DVD Dossier Blog: New Releases, Street Dates, Movie Reviews and Commentary

Redbox & Wal-Mart Shake Hands; Kiosk Operator Expands

Redbox announced an agreement with Wal-Mart today to expand the number of automated DVD rental kiosks it operates to the majority of Wal-Mart's 3,542 stores nationwide.  Currently available at nearly 800 U.S. Wal-Mart locations, redbox will install kiosks at approximately 2,700 additional Wal-Mart stores beginning in the first half of 2008 and continuing into 2009.

Redbox's $1 per night DVD rental kiosks are now available at more than 6,700 locations nationwide, including grocery stores, select McDonald’s restaurants (the fast food giant owns a significant chunk of redbox), as well as Walgreens and Wal-Mart locations in certain markets.

Each fully automated redbox kiosk holds more than 500 DVDs, representing 100-150 new movie releases, with new titles available every Tuesday.

Is Toshiba Giving Away The Razor To Get You To Buy The Blades?

If you're thinking of buying an HD DVD player, you might want to wait a week or so.

I just received an e-mail tonight from the folks at the EMA (Electronic Merchant's Association), who are responsible for a big industry event next week, the Home Media Expo. The e-mail is ostensibly an attempt to boost last minute attendance at next week's trade show, which will run July 16th - 19th in Las Vegas.

But the e-mail looks more like an ad for Toshiba than for the show itself. Even so, I found the pitch absolutely irresistible:

TOSHIBA HD DVD PLAYER for ONLY $99 PLUS 3 FREE HD DVD’s

For one week only, starting July 22, 2007, Toshiba will be offering the HD A2 player for only $99. With your purchase you will also receive 3 HD DVD's.

I can't tell if this is an offer being made exclusively to show attendees, or if it's a consumer offer that Toshiba will announce at the Home Media Expo next week at the Venetian Resort. I suspect it's the latter, although it's nearly midnight on a Friday night and I have no way of confirming that at the present time.

The e-mail says "for more information and details on how to cash in on this PERFECT offer go to registration at next week’s HOME MEDIA EXPO."

So, it may well be an offer just for show attendees, although that would be most unusual... after all, if they're practically giving them away, they might as well actually give them away to influential people within the industry and the trade press.

There is no information about the offer on the show's registration pages or at Toshiba's site, so take this as a tantalizing tease (with however many grains of salt you deem appropriate).

If this is indeed a consumer offer, it's the one everybody has been waiting for... an entry level high definition DVD player for a hundred bucks. Subtract out the cost of the three "free" HD DVDs and you're looking at a net cost of about $30.00.

Sweet.

A copy of the e-mail follows after the jump.

[Previously: HD DVD For Low Fee, But Not For Thee]
[Previously: Pigs Fly]

--------------------
Update 7/15/07 - 10:15 AM

Since we published this story late Friday night, it's been picked up by many other sites, some of which have declared it a desperate fire sale by Toshiba. Others say it's a great marketing coup that will have the HD DVD guys eating Blu-ray for breakfast.

And many of those who have commented say they're already making plans to purchase one of the low-priced HD DVD players, completely ignoring the caveat about it possibly being for show attendees only.

We've e-mailed the show's press representative for clarification; we'll let you know when we receive a response.

In the meantime, thanks for stopping by. Don't be a stranger! Bookmark us or add us to your RSS feeds or sign up for our weekly newsletter for information on the latest DVD releases and more industry news.

--------------------
Update 7/16/07 - 11:23 AM

Gizmodo is reporting that they have heard from a Toshiba rep, who says they have nothing to do with this offer and that it does not represent an official manufacturer's price drop or a new marketing strategy by the HD DVD camp.

It was a maverick - and in the Dossier's opinion - poorly executed marketing decision by the folks at the Home Media Expo.

Giz spoke to the people at the show, who were able to confirm that they acted without Toshiba's knowledge or support.

Curiously, Gizmodo - which we at the Dossier love and read regularly (they've been quite generous to us with links in the past) - didn't cite us as the source of their first story on the topic on Saturday, but now that they've retracted the story, they say it was a rumor that came from us.

Surprisingly, we haven't yet heard from Toshiba or show management, who may have vastly underestimated our readership or the interest in this story.

