The Definitive Guide to Living in the Capital , Cairo , Egypt

What’s up cinephiles? We’re in for quite a ride this week with some really awesome movies coming out. From popular Latin megastar Penélope Cruz, we have a romance involving drug lord, Pablo Escobar, in Loving Pablo. Things get a bit more thrilling with The Domestics’ enthralling plot, and then we have a sequel to one of the biggest action franchises, with Tom Cruise yet again starring in Mission: Impossible – Fallout.

Loving Pablo                                                    

What’s it about? The story revolves around one of the most famous criminals in history, the drug lord, Pablo Escobar. A journalist (Penélope Cruz) meets Pablo (played by Javier Bardem) for an interview to learn about his efforts to help the community. As she puts it, she doesn’t care how his money comes, but more where it goes. By meeting him multiple times, she simply starts Loving Pablo.

The good:   In addition to offering a mixture of history, action, romance, and drama, the movie that stars two Academy-Award Winners is set to shine a light over the soft part of the notorious drug lord.

The bad: The problem with Pablo Escobar is that his story is so cinematic that it has been made over and over again, to the point that one fails to see what more can be done. Especially with the huge success of the Narcos series, it’s quite difficult for Loving Pablo to stand out.

The Domestics

What’s it about? Mike P. Nelson writes and directs this thrilling movie about a post-apocalyptic world, where the survivors are divided into different gangs, each more deadly than the other. Follow the story of a married couple as they embark on a journey towards safety, but must pass through all gates of hell first.

The good: If you ever wished for a new way to handle a post-apocalyptic world, or if you like being put on survivor mode, this one is probably for you. The plot promises a lot of action scenes, a lot of thrills, and constant discomfort, fear and feeling of suspense.

The bad: No famous stars, and the first big screen directing and writing opportunity for Mike Nelson, What could go wrong? Actually, everything. While it may end up being a good movie, this one has all the risk factors of becoming a downright failure, so take it at your own risk.

Mission: Impossible – Fallout

What’s it about? In fact, the question is, what went wrong this time? Well, a mission has. There’s not really much to say about a Mission Impossible plot, since it’s always about a grand villainous mission, an attempt to stop it, and a bunch of plot twists, so expect nothing different; when a mission goes wrong, Ethan Hunt is forced to risk his life, and those of everyone he loves.

The good: While Mission Impossible films tend to maintain a certain style, they always know how to make the next one bigger. Christopher McQuarrie, director of Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation writes and directs, as the movie stars the classic cast (Tom Cruise, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Rebecca Ferguson) with the addition of Superman himself, Henry Cavill.

The bad: Like all franchises, there comes a time when the new movie is the worst of them all, and unfortunately, you never know when until you see it for yourself. While there’s no real reason to believe this one is bad, it still carries a bit of a risk, especially for those who don’t like somewhat unrealistic action scenes.

Check where and when this week’s releases are screening on the Cairo 360 Cinema Times page.