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

Nightmare Alley

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Magic and illusions can be used for fun and joy, but sometimes they are used for darkness and deception. That is the case with director Guillermo del Toro’s Nightmare Alley.

Set in the 1940s, Nightmare Alleyintroduces us to Stan Carlisle, a carny played by Bradley Cooper, who joins a traveling carnival tour. Carlisle has the unique ability to control people with just a couple of words. He works for Clem Hoatley, played by Willem Dafoe, who oversees the operation, and also on the tour is Molly Cahill, played by Rooney Mara. Carlisle and Cahill team up to create their own show away from the carnival, but a psychiatrist, Dr. Lilith Ritter played by Cate Blanchett, enters the scene and complicates things.

Nightmare Alley brings us to a world of lies and deceit that is surreal and beguiling. Ritter is two-faced, and Carlisle is anxious to get wealthy. The use of manipulative power and illusions are taken to a masterful level. The film’s storyline does seem to drag a little at the beginning, but with close attention it all comes together to make the film even more enticing.

Nightmare Alley is brilliantly directed with a precise and fascinating plot. It is pure fantasy and treachery at its finest. The illusions will bring its viewers to a world well beyond predictability. Three and a half stars for Nightmare Alley.

Film reviews

The Tender Bar Review

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George Clooney is a man of many talents, including directing, and in The Tender Barhe directs a light-hearted memoir film that reminds us that life is not easy, but we need to find ways to overcome our struggles.

The Tender Bar is about a boy named J.R., played by Tye Sheridan, who is living in Long Island and trying to find people to fill the void of his often estranged, alcoholic father. His Uncle Charlie, played by Ben Affleck, owns a bar that J.R. spends much of his childhood around, and where he learns many valuable life lessons from his uncle and the bar’s colorful patrons. J.R.’s troubled but determined mom is played by Lily Rabe.

As he grows up J.R. has a goal to be a journalist and get into a good journalism school, but he faces many setbacks in his quest. He keeps pushing himself for success, though, and he realizes that his personal story of growing up without a father figure and being around his uncle’s bar is interesting, and writing the story can help him grow as a journalist and a person.

The Tender Bar is empathetic and encouraging on many levels. It is a film that will make many people think about the hard moments of their life, and how to keep moving forward and find joy despite the difficulties. It was not my favorite film directed by Clooney, and it can be slow at times, but Ben Affleck delivers a knockout performance as J.R.’s role model and the story itself is touching and brilliant. Three and a half stars for The Tender Bar.

Film reviews

Spiderman: No Way Home Review

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The web slinging and adventure strikes again with Tom Holland as Peter Parker, aka Spiderman. Holland may be the best Spiderman yet, and in Spiderman: No Way Home, there is plenty of action among the classic Spiderman enemies.

Director Jon Watts (who directed the previous Spiderman films with Holland) takes us on an adventure that will have many fans around the world swinging again through all the fun. The only difference—in Spiderman: No Way Homethe darker side of the enemies around Peter Parker comes out strong. Hang on for a wild ride!


Peter Parker finds himself in a world of danger following the events of Avengers: Endgame (2019) and Spiderman: Far from Home (2019). Peter teams up with Doctor Strange, played by Benedict Cumberbatch, to create a spell for a fresh start. When the spell goes awry Peter faces all new threats and enemies in his Spiderman universe. The film brings in the classic enemies that fans know: Alfred Molina as Otto Octavius/Doctor Octopus, Willem Dafoe as Norman Osborn/Green Goblin, and Jamie Foxx as Max Dillon/Electro. And of course JK Simmons is back as J. Jonah Jameson.

Spiderman: No Way Home takes the franchise to the next level. It is a breathtaking and thrilling theme ride of visually stunning action sequences, and it also has lots of lighthearted humor, especially with Marisa Tomei as May Parker. I found myself wondering just how much better the film can get. It was an exhilarating experience from the very start.


Spiderman: No Way Home is definitely one of the best Spiderman films I have experienced in a long time. It will be the superhero movie of the holidays. Four stars for Spiderman: No Way Home.