And so now, if you'll excuse us, we're just gonna go buy our damn razor.

--------------------
Update 7/17/07 - 11:58 PM

Now that the Home Media Expo is underway, you'll find our short postcscript to this story here.

Amazon Glitch Prices DVD For The Rich

How much would you pay to see an early Kevin Costner film?

How about fourteen million dollars?

That's what Amazon.com appears to be charging for "The Gunrunner," a 1984 crime drama which the site says will be available on DVD next Tuesday, June 12th. (We, however, are not seeing the title in any of the release schedules we've received from major studios.)

Amazon says the Suggested Retail Price for the film is an astonishing $20,070,612.00.

But - like we always say - that's only a suggestion.

Who pays retail?

If you're a savvy shopper, you can pre-order and save more than six million dollars ($6,021,183.00 to be exact). Yes, friends, buy "The Gunrunner" now for only $14,049,429.00 - that's a 30% discount - and also get free shipping (since your purchase meets Amazon's twenty-five dollar minimum).

Is this really the best way for Amazon to raise quick cash to fund their rumored purchase of Netflix?

[Previously: Dreamgirls Unfurls May 1st]

-------------------
Update: 6/8/07, 6:50 PM ET - Well, it looks like the traffic we sent them on this title may have made them realize something was amiss... there simply aren't that many Kevin Costner fans left in this world. A click through to Amazon now returns a 404 error page. But if you click the image above, you can see a screen shot we made yesterday documenting the pricing error.

Summer Camp

Warner Home Video will bring "camp" to DVD this summer when they release "Cult Camp Classics, Volumes 1 through 4" on June 26th.

They've put together 12 trashy treasures that deliver everything but the kitsch-en sink in four volumes: Sci-Fi Thrillers ("Attack of the 50 Ft. Woman," "Queen of Outer Space," "The Giant Behemoth"); Women in Peril ("The Big Cube," "Caged," "Trog"); Terrorized Travelers ("Hot Rods to Hell," "Skyjacked," "Zero Hour!") and Historical Epics ("The Colossus of Rhodes," "Land of Pharaohs," "The Prodigal").

The Cult Camp Classics Collections will feature the very latest remastered versions of each film along with bonus content such as commentaries from actors, filmmakers and historians as well as original theatrical trailers.

Each volume will contain three discs and will carry a Suggested Retail Price of $29.98, with the titles also available individually at an SRP of $14.97. These are suggested prices, of course. In the real world, we expect these will sell for about $21.00 and $10.00, respectively.

Key gems in the collections include the original film on which the mega-hit comedy "Airplane" is based ("Zero Hour!"), Sergio Leone's directorial debut ("The Colossus of Rhodes"), a performance by 1956 Playboy Playmate Yvette Vickers ("Attack of the 50 Foot Woman"), Joan Collins' first film ("The Land of the Pharaohs") and Joan Crawford's last ("Trog").

Complete synopses of all the films - along with a list of special features - follow after the jump. 

Pre-order "Sci-Fi Thrillers," "Women in Peril," "Terrorized Travelers" and "Historical Epics" now and save 30%.

CVS Says Yes To "Disposable" DVD Player

Remember that $18 DVD player offered by Wal-Mart's ASDA brand throughout the UK a couple of weeks ago? Well, we now have a USA equivalent.

CVS - the pharmacy chain with over 5400 retail outlets - is offering the "Coby Ultra Compact DVD Player" at $19.99 as part of a 2-day sale today and tomorrow.

Beginning Tuesday, you'll pay about 33% more for this small no-frills player - $29.99 - if you can find any left on store shelves.

You'll need an "Extra Care" card to snag the savings (that's what they call their frequent shopper loyalty card) and the player is not available online. The CVS advertising circular in most Sunday papers reminds us that "not all advertised items available in all stores." (Apparently, they also don't stock verbs.)

So, what ever happened to Presidents' Day sales?

That's what we think this is... a Presidents' Day sale. But you won't find those words in the CVS flyer. No, this is officially a "2-day sale." (Maybe the same people who declared a war on Christmas got to them.)

By the way, that small device you see in the photo to the left of the DVD player is not a remote, but a "Craig 256 MB MP3 Digital Audio Player" which they're offering at the same price.

