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

The Crow

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The original version of The Crow (released in 1994) is a guilty pleasure of mine. The director of the 1994 version was Alex Proyas. In this newest edition, its director is Rupert Sanders. Redemption and power do not meet mesmerizing expectations in this current version of The Crow. There are depths of it that try with revenge and love to create a form of meaning. The background and characterizations of The Crow are meaningless.

The two characters are Eric (played by Bill Skarsgard) and Shelly (played by FKA twigs). They escape from prison, fall in love, and build their universe of romance. The enemy onto them is Vincent Roeg (played by Danny Huston). Vincent targets them both. Shelly is deceased. Eric seeks the power to bring her back. A mental state of mind brings Eric to the universes of the present and dead. The one who guides him on how to use his powers is Kronos (played by Sami Bouajila). Can Eric save the love of his life?

The beginning is Eric and Shelly having a life in prison. From there, they make their own life after escaping. The Crow has issues with its pacing. It will focus a lot on Eric and Shelly’s unconventional relationship. It will then transition to the mayhem of criminality coming down around them. Both are at the height of it, but one gains the power to do more detrimental things. With Eric having a love for art and words, his visions mean more than just love. The writing, however, is sloppy.

There is a lot of dragging. The scary powers take their time to get to their climatic scenarios do not come so smoothly in The Crow. It is even more complex to take Skarsgard seriously as Eric. He has a quiet monotone, and he does not possess tough-guy vibes.

There is a lot of turmoil. The Crow is captivating in a moment where criminality is finding light. Once that “light” finds its way to turn on, the dreads of terror come in drastically bad. It just throws it all in the bucket of vengeance (in Eric). With that, audiences can expect tons of tattoos, weird attitudes, and a strange path of poor writing in The Crow.

It misses its opportunities for invigoration. It is presented in the formality of predictability. “Predictability” of mediocrity. The 1972 version knew how to be on par with its good and bad guys. This version cares too much about making it look like a generic version of a superhero flick. It is not that though, It is just a horror with a poor script and angles. I felt there would be more to this. I had a feeling of moving parts. There were barely any. The Crow displays “moving parts” of flatness.

I do suggest revisiting the 1994 version before seeing this one. I felt lost throughout the context of this remake. It is detrimental and messy. It is a failure within the realms of structure. I do give it credit for trying to encourage its characterizations though. Two out of four stars.

Film reviews

Close to You Review

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Elliott Page delivers a grandeur performance in a role that speaks for itself. In his days as Ellen Page, he portrayed an emotional teen facing a pregnancy crisis in Juno. In Close to You, Page brings the same energy with realistic feelings experienced identifying as a man. Close to You creates anatmosphere with a sense of disconnect exploring feelings that are hard to tolerate. The desire for acceptance and wanting to feel loved spirals in a spellbinding way. Page portrays someone who is depressed, confused, angry, and questioning. Accepting life for what it is comes with many obstacles in Close to You.

Page plays Sam. Sam is going home to visit his family to celebrate his father’s birthday. He has not returned home in years, and the thought of it causes mentally anguish. The silence of his train ride paints a portrait of what he is feeling because heknows many of his family members question the fact that he transitioned to being a male. On the train, he meets an old friend named Katherine (played by Hillary Baack), who is hearing impaired. Sam senses a chance of feeling loved for who he is. Once he makes it home for his dad’s birthday, the atmosphere begins to be uncertain. His mother, Miriam (played by Wendy Crewson), tries to help him remember he is loved. The rest of the family sends odd vibes to Sam.

The film is all about the patterns of family dynamics. It is crystal clear why Sam keeps encountering annoyances when he comes home. His family including Megan (played by Alex Patton-Beesley), and Kate (played by Janet Porter), tries to talk sense into him and not be hateful or resentful. However, her brother-in-law Paul (played by David Reale), is a narcissist and very unaccepting. The different thought patterns of people in Sam’s home cause him to spiral as he struggles to mentally handle what is going on around him. All he wants is to feel loved for how he chooses to be.

