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

A Complete Unknown Review

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The song, The Times They Are A-Changin’ is one of brilliance through the voice of Timothee Chalamet in his role as Bob Dylan. Director James Mangold brings us the story of the 1960s era revolutionized by Dylan himself. A Complete Unknown is prolific in its approach of having Dylan as the focus. A well-written story with the many political factors bringing hope, A Complete Unknown is one of the most cinematic and breathless performances from Chalamet—he is the right choice to portray Dylan.

The appreciation I have for A Complete Unknown is how it is presented in the context of an unknown coming from nothing and then unexpectedly having a fan base. Around all that, are the choices and errors in the process of fame. It is not only stunning in the musical sense, but it is also stunning in the fact that persistence is key to the film’s story. Going back to the era of Dylan’s days on the streets, the purpose of having a craft and love for music comes together poetically in A Complete Unknown. It starts from scratch and finds emotional and cinematic building blocks along the way.

With Chalamet as Dylan, the film takes opens with where it all began. It starts when Dylan meets Pete Seeger (played by Edward Norton). From there, the steps of the musical dreams unfold in Dylan’s eyes. With Dylan meeting his hero Woody Guthrie (played by Scoot McNairy), the inspiration growsswiftly in A Complete Unknown. Dylan’s relationship with Sylvie Russo (played by Elle Fanning) is one that is a more hit or miss notion in the film. Dylan’s relationship with Joan Baez (played by Monica Barbaro) is also presented in that form as well. However, Dylan’s troubles with relationships are not the focus, but it leaves room for the growth of the more revolutionary moments of the film.

Mangold’s approach has a tone of positivity and a following to fuel the film’s fire of fame. The dynamic side of Dylan’s relationship is lacking; however, this brings the audience even closer into the story of Dylan’s rising life. The elements of that “rising life” are connected to the genre of folk going down the path of electric. The place of worship for that is the Newport Folk Festival in 1965. That festival is the road to the top of the mountains in A Complete Unknown.

To touch on the understanding of performance, there is the feeling that Dylan is irritated with many he is close with. This includes his relationships with Russo and Baez. The musical scenes though, are the moments where he tries to find a sense of reconnection where a lot of the attention falls on Baez (since they tour together). Ultimately, though, writing becomes acompetition for fame and, overall, the good-hearted side of heartbreak flows in a poetic way. It just does not find the context of love as he moves on to bigger fame.

With the setup of the uniqueness of the era of the film, the delivery of Chalamet’s performance feels like hearing something new for the first time. There is a moment of a question which goes, “Are you God Bob?” The answer to that question is Chalamet, in his performance as Dylan, on many fronts—his creativity, his voice, his vision, performance— is all spellbinding in its musical force of appreciation. A Complete Unknown will inspire to never lose hope.

A Complete Unknown may not gear on its relationship dynamics well, but its performances are a revelation. Chalamet and Norton shine the brightest here. Their portrayal of musical icons solidifies in a fascinating gem that will be remembered for ages. A Complete Unknown does not hold back in its faithfulness tothe portrayal of the history or the songs. Three-and-a-half out of four stars.

Film reviews

Nightbitch Review

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The title Nightbitch initially came across as harsh. I thought the meaning might mean point to  women showing their worst behavior after dark. Surprisingly, evening hours take on a whole new meaning in Nightbitch. Written and directed by Marielle Heller, an auteur force who has an eye for capturing bizarre conflicts with class. She did so with The Diary of a Teenage Girl, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, and What the Constitution Means to Me. My respect for Heller comes from her persistence in taking tolerance to a breaking point. Nightbitch has classical moments that fall apart drastically and are incredibly enticing.

Amy Adams is Mother in Nightbitch. Mother is her character’s name, and she appears to experience bipolar feelings. During moments of rage, the film has narrations using Adam’s voice on her point-of-view. Adams plays an introverted mother that hates the label of stay-at-home mom. Nightbitch is a unique approach of showcasing hidden frustrations waiting to be unleashed. The perception of a boring life goes through silly and clever changes. Despite the many thoughts in the mind of Mother, she has one massive concern, i.e. she has signs of turning into a dog. Is Mother losing her mind due to weird hormones clouding her thinking process? If anything, transforming into a dog may mean there are many messes in her future. Nightbitch has plenty of unexpected clean-ups. Heller’s writing is effective in illustrating how irritations can be overcome by fictional and humanistic factors.

