If you're like me, you loved the "Choose Your Own Adventure" books as a kid. It can be exciting to help shape something you'd otherwise be passively enjoying. That practice is slowly working its way into the film world. The future of filmmaking may give you, the audience, much more say in what kinds of movies get made. "Open Source" cinema occurs when the underlying "source code" for computer software is made freely available, enabling anyone to copy a film, rewrite it, edit it, improve it. It's sort of like the film version of Wikipedia. Several full-length Open Source films have already popped up online, such as Cactuses, "a drama about youth culture in southern California," and Boy Who Never Slept, an online dating comedy. This article cites the experience with last year's Snakes on a Plane as an example that the studios are becoming more open to letting the public shape the films they make.

Open Source filmmaking aims to eventually allow the viewer the opportunity to create alternate endings and cut scenes from Hollywood movies. (So long, Jar-Jar Binks!) A film called A Swarm of Angels is one of the most ambitious Open Source projects, as it includes every aspect of traditional filmmaking, including the financing. The founder, Matt Hanson, wants 50,000 "micro-investors" to chip in $60 to make a movie. 60 bucks buys these investors the opportunity to vote on such matters as screenplay decisions and shooting locations. They can work on filming when it begins, and when the film is finished it will be made available online for anyone to download and edit. If you've got cash burning a hole in your pocket, head here to join the moviemaking process.

Even after the whirlwind of hype surrounding Snakes on a Plane, I think most people would be hard pressed to remember the name of it's director, David R. Ellis. Considering the ... mixed reaction Snakes received from critics and audiences, it's probably in the best interest of Ellis' career that it stays that way. So despite the bad reviews and cries of manufactured zeitgeist, Ellis seems to have managed to walk away unscathed and is already hard at work on his new film, Asylum. Now Variety has announced that Ellis, a former child actor and stunt man, is also attached to direct and co-produce the action thriller High Stakes for Persistent Entertainment.

The story follows two friends on a gambling trip to Las Vegas who rack up a gambling debt to the wrong people. The friends are then forced to become the subjects of a dangerous high-stakes bet to pay off their marker. Ronnie Christensen (Passengers) wrote the script and the film is set to start shooting this spring. There is no word on a cast yet, so Ellis and company are going to have to work quickly if they want to stick to their schedule.

Okay, you folks were out of control with your submissions this go-round, and I think I'm officially sick of reading the words 'motherf**kin' snakes' in the same sentence. No more, I say! No more. Last month, we asked you to come up with the best caption for the above picture, and 82 of you stepped up to the plate with some -- shall I say -- "creative" stuff. It was definitely tough choosing the winners, but after a slew of late-night Taco Bell contest meetings, we here at Cinematical finally managed to select our top five captions. Once again, here's what all five winners will receive:

1 Copy of the brand spanking new Snakes on a Plane DVD (full screen version).

1 Copy of the official Snakes on a Plane movie soundtrack.

1 Snakes on a Plane shirt.

1 Snakes on a Plane hat.

1 Set of Iron On Images (which you can use to design your very own nifty SOAP shirt).

Check out the winning caption and the runners-up after the jump (keep in mind everyone wins the same package) ...

• 10.) Cobra Starship's 'Snakes on a Plane (Bring It)' video from Snakes on a Plane - Sure, Snakes on a Plane is a guilty pleasure -- it was made to be. But it is just too obvious to mention it as a whole, and anyway it really wasn't as enjoyable as it should have been or was meant to be. The music video during the movie's credits, though, is another story. In my opinion it overshadows the actual movie by a long shot. It may be as self-consciously intent on producing irony and camp, but it succeeds where SOAP doesn't. Maybe because it is catchy, maybe because the band looks like a parody of contemporary hipster bands, or maybe because it is shorter -- I am far more likely to return to the video for a good laugh than to the movie (not that I'll turn off the movie on a lazy Sunday with nothing better to do; it is still a guilty pleasure, itself).

Everyone's favorite buzzed-about Snake-tastic film is getting set to arrive on DVD this January 2, and Cinematical is here to give five lucky winners one helluva DVD prize package. You know the drill: The five people who come up with the best caption for the above picture will be sent some wicked gifts -- all SOAP-related -- and all of which are sure to put a smile on your face. When those crummy Christmas gifts leave you depressed and desperately in need of a pick-me-up, Cinematical will be there (as always) to save the day.

In order to qualify for the prizes listed below, you must submit your caption by 8PM EST on January 8, 2007, as that is when the contest ends. Also, you must provide Cinematical with a valid email address when you activate your comment so that we're able to contact you when (and if) you win. Wanna know what you'll be getting? Check it out:

The best five captions will receive:

1 Copy of the brand spanking new Snakes on a Plane DVD (full screen version).

1 Copy of the official Snakes on a Plane movie soundtrack.

1 Snakes on a Plane shirt.

1 Snakes on a Plane hat.

1 Set of Iron On Images (which you can use to design your very own nifty SOAP shirt).

Okay, now it's your turn. Provide us with the best caption you can think of, but remember to do so by 8PM EST on January 8, 2007. Comment. Email Address. Activate. It's that simple. Good luck!

Note: Contest now closed -- thanks for all your wonderful submissions. The winners will be announced soon ...

While the film itself had everyone blabbing non-stop during the months leading up to its theatrical release, hardly anyone has mentioned the Snakes on a Plane DVD, set to hit stores on January 2, 2007. Does anyone even care about this DVD? Or are you all too busy ironing those nifty collectible "Snakes on my Nerves" t-shirts? (I have one in every color of the rainbow, in case you were wondering.)

Nevertheless, the cult flick will arrive with a slew of bonus materials and a price tag of around thirty bucks. And, since it's due out right after Christmas, Snakes is lining itself up to be the perfect return pick-up. Not digging those flannel pajamas grandma picked out for you at Target? Well, now you'll have the option to just return them and take home the Snakes on a Plane DVD instead. Ain't life grand? In case you're wondering, here are its features (according to IGN):

Finally, finally the studios' attitude is coming back to bite them. Snakes on a Plane is in the midst of flopping; it had a major drop-off in just its second week. I'm convinced that, if New Line had screened it for the press, they would have staved off the bad rumors and earned enough good reviews to boost business. Instead they blamed their own ignorance on the press, as has been the trend this year.

As of now, something like 25 movies have been purposely withheld from critics. Renny Harlin's The Covenant is the latest to join the hall of shame. What is perhaps more distressing than the studios' attitude toward reviewing press is their attitude toward the films themselves. Regardless of the press, it's the studios who have determined that these films stink. These are the same films they have paid for and hired artists to make, in some cases talented people like Neil LaBute and Nicolas Cage (The Wicker Man). It's like they've made a bad batch of widgets, and instead of throwing them away and starting over, they're foisting the tainted product on the public with no warning from critics. They hope that the gullible, dim-witted ticket buyers will help them make back a significant amount of their investment before word of mouth gets out. It's a new wave of disposable movies.