The film stays focused on the many obstacles Sam faces and how they make him feel. When his head is spinning and his family is causing him confusion, does he take a stand? The narrative of Sam being the bigger person is an aspect that weighs heavily in Close to You. We see this as Sam puts people in his family on the spot when they take a confrontational tone with him. When Sam stands up for himself, I felt the film displayed honesty in showcasing the timing of when thingsshould be said and how words can hurt.

Is Close to You realistic? Very much so. Is it a happy film? In parts. Does it matter how Sam identifies? No, it does not. What matters is what Sam’s heart wants.

Choices are not always easy. For Sam, his choice created mixed signals for his family. The film includes conversations from a history of past problems involving Sam and highlights personal conflicts with one another. The past still hurts in Close to Youand the story focuses on a complex reunion where trust amongst family members means everything.

This film is incredibly real. It shows Sam facing a reality thatmany deal with every day. Close to You portrays how people can make tough decisions based on what their gut is telling them. The truth may be hard to accept, but it does not mean there is hatred. Life is about navigating how to help those we love most. There is love in Close to You. It is displayed in the layers of Sam’s personal journey and relationships with both his family and Katherine. Three-and-a-half out of four stars.

Film reviews

Skincare Review

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Elizabeth Banks in Skincare

There is a beauty line that is in strange territory. It is reputation-wrecking. Skincare has the audacity of a threatening situation. Written and directed by Austin Peters, it is a thriller of uniqueness. It brings in the place where connections are bound to happen. Its location is California, and the opening brings in an array of gems and success. Style and make-up are the high tier. When the chance of competition arises, there is also the startling momentum of one’s career to face sabotaging elements.

The big star is Hope (played by Elizabeth Banks). Hope is a famous aesthetician with her studio. Her assistant is Marine (played by Michael Jae Rodriguez). Hope has the looks and the personality to sell in her world of success. Changes occur when an owner named Angel opens his boutique across from her studio. Hope receives notifications that her email account has sent many lewd messages. Hope also finds ads for being an escort. The deficits continue to climb. Hope’s life falls into a downward spiral on the brink of losing her studio. Her manic mode goes bonkers. She has the help of a friend named Jordan (played by Lewis Pullman), and she is willing to do whatever it takes to Stop Angel from wrecking her business or find out who is framing her.

It is a silly premise. Skincare does know how to make the detrimental situation clever and enticing. It is a thriller that throws many obstacles into the mixture of the conflict. It is a competition of ego and personality. Where does the line get drawn? The product line is Hope’s weakness because it is not her strong suit. Hope is cute and attractive. She can use that to her advantage. Unfortunately, it leads her to an awkward quid pro quo scenario. Hope has options to save her career, but the conflict is coming to the right decision. The more time passes (with lewd messages and hacked accounts), the continuance of reputation and fame burst into flames.

The stressfulness of the quirky setup is the scandal going to the extreme. The writing is straightforward. It has layers of graphic consequences. The focus of an aesthetician, the film is a murky satire with crinkles of make-up waiting to be purified. Publicity hits all kinds of angles and stresses. Hopes’ rent falls behind. Angel continues to make profits. While Angel is bringing in the revenue, Hope continues in her downfall.

The characterization of Banks is one of many manic and bipolar episodes. It does give its audience the chance to think about personality and professionalism. Is Angel truly her enemy? Does her level of fame mean she already has enemies? Are there people who have tried to take advantage of her before? The background of success is authentic. Skincare creates a reminder for its audience that a following has potential risks. Hope is bound to have her life threatened forever. Can she handle the moving parts properly?

It is wacky, present, and realistic. Skincare gets serious in moderation. It begins with joyfulness, and the hammer comes down in increments. The slapstick aspects are giddy sporadically. Regardless, it knows how to be a thriller, and it knows how to be amusing (while its audience is on the edge of their seats). Three out of four stars for Skincare.