📽 AT THE MOVIES-

Don’t let the bad reviews stop you from seeing What Happens Later. There’s much to say about Meg Ryan’s revival of the rom-com (watch trailer, runtime: 2:36), but in one way or another it will become a hallmark of the genre — it just may be ahead of its time.

It follows W. Davis (Ryan) and… W. Davis (David Duchovny), ex-lovers who find themselves snowed in at an airport with no one’s company but each other’s. Willa lives in Austin and is heading to Boston, and William lives in Boston heading to Austin — literally going in opposite directions. We follow the gradual postmortem of their relationship, the audience learning little by little the complexities of their relationship and their characters as they reconnect.

Ryan rose to superstardom on the back of the genre, especially with timeless hits like You’ve Got Mail, When Harry Met Sally, and Sleepless in Seattle. As an experienced veteran, she was able to pinpoint which tropes she felt were tired, and which tropes were necessary.

It isn’t an application of the genre, it’s a rebellion. In fact, in one of the earliest scenes, William unplugs an electronic poster advertising a movie called Rom Com to charge his phone.

Ryan, who is director, co-writer, and leading lady of the film, upends some of the tropes that we’re familiar with, making the film an interesting departure from the typical feel-good guy-gets-the-girl movies of yore.

But the intentional subversion of rom-com tropes makes the ones included in What Happens Later feel caricatural. This may have been done on purpose — Willa seems like an exaggerated amalgamation of Ryan’s past roles, the classic manic pixie dream girl, and William is the typical emotionally-clogged male lead who blossoms under her influence. Though it would be disingenuous to say that that’s all they are.

The title, What Happens Later, is an answer rather than a question. It is an ode to those who grew up watching rom-coms and realized just how removed from the realities of relationships these movies were. So what happens later? Well, life. It gets in the way of our plans, molding us into different people in the process — but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

WHERE TO WATCH- What Happens Later is showing at Cima Arkan, and Cairo Festival City.

The Marsh King’s Daughter is a thriller covering childhood trauma — but not how you’d expect it(watch trailer, runtime: 2:24). Helena (Daisy Ridley), has managed to build a stable life for herself far away from her troubled past. She has a cookie-cutter life: A husband, and daughters who know nothing about her traumatizing past.

It all falls apart when Helena’s father (Ben Mendelsohn) breaks out of prison, it is then revealed that she was a product of his aggression, and the woman he held captive in the woods for years.

Helena worries that her father will come to take her daughter and she sets out to stop him before he can. All the while, the movie brings together scenes from her childhood when she was raised in the woods, and present day where she dedicates her life to fighting her past from coming back to haunt her.

Not everything is black and white, which the movie does a great job of portraying. During Helena’s flashbacks, we’re shown her having a seemingly loving relationship with her father, which makes it even more devastating when she finds out that he is a kidnapper and her world comes crashing down. We appreciated the nuance of having the antagonist be a character that, at times, you don’t want to hate.

The real standouts of the film are Ridley and Mendelsohn’s performances. Both actors excel in their roles, even when the dialogue was a bit dry. We found that to be the case especially in Helena’s present life when her conversations with her husband were extremely surface level and lacking affection, which could be the result of her character’s experiences.

While predictable, the film delivers on the thrill. Stale dialogue aside, the flashback scenes were especially interesting to watch and we wished there were more of them. But, overall, we enjoyed the movie and think the rating is unreasonably low.

WHERE TO WATCH- Vox Cinemas in either City Centre Almaza, or Mall of Egypt.

📚 FROM THE BOOKSTORE-

Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone is a captivating mystery-thriller novel. The protagonist (Ernie/Ern)’s entire family has killed, and some of them more than once, including him.

When they all end up at a ski resort for a family reunion, things get messy. We find out that Ern was ostracized from the family for some years, but was obligated to attend the affair for reasons we find out later.

They’re not all grade-A assassins like you might think, though. It’s a little more complicated than that. As we discover the family’s mishaps and unusual past, you’re taken on a journey of mystery and surprise. The writing is extra enjoyable because of the dark, yet smart humor incorporated throughout.

You’ll have to pay attention to the details. Benjamin Stevenson’s writing is extremely clever and riddled with complex hints. Every metaphor, piece of punctuation, or word choice is intentional. Ernie, also the narrator, doesn’t make it easy for the reader before he eventually unveils some truths, making the read even more thrilling.

Good news, if you finish this and don’t know what to do with yourself, there’s a second part to the series to fill that hole. The recently published Everyone on This Train Is a Suspect is another fan favorite. Written in his unique style, Stevenson places Ernie in another tricky set of situations. We’ll see how he figures this one out.

WHERE TO FIND IT- You can buy the book to read on Kindle.

🍴 HOT AND FRESH OUT OF THE KITCHEN-

Namuen is a bit of a hidden gem. Tucked away in Heliopolis, this Korean spot is not only a restaurant, it is also a cultural salon of sorts that hosts activities and special events.

Sophia, the owner of the restaurant, keeps their Facebook updated with their activities. In one recent special promotion, every customer was given a free Korean facemask (while supplies lasted). Delicious food and free skincare? That’s a good deal if you ask us.

The menu has all the traditional Korean meals fans of the cuisine would be craving. As a starter, we’d recommend the fried dumplings and the tteokbokki (plain or with fish cakes).

Their main course wasn't disappointing. If you’re going for beef, the beef japchae (a type of glass noodles) is delicious without being too greasy, and if you’d prefer chicken, the sweet and sour can’t go wrong. There are also seafood options. Along with every meal, you get a bowl of steamed rice, so no need to worry about a complicated order.

💵 Per person: 400-500

🪑 Outdoor seating: No

🍺 Alcohol: No

🦽 Accessibility friendly: No

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