Cairo 360
Quite a diverse selection we have coming up this week in Cairo cinemas. Fans of crime and drama can enjoy A Simple Favor where Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively lead the mystery flick, and if you’re into action, you can watch Dave Bautista and Pierce Brosnan in Final Score. If you’re simply looking for a silly, but hilarious, movie you’ll be happy to watch Johnny English Strikes Again with the ever so popular Rowan Atkinson.
What’s it about? It all starts with two women meeting because their children have a play date, but after getting to know each over, things start taking a dark turn. Stephanie (Anna Kendrick) is asked one simple favour by Emily (Blake Lively), but it puts her along a quite mysterious and thrilling path. The movie is based on the novel of the same name by Darcey Bell.
The good: The status of both Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively as actors is undeniable, and the contrast in their character can elevate the movie to higher levels. Director Paul Feig is known for light comedy flicks such as Spy, but it will be interesting to see how he handles a darker approach to filmmaking, and preliminary ratings are quite promising.
The bad: Unfortunately, Paul Feig’s inexperience in thrillers could make this movie slide too much into the crime comedy frame, while Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively really need to use all their acting chops to make sure their on-screen chemistry works, which is not a sure thing.
What’s it about? Dave Bautista stars as Michael Knox, an ex-soldier who has to save everyone all by himself as deadly terrorists abduct a whole soccer stadium, including Michael’s niece, all in search of their target hiding within the crowds of the stadium.
The good: This is an outright action flick, with a lot of gunshots, close combat attacks, and a lot of action for everyone to enjoy. Imagine a full blown action movie happening in a soccer stadium as the match goes on normally. We’re talking about motorcycles, gun shots, and explosions all with the clock ticking to save the day. Thrilling, right?
The bad: The plot is a bit unique, but a one-man macho show is not that new. Being situated in one venue may force the writing to become quite absurd, to the point that perhaps even Pierce Brosnan’s involvement can’t do this any good.
What’s it about? Do you really watch these movies for the plot? Well, for what it’s worth, the silly, disastrous, clumsy, and highly incompetent spy is back, and somehow he’s here to save the day. This time, a cyber-attack blows the cover of all active agents in Britain, and Johnny English must come out of retirement to find the perpetrator.
The good: What can we say? Rowan Atkinson has this innate skill of making people laugh, whether it’s in his Mr. Bean franchise without speaking a word, or through his brilliant depiction of Johnny English.
The bad: As with all franchises, this still runs the risk of being a weaker clone of its own self. This is director David Kerr’s first big screen movie, and perhaps things will not be going his way. Some preliminary ratings are not quite impressed with the comedy on this one, labelling it too absurd, and not in a funny way.
To find out where and when you can catch these films, check out the Cairo 360 Cinema Guide.
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