a samurai sword, you have a recipe for disaster. Many damaging and life-threatening problems emerge as the night goes on. Simply put, Bodies Bodies Bodies is a rather unsettling party flick.

As I said initially, the film tries to find its funny moments in the violence of the film, but Bodies Bodies Bodies doesn’t know how to be funny. Davidson is good for a few fragments of humor, but otherwise it just is not funny at all. It tries to create laughs as someone is brutally injured or murdered. I will admit that some people around me were laughing, but I didn’t find anything about this film enjoyable or funny. It is, again, just plain bad.

I’m sure this film will appeal to some movie goers, especially younger people. Mix drugs, danger, and undeveloped minds together, and you’re bound to get some takers. Especially when an actor like Pete Davidson is thrown into the mix. But my experience with Bodies Bodies Bodies was entirely unpleasant. This California party flick is indeed gnarly, but not gnarly in terms of what a surfer would say—I mean that the film is brutally horrific and awful.

I know I have spent much of this review on the negative, and airing my frustrations on this eerie movie experience. I will give one minor ovation, though, to Pete Davidson. Despite this being a very bad movie, his acting, his one liners and humor, was at times somewhat entertaining. Again, the movie sucked, but Davidson’s humor did not always suck. Overall, though, Bodies Bodies Bodies is garbage, garbage, garbage. One and a half stars.