We like this trend towards truly disposable electronics. The way we see it, there's no way in hell the fine folks at Rite Aid are going to let those weasels at CVS get away with this. They're probably already working overtime to get a $99.00 80 GB iPod in stock by the end of the month.

(Or so we hope.)

How Low Can They Go?

Beginning today, ASDA, a British supermarket chain owned by U.S. retail giant Wal-Mart, will offer its customers a DVD player for only £9 (just under US $18.00). ASDA, which has recently begun a big push behind low priced electronics, as have its supermarket rivals Tesco and Sainsbury's, says the unit is "Britain's lowest priced DVD player." (The player previously sold in ASDA stores for nearly twice the price, £17.84.)

Electronics and media have long been exorbitantly priced on the UK High Street, with TVs, DVD players, computers, CDs, DVDs and software significantly more expensive than the same items purchased overseas.

So selling this unit in the supermarket alongside a jug of wine and a loaf of bread should have quite an impact... at least for a couple of days.

ASDA says 80,000 of the DVD players - manufactured in China under their Durabrand label - are available in all of their 316 stores (and seven ASDA Living stores) throughout the UK and Northern Ireland. The company says it expects the DVD player to sell out within two days.

Peter Pritchard, the supermarket chain's general merchandise trading director, said in a prepared statement, "This is such a jaw-droppingly low price that customers might struggle to believe it, but we really are selling a DVD player for under a tenner."

To which we can only add: when the price of the hardware is lower than the price of a new DVD release, we've truly reached the age of the disposable DVD player.

Subscriptions to the DVD Dossier newsletter are FREE...
Sign up today and have news of the latest DVD releases e-mailed to you every Sunday!

[Previously: Sainsbury's Buries Its DVD Rental Program]

Netflix Knocks A Buck Off Its Lowest Prix Fixe

The DVD rental business is a hotly contested market, with Blockbuster and Netflix (and a few others) battling mightily for your confidence, your loyalty and your money.

In the past month or so, we've seen Blockbuster give away free DVDs to Netflix customers (in addition to the free in-store rentals they already give their own customers) and add games to its in-store rental mix. For its part, Netflix finally fulfilled the prophecy inherent in its name and actually started to stream movies over the internet.

And now Reuters is reporting that Netflix has taken the first step in what may prove to be yet another price war in the category. Netflix has dropped the price of its cheapest DVD rental plan by one dollar to just $4.99. For that entry level price, you can rent one DVD at a time, with a maximum of two per month.

We haven't received a press release on this yet, but a visit to the Netflix homepage clearly shows the new lower price of $4.99 prominently displayed.

At that price, Netflix compares favorably with many traditional brick and mortar video stores. But can they make money offering DVD rental by mail at five bucks a month?

Reuters quotes Netflix spokesman Steve Swasey, who says "This is in response to an ever-evolving and competitive market. We are lowering an introductory price but we have profitability objectives and they stay in place."

Loosely translated, that means that the offer is meant to appeal to fence-sitters who have heard about Netflix and/or this new-fangled concept of online DVD rental, but haven't yet signed up. Netflix says that once on board, many of those customers upgrade their plans and become longterm profitable subscribers. 

And we're guessing they have data that shows that's exactly the case... they've apparently been testing the $4.99 price point for almost a year.

[Previously: No, You're Not Dreaming; Netflix To Start Streaming]
[Previously: Blockbuster Decrees: Free DVDs For Netflix Devotees]
[Previously: If Only... / Analysts Assess "Total Access"]

Affection Collection

Four popular romantic comedies - "Notting Hill," "About a Boy," "Love Actually" and "Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason" - will soon be available together in one value-priced collection from Universal Studios Home  Entertainment.

The films, starring (among others) Hugh Grant, Julia Roberts, Keira Knightley, Renée Zellweger and Colin Firth, will be released as a 4-Disc "Romantic Favorites Collection" on  January 9th.

The films will be presented in anamorphic widescreen (2.35: 1), with audio in English (Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound).

Synopses of all four films follow after the jump.

The Suggested Retail Price will be $29.98, although this is expected to be widely available for at least a few dollars less.

Pre-order the "Romantic Favorites Collection" now and save 10%.

Downloading Outside The Box

Amazon.com officially launched their movie download service yesterday, as was expected.

