If you're one of the many moviegoers who loved Mamma Mia!, perhaps you thought the only thing missing from the experience was the shrill sound of your fellow audience members screaming the lyrics of "Dancing Queen" along with Meryl Streep and her lady friends. Well, Universal Pictures has read your mind, and Mamma Mia!: The Sing-Along Edition will open on Aug. 29 in select theaters. It'll be the same movie, only with all the musical numbers subtitled and audience members encouraged to join in on the vocals.

All we have so far is a press release from Universal, which doesn't say how many theaters the sing-along edition will be in. You are encouraged to visit the Mamma Mia! website for updates, however. These will be regular screenings at regular movie theaters for the regular prices; all that's different is that the lyrics will be on the screen, karaoke-style. And the best part is, even if you're a terrible singer, you can take comfort in knowing you're still better than Pierce Brosnan.

ABBA's music is famous for being catchy, and as a result many people overlook the actual words. This sing-along event will be an opportunity to really notice and pay attention to the subtle complexities of lines like this, from "Money, Money, Money":

In my dreams I have a plan
If I got me a wealthy man
I wouldn't have to work at all
I'd fool around and have a ball

Hooray for girl power and rhyming!

To paraphrase the scariest horror movie currently in theaters -- Mamma Mia! -- you wait long enough for a red-band trailer and then three come along at once, at least two of which deal with hitting the road in the name of action, so without further ado...

First up is the age-restricted trailer for this week's Death Race. I've yet to watch this one myself, since reactions posted elsewhere have assured me that whatever meager hopes I have for it being just a fun piece of trash cinema -- from a filmmaker who often lives down to that title -- are to be derived from moments shamelessly showcased therein. I'm no prude, having shelf space and soft spots set aside for the man's Event Horizon and the first Resident Evil, for the reliably butt-kicking Jason Statham and for the surprisingly present Joan Allen (him signing up for it, no big surprise, but her?). However, I'm roughly one trailer away (well, one feature away) from giving it the genuine benefit of the doubt.

Erik wrote about the original trailer back in June, and now one only has to wait until this Friday to determine just how fast and spurious this baby is.

After August comes September, and after Death Race comes Righteous Kill. The profanity-spiked red-band trailer for this NYPD thriller has been included after the jump...

No matter how you look at it, one group of dedicated fans aren't going to be very happy about this. In an interview with MTV Movies blog, writer/director David Goyer dropped the hint that his X-Men origin flick Magneto may be taking a back seat to his Invisible Man update -- not the choice I would have made, but maybe Goyer is a little 'Superheroed' out. Goyer tells MTV that Magneto, "may be next," but he wouldn't confirm which film is going to get priority on his schedule, saying, "So it could be 'Magneto,' or it could be 'The Invisible Man' next." -- Gee Dave, thanks for clearing that up.

Goyer's Invisible update is just the latest in a series of adaptations of the classic H.G. Wells story on the big screen. Universal famously adapted the novella in 1933, with Claude Rains as the invisible Jack Griffin, and don't forget about the embarrassingly bad comedy version starring Chevy Chase back in 1992. Goyer told MTV that his story, "involves Scotland Yard getting their hands on the current Invisible Man and basically saying, 'Wow, you'd be a really good secret agent to send into Imperial Russia right now,'" an enthusiastic Goyer said of the plot. "It starts off from there." -- I'm suddenly having flashbacks to The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, and that is not a good sign.

So the real question is: What does this mean for Magneto? We all know that there is no danger that the film won't get made (No please, don't bring that dump truck full of money to the studio doors), but his work on The Dark Knight earned Goyer the reputation of 'Patron saint of comic book movies' (well, until Watchmen is released anyway), and it will be hard to top that; you can't blame the guy for wanting a break.

Stay tuned to Cinematical for the official word on which film will cross the finish line first.

Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time is one of those sprawling, elaborate fantasy book series that is only read by enormous dorks. In other words, people like me. Yes, I've read all 11 novels (plus the prequel novella) and nearly 10,000 pages. Many fans abandoned the series after book 5 or 6, when it became apparent that the plot was in a holding pattern while the number of notable characters approached three digits. Not me. The naysayers were right, to a point, but the world Jordan created was so rich, so interesting that I simply loved going back, even if nothing much was happening. Jordan swore that book 12 would be the last, but died before he could finish it; another fantasy writer has been tapped to complete it from Jordan's extensive notes.

