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

The season of festivities is almost coming to an end, and we’ve now entered a whole new year. Today we have the first week of Cairo Cinemas in 2019, but unfortunately, it does not come with much of a bang. First up, we have Christmas Break-In starring people you don’t know, and Danny Glover if you’re old enough to remember his Lethal Weapon adventures. Next up we have Joaquin Phoenix starring in The Sisters Brothers. Finally, a bonus pick of Egypt’s first horror flick, 122.

Christmas Break-In

What’s it about? The movie follows the story of Izzy, an energetic 9-year-old who’s left at school as her parents run late in picking her up thanks to their busy schedule. It’s Christmas season, and a blizzard makes things more complicated as bad guys attempt to break in, now Izzy has to be the hero.

The good: This is a simple Christmas movie that doesn’t try to be too complicated. You can expect a basic plot with laughs here and there and a bunch of heartfelt moments to bring it all together.

The bad: If you look at its IMDb page, this is actually a TV-movie. Besides, doesn’t the plot sound too Home-Alone-ish?

The Sisters Brothers

What’s it about? This film is set in 1850s Oregon and follows the story of an assassin duo called the Sisters Brothers (John C. Reilly and Joaquin Phoenix). The film picks up pace when they start searching for a gold prospector with an interesting formula to discover gold.

The good: A star-studded cast featuring John C. Reilly, Joaquin Phoenix, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Riz Ahmed, all led by the acclaimed director Jacques Audiard. Preliminary ratings are also quite promising.

The bad: While the plot may seem well-written and with enough plot twists to keep you at the edge of your seat, others may feel that it drags on too much.

BONUS PICK: 122

What’s it about? This is the first Egyptian horror movie production of its scale. 122 starts as a love story between a young man and a deaf young woman. Somehow, they get admitted to a hospital with ulterior motives and get entangled in more terror than they bargained for.

The good: The trailer looks quite interesting, and production value is said to be quite high. With a cast featuring Tarek Lotfy, Amina Khalil, Ahmed AlFishawy, Mohamed Mamdouh, Ahmed Dawood, and Asmaa Abou El Yazeed, you are bound to find something you like.

The bad: Of course, being the first step in this direction for Egyptian cinema, there are always going to be things that still need tinkering.

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