Called "Unbox," the service promises digital downloads of thousands of television shows, movies and other video content from more than 30 studio and network partners from Hollywood and around the world... all with DVD-quality video.

That's triple the video quality of the leading commercial Internet video services, delivering content encoded at 2,500 kilobits per second using the ultra-efficient VC-1 Advanced Profile codec. Unbox also automatically includes a second file optimized for playback on any Windows Media-compatible portable device.

In addition, Unbox uses progressive download, eliminating the need to wait for the entire video to download before watching. This means the typical cable broadband customer can start watching any TV show or movie within five minutes of ordering.

The service also uses a "Remote Load" technology that allows you to buy from one PC (such as your office computer) and download to another (such as your home computer).

You can purchase episodes of TV shows for $1.99, purchase most movies for between $7.99 and $14.99, or rent the latest movies for $3.99. You will not, however, be able to burn the content to a DVD that's playable in any DVD player.

For a limited time, Amazon will let you download your first television show to your PC absolutely free. (The operative word in that sentence is "PC," as Macintosh computers are not currently supported.)

Amazon will give you an instant $1.99 rebate when you download any any episode of any TV show from the Unbox site. Since most episodes are priced at $1.99, your selction will be free. (If you prefer you can apply the $1.99 rebate to a higher priced rental or  purchase of any digital video on the site, including feature-length films.)

More on Amazon's new Unbox service - along with a list of participating studios and TV networks and a look at some of the movies and shows available - follows after the jump.

[Previously: The Down-Low on Amazon Downloads; Amazon Enters Digital Fray]

News Flash: Mikey's A Corporate Whore

"Choose Your Own Adventure," one of the most popular children's book series of all time, and the first to puts kids in control of the story, recently expanded its product line to include a DVD with the same name.

"The Abominable Snowman," released on July 25th, is the first in a planned series of CYOA interactive animated DVDs. Kids can use their DVD player's remote control to choose from more than 11 storylines to advance the action. The DVD features the voices of Felicity Huffman, William H. Macy, Frankie Muniz, Mark Hamill and Lacey Chabert.

"Snowman" tells the story of three daring siblings who travel to the Himalayas to find their missing uncle. Along the way they encounter natural disasters, dangerous animals and evildoers. And at every crossroads a decision has to be made... will they survive avalanches, keep away from evil poachers, and escape hungry tigers? Their fate is in your hands.

We learned today that Life cereal is currently offering a $3.00 rebate off the purchase price of the disc. Look for - as the saying goes - "specially marked boxes" of Original Life, Cinnamon Life and Honey Graham Life at your local supermarket. Buy the DVD and make a qualifying purchase of cereal anytime from now until the end of November, send in the rebate and save three bucks.

I know what you're thinking; that's mighty nice of the Life cereal people to do their part to promote the education of our youth.

As you might expect, though, there's a bit more to this story... which we've continued after the jump.

Friends Till The End

Warner Home Video would like us to believe that you can never have enough "Friends."

In fact, they'd like you to watch those spunky twenty-somethings become inseparable thirty-somethings all over again in "Friends: The Complete Series Collection."

Featuring a commemorative 60-page book with keepsake photos and the original pilot pitch, this deluxe boxed set will house all 236 episodes from the award-winning series in a new collector’s box.

But has the DVD-buying public had enough of "Friends?"

The complete series was first released last November in a bestselling "Limited Edition" extravagantly packaged boxed set called "Friends: The One With All Ten Seasons."

What's different here - other than the new box and the addition of that 60-page book - is that, as a new release, this 40-Disc Collection will be substantially discounted. Amazon is offering last year's edition - it may have been "limited," but copies still remain - for only 15% off the Suggested Retail Price of $299.98 (about $255).

But you can pre-order the new "Friends: The Complete Series Collection" for 30% off the very same retail price, meaning that you can take home "Friends" for "only" $210, ninety dollars off list price and forty-five bucks off the price at which last year's set is currently selling.

The new version will arrive November 14th.

The Emmy Award-winning show stars Matthew Perry (Chandler), Matt LeBlanc (Joey), Courtney Cox-Arquette (Monica), Lisa Kudrow (Phoebe),  Jennifer Aniston (Rachel), and David Schwimmer (Ross). The show debuted in 1994 and aired its series finale in May of 2004.