The series has been optioned several times, with an eye toward movies or television miniseries. Nothing ever came of it -- the books are so long, the plots so intricate, the cast of characters so enormous, that each attempt hit a logistical wall. Now, Universal has staked a claim, shelling out seven figures for the rights to the series. Logically, they plan to start with the first book, The Eye of the World.

Good luck. It's hard for fans to get excited for something like this, because what we love about the series -- the vastness and incredible detail of the world Jordan creates -- is so unlikely to make it to the screen. I do hope to actually see a film adaptation at some point (I'm awfully curious to see what they'll do), but I have a feeling this might go the way of the previous attempts. If they're hoping for a Lord of the Rings-caliber franchise, the pressure will be on the eventual screenwriter to adapt the novels in a compelling and accessible way. Trust me: it'll be really, really hard.

The creator of Lost plans to shake things up again on the big screen. J. J. Abrams will produce a disaster movie featuring an earthquake for Universal Pictures, according to The Hollywood Reporter. It will not, however, be a remake of the 1974 Charlton Heston-starring Earthquake (pictured), which was directed by Mark Robson and released by Universal.

That movie led with an hour of soap opera before unleashing its monster quake upon Los Angeles. Coming three years after a real-life quake rocked the city and featuring Sensurround at selected theaters (imagine a sub-woofer under your seat turned up really really loud -- I thought it was a tremendous boon for cinema at the time), Earthquake is one movie that could be remade without much complaint. Trust me -- I've seen it five times.

Instead, Abrams is working with David Seltzer (The Omen and Lucas but also the abysmal Six Weeks, Table for Five and Punchline) to craft a completely unrelated yet still rockin' disaster. As is Abrams' wont, no plot details are being revealed, though THR says "relationships will be at the core of the project." We don't even know which city will be destroyed! But I'm guessing we'll wonder who will live and who will die, Cloverfield-style.

Abrams is, of course, finishing up his Starlost Star Trek remake, which is due out in May 2009. (And did you see those character posters?) Right now he only plans to produce the new earthquake movie.

As someone initially unimpressed with the teaser trailer for next weekend's horror offering, Mirrors, I found myself pleasantly surprised by the unpleasantries on display in the film's restricted trailer, among them the sight of Amy Smart ripping her own jaw off (what can I say, I'm a man of simple taste).

However, I then wondered if that particular moment wasn't the best that the film had to offer. Sure, you don't want to spoil too much before a film opens, but it's a scene that has become the focus of most TV spots and -- in hindsight -- the poster, and as a plot development, I'm almost certain that it'll happen before the film hits its hour mark (a matter that no one will be able to confirm until late Thursday evening, which is its own little omen). But it fell on me to watch that part and find my interest piqued.

Now this is the kind of offbeat casting you expect out of Quentin Tarantino -- except that, really, it's not that unusual for him to cast his pals, so it makes a guy like Leonardo DiCaprio an edgier pick. Oh, that crazy Tarantino!

According to Variety, Eli Roth is set to play Sgt. Donnie Donowitz, "a baseball bat swinging Nazi hunter" in Tarantino's already much-discussed Inglorious Bastards. Brad Pitt is still "in talks" for Aldo Raine, but it would be a shocker if it wasn't official. Pitt and Roth, together at last, the pair-up the world never knew it wanted.

DiCaprio has gone from "in talks" to "eliminated." He was being considered for the part of SS Col Hans Landa, but Tarantino has decided that part should be played by a real live German. This is probably a good idea, as the last thing any film needs is a wonky accent. I do find it funny that when it comes to accuracy, this is one movie that is determined to have a real German, as opposed to the dozens of films that ignore portraying race, ethnicity, and culture!

The cast is expected to be formalized shortly, and filming to begin in Europe this fall. Given that Tarantino is looking to his friends to fill the empty slots, I am still betting Tim Roth and Michael Madsen will pop up somewhere. Who else do you expect to pop up in Bastards, readers? And what do you think of Roth's addition?

