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

Weapons Review

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For the first time in quite a while, I felt scared. My gut was wrenching, and I jumped from my seat many times. Writer and director Zach Cregger brings in believable scares along with rapid twists and angles that are mortifying. Weapons is a circus ride of terror that is a mystery full of hidden truths. A lot can go wrong in a small town, but when children continue to go missing and weird things happen, no one is safe. There are a whole of unanswered questions and plenty of frights lying within Weapons.

The film takes place in a small-town setting, and the first person of interest is a schoolteacher named Justine Grandy (Julia Garner). Her class is the one from which children go missing.  There is a police officer named Paul (Alden Ehrenreich) who is involved in many strange scenarios. There is also Anthony (Austin Abrams) an adult junkie adult always looking for drugs. There is also Archer Graff (Josh Brolin) who is looking for answers in the search for the missing children. While Justine builds a strange reputation, the town begins to have one itself. This is in part because there is only one kid standing named Alex Lilly (Cary Christopher). Alex’s grandma is Gladys Lilly (Amy Madigan). Why is Alex the only kid that has not disappeared? Why did the other kids disappear? What is the strange force that lingers in this town?

The writing of the film is boiling over with scares that roll their way down the aisle quite unexpectedly. Based on Cregger’s direction, my skin was crawling. However, even though there are many moments of flash frights, his incorporation of laughing moments combined with those that were creepy boggled my mind and made me crave more. I especially appreciated thedynamic where there is someone who seems easy to blame, but then the truth comes out in the most unexpected ways.

It is one of those thrillers that truly give fans of terror exactly what they come to the movies looking for. Cregger nails it in just the right way! By creating a foundation of hatred among a community but then looping in the bigger picture in small increments, he creates a pattern of shock value that tests the boundaries of his audience. Weapons is in a league of its own because of the way it rapidly boggles the brain. Overall, it is a unique film which spirals at moments that feel like a zombie thriller with more to offer. The story being based upon a community having terrors caused by an unknown secret works.

 I found Weapons to be one of the most fun summer’s end horror flicks with notes of comedy. A lot of its appeal is due to how karma related to choices leads to mortifying scenarios. The film is a real gem. Weapons is not a masterpiece, but the film effectively tests the waters. What happened to the missing children? Why does only the scene remain? Who is to blame? Find out in Weapons. Three-and-a-half out of four stars.

 

Film reviews

Freakier Friday Review

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Twenty-two years after the release of Freaky Friday, a body switch comedy about an uptight mother, Tess, and her free spirited daughter Anna, comes its questionably necessary sequel Freakier Friday.   This time around, both Tess and Anna are parents, offering a new form of chaos.   Directed by Nisha Ganatra (Deli Boys), this sequel provides double the  mayhem, causing  fans who thought they had seen  the worst of Anna and Tess, to reconsider. The body switching,  once again leads to all forms of  humorous hijinks but ultimately comes across in a predictable manner. 

Lindsay Lohan (Our Little Secret, Mean Girls) is back as Anna, now a mother, and Jamie Lee Curtis (Halloween, The Bear) once again returns  as Tess, now a grandmother. Both have come a long way with a stronger bond  since the events of the first film. The primary  problem the duo  have to tackle involves Anna’s stepdaughter Harper, played by Julie Butters (Queen of Bones), unfortunately not a lot of context is provided in Harper’s upbringing. The story circles Anna, who is about to marry the love of her life Eric,  played by Manny Jacinto (The Good Place). When Eric’s daughter Lily is added to the mix, the body comedy ensues with the addition of the new parent / child combos.  Just when the worst was thought to be over, things in the world of Freakier Friday  get a whole lot more stressful. Especially because Harper and Lily are enemies at school and bound to be stepsisters.

Nisha Ganatra’s  film has its  funny moments, however  everything is shrouded  by a layer of predictability. This can be expected because there is only so much one can do to refresh a Freaky Friday movie. A majority of the film revolves around the tips and  turns centered around the mothers and the daughters as they learn to navigate the uncharted territory of their unexpected switch. Even though the plot twists are predictable,  they are not without  a certain level of charm. What does the trick for Freakier Friday is the context of ageism. Because the older characters tend to thrive in  younger bodies with the switch. The writing and setup is keen enough to  build laughs and momentum. Many of the comedic gags worked, but the pacing and repetitiveness are unavoidable. Rather than cover valuable new ground, Freakier Friday  works as evidence  that returning to the lives of Tess and Anna is a positive reminder  of the success of  the first film.

Freakier Friday offers a few memorable moments, but in the end, a plot that is painfully recycled. There  may be temporary joy for families to laugh with, as the film  benefits by having both Lohan and Curtis back, but otherwise the presentation will only make viewers yearn for the original. Two out of four stars.

Film reviews

Cloud Review

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When it comes to the mind of director Kiyoshi Kurosawa, his landscape of filmmaking is destined to create tension. His writing carries an irreparable, yet compelling force in Cloud. In this film, risks and falsifications may look profitable on one end, but dishonesty on the other end leads to complications andchaos. There is a vast amount of damage that occurs in Cloud, and it is surreal. Vibrant and engrossing, the setting in Japan creates a landscape of uncharted territory in urban and rural areas.

The film’s main character is Ryosuke Yoshii (Masaki Suda) who sells goods online but pushes himself to the limit. He quits his day job at a factory to create his operation selling and reselling items. With encouragement from a friend named Muraoka (Masataka Kubota), the idea is promising for Ryosuke.  However, the risks posed are greater than audiences will expect because Ryosuke chooses a deserted mountain setting for his operations. He brings his girlfriend Akiko (Kotone Furukawa), and hires an assistant named Sano (Daiken Okudaira). The more fake goods Ryosuke distributes, the more he profits. But his other gain is negative, as he builds a following of those he has scammed.

The risk factors and political landscape in the film create vast tension and uncertainty. The story is a provocative portrait of the consequences of dishonesty. Because Ryosuke has dangerous people trying to track him down, the desperation to make profits becomes more critical. Kurosawa’s directing displays artistry in an environment that seems like an overwhelming trap of realistic excitement. No one can weather the consequences in a more precise way than Kurosawa does with Cloud.

Ryosuke’s operations create a pattern of rapidly flowing mental suspense. Cloud has an exhilarating pattern which remains subtle while creating visual moving parts. When business for Ryosuke continues to struggle, he then looks for different scams to pursue via the items he purchases to resell. Kurosawa is a master at portraying anxiety-provoking matters and frustrating realistic hurdles in Cloud. 

The value of profit is a life and death matter in Cloud. The context is both believable because profits lead to making bank and yet misdirected in terms of unexpected outcomes. Eventually Ryosuke finds himself hitting a breaking point and Cloud throttles with fears. The fluorescent cinematography loops in illusions tied to the film’s continually changing operations. Kurosawa knows how to make hearts beat with suspense charging throughout the movie.

Cloud is one of the most thrilling, yet experimental arthouse thrillers I have seen. The business of selling souvenirs and fake items in Japan carry the weight of suspense which leads tofilmmaking at its finest. This film is intended for the big screen experience to fully capture the realistic and unforgettable series of wrongdoings. In Chicago, this movie is meant to be seen at Siskel Film Center which will be showing it through August 7th. Don’t miss this opportunity to experience an irreparable ride that will leave a bullet train of consequences. Three-and-a-half out of four stars for Cloud.