Throughout its successful run on NBC’s “must-see TV” line-up, "Friends" won several Emmys, People’s Choice, Screen Actors Guild, Golden Globe and American Comedy awards. In addition, fans have collected the DVD sets in record numbers making "Friends" the #1 TV on DVD franchise, according to Warner.

A season breakdown and list of special features follow after the jump.

Audio on "Friends" will be in English, with subtitles in English, French and Spanish.

Pre-order "Friends: The Complete Series Collection" now and save 30%.

[Previously: With Friends Like These, Who Needs Box Sets?; Sony Does the Right Thing]

Little Collection in Big Box

All three "Stuart Little" films - "Stuart Little," "Stuart Little 2" and "Stuart Little 3: Call of the Wild" - will be released in a new value-priced boxed set from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment on October 3rd.

Based on the characters created by beloved children’s author E.B. White, the Stuart Little films revolve around Stuart, a spirited youngster, who has been adopted by the Little family. Despite his short stature, Stuart refuses to feel Little in a world of tall people. Whether driving a car, flying a plane or sailing a boat, adventure is always around the corner.

Synopses of all three films appear after the jump.

The Stuart Little films boast all-star casts that include Michael J. Fox as the voice of Stuart, Geena Davis and Hugh Laurie as Mr. and Mrs. Little, Nathan Lane as the voice of Snowbell, Melanie Griffith as Margalo the Bird, James Woods as Falcon, Virginia Madsen as The Beast and Wayne Brady as Reeko the Skunk.

Extras on the "The Stuart Little Collection" will include commentary tracks, behind-the-scenes featurettes, gag reels, deleted scenes, games and music videos.

The Suggested Retail Price will be $39.99, but you should be able to pick this up for as little as $28.00.

Pre-order "The Stuart Little Collection" now and save 30%.

Twice the Vice at a Nice Price

Timed to concide with this Friday's big screen release of "Miami Vice" starring Jamie Foxx and Colin Farrell, the first two seasons of the original TV crime drama on which the movie is based return to DVD today, distributed by Universal Studios Home Entertainment.

Detectives Sonny Crockett and Ricardo Tubbs return to the sultry streets of South Beach in this 6-Disc value pack - "Miami Vice: Seasons One and Two" - with a Suggested Retail Price of only $59.98. In fact, the two-pack is widely available for $50.00 or less, which is just a few dollars more than a single season of the show normally sells for at most stores.

Starring Don Johnson as Crockett, Philip Michael Thomas as Tubbs and Edward James Olmos as Lieutenant Martin Castillo, "Miami Vice" redefined cool with tales of cocaine cowboys set in sun-drenched seaside palaces and postmodern cityscapes, while revitalizing network
television with the visual style and visceral energy of the music video.

The show's executive producer, Michael Mann (who also directs the new film), re-engineered the television crime drama for the 1980s with high style and hot music. In the process, he launched a worldwide cultural phenomenon in fashion, music, design and architecture.

Innovative, well-written scripts, starting with creator Anthony Yerkovich's 2-hour pilot, elevated the content and brought issues from the world into the series' early years.

Helping drive the "Miami Vice" phenomenon was a blazing soundtrack of high octane pop music from multiple superstar performers including Phil Collins, U2, Elvis Presley, Peter Gabriel, Eric Clapton, Tina Turner, The Police, The Rolling Stones, Glenn Frey and others, now re-mixed for DVD in
crystal clear 5.1 surround sound.

Further, Mann cast Collins, Tina Turner, Glenn Frey, and James Brown as guest stars. The first two seasons of "Miami Vice," boast more unforgettable guest stars, including Bruce Willis, Ving Rhames, Jimmy Smits, Ed O'Neill, Pam Grier, Little Richard, Kyra Sedgewick, John Leguizamo and Miles Davis.
                         
All 44 episodes of the first two seasons of the show are included in this Collection, presented in full screen with audio in English (Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound), along with subtitles in English, Spanish and French

Buy "Miami Vice: Seasons One and Two" now and save 17% off the discounted retail price.

[Previously: Nice Vice]

NBC To Offer Free DVD

If you're a Netflix subscriber, the NBC television network wants to get to know you better. And it hopes you'll feel the same way.

USA Today is reporting that NBC will offer Netflix members a free DVD previewing the season premieres of two of their Fall shows.