It's taken a few years and a few name changes, but Role Models -aka- Big Brothers -aka- Little Big Men is on its way, and MTV has posted the first series of shots (one of which you can see above), as well as the brand new trailer (see below). The film, which has slowly come together over the last few years, focuses on two partiers who get court-appointed community service which they have to complete as, fittingly, Big Brothers. You know, being a role model can help them get back on track themselves.

Paul Rudd and Seann William Scott are the men, while McLovin/Christopher Mintz-Plasse and Bobb'e J. Thompson are the lucky recipients of Rudd and Scott's efforts. Is it just me, or does McLovin look ridiculsouly young in the other images? Maybe it's the cape... I've little doubt that Rudd will be awesome, and this movie could be great. But what about Scott? Will this help refocus and fire up his career?

When I saw that there was a new Island of Lost Souls coming I mistakenly assumed this was yet another remake of the 1932 film of the same name which starred Charles Laughton and Bela Lugosi. That film was remade in 1977 and 1996 as The Island of Dr. Moreau, and I chalked this up to the usual remake madness. Once I actually read the Variety article in question, though, I realized this film is something else entirely. This Island of Lost Souls is a remake of a 2007 Danish film called De fortabte sjaeles, which deals with a teenage girl whose younger brother has been possessed by the benevolent spirit of an 18th century magician and finds herself caught up in a centuries old battle between good and evil. This sounds tailor made to cash in on the Harry Potter audience.

The new film is being directed by Nicolaj Arcel who co-wrote and directed the award-winning original which was heavy on special effects and was one of the highest grossing films in Denmark last year. The new screenplay will be written by Jennifer Okieffe. Marc Abraham and Eric Newman will produce via their Strike Entertainment banner.

I was hoping that Universal was making a movie about me and my two lost Desert Eagles, but no dice. Instead, they've optioned Steven Grant's graphic novel 2 Guns, published by Boom! Studios, who is just optioning comic books left and right.

2 Guns is about two thieves, Trench and Steadman, who get it in their heads to rob a local bank. They believe it's a mob bank, and that they'll be ripping off fellow criminals. But unbeknownst to the other, neither man is actually a criminal, they're both undercover cops. But that's not the only crazy secret they uncover, as they quickly realize that their bank heist is a mob set-up to rob the CIA of $50 million.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Universal is hoping to turn it into a buddy cop picture in the vein of Lethal Weapon and 48 Hrs, but with "a modern spin." (Once again, I feel like I should check myself into an nursing home at the very thought that Lethal Weapon is old and musty.) No director has been attached, but Marc Platt (who's clearly anxious to make even more bullets fly after Wanted) is producing alongside Boom's Andrew Cosby and Ross Richie. No one has been attached to direct or do the script yet.

Boom! has a preview of Grant's comic online -- and maybe I am getting old, because I can barely read the text. Maybe one of you young whippersnappers will have better luck and can give me a proper review. Meanwhile, I'm going to go work on a script about my two lost guns and hope I can sell it to Warner Bros. If I add more violence, it could be a Guy Ritchie vehicle.

I haven't seen the previous two movies in the Mummy series, although people have recommended them to me as rollicking old-fashioned action-adventure movies, from the same Saturday-afternoon-matinee roots as the Indiana Jones series -- not exactly brain teasers, but good silly fun. The good news is that if you too haven't seen the preceding movies, you can watch The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor without fear of getting confused or lost or not understanding the recurring characters. The bad news is that regardless of whether you've watched the other films, the third Mummy entry is a headache-inducing mess that piles on unimpressive special effects to stretch a slight and often incomprehensible storyline.

The movie begins with an extended backstory: the history of the Dragon Emperor from thousands of years ago, in which a ruthless tyrant (Jet Li) bargained with an infamous witch (Michelle Yeoh) in his ambitious drive to seek immortality. The backstory, narrated in a manner befitting the History Channel, goes on for far longer than necessary. (Hellboy II did this so much better and faster, and with cool puppetry too.) It's a full 10 minutes before the story begins and we encounter the leads from the previous Mummy films, Rick O'Connell (Brendan Fraser) and his wife Evelyn (Maria Bello this go-round), who have retired from the action business and are trying to lead humdrum lives in the English countryside.

