DALLAS — KNOCK AT THE CABIN
Knock, knock. Who's there?
M. Night Shyamalan's movies always come with anticipation. And when it's Dave Bautista at the door, trouble can't be too far away.
A male married couple (Jonathan Groff of "Frozen" and Ben Aldridge of "Spoiler Alert") rents a cabin where else but in Shyamalan's neck of the woods, Pennsylvania.
They've brought along their adopted little girl. She's actually just met Bautista's character, as she collected grasshoppers outside. But something's really wrong here.
He's accompanied by three others (one of them, Rupert Grint from "Harry Potter"). We soon find out they're here to inform the dads that one of them or their daughter has to die to prevent the apocalypse! Crazy, right? Well, the dads refuse to comply, so the cult-like group members start sacrificing themselves in the meantime.
What proceeds is a fairly tense psychological thriller. Will one of the dads crack? Surely, they won't kill their daughter.
Meantime, Bautista turns on the TV (Yah, they get cable in the woods, but no cell phone service) to show them that horrific things are beginning to happen around the world, just as he said they would. Or is it all a hoax and they're just home invaders with a gory death wish?
"Knock at the Cabin" is based on a similarly titled book, the screenplay co-written by Shyamalan, and, of course, he directs. It's his second R-rated film. The suspense is there. What about the big 'twist' we always look for? It comes at the end but not in Shyamalan's trademark way. Meantime, this is one cabin I'd cross off the Airbnb list!
(Universal Studios. Rated R. Running Time 1 hr. 40 mins. In Theaters Only)
80 FOR BRADY
Tom Brady has retired from the NFL, he says, for good. It comes on the week that he launches a new career as... a movie star???
Well, let's not get ahead of ourselves. Movie producer, for sure. "80 for Brady" is based on the true story of a group of elderly women who adored Brady when he was the Patriots QB.
They even had a ritual before games to ensure a win. Speaking of win, one of them wins a radio contest for Super Bowl tickets.
So, the ladies are off to Houston for 2017's SB 51. Brady's ladies? - Jane Fonda, Rita Moreno, Lily Tomlin and Sally Field. And the antics ensue. At one point Tomlin becomes the 'quarterback whisperer' to turn the game around for Tom. Now we know THAT didn't happen!
So, how is the movie? It depends on your age. I think young people won't even go to it. If they do, they find it "cringy."
The older people at the screening I attended were howling with laughter. I personally think this top-notch cast deserved better material.
As for Tom's brief appearance, he actually gives a touching monologue directed toward Tomlin. (I think because her character is a cancer survivor and so is Tom's real Mom, he was speaking from the heart.)
Recently asked if he wants to tackle acting again... Brady said he'd like that. If only he were better looking!
(Paramount Pictures. Rated PG-13. Running Time 1 hr. 38 mins. In Theaters Only)
