📽 AT THE MOVIES-

Ethan Hunt is back, and he’s tired. But Tom Cruise isn’t. If you’ve been to the movies these past couple of months, you will have definitely seen this behind-the-scenes clip (watch, runtime: 9:22) of Cruise’s death-defying motorbike jump off a 609.6m Norwegian cliff. In true Tom Cruise fashion, the 61-year-old performs this stunt himself as cast and crew look on in fear and anticipation, holding their breath until his parachute billows out. Then he did it five more times.

The big bad of the seventh installment of the Mission: Impossible series isn’t a person, it’s artificial intelligence. While technology has been on the side of Ethan Hunt’s team for the past 27 years, in Dead Reckoning they are finally forced to confront the Entity, a sentient and self-governing AI whose goals aren’t entirely clear, but can be even more dangerous in the wrong hands. Hunt and his team, including Ving Rhames and Simon Pegg as Luther and Benji, race to find a way to destroy an enemy that exists everywhere and nowhere before it falls under the control of interested parties.

The familiar cast is joined by Hayley Atwell as Grace, a pickpocket for hire who finds herself in the middle of a fight for global domination. Atwell and Cruise’s chemistry as a team feels seamless, and surprisingly, there are no romantic undertones to their relationship (yet). Mostly, Hunt is just tired. Tired of losing friends, tired of the constant fight for the greater good, and tired of being shot at. The humanization of Hunt helps both the comedy and the drama land in ways it couldn’t before, making Dead Reckoning a more genuine installation that’s easier for the audience to connect with.

WHERE TO WATCH- Catch the first part of the Mission: Impossible finale at VOX Cinemas in City Center Almaza and Mall of Egypt, Citystars, and Cairo Festival City.

A social media cautionary tale, packaged in a heartwarming family drama: Beit El Ruby, directed by Peter Mimi — of El Ekhteyar fame — follows the Ruby family, led by Karim Abdel Aziz as Ibrahim, and Nour as his wife, Iman, who together decide to take their two children away from the fast-paced life of Cairo to an isolated, beachside village that seems to be located by the Red Sea. Driven away by what we learn was a career-ending crisis faced by Iman following an event that was blown out of proportion on social media, the film proceeds to take us through the family’s life as it struggles with feigning a sense of normality away from their previous life, friends and family.

The entry of Ibrahim’s brother turns the film into a lighter, more hopeful story: Ihab, played by the hilariously charismatic Karim Mahmoud Abdel Aziz, and his wife, played by Tara Emad, join the picture when Ihab tries to get Ibrahim to join him on a trip to Cairo. The adventures of a family used to the peace and quiet of the desert — and not the chaotic traffic, weddings and streets of Cairo — trigger comic moments as well as some serious food for thought about the pros and cons of city life. While often leaning too much into the “dangers of social media,” the film ultimately sends out a hopeful message that neither social media — nor life at large — should be taken too seriously. You can watch the trailer here (watch, runtime: 2:23).

WHERE TO WATCH- You can find Beit El Ruby at VOX Cinemas in City Center Almaza and Mall of Egypt, Citystars, and Cairo Festival City.

📚 FROM THE BOOKSTORE-

An action-packed thriller following a detective + police officer battling with their demons: Red Queen, written by Spanish author Juan Gomez-Jurado, follows detective Antonia Scott, who is riddled with guilt because she thinks she is responsible for her husband’s coma. Meanwhile, police officer Jon Gutierrez is facing charges for taking justice into his own hands and planting evidence to convict a criminal. Together, they must solve a high-stakes mystery— the gruesome murder of a young boy from a wealthy family who has been drained of his blood.

The novel constantly keeps you on your toes, questioning whether this unforeseen partnership could be successful or if the shadows that follow them will ultimately be too powerful. The chilling, fast-paced novel has taken the world by storm and is an international bestseller that has been made into a TV series available on Amazon Prime.

WHERE TO FIND IT- The book, the first of a trilogy, is available in Diwan for EGP 1,140. The paperback is available for USD 19 at Amazon.

🍴 HOT AND FRESH OUT OF THE KITCHEN-

Maze Rooftop Restaurant comes from the talents behind Casa Talia. Whether you go as a couple, family, business lunch or dinner this new Levantine restaurant in Arkan’s second floor (across from Cima) will impress. No detail is spared — the dishes, the sprawling flora on the walls, light curtains and cool marble tables down to the snug sofa chairs, are all tastefully selected and fuse together for an environment that is aesthetically appealing to all the senses.

Order the traditional dishes with a twist: The Halloumi Black Honey Poppers offer a classic appetizer with an Egyptian touch — the salty cheese is encrusted with a thin, crispy batter and coated with a proportionally perfect amount of black molasses honey. The Schnitzel Biftek was a gastronomic pleasure — it’s an affair of pan fried breaded beef tenderloin, battered to a thickness that offers more bite, and slathered with a generous amount of lemon butter sauce. The pasta side also features fresh ingredients in the sauce that are smoked and slow cooked to give an outstanding depth of flavor.

Don’t miss Oh Liban: This restaurant-recommended dessert is an XL-sized scoop of eshta ice-cream covered in a pistachio mafroukeh (semolina dough) on a bed of roseberry sauce and rose-infused pavlova crackers, giving the palate a selection of sweet crunches and tarty juiciness.

💵 Per person: EGP 800-1k

🪑 Outdoor seating: Yes

🍺 Alcohol: No

🚬Smoking/Shisha: Yes

🦽 Accessibility friendly: Yes

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