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

With Halloween just around the corner, this week’s new releases haven’t disappointed, providing a suitably heavy dose of horror. But there are other films worth checking out too, including a star-studded adaptation of one of the US’s most devastating wildfires and Vince Vaughan as you’ve never seen him before.

Jigsaw

What’s it About? The eighth film in the Saw franchise picks up 10 years after supposed death of the infamous Jigsaw. But with bodies turning up and their murders seemingly pointing to John Kramer, investigators are baffled.

Why it Might Be Good: It could be argued that John ‘Jigsaw’ Kramer will eventually become a horror honcho like the Freddie Kruegers and Jasons of the world – and so there’s plenty they can do with the character.

Why it Might Be Bad: Saw 3D was meant to be the last in the series, but those box office numbers are awfully hard to ignore. It feels like a tack-on addition, which doesn’t usually bode well for franchises, as producers squeeze everything they can out of it.

Only the Brave

What’s it About? Based on the real-life Granite Mountain Hotshots, a group of elite firefighters in Arizona, Only the Brave follows their battle against the Yarnell Hill Fire of 2013 – one of the US’s deadliest wildfires.

Why it Might Be Good: Without giving anything away, the story of the Yernell Hill Fire is a heart wrenching one and, if handled delicately, can make for a great film. In addition, the cast is pretty impressive – Josh Brolin, Miles Tellerr, Jeff Bridges, Jennifer Connelly and Andie MacDowell.

Why it Might Be Bad: Again, delicacy is the key here; Hollywood has a tendency to take stories of heroism and tragedy and shove them down audiences’ throats without a hint of subtlety.  

Brawl in Cell Block 99

What’s it About? Vince Vaughn plays a former-boxer-turned-drug-dealer who, finds himself in a veritable warzone after being imprisoned following a deal going awry.

Why it Might Be Good: Forget everything you think you knew about Vince Vaughn. Everyone’s been talking about his performance, which does away with his trademark goofy comedy and trades it in for an intense, troubled, vicious turn.

Why it Might Be Bad: Beyond Vaughn’s performance, this doesn’t seem to say anything particularly new or innovative; some of the criticism aimed at it include that it relies on one too many prison movie clichés, it’s slightly long running time and a perceived incoherence.

The Vault

What’s it About? Heist movie on the outside, horror movie on the inside, The Vault tells of two sisters who break into a bank, only to find that this is no ordinary bank.

Why it Might be Good: Depending on which side of the fence you’re on with his antics, there’s no denying that, when he’s in the mood, James Franco can deliver. The premise of the film has one potential plus in that it’s a horror in a modern setting whose story isn’t tie down to a century-old old wives tale.

Why it Might Be Bad: A bank doesn’t seem to be the most exciting setting for a horror and the film’s early reviews have panned it for being neither here nor there – one review has said that it “isn’t silly enough to be horrendously memorable or tense enough to be effective as the genre exercise it could have been.”