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

We’ve got quite a special week this time around in Cairo cinemas. For an epic action adventure, you can head to Aquaman (2018), DC’s newest release in their extended universe film franchise, featuring Jason Momoa, Amber Heard, and Willem Dafoe. For a festive experience, you can catch Elliot the Littlest Reindeer (2018), for a Christmas flick sure to light up your heart. This week, we’ve made an exception to feature an Arabic film, Leil / Khargi (2018) featuring a host of Egypt’s young talents, and earning many nominations and awards.

Aquaman

What’s it about? Jason Momoa plays Arthur Curry (Aquaman) who learns that he is the heir to Atlantis, the underwater kingdom. Curry struggles with becoming the hero his kingdom needs as he fights for survival in an epic action-filled adventure.

The good: James Wan is the man behind this movie, and he’s known for gritty and thrilling flicks such as Saw, Insidious, and The Conjuring. Wan was also at the helm of the action-packed Furious 7. From the trailer, you can see the cinematography is captivating, and with star power in Jason Momoa, Amber Heard, and Willem Dafoe, the positive early reviews might just be right.

The bad: DC’s latest releases have all been slammed by critics and most have failed to live up to audience expectations. It seems they’re in a rut, and while Wonder Woman managed to rise above the rubble, we’re not so sure about Aquaman. A runtime of 2 hours and 23 minutes means this movie might have the same poison of its predecessors.

Elliot the Littlest Reindeer

What’s it about? An animation flick about Elliot, the littlest reindeer looking to fulfil his lifelong dream of becoming one of Santa’s reindeers, fighting to fill in the spot Blitzen left after announcing his retirement.

The good: It’s Christmas season, so what better way to enjoy the festivities with your family than a Christmas movie? The movie features a number of stars with unique voices such as Martin Short, John Cleese, stand-up comedian and ventriloquist Jeff Dunham, as well as Hunger Games star Josh Hutcherson, and the gorgeous Morena Baccarin of the Gotham series and Deadpool movies.

The bad: Unfortunately for the adults out there, this animation movie may not be very entertaining. While your kids may thoroughly enjoy this, it’s probably not your top pick. But if you enjoy seeing them happy, why not take one for the team?

Leil / Khargi (Exterior / Night)

What’s it about? The movie tells the story of three characters who meet by coincidence and go through an unexpected adventure in the dark and unknown alleys of Cairo. The movie stars a lot of young actors, such as Karim Qasim and Mona Hala, and also features Basma, Ahmed Malek, Ahmed Magdy, and Amr Abed.

The good: Taking such a talented cast and putting them with visionary director, Ahmed Abdallah, you will definitely expect good things, even more so as he’s worked with most of them before. Based on his previous films such as 18 Days, Microphone, Rags & Tatters (Farsh w Ghata), and Décor, this one shouldn’t be any different.

The bad: Ahmed Abdallah’s style is unique, and may not suit everyone.

To find out where and when you can catch these films, check out the Cairo 360 Cinema Guide.