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.
Capsule Reviews, Chicago Critics Film Festival 2025, Film reviews

Twinless (Chicago Critics Film Festival 2025)

Leave a comment

Director, writer, and actor James Sweeney presents a Twinless, touching film about disconnect and the need to find a replacement. The story focuses on someone who has lost love but finds an understudy through an identical sibling. As part of the Chicago Critics Film Festival, Twinless is an essential title because it explores how much love can hurt, and how much one can crave what is gone. Sweeney plays the lead who is in desperation. Dylan O’Brien plays the two characters who are twins and who both fall deeply in love with Sweeney’s character.

Sweeney’s character is Dennis, an introverted man who was in love with a man named Rocky (O’Brien). They had a fling that felt special, but this all changed when Rocky passed. Moving forward, Dennis realizes that Rocky has a twin named Roman (also played by O’Brien). Dennis creates a sad story for himself to make it seem like he also lost a twin to feel more connected to Roman, who is straight. Roman’s presence makes Dennis feel that he is still with Rocky. However, there is only so much dishonesty that the relationship can handle.

Sweeney is the master of emotional writing and turmoil. Twinless twisted my emotions to the core. The performances of Sweeney and O’Brien are insanely audacious. Love and grief find common ground in Twinless. It is a mesmerizing portrait of appreciation. Despite one lying to experience love, the title reminds the audience of the power of wishful thinking. Despite the hard truths of the film, the wonders of love are a revelation. Twinless delves into grief looking to be relieved. O’Brien and Sweeney are the dynamic duo trying to combat grief after the loss of their loved one. Four out of four stars for Twinless.

Film reviews

The Surfer Review

Leave a comment

For Nicolas Cage, The Surfer is another flick where his egotistical and bipolar moments solidify lead to chaos. This dark comedy flows as it explores many aspects of an individual looking to fulfill his dreams. Along the way, The Surfer feels intuitive. Directed by Lorcan Finegan, this film is a fascinating portrait of a man hoping for his dream to become reality. Cage is the center of all of this. Throughout The Surfer, there are plot twists which become more enriching than the audience may see at first. To be clear, there is no surfing in the movie. Instead, I think of it as Cage “surfing” his way to establish a foundation on uncharted territory. In the early stages of his journey, there are plenty of obstacles. With Cage as the lead character, audiences know what he tends to deliver when annoyances come his way.

Cage’s character’s name is The Surfer. He takes his son on a surprise visit to his favorite beach that he grew up on. He tells his son he is going to buy a house so they can have many surfing adventures. Finn Little plays The Kid, the son. There are many issues that arise during their trip. The Surfer is in a bidding war on the home he wants to purchase. He is waiting for a call from a real estate agent and is all set to get the home of his dreams, which is the home he grew up in. To prove his commitment, The Surfer spends his days in his car awaiting this important call. From that point on, the movie is filled with adventure involving a bunch of odd characters and wannabes that cause things to boil to a breaking point.

What makes The Surfer quirky and attention-grabbing is all the crazy scenes. It is clearly uncharted territory when it comes to Cage’s performance especially when people keep telling him, “DON’T LIVE HERE…DON’T SURF HERE!” The comedy and dark fantasy in the film’s setup are compelling. The film’s writing makes Cage’s performance unravel like a bipolar dragon. When he does so, it is chaotic and silly but also relentlessly brilliant. This is the role for Cage, playing a man so angry that his first-world issue is not being prioritized. The Surfer is not gnarly because of the waves, but due to the treacherous plateaus in Cage’s character. Two-and-a-half out of four stars for The Surfer.

Film reviews

Thunderbolts* Review

Leave a comment

In this film I saw a chance for a new story to emerge and continue to build purpose. Thunderbolts* has an approach that fuels the Marvel Cinematic Universe. A sense of restoration lies ahead. Directed by Jake Schreier, the film is written by Eric Pearson and Joanna Calo. The many filmmakers behind Thunderbolts* loops in enticement that creates an immersive moviegoing experience.  Thunderbolts* may seem whacky at times, but the characterizations build upon each other as a new team arises.

The film begins with a group of antiheroes. They are Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), Robert Reynolds/Sentry (Lewis Pullman), Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), John Walker/U.S. Agent (Wyatt Russell), Alexei Shostakov/Red Guardian (David Harbour), and Ava Starr/Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen). They all come to the realization that they are the targets of a trap. This leads them into a mission that will bring up a bad and rude awakening. With one questioning lead, there might be more for these heroes than they anticipated. Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julie Louis-Dreyfus) appears to be the enemy of what is at stake and one to watch out for.

For this new feature, I felt the dynamics come together to realize there is a greater good. A lot of the quirkiness is between the performances of Pugh, Harbour, and Russell—they all have that spark that gains momentum from each other’s senses of humor. There is a foundation combining power to build resilience for the moments ahead. Thunderbolts* is not spectacular, but the layout of who to root for plays a vital role in the film’s continuity, and it is unstoppable.

Overall, there is a sense of curiosity. The film begs the question of why these heroes are the ones that are the targets? Why are they the focus? The proper answer to these two questions is because they all still have uncharted territory to learn. Much of that comes from the politics that interweave throughout the filmand this is where the enemy Valentina comes up as the red flag.

It is not exactly filled with action and explosions, but it evokes a value of laughter in its nature. This is of course in the good sense. Thunderbolts* is a title that is a springboard for new adventures to be movie-bound later down the line. Sparks for attention and excitement spiral the film’s humor. The butting heads of the heroes are just the beginning. Thunderbolts* is a landscape for powers to keep growing and have an exploration that develops immersive components.

Deep down, much of this film finds its brilliance in being written with the trust of no one single direction.   Audiences can sense a portrait of frustration or annoyance within the heroes. That alone, is the sign that some may be on the side its audience is hoping for, and some may not. Altogether there is a resolution of expectations that throttles the fun of Thunderbolts*. A Marvel film almost making it to the brilliance spectacle, but not quite there. An excellent start to building more character development. Three out of four stars.