Romancing the Stone Tagged Articles at Cinematical

As I sit here in the middle of the night, three remakes hit the wire. Is there something in the air? All are annoying, and I'm sure some of the other lovely Cinematical writers will deal with them, so I'm going to stick with Kathleen and Michael.

The Hollywood Reporter posts that Fox wants to bring Romancing the Stone back to the big screen. Kathleen Turner. Michael Douglas. Danny Devito. If you don't remember, or know (sacrilege!), the film focuses on a romance novelist who goes to Colombia to deliver a package and free her kidnapped sister, but she ends up in a jungle with the sexy Jack T. Colton and heads off on an adventure that brings thrills as much as romance.

Isn't there some other stone they could romance? Couldn't Fox merely take the basic idea and run with it? Why bother taking the exact story and try to fill shoes that can never be filled. But hey -- Daniel McDemott is writing it, and considering the fact that he's already working on a remake of Soylent Green, I shouldn't be surprised about this.

But that doesn't make the news any better, and makes me want to shove a jewel up someone's Nile.

(Reminder: Click on the movie titles to see a Weinberg-approved DVD review. If a review is unavailable, I'll just go with an Amazon link.)

Recent Theatricals

Akeelah and the Bee (Lionsgate) -- Bee-movie should make for an interesting double feature alongside Spellbound (the documentary, not the Hitchcock). (three featurettes, deleted scenes, gag reel)

Friends With Money (Sony) -- Aniston, Cusack, Keener & McDormand? Count me in. (filmmaker commentary, three featurettes)

Lonesome Jim (IFC) -- Y'know, that Buscemi guy is not just a pretty face; he's actually a pretty good director. (filmmaker commentary, featurette)

Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World (WB) -- We all love Albert Brooks' patented brand of nebbishy neuroses, but let's chalk this one up to bad timing. (deleted scenes)

Mountain Patrol: Kekexili (Sony) -- A fantastic doco-style story about the dangers of Tibetan antelope poaching. Rent it. (no extras)

The Sentinel (Fox) -- Just keeping us warm until 24: The Movie shows up. (writer/director commentary, four deleted scenes, two featurettes)

Take the Lead (New Line) -- Because middle-aged housewives like movies too. That's why. (director/editor commentary, seven deleted scenes, four featurettes, three remixed trailers)

I was about seven-years-old when I had my first taste of what it was like to watch a movie being filmed. At the time, my family and I lived in New York City and, one afternoon, we looked out our window to see a gigantic sailboat riding up Riverside Drive. For those of you who have never been to NYC, giant sailboats are the last thing one expects to see outside their window. My mom (who was and still is a sucker for celebrity sightings) and I rushed downstairs to see what all the fuss was about, only to learn that what we were witnessing was the final scene of Romancing the Stone.

What does this have to do with Tom Cruise? Well, thankfully he's not starring in a remake of Romancing the Stone. He is, however, rumored to be starring in Fool's Gold, a flick that instantly reminded me of that day with the sailboat. Pic, to be directed by Andy Tennant (Hitch), revolves around a married couple whose discovery of a lucrative treasure lands them in the spotlight and on the cover of magazines everywhere. However, when they attempt another treasure hunt a few years later, things don't go as well. As their marriage begins to fall apart and bills pile up, the two hatch a plan to "bilk a wealthy investor with the promise of a big score." Hmm, I wonder who would play Cruise's wife? Something tells me Kathleen Turner is a bit past her prime.