? AT THE MOVIES-

The Beekeeper is another Jason Statham action movie, but it’s not just another Jason Statham action movie (watch trailer, runtime: 2:52). If Adam Clay, who lives out in the country raising bees and selling their honey was played by anyone other than Jason Statham, we might have believed that he was just an ordinary beekeeper.

But, surprise, he’s not. His best friend and neighbor, Eloise, responds to a phishing scam and loses her life savings alongside all the money raised for a nonprofit organization she founded. With nowhere to turn and no help from the authorities, she takes her life. So Clay switches out his beekeeping protective clothing for commando gear and gets to work.

The high of watching bad guys get their dues for preying on the vulnerable for almost two hours is marred by a cop-out at the end. The movie discusses themes of systematic corruption and questions whether humans are innately good, but suddenly chickens out at the last minute, assuring the audience that these exploitative systems aren’t actually bad, they just have a few bad apples. It’s disappointing that a film that promised to ‘burn it all down’ walks its premise back — but where would we be if we couldn’t enjoy Hollywood movies because of their moral failings?

Statham’s performances have only gotten stronger as he grows more comfortable in his role as the stoic, highly skilled, principled one-man SWAT team. The rest of the cast is convincing too, even Josh Hutcherson, the former Hunger Games heartthrob currently experiencing a revival. Seeing Hutcherson play Derek Danfort, a sleazy, coked-out trust fund antagonist is almost oxymoronic. And it works.

WHERE TO WATCH- At the time of writing, the Statham film has earned more than USD 75 mn at the global box office, making it 2024’s highest-grossing movie so far. Jump on the hype train by watching The Beekeeper at VOX Cinemas at City Center Almaza and Mall of Egypt, Citystars Cinemas, Cairo Festival City, and Cima Arkan.

? FROM THE BOOKSTORE-

How Machine Learning Will Shape the Next Decade is a comprehensive overview of extraordinary advances in AI over the past decade. Matt Burgess’s book discusses the history of AI and its current uses and applications as voice recognition software, self-driving cars, and creepy algorithms.

AI is now poised as a weapon in the struggle for technological dominance between major political powers. Nations are heavily investing in AI development, raising questions concerning the existing laws and whether they are sufficient to address the rapidly developing tools, such as facial recognition and autonomous weapon systems.

We agree that the book may have missed innumerable updates since it was published in 2021,but it is a great primer into the tech to foster interest and encourage further reading.

WHERE TO FIND IT- The book is available in AUC Bookstores, and online on Amazon.

? HOT AND FRESH OUT OF THE KITCHEN-

This restaurant serves national dishes for people who live in Egypt, not Masr.TikTokers in Om El Donia have jokingly started making a distinction between the two terms to address the cultural gap between Westernized and original versions of traditional food or experiences. Yaba, which describes itself as a gourmet spot, is definitely from Egypt (specifically Leven Square) — but that doesn’t mean that it isn’t delicious.

You won’t find breakfast food here…unless you don’t mind having hawawshi or tarb first thing in the morning. Incidentally, these are our two favorite sandwiches. Fellow carnivores will relate, but the hawawshi may be too spicy for those with low tolerance. The shish tawook was good but nothing to write home about, but the sujuk was a crowd favorite — you have the option between grilled sujuk with pickled lemon or the mitsabbik cooked in the famous khalta iskandarani.

If you want some greens to offset the richness of the meat and that sweet, sweet fat, you have your traditional salata khadra, a pickled tomato salad, and pickled eggplant salad. The vinegar will help cleanse your palate between sandwiches.

Order juice with your meal — they’re this review’s must-try.The mango mint was our personal favorite, but guava fans were ride or die for the guava mint. The karkadé soda was interesting, but our verdict is if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. They come in plastic bags to mimic the authentic Masri juiceries, but don’t let that give you a false sense of security when it comes to the prices.

Brace yourselves for the check. Three sandwiches, two appetizers, and a bottle of water will set you back EGP 300. This is especially exorbitant considering the small portions. The juice alone clocks in at EGP 70, and any extra sauce will come with an EGP 25 price tag.

? Per person: EGP 300-400

? Outdoor seating: Yes

? Alcohol: No

? Accessibility friendly: Yes

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