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

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.

Film reviews

Easter Sunday Review

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Director Jay Chandrasekhar directs a comical and lighthearted flick that is purely a joy. Easter Sunday is astounding in its comedic continuity. With Jo Koy as the lead, he displays his energetic comedy vibe. He blends it into the life of a father navigating many challenges with family and career conflicts. I saw Koy himself perform at the Chicago Theatre in the fall of 2021. Looking back at that performance of his, I realized how much Koy can bring his energetic comedy material to a lighthearted comedy. Easter Sunday made me realize how much meaning there is around family and the obstacles some may go through despite its setbacks.

With the concept of family, tradition, and culture being a major element in Easter Sunday, the scenario of Koy’s character juggling many frustrations spoke to me. Even though many families keep their traditions, Koy’s character finds ways to spark the joy of his family to make up for his own insecurities. Easter Sunday is engrossing as Koy’s character tries to keep the positivity with his family and himself intact. There are numerous annoyances illustrating tardiness, lack of communication, or just Koy’s character trying to find diplomatic solutions for his errors (even though many of them are not intentional). I found the joy in Easter Sunday when Koy’s character finds himself in problems with karma. That is because even his problem from the past is ones that he tries to resolve with his clever sense of humor.

In Easter Sunday, Koy is Joe Valencia. An actor and a comedian in Los Angeles, California. The film is based of the real-life of Koy’s career with stand-up comedy. Joe tries to land a big acting project, but he is also trying to be a good father for his son Junior. Junior is played by Brandon Wardell. In between Joe waiting for news from his agent, Joe is also getting ready to celebrate the tradition of Easter with his family. Joe’s mindset starts to hit plateaus as his mother Susan starts to stress out. Susan is played by Lydia Gaston. Apparently, Joe’s extended family keeps bringing in all kinds of problems to the table on the traditional holiday. This includes financial struggles, honesty problems, and a whole variety of cultural binds. All in between these problems Joe himself is still waiting from his agent and trying to connect with his son and his family. Easter Sunday continues keeps bringing in all kinds of family problems to the table, but it is presented in the most charming and entertaining perspective.

Koy is mind-boggling in his performance as an actor, comedian, and a father. He has that laid-back mindset, the positive attitude focus, and many quotes that many people will connect to. His presentations of them are true and honest. In a scenario of talking about family and all, there is a moment where he says, “My son dies when I take aways his phone.” That reminded me of how many people today state the obvious of the many distractions with the ones we love. The relationship between Joe and Junior has its moments. Easter Sunday reminded me that even at times when people in my family tell me something I do not want to hear, that it is never to be personally rude. It is just a reminder that some priorities are more important than the technologies that we are hooked on.

Easter Sunday is an adventure of laughter, disconnect, and many funny first-world problems. Koy’s performance had me in laughter. The times culture and tradition in Easter Sunday is relevant to today’s society. It is presented in the most faithful and enduring style of filmmaking from Chandrasekhar. Three and a half stars for Easter Sunday.