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

With the Academy Awards but a few weeks away, the annual Oscar-buzz is about to reach tipping point. Usually, there are no truly memorable films to speak of at the beginning of every year, but there is one in particular that is causing quite a stir and is set to be released in Cairo cinemas this week alongside the usual dose of comedy and horror. Check out what to expect with this week’s new releases.

Fist Fight

What’s it About? This is a bit of a weird one. A mild-mannered teacher (played by Charlie Day) gets one of his more hot-headed colleagues (played by Ice Cube) fired after a violent outburst at a prank in class. The now jobless teacher then challenges him to an after-school fight.

Why it Might Be Good: Charlie Day is hilarious when given the right role and a little room to improvise as fans of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia will know, while Ice Cube is always more digestible as a hot-tempered, loud-voiced character, as was the case in his small but excellent appearance in 21 Jump Street, for example.

Why it Might be Bad: Although there will probably be some kind of vague lesson to be learnt at the end of the story, don’t rely on it carrying the film. This is pure silly, slapstick, toiler humour.

Arsenal (Also Known as Southern Fury)

What’s it About? As a spiritual sequel to the 1993 action movie no one remembers, Deadfall (Nic Cage plays the same character), Arsenal tells of two very different brothers, one of whom gets in a sticky situations with an unhinged, coke-addled crime lord, leaving the other to save him.

Why it Might Be Good: Nicolas Cage has been in a lot of duds for the last two decades, but is best watched when playing off-the-wall, crazy eccentric characters – which he does here, with a ridiculous wig, moustache and ridiculous semi-quotable dialogue to boot.

Why it Might Be Bad: Well, because Nicolas Cage has been in a lot of duds for the last two decades. Why they would revive a character that no one remembers is a mystery and the only other names of note attached to the film are the distinctly and forever average John Cusack and the star that never was, Entourage’s Adrian Grenier. Don’t be surprised to find generic, straight-to-DVD, late-night MBC2 action.

Manchester by the Sea

What’s it About? Casey Affleck plays a quiet, modest man whose life is turned upside down when his brother dies and leaves his son in his care.

Why it Might Be Good: For one, it’s received six Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Original Screenplay, while Affleck (Best Actor), as well as Michelle Williams (Best Actress) and Lucas Hedges (Best Supporting Actor) are also up for awards. Affleck is an incredibly underrated and untapped talent and could step further out of big brother Ben’s shadow.

Why it Might Be Bad: Although reviews thus far have been almost universally positive, there is a thread of opinion that suggests the film’s pacing and deliberate subtlety holds it back from being a truly emotional affair, despite the tragedy that the plot is built on. One for the broody amongst you.

Friend Request

What’s it About? A girl deletes a mysterious girl online, only to find her friends being killed one by one by a demonic presence that wants to ‘make her lonely.’

Why it Might Be Good: Jump scares and a shroud of constant mystery are to be expected here. Friend Request reads like a decent ride to jump aboard at the cinema for some cheap thrills.

Why it Might Be Bad: The horror genre’s obsession with social media is just lame. Are these filmmakers that have built the mechanic of their horror stories on social media think they’re being relevant? Yes, there will be plenty of jump scares, but don’t expect much more – and don’t expect much re-watch value in what sounds like a generic film.

Stay tuned to the Cairo 360 Cinema Guide for showing times for all this week’s new releases (old ones, too) as well reviews.