From Aug. 8 to Sept. 16, Netflix will offer subscribers a commercial-free DVD featuring the Sept. 17 season openers of "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip" and "Kidnapped."

"We're trying to create a viral community of evangelist fans for the shows so that they can create word of mouth," says John Miller, chief marketing officer of NBC Universal's TV group. "We took the shows that we thought were the most film- and theatrical-oriented."

TV shows on DVD now represent 20% of Netflix rentals and NBC is hoping to capitalize on that interest by offering up the first episode of each of these programs to a dedicated group of passionate viewers who will quickly spread the word if they like the show.

The downside, of course, is that they will also quickly spread the word if they don't like the show.

USA Today: NBC to Offer Netflix subscribers a first look at new shows

P2P Guarantee

Most people watch DVDs once or twice and then put them on the shelf where they gather dust.

By trading them, however, you can maximize the value of your DVD collection, always have something new to watch and still keep the ones you like most. This is especially important if you have a lot of DVDs.

Peerflix, the P2P (peer-to-peer) network that allows members to legally trade DVDs online, announced yesterday the emergence of a significant group of online DVD traders who have received more than 1,000 DVDs through its service.

Peerflix has labeled these individuals “Super Traders” and sees the increase as a sign that consumers are highly interested in new ways to get DVDs, with cost playing a significant role in their choice of consumption models.

Jay Woodland of Bradenton, FL, is representative of this class of “Super Traders.”

Woodland became a member of Peerflix in 2004 and has been trading heavily since then. This Spring, he received his 1000th DVD through the Peerflix network. While Woodland enjoys many aspects of the Peerflix service, he finds one feature stands out.

"One of the most important parts of belonging to Peerflix is the 'Peerflix Guarantee.' You are never at risk,” says Woodland. When comparing Peerflix to online DVD rental companies Netflix and Blockbuster Online, he cites that guarantee: “Peerflix stands behind the trades both ways, the ones you get and the ones you send. No one else can offer such superb service."

Super Traders like Woodland, who usually has more than 2600 DVDs in his personal collection at any one time, represent an elite group within Peerflix of avid DVD viewers whose DVD collections are vast, eclectic and especially dynamic.

The Peerflix system allows users to trade used DVDs across a large, distributed network, keeping their DVD collections dynamic and fresh. Peerflix itself carries no inventory and does not participate in the transaction; it simply matches people and products while optimizing for trade speed, frequency and geography.

The chief drawback with the Peerflix system - or any DVD trading or exchange network - is that you don't get the cover or other printed materials that normally come with DVDs. For most movies, this is not a major hassle at all.

But for collectible sets, it could prove problematic. Then again, chances are you'll probably want to buy it outright  if it's truly a collectible set. That's why they're called  "Collector's Sets."

The chief benefit with Peerflix is that the company has no inventory and therefore has extremely low overhead. And that translates directly to low costs. You'll pay only $0.99 for each trade facilitated through the company.

Since its 2004 launch, Peerflix has been steadily building its customer base and site inventory and today is the top online destination for DVD owners to trade their DVDs online.

They offer free membership for new users and a free DVD upon account activation.

You can check them out online here.

Mickey D's Free DVDs

McDonald’s, which has vigorously defended itself against charges that its products contribute to obesity, will soon offer four excersise DVDs designed to help keep its customers fit.

The new fifteen minute DVDs are free with the purchase of their new "Go Active! Happy Meal for Adults," which will be made available in their restaurants nationwide next Tuesday, April 25th.

The company says it's part of their "Taste First commitment to promoting a balanced, active lifestyle." (We're not sure exactly how committed they are, as the promotion is only scheduled to run four weeks, through May 22nd. And an article in today's NY Times confirms that it's "cheap burgers" - not healthy menu items - that have led to "a remarkable resurgence at McDonald’s.")

The new adult version of the Happy Meal features any "premium" salad, along with bottled water or a soft drink and one of four workout DVDs which will be distributed week-by-week in sequence, "while supplies last."

Shown above is one of the fitness DVDs, the company's new "Asian Salad," a bottle of Dasani water (which, last time we checked, was simply purified tap water) and a color coordinated natural fiber place mat and table cloth, which we're pretty sure you won't be getting at your local Mickey D's.

