throw momma from the train Tagged Articles at Cinematical

I have a soft spot for nearly everything Danny DeVito's directed. Death to Smoochy was a waste of a cast and a concept, but most everything else -- The War of the Roses, Matilda, and yes, even the underrated Duplex (I haven't seen Throw Momma from the Train in forever, but toss that one in too) -- has a dark, unforgiving sensibility that I really appreciate. For one thing, I'm pretty sure that DeVito is the only filmmaker to truly get what Roald Dahl was all about.

DeVito's next directing project, and his first for the big screen since Duplex flopped in 2003, will be an adaptation of The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle, a young adult book by a dude named Avi (yes, just Avi). It's about a 13 year-old girl who's crossing the Atlantic on her own in 1832 and gets caught in the middle of a mutiny. Saoirse Ronan, Morgan Freeman and Pierce Brosnan are attached to star.

The funny thing is, I read The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle at some point while traversing the middle school netherworld back in the mid-to-late 90's, but I'll be damned if I remember a single thing about it. (The plot does sound vaguely familiar. I think there might be a parrot involved, but I'm not sure.) To Kill a Mockingbird it ain't. But if DeVito (who also wrote the screenplay) can give it some character, I'm down.

Every once in a while, news about a potential sequel makes some people ooh and ahh, rather than hawk up a phlegm globber. Is that the case with a potential Throw Momma From the Train 2? I wouldn't think so, but both Josh Horowitz at MTV and our beloved EIC, Erik Davis, seem into the idea. The former spoke with Danny DeVito recently about the possibility of a Momma return, and it seems the dude doesn't think his train days are done.

DeVito said: "I actually haunt Billy [Crystal] all the time. I always call him and say we should do a sequel. I called Billy at 7 AM one morning. I must have woken him up and I was like: 'I have this idea.' He was like: 'Are you done?' He went back to sleep." So really, this is only in the vague musing stage if he's serious, although I'm sure it would gear up soon if movie companies caught wind of some audience interest. But do the rest of you really want it?

I enjoyed Throw Momma from the Train and Horowitz is right -- it has some great lines. However, as he also notes -- Anne Ramsey is no longer with us. I would have trouble seeing The Goonies return without Ma Fratelli just as much as I couldn't see a new Throw Momma without the actual, wonderfully-mean mom. Heck, she got an Oscar nomination for the role! If she was still around, I'd be all for it, but I don't know if I could watch a sequel without her. Could you?