???? AT THE MOVIES-

Cocaine Bear has the makings of a cult classic: The R-rated Cocaine Bear — or should we say, “Crazy Bear,” as some Egyptian theaters have branded it? — delivers exactly what it promises: a bear on cocaine. The film is based on a true story (we kid you not) about a bear that finds its way into 34 kg of cocaine after a cop-turned-drug-smuggler dropped the bag of drugs from a plane. The real bear overdoses and dies right away, but the titular bear in the film goes on a rampage — and the results are a series of absurdly gross scenes of blood, gore and brain splatter.

Topping the list of iconic scenes: An ambulance chase involving a Fast-and-the-Furious-worthy leap from the bear. While the film isn’t devoid of good characters, it’s far from the highlight of the film — in fact, many critics suggested it should have leaned more into its culty, slapstick comedy from which it draws its influence rather than spend too much time building up sentiment for its characters.

WHERE TO WATCH IT- The film is showing in theaters across Cairo, including Plaza Cinemas, Vox, Point90, Cairo Festival City and Galaxy.

FINANCE NERDS, THIS ONE IS FOR YOU-

Catch the first Saudi film to be shown in Egyptian theaters: Al Hamour is a comedy-drama directed by Abdulelah Alqurashi, the director behind Roll’em, the first Saudi film to make it to theaters after a decades-long ban on films being shown in the kingdom.

What’s it about? Al Hamour is based on the true story of one of the biggest frauds that took place in the kingdom in the 2000s, involving a group of men who managed to rake in more than SAR 400 mn from company shareholders with false promises of returns. Starring Fahd Al Qahtani and Fatima Al Banawi, the film sees a security guard team up with a group of partners to lure people into making investments in a Ponzi scheme that sees them making bns — before authorities start catching on to them. The two-hour-long film is “bold,” and boasted excellent dialogue and acting, but suffered from a lack of flow and excessive narration, Saudi youtuber Rakan Al Shaya said in his review of the film (watch, runtime: 7:42).

WHERE TO WATCH IT- The film is showing in Vox City Center Almaza and Mall of Egypt cinemas.

???? FROM THE BOOKSTORE-

Muslim conquest stories — from the eyes of the conquered. The Night Will Have Its Say is a rich retelling of the Muslim wars of conquest in North Africa in the early seventh century. Originally written in Arabic by Libyan author (and Man Booker International Prize finalist) Ibrahim Al Koni and later translated into English by Nancy Roberts, the novel is narrated from the perspective of characters in conquered cities, and explores themes of exile, language, war and religion. Critics have praised the book’s poetic prose and its solid depiction of women’s rights and roles in both society and Muslim cultures in the Middle Ages. Get the English version from AUC bookstores or on Amazon.

NEVER HEARD OF AL KONI? The Libyan writer is widely considered to be one of the greatest living Arabic novelists. Often nicknamed “scholar of the desert,” he has written over 90 books about the Arab world and the role of the desert in the lives of those who live in it, and in 2010 received the Arab Novel Award for his works. A master of philosophy and spirituality, many of his books explore themes like identity, freedom and the nature of existence.

Want to get to know him a little more? Watch his interview with the Louisiana Chronicle (watch, runtime: 17:01) or listen to his podcast episode on literary podcast Jawalan (watch, runtime: 22:24).

???? HOT AND FRESH OUT OF THE KITCHEN-

This rooftop bar will transport you: Perched atop Crowne Plaza hotel in Arkan Plaza, Miss Li Lee’s is an Asian restaurant and rooftop bar that will make you feel like you’ve left Cairo and its noise behind. The restaurant’s decor is a fusion of Asian and contemporary design, and the cuisine boasts a wide variety of pan-Asian dishes — from Japanese to Thai and Indian.

Go tonight if you’re looking for a calm ambiance — or on Saturday afternoon if you want to kick it up a notch. The restaurant is relatively calm throughout the day, with only a bit of calm music to match the dark and relaxing ambiance, but Saturday brunch can get loud, with Okasha Ali delivering a live performance at 2pm.

What to eat: Start your meal off with some fried crispy spring rolls and dumplings. For the main course, we strongly recommend their Peking duck. We also really enjoyed their pad Thai noodles as well as the deep fried banana for dessert.

???? Per person: A little above EGP 1k, including an appetizer, main course and a dessert

???? Alcohol? Yes

???? Outdoor seating? Yes

???? Accessibility friendly? Yes