📽 AT THE MOVIES-

Crime is art and art is criminal in The Kill Room. The movie reunites Uma Thurman and Samuel L. Jackson on the big screen (though if you pay close attention, you’ll realize that they never shared a scene in Pulp Fiction), as a struggling art gallerist and a baker with ties to the mob. Gordon (Jackson) approaches Patrice (Thurman) with an enticing money laundering scheme. The morally upright but cash-strapped gallerist, who refuses to even pay critics for art reviews, reluctantly agrees.

The plan is simple: The mob’s assassin, Reggie (Joe Manganiello), will manufacture paintings to be “sold” at a high valuation. All Patrice has to do is make sure they aren’t actually sold. But after her intern shares photos of Reggie’s work, he becomes an overnight sensation in the art world. The kicker? The material used for his paintings and sculptures are evidence of the murders he commits.

But the film has its drawbacks. The first is that it is a film: The scope of the premise is large and convoluted enough to span several episodes, and we can’t help but feel like some breathing room might have helped the writers develop better dialogue and flesh out the criminal underworld that kicks off the plot.

The key cast members save the day, delivering fantastic performances (though they do start out a little shaky), and the finale is a satisfying piece of performance art.

WHERE TO WATCH- Catch The Kill Room at Cairo Festival City’s Galaxy Cinemas, Citystars’ Golden Stars cinema, and Arkan Cinema. Watch the trailer here(watch, runtime: 2:34).

57 Seconds is (another) time travel sci-fi thriller. Directed by Rusty Cundieff, the film takes inspiration from the book Lucifer, written by E.C. Tubb, a British science fiction author. The movie stars Josh Hutcherson (known for his role in The Hunger Games) and Academy Award winner Morgan Freeman. Some pundits aren’t sure the film lives up to standards set by the comedy-romance About Time or The Terminator.

The narrative relies on a familiar “good vs evil” storyline. It centers around Franklin Fox (Hutcherson), a tech blogger who wanted to conduct a groundbreaking interview with Anton Burell, a renowned tech guru (Freeman). While observing Burell deliver a high-profile presentation, Fox manages to prevent an attack on Burell’s life. In the process, he discovers a ring that grants him the ability to travel back in time, by precisely 57 seconds.

Fox decides to use the ring’s power to infiltrate the inner circle of Sig Thorenson (Greg Germann), the CEO of a powerful pharmaceutical corporation responsible for his sister’s tragic death. A light romance plays along in a second story line between Fox and Jala (Lovie Simone).

The film falls short on plot, predictability, and character development. Viewers are told from the outset that Fox will gain time-travel abilities and target the pharmaceutical firm — meaning later scenes play out in a predictable fashion with few surprises. Even the moments where Fox uncovers information about Thorenson feel lackluster and fail to captivate.

Hutcherson acting is basic, and Freeman’s appearance is limited and not as impactful as you would expect. The film also leaves some basics unanswered: Why 57 seconds? Why not 60 or 70 seconds? What motivated Fox’s decision to rescue Thorenson, the very person against whom he originally sought revenge?

WHERE TO WATCH-57 Seconds is playing at Vox Cinemas. Catch the trailer here (watch, runtime: 2:14).

📚 FROM THE BOOKSTORE-

Suleiman’s Ring is a refreshing novel that blends unexpected elements. Translated by Raymond Stock, a senior Arabic instructor at Louisiana State University and 20-year veteran of Egypt, the book is written by medical doctor, author, and Alexandria native-turned-US-resident Sherif Meleka.

It started in 1952. It follows the story of Daoud Abdel-Malek, an Egyptian Jew on the eve of the 1952 Revolution in Egypt. After visiting with Gamal Abdel Nasser along with his friend Sheikh Hassanein, Daoud gives the future president a silver ring to bring him good luck — and soon enough, the Free Officers’ plan succeeds.

While the book includes elements of magical realism, it is also heavily entrenched in reality through the politically-loaded backdrop against which it is set. The combination of these two seemingly antithetical aspects is what allows for a rich and nuanced story.

The novel also sheds light on the unpredictable situation of Jews in Egypt and the early days of the Muslim Brotherhood among other socio-political shifts taking place in the country at the time.

Stock has talent bringing Arabic into English and knows the rhythms, sounds, smells, and people of our country almost as well as a native. He has previously translated works by Naguib Mahfouz and has been working for some time on a much-anticipated biography of the author.

WHERE TO FIND IT- Meleka’s novel is available at AUC Bookstores and on Amazon.

🍴 HOT AND FRESH OUT OF THE KITCHEN-

Anakota (a Nubian word meaning home) offers Egyptian dishes with a view. If you want to have your favorite local meals outside of your home then head to the Open Air Mall in Madinaty.

The venue is vast and cozy, with outdoor and indoors seating options overlooking the Open Air Mall’s lake. The menu features a variety of items including hot and cold appetizers, tajins, chicken and meat dishes, and food fresh off the grill.

The classic Egyptian appetizers were of good quality and filling. The mombar and meat rokak were just right — crunchy on the outside and their filling spiced without going overboard. Aside from the usual baba ganoush, hummus, tahini offered, their fresh backed baladi bread had us whipping our hands out for more.

The tajins and mixed grills carry a fusion of flavors. Tajins such as the muammar rice with pigeon were good: The delicate flavored meat played off the creamy gratin rice beautifully. From their meat items, the mix grill was our choice and it truly included a bit of everything, but their kebab stood out: The flavor of the grilled meat was everything promised on the menu.

The chicken sharkaseya tasted like tetah made it: The chicken pieces set on a layer of rice were lightly marinated and the creamy walnut emulsion was rich and not too heavy and took us back to family lunches at home.

💵 Per person: EGP 500-600

🪑 Outdoor seating: Yes

🍺 Alcohol: No

🦽 Accessibility friendly: Yes

Tags: