📽 AT THE MOVIES-

Yet another Marvel-based superhero film hit the theaters last week, marking Sony’s fourth installment in the Spider-man Universe. The consensus: It was tragic — for the filmmakers, the actors, and definitely for the time we spent watching it. But maybe you should go see it — we predict a “I watched it when it first came out” cult classic renaissance for the film in 10-20 years á la Halle Berry’s Catwoman and Ben Affleck’s Daredevil.

This origin story (watch trailer, runtime: 3:02) follows Cassie Webb (Dakota Johnson), a paramedic who gains clairvoyant abilities after a near-death experience. This gives her access to the Web of Life, which shows her how everyone’s lives are interconnected. Johnson’s character is tasked with saving three young women from an antagonist whose motive seems to be simply the joy of being evil.

But the real villain is the writing. Like any superhero, Cassie has a tragic backstory — and so on and so forth — checking off all other genre prerequisites. The only differentiator is that Cassie’s abilities aren’t physical, which would have been an interesting concept to explore if not for the fact that it seems to have completely stumped the writers. It may be especially startling since Sony also brought us the exceptional animated Spider-Verse films.

We saw this coming: A week after the trailer was released, Johnson left her talent agency. While this was an overt harbinger for the movie’s caliber, there were some interesting nuggets we wish they would have pulled the thread on. Our verdict: Experience the film to appreciate the inevitable memes.

WHERE TO WATCH- Madame Web is screening in VOX Cinemas at City Center Almaza and Mall of Egypt, Cima Arkan, CFC theaters, and Citystars cinemas.

📚 FROM THE BOOKSTORE-

Where do we draw the line between justice and revenge? Rebecca Makkai’s protagonist in I Have Some Questions For You has spent her adult life trying not to think about her classmate’s murder. Now a professor and a podcaster, Bodie Kane is invited back to her hometown to teach a course and inadvertently gets caught up in investigating the killing, for which she now thinks the wrong person was convicted.

The popularity of true crime podcasts and documentaries has been in contention lately, with the ethics of consuming tragedies as entertainment being questioned. But their inevitable high ratings keep them in production. Makkai forces us to confront our collective obsession with true crime in her self-aware mystery, which brings self-appointed Detective Columbos into sharp relief.

In this novel, we are the intruder. We are the greedily compelled masses that can’t turn away from the violence and gore of true crime. And Bodie hates us. This may make her a character difficult to like for some, but perhaps that’s the point. Perhaps that hate is projected, as Bodie is unable to stop herself from digging into the past.

Don’t worry, this isn’t one of those open-ended philosophical novels that harp on about the impossibility of finding the truth. Instead, it discusses the uncomfortable idea that maybe finding out the truth is worse — that it can’t offer you the closure you desperately need.

WHERE TO FIND IT-Cherry Blossom Books is restocking the book soon for EGP 297. If you can’t wait, you can get it on Kindle as an ebook for USD 14.99.

🍴 HOT AND FRESH OUT OF THE KITCHEN-

The WheelHouse bridges together, food, drinks, and bikes. This cafe, staying true to its namesake, is in a wheelhouse in District 5 in New Cairo. The downstairs area is your typical cafe, with the addition of some funky biking decor, and when you go upstairs you’ll find a bike tuning studio, where they also host occasional workshops. You can even rent a bike to go around the compound to squeeze in a workout and take in the vistas.

Aside from the niche decor, the food hits the spot. Their concise menu spares you the confusion: They offer all-day brunch, sandwiches, salads, and biscuits. The breakfast burrito will give you a hearty start to your day, or if you’re looking for something to fill that hole in your soul. We enjoyed the halloumi grilled chicken sandwich, though it was on the drier side — so a drizzle of that balsamic dressing should do the trick. The tuna sauerkraut sandwich was also a hit.

The biscuits were the star of the show. With both sweet and savory options, there are a lot of flavors to choose from. Our favorite savory biscuit was the Jalapeno, meanwhile the honey flavor won our sweet tooth over. We’d recommend giving the whole collection a go out if you give The WheelHouse a visit.

There’s seating for everyone’s preference. With both an outdoor and indoor area, the cafe is a solid spot to hang out no matter the weather, and even with big groups. If you choose to sit outside you’ll also have the option of a shaded area or a table where you can bask in the sunlight. The staff will go the extra mile, so expect excellent service while you enjoy their treats.

💵 Per person: EGP 200-400

🪑 Outdoor seating: Yes

🍺 Alcohol: No

🦽 Accessibility friendly: Yes

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