The one who tries to be there for Mother is Husband. Husband is his character’s name, and he is played by Scoot McNairy. He is the bread winner who struggles to understand his spouse. The bipolar episodes occur sporadically as Adams plays a witch of an unprecedented and surreal nature in Nightbitch! She even says, “I am Nightbitch!” and later, Husband tells her, “Happiness is a choice.” The many ups and downs in Nightbitch keep viewers focused on Adams and her performance is worthy of careful attention.

This is one of the most messy and unusual roles I have seen Adams in. She has the ability display a presence where she can be happy, but internally she is a ferocious dog wanting to come out of her doghouse. Her performance is a new and artistic look at a mid-life crisis scenario.  The added and unique component is the risk that it is likely she is turning into a dog. It is like female hormones raging but with dog fur added leading to a twisted werewolf theme in Nightbitch. It is compelling with unexpected scenes, various outbursts, and all kinds of weirdness. Somehow it manages to flow and be intriguing. However, it resorts back to over-dramatizations a bit too frequently. Does the dog transformation completely happen? Nightbitch goes through a transition to seriousness that is close to brilliant and the fulfillment of the plot centering around the transformation leads to significant gratification. While it is unexpected and just a bit off-track, overall, two-and-a-half out of four stars for Nightbitch.

Film reviews

Queer Review

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This was on the road to feeling like a masterpiece, yet it fell short in its continuity. Luca Guadagnino is a director whose soul searches for meaning to wondrous extents in his previous successful projects, Call Me by Your Name (2017), Suspiria (2018), and Bones and All (2022). However, with Queer the artistic approaches are in disarray. Daniel Craig plays the lead and his performance is one that is revolutionary in its emotional depth, but the context of the film’s conflicts continues to grow in weird directions making Queer lack the component of brilliance.

The movie takes place in Mexico City in the 1950s. Craig plays William Lee, an introvert with a closeted sexual identity and an addiction to heroin. He spends a lot of his days in a café awaiting a connection, and many times he is caught-up with his buddy Joe Guidry (played by Jason Schwartzman). They spend their days being fascinated with booze and cigarettes. All of William’s priorities shift when he sets eyes on Eugene Allerton (played by Drew Starkey), a student that William begins to form a close relationship with. Once they begin to start up a friendship, Queer goes from feeling experimental to an over-the-top blur of a picture.

The film has three acts and an epilogue. This is a steady setup because it is one of those dark dramas where pacing will seem necessary. Guadagnino’s approach is to use the dynamic of their very separate personalities to create the tension of the story. William just desperately needs to feel connected and he cannot control his drug and alcohol abuse. Eugene is a student who is simply going with the flow, yet he knows how to set his boundaries. “Boundaries” is where Queer is lacking in the elements to create a phenomenon between the two.

In defining its poor quality, it is not one of a negative extent, it just tries too hard to the point where the moments feel out-of-focus. It goes from solitude to connection, and then to addictions in the picture. The resolution of the underlying conflicts from William’s issues leads the film into an odyssey. Much of the dramatizations are developed and expressed in a way that gives audiences the feeling that they too are tripping on some sort of drug. This quality is cinematic; however, it did not have me soldsince the title in and of itself is one where the expectation would be characters finding what their hearts want.

As I have said, Guadagnino knows how to form characterizations, and he desperately tries to with Queer, but the approach to be universal in nature (based on underlying conflicts) is where Queer displays a presentation of shame. The performances of Craig and Starkey are a knockout, but the setup of their paths and expectations of each other are in shambles. Its form of creating character components and comparisons that are supposed to bond these two keeps blindsiding its audience with lots of head-scratching. Queer is a portrait of a battle where sexuality, addiction, and finding the common ground lack thoroughness and understanding. It tries to seem universal and one-of-a-kind, however the measure in Queer does not get that high with accomplishing much astonishment. Two-out-out of four stars.