The Definitive Guide to Living in the Capital , Cairo , Egypt

With all the hubbub over Mall of Egypt, many have assumed Ski Egypt to be the highlight of what is the biggest mall in the Middle East. However, cinema enthusiasts are just as excited about VOX Cinemas. Comprising four different theatres – MAX, Gold, 4DX and Kids- the cinema is said to be as luxurious as it is comfortable.

The opening of the mall has come at a perfect time, particularly considering this week’s new cinema releases – pick your favourite and head to VOX Cinema to see for yourself starting from Wednesday.

Beauty and the Beast

What’s it About? Well, we don’t want to sound really old, but early millennials must have seen the 1991 version of Beauty and the Beast, which was made… umm… 26 years ago- yes, we’re ancient. Anyways, for those who don’t know, the movie tells of the intelligent young woman, Belle, who is imprisoned by a beast, who lives in a castle. The kind-hearted Belle befriends the enchanted staff of the castle, to finally capture the heart of their master.

Why it Might Be Good: From a nostalgic point of view, nothing beats the original, but watching a live-version of the classic animation, made with state-of-the-art technology and all of that, is not just another revisit to a favourite, it’s a whole new experience on its own.

Why it Might Be Bad: Yes, it’s a classic and everything, but let us be realistic here; Beauty and the Beast is, after all, a fairytale; the good wins, the bad is tossed into oblivion and, of course, love triumphs no matter what. The young and the romantic may buy it, but the life-crushed are definitely over grown it long time ago.

Sleepless

What’s it About? This crime drama is remake of Frédéric Jardin’s French thriller, Sleepless Night, which was released in 2011. It tells of a corrupt LA cop, whose son has been kidnapped by a drug dealer, so he and his partner set on hunting down the kidnapper.  

Why it Might Be Good: Besides being good with the groove, Jamie Foxx has established himself as a great actor. Taking the lead role in Sleepless, Foxx, with his unforgettable role as the iconic Ray Charles in Ray and Django in Django Unchained, is as good a reason to go and see Sleepless.

Why it Might Be Bad: Apart from having been a box-office fail in the US, or the amount of bad reviews it has earned, we can’t help but smell the stale plot, which has been used many times before. In a nutshell, we expect Sleepless to be Taken meets Training Day.

Don’t Knock Twice

What’s it About? Don’t Knock Twice follows the story of Jess, a sculptor and a mother, who, having finally won the custody of her teenage daughter Chloe, starts to work on their broken relationship. Of course, it’s not an easy job – especially that Chloe is haunted by an evil spirit that follows her wherever she goes.

Why it Might Be Good: While many horror moviemakers invest their efforts in making the movie as scary as possible, whether the plot makes sense or not, Don’t Knock Twice seems to promise a sensible base plot as an introduction to what comes next.

Why it Might Be Bad: To begin with, this is not a star-studded movie, so you can never tell what to expect from the actors. Also, digging after Don’t Knock Twice’s director, Caradog W. James, we noticed that he’s a first timer in this genre, so basically it’s a hit or miss – let’s pray the charm of ‘ beginners’ luck’ works here.

Lake Bodom

What’s it About? This Finnish horror tells the true story of a homicide that took place in Finland in 1960, where four teenagers were mysteriously attacked while they were camping around Lake Bodom, near the city of Espoo.

Why it Might Be Good: Some real stories are far more interesting than the wildest imaginations of a writer. What makes this story interesting in particular, is that the murderer remains unknown, so there is still some room for imagination.

Why it Might Be Bad: Listing Lake Bodom under the horror genre might be a bad sign; the story can’t be boiled down to blood splashes, guts dashes and a couple of screams in the pitch-dark night and that’s it, because that would be a disappointment.

Stay tuned for all the info you need for this week’s new films with the Cairo 360 Cinema Guide – showing times, cinema locations, reviews and more.