???? AT THE MOVIES-

Michael B. Jordan flexes his directorial — and physical — muscles in an exceptionally strong debut with Creed III, covering universal topics including family and men’s mental health. The film pits Jordan’s Adonis Creed against Jonathan Majors’ Damian “Dame” Anderson in a bitter battle between childhood friends. Jordan cited anime as a big influence on his directorial vision, and fans of Naruto and Dragon Ball Z will definitely see the parallels in the visuals and relationship dynamics between the characters. The movie’s performance exceeded all expectations, being the first sports film in history to surpass USD 100 mn in its opening weekend. It’s now the highest grossing installment of both the Rocky and Creed franchises.

We can’t believe we’re saying this, but the two-hour movie could have benefited from being even a little bit longer, and not just because we couldn’t get enough of Jordan (who indubitably beats the bad acting allegations thrown at him) and Majors (a rising star expected to become one of the top actors of his generation). The extra runtime would have helped flesh out the emotional conflict more to bolster the emotional payoff at the end. While sometimes a bit heavy-handed, the film also stuns with breathtaking shots and captivating scenes.

WAIT… WHERE’S ROCKY? Sylvester Stallone previously said he would not be returning as Rocky Balboa in Creed III, while implying that he would not be returning ever again due to a public falling out with the franchise’s longtime producer Irwin Winkler. Creed III marks Stallone’s first absence from the franchise in 47 years.

WHERE TO WATCH IT- You can catch showings of Creed III at any VOX Cinema, Galaxy Cinema, IMAX Cinemas, and Point 90.

TRIANGLE OF SADNESS-

Triangle of Sadness, directed by Ruben Östlund, is a social satire “for our times”, writes Guardian film critic Alex Needham. The film continues a streak of excellently made capitalist critique films and shows — think The White Lotus and The Menu — and excels at never allowing the satirical comedy to get boring, as BBC’s Nicholas Barber notes. The film stars the late Charlbi Dean as a famous supermodel and influencer who with her boyfriend (and fellow supermodel played by Harris Dickinson) go on a luxury cruise.

What happens? The couple is surrounded by a slew of grotesquely rich characters — including a Russian b’naire oligarch who owns a fertilizer business and an elderly couple who turn out to be arms dealers. The film sees the cruise slowly descend into anarchy, and includes an entire chapter with some of the characters stranded on an island, stripped down to the core and exposed to life without the support of money and power.

WHERE TO WATCH IT- You can catch the film today at Zawya Cinema at 4pm, or on Tuesday, 14 March, at 7pm.

???? FROM THE BOOKSTORE-

“Probably one of the most important works of fiction to come out of Egypt in the past century” is how Publisher Seif Salamawy described The Magnificent Conman of Cairo by Adel Kamel. The novel follows Khaled, a spoiled son of a Pasha, and Malim, a carpenter’s apprentice, whose name translates to penny. Disillusioned by the injustice Malim faces when they cross paths, Khaled cuts ties with his autocratic father and joins Malim’s fellowship of con artists living in the ruins of a Mamluk citadel.

Reviews of the book cite Kamel’s wit and craftsmanship, but Waleed Almusharaf, the translator responsible for the English edition, sums it up best. He finds both comfort and frustration that the “basic seeds” of Cairo exist today just as they did when the novel was written in the early 1940s. He notes that everything from the Cairene sense of humor to the sense of hopelessness remain the same.

Where to get it: If you long to connect with Cairo’s past, you can find The Magnificent Conman of Cairo in AUC Press Bookstores and on Amazon.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR- Adel Kamel is a long-forgotten and undervalued novelist and playwright. He was the founder of the unofficial but prominent “harafish” writer’s collective that fostered talents such as Naguib Mahfouz, who incidentally believed that Kamel’s novel, The Magnificent Conman of Cairo, was “exceptional,” according to Hoopoe Fiction. But publishers during Kamel’s time didn’t agree: The manuscript was rejected by the Arabic Language Academy in 1942, prompting Kamel to quit the publishing industry altogether and move to the United States. Luckily, the manuscript was unearthed by Hoopoe and translated by Almusharaf in 2020.

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

There is no shortage of options at Silk Road Chinese Restaurant, which boasts over 80 authentic Chinese dishes and 40 hotpot ingredients to dip into your choice of original or spicy broth. Located in front of Joy Luck in Maadi’s Nerko neighborhood, you might have known its predecessor, the Chinese Karaoke Bar (RIP). If you’re a first-time visitor relying on Google Maps, don’t expect to find the pictured storefront — the restaurant is located on the first floor of an unassuming building — but the pinned location will steer you true.

While the decor is sparse, their portions are nothing short of generous, so our advice is to be frugal when ordering no matter how tempted you are to try all the hotpot ingredients. The number of choices might be overwhelming during your first visit, but you can never go wrong with staples like sweet and sour chicken and fried rice. If you’re feeling adventurous, we recommend you order the following ingredients with the hotpot: fungus, fresh-cut or spicy beef, and the noodles. Whatever you do, do not leave until you’ve tried their unbelievably delicious dumplings.

Two things to keep in mind are that the restaurant closes at 9:30pm, but they won’t ask you to leave halfway through your meal. In fact, if you’re there long enough, you might catch the owners and staff sharing dinner. Another thing to consider before you rush to try their fresh and authentic dishes is that they don’t currently accept credit card payments, but this mild inconvenience is definitely worth the experience, which promises a wide array of great dishes served by friendly faces.

???? Per person: Typically around EGP 300-500

???? Alcohol? No

???? Outdoor seating? No

???? Accessibility friendly? No