When you've made a very modern tale of a troubled man struggling to live with his super powers, what's left but to tackle a mythical yet tormented Greek hero? Peter Berg, who directed Will Smith to box office success in Hancock, will reboot one ot the original superheroes, Hercules, according to Variety.

Hercules: The Thracian Wars, a five-issue comic book series by Steve Moore issued in May by Radical Publishing, will provide the source material. Ryan Condal, recently tapped to adapt Warren Ellis' comic mini-series/graphic novel Ocean, will write the script; Berg will direct and co-produce.

The plot synopsis for the series describes Hercules as a "tormented soul ... neither god nor man." When the King of Thrace hires him "to train his men to become the greatest army of all time," Herc and his buddies are prompted to consider whey they have such a ruthless, bloodthirsty reputation. Berg intends to stay true to the "conflicts and redemption" in Moore's character-driven comic book series.

When another project about Hercules was announced last year, Christopher Campbell questioned if there had ever been a decent Hercules movie. (He ran down most of them.) So, three questions: (1) Is the comic book any good? (2) Is Berg the right director to reboot Herc? (3) Who could play the muscular Greek hero without making people laugh at him?

Film critics are often criticized themselves for being the wrong audience for a movie they've panned. Whether it's old white guys who aren't the right audience for a Tyler Perry movie or old white guys who can't appreciate a "chick flick," the subjectivity of certain reviewers is sometimes even called out for being too racist, sexist or otherwise prejudiced. We saw a high level of apparent chauvinism going on recently with the release of Sex and the City, and now it's happening again with Mamma Mia! Last Friday, in her his review, New York Sun critic Grady Hendrix* noted that Mamma, "has been getting generally good reviews, but it's also been getting trashed by some critics who all have one thing in common: They're men." And the claim has now been escalated by Liz Smith, who quotes Hendrix in the Page Six section of today's New York Post.

Despite my half-belief that Hendrix has a point about some male critics, I didn't want her his claim to go unchecked. Especially because her his review went out on the same day that most newspaper reviews went out. Meaning, how could she have known the true demographics of all negative and positive reactions? Going through all the Mamma Mia! reviews sampled on Rotten Tomatoes, here is what I discovered:

Man, has this day brought us news of film-based video games aplenty -- one of which you can play for free right now and the rest of which some of you simply can't wait for.

But you'll have to. Wait, that is. They haven't made the darn things yet. Sheesh, hold your horses already.

Trade publication Variety tells us of these titles over the course of two separate articles. One piece points out Universal's plan to crank out several games based on their properties, but only names their highest-profile property at the moment: Wanted. If any of you have seen the film (and a $123 million gross would suggest as much), then you know just how well it should lend itself to the format, what with the bullet curving and knife fighting and Angelina Jolie ogling.

To triple dip or to wait? That is the question facing Dude-loving fans of the Coen Brothers' cracked comedy The Big Lebowski, which is due out on September 9 in a Tenth Anniversary Edition from Universal Home Video. Jeff Bridges, John Goodman, John Turturro, Steve Buscemi, and Julianne Moore star. The announcement was made without details on bonus features; DVD Active has now posted pictures of the menu screens, so we know what's new.

The Big Lebowski was initially released on DVD in 1998, and then was remastered for the 2005 Collectors' Edition. That edition included a "making of" feature, photos by Jeff Bridges, and a brief, jokey introduction. Those extras were included on the HD-DVD edition, released in June 2007 (and reviewed at High-Def Digest). The Tenth Anniversary Edition features those extras plus more: "The Dude's Life," "The Dude Abides: The Big Lebowski Ten Years Later," production notes, theatrical trailer, "The Lebowski Fest: An Achiever's Story," "Flying Carpets and Bowling Pin Dreams: The Dream Sequences of the Dude," interactive map, and photo gallery.

A standard Tenth Anniversary Edition will reportedly retail for $19.98, while a Limited Edition "in special bowling ball packaging" (pictured) will also be available. No news on a Blu-ray edition, though, so the question remains: will you triple dip or wait for Blu-ray? Or will you roll this sucker into your alley? The Dude wants to know.