???? ON THE TUBE TONIGHT-

(all times CLT)

The dinner table is the teller of all secrets in the stellar pan-Arab rendition of Perfect Strangers. The 2016 Italian film Perfect Strangers has been remade in several countries, each with its own small variations to make it more localized. Over the weekend, Netflix released the pan-Arab version of the film, called As7ab wala A3az, which takes the already great storyline to new heights with excellent acting, directing, and cinematography. The film follows seven friends as they sit down for dinner and decide to play a game. Each person will put their phone on the table and any text, call, or email will be read or heard by everyone. It’s slow-going at first, but the first part of the film is riddled with hints of what is to come, so focus on the small ingenious interactions that pave the way for all the drama that is to come. And come it does, with each person forced to come forward with their dirty laundry.

Eyad Nassar and Mona Zaki play the two Egyptian characters, with both performing their roles perfectly in our opinion, but Lebanese actress Nadine Labaki blew us away with what is our favorite performance in the film. We watched As7ab wala A3az twice in a row to fully appreciate the small details that add to the story in some way. We were a bit disappointed that the characters’ stories were left without conclusions, but the loose ends did provide us with a discussion with our friends about what each person would do next.

The film isn’t without controversy: As7ab wala A3az has been attacked in some circles on social media for its depiction of same-gender relationships and going against “Egyptian family values,” with some calling for it to be banned from viewing, reports Cairo24.

⚽ Afcon’s round of 16 kicks off today with two matches: The first will take place between Burkina Faso and Gabon at 6pm, while we highly recommend watching Nigeria v. Tunisia at 9pm. The victors of the two matches will later meet in the quarterfinals.

Meanwhile in the English Premier League, Liverpool is trying to take advantage of Man City's draw yesterday and narrow the difference with the leaders of the league when they go out to face Crystal Palace at 4pm. At the same time, Leicester City will play against Brighton and Arsenal against Burnley. The last match of the day starts at 6:30pm between Chelsea and Tottenham.

La Liga: League leaders Real Madrid host Elche, the 15th-placed team, at 5:15pm, while Rayo Vallecano plays against Athletic Bilbao and Real Sociedad against Getafe at 7:30pm. The day will conclude with Deportivo Alaves facing Barcelona at 10pm.

The Milan and Juventus summit kicks off today at 10pm. The capital team is second in the league behind its neighbor Inter, while the old lady lags behind in fifth place. There are three other Serie A matches that are about to start as we dispatch: Napoli versus Salernitana, Spezia vs Sampdoria, and Torino vs Sassuolo. As for the match between Empoli and Roma, it begins at 7pm.

???? Cameroon’s Francis Ngannou beat France’s Cyril Gane to retain the UFC heavyweight title early this morning in the main event of UFC 270, in one of the most electric heavyweight title bouts we’ve seen in a long while. The victory, beyond retaining an African champion in three of the most popular divisions of the promotion, is also a moral victory for Ngannou and other fighters who have been bullied by promotion CEO Dana White. While we hope he gets to stick around, we understand if he has to leave in order take a stand against the monopsony that is the UFC, which controls its fighters with restrictive contracts and poor fighter pay. Kudos, Francis.

???? EAT THIS TONIGHT-

Choripan brings Argentinian eats to New Cairo: Meat lovers will rejoice at Choripan’s steak-filled menu, with everything from a short ribs sandwich and tacos to the fillet steak. Start off your meal with one of their appetizers — we recommend any of the empanada options, or a salad with an Argentinian twist. Choripan has a selection of sandwiches that will tickle your fancy such as the milanesa de pollo or carne and their “Choripan,” which comes filled with chorizo sausages. For mains, you’ll find various chicken and meat options, but we would go for their specialty meats — which all come well-seasoned and cooked. Our favorite part of the meal had to be the tres leche cake at the end, but their churros and custard cream puffs got good reviews as well.

???? OUT AND ABOUT-

(all times CLT)

A Massar Egbari concert in bed, anyone? The local underground band is on YouTube and Facebook tonight at 10pm in a very covid-suitable event.

The Elite are holding a standup comedy show at The Room New Cairo tonight at 8pm.

Egyptian composer, pianist, and conductor Omar Khairat has concerts today and tomorrow at the Cairo Opera House at 8pm.

???? UNDER THE LAMPLIGHT-

When being overly tidy can send you to jail: In The Maid by Nita Prose, Molly Gray is a socially awkward — possibly on the autistic spectrum — hotel cleaning lady. She loves the structure of the job and ensuring everything is clean and orderly, which is why when she finds a notorious and wealthy guest dead in his bed, she decides to clean his room first before alerting the authorities. To her surprise, her devotion to the job propels her to the top of the murder suspects list and her calm and organized life soon takes a turn for the messiest entanglement she has ever faced. Fortunately, friends that Molly didn’t know she had come to her rescue,setting out to find the real killer before it’s too late. The book is funny, mysterious, and heartwarming, depicting an unusual character in the very best way possible. NPR is out with a review.