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

What’s up, Cairenes? This week in Cairo Cinemas is not as good as you’d expect, but there’s still some entries worth the try. The highlights of the week are John Travolta’s crime biography, Gotti, yes, the Travolta is back! You can also check out the thrilling sci-fi movie, The Darkest Minds. But if you’re in the mood for something a bit lighter, hit The Spy Who Dumped Me for an action comedy flick starring Mila Kunis and Kate McKinnon.

Gotti

What’s it about? The movie is about an Italian-American gangster John Gotti, who got promoted to be boss of the Gambino crime family in the Big Apple. Gotti tells the story of the criminal boss (played by John Travolta) and his son, John Jr.

The good: John Travolta is of Italian roots, and, well, he’s named John. Of course this has nothing to do with his performance, but a man of his experienced chops is expected to rule the screen in this performance. A story about a criminal boss played by an acting boss has the potential of being quite thrilling.

The bad: While John Travolta has been a household name for years, his lengthy time in Hollywood could be exactly why he’s not the best choice for this job. With no other big names starring next to him, everything may be riding on him making or breaking the movie. Also, the movie is directed by Kevin Connolly, star of the show and movie, Entourage, a director with very small experience in filmmaking.

The Darkest Minds

What’s it about? In a sci-fi world, the new generation of teenagers start developing super powers, strengths that make the rest of the world fearful of what they can do. As such, they undergo imprisonment and horrible treatment by everyone.

The good: This movie comes from the producers of Stranger Things, who’ve already succeeded in the world of sci-fi thrillers starring young actors. It promises to be a thrilling, action-packed movie, that still manages to deliver some drama and romance within the confines of the plot.

The bad: An obvious problem with this one is the seen-it-before feeling you’ll get. We bet you probably had flashes of X-Men right as we said young misunderstood kids with super powers. That’s generally the whole premise of the X-Men storylines. Moreover, director Jennifer Yuh Nelson doesn’t have much experience in these sort of films, and her previous successes were Kung Fu Panda 2 and 3.

The Spy Who Dumped Me

What’s it about? Meet Audrey (Mila Kunis) and Morgan (Kate McKinnon). Audrey dates a spy, who dumps her, and this gets her and her best friend entangled in a whole lot of spy messiness and general life-threatening situations.

The good: Mila Kunis and Kate McKinnon are arguably the funniest actors in Hollywood at the moment. They seem quite suited for a plot that requires a bit of action and whole lot of comedy. Susanna Fogel, director and co-writer, has not had much experience in filmmaking, but she may have found her muse with this one.

The bad: While Kunis and McKinnon are excellent actors, a lot in this movie rides on the chemistry between them. It’s as simple as that, if they don’t have good chemistry, they don’t have a good movie. Not to mention that the plot itself may seem a bit overdone. Regular civilians getting entangled into a life-threatening secret mission thanks to a random relationship with an international spy.

To find out where and when you can catch these films, check out the Cairo 360 Cinema Guide.