Suggested retail price for this Adult Happy Meal will be $4.29 (prices and participation may vary).

The DVDs will be exclusive to McDonald’s and have been created by the Yourself!Fitness team of certified trainers. Each DVD will feature "Maya," a virtual personal trainer, who will take you through four customizable 15-minute workouts, including Yoga, Cardio, Core, and Strength.

Bob Greene, Oprah’s personal trainer, exercise physiologist and apparently now McDonald’s own "Balanced, Active Lifestyle Ambassador" is featured in the introduction of all four workout DVDs and in the information booklet which accompanies each DVD.

The information booklet also features a message from Dr. Dean Ornish, one of LIFE magazine’s “50 most influential members of his generation” for his work combating coronary heart diseases and other illnesses and now a consultant with McDonald’s.

(A coronary heart specialist on McDonald's payroll! How on earth does he sleep at night?)

Free DVD... For You, Only $6.85

Hey, it's not every day we get to tell you about a free DVD.

(And today, alas, is no different, kids.)

A joint press release from "David Quiggins Productions" and "Looks to Win Incorporated" (both located in Louisville, Kentucky) hit our desks this morning promising "a full length DVD documentary of Hurricane Katrina... FREE to the public."

"Independent film maker David Quiggins and his crew traveled to some of the most devastated areas known to man. While sleeping in their vehicles from lack of hotel rooms, they spent eight weeks filming the destruction and interviewing the victims. They managed to capture some of the most amazing, yet horrific scenes created by the storm, including footage of the departed and the 911 distress calls."

"This DVD also contains actual storm footage, news footage, personal interviews, a tour of the aftermath, and finally, to lift the spirits of the audience, the DVD shows scenes of the 2006 Mari Gras."

All of which may indeed be true.

But excuse us if we're a wee bit skeptical, as they're asking $6.85 - far more than you'd pay from Amazon or any other online merchant - for "shipping & handling" of your "FREE" DVD. Two or three dollars we'd understand, but nearly seven bucks?

Even if "$1.00 of this amount will be donated to the Winds of Change Organization through Sears Department Stores" as the release says, isn't that still a bit usurious?

Especially since we can't find any information on the companies - or the film - anywhere online.

We're just asking.

[Previously: Five Free DVDs, Shipped at No Charge; Outsmarting Crooks]

Give Pizza A Chance?

The Papa John's Pizza company is partnering with Universal Studios Home Entertainment to offer $3.00 off the much anticipated "King Kong" DVD, in stores next week. And starting now, you can also visit their website to see exclusive sneak peeks of behind-the-scenes "Kong" production diaries.

Oh, they also evidently have a new pizza named after Kong, which I guess is the whole point, or at least their main point. After all, you don't send out a press release to announce a discount on another company's product, unless you've got something to sell yourself.

So, if you need to satisfy a "Kong-sized hunger" you may indeed enjoy their new "Kong-sized specialty pizza." The thirteen dollar pizza will be thirty percent larger than the chain's "large" pizza, but will in fact be much smaller than Kong himself, despite the "Kong-sized" description.

So much for truth in advertising.

The pizza will be delivered with an "instant rebate coupon" good for $3.00 off the "King Kong" DVD, although they're not saying if the coupon can be used to purchase all versions of the hit film ("Kong" will be released in three separate versions) or if it's a store coupon or a mail-in rebate (in which case, I guess, it couldn't really be called "instant").

The pizza goes on sale March 27th, one day before the DVD, but they're actually taking pre-orders for the the damn thing now.

And why not?  Who among us can resist a "Kong-sized specialty pizza" topped with "oversized versions" of "quality pepperoni" and "Italian sausage," especially when it's "covered with 100% real cheese?"

"Tapping into America's love affair with pizza and DVDs is a great way for us to reinforce our "better ingredients, better pizza message," said Jim Ensign, Papa John's Vice President, Marketing Communications in a prepared statement. "This promotion is all about BIG pizza, BIG toppings, BIG taste and BIG entertainment."

Well that may be so, Jim.  But if you really want to send a "better ingredients, better pizza message," you may wish to reconsider naming your product after a BIG hairy scary beast, however beloved he may be by the moviegoing public.

You see, a pepperoni pizza has pepperoni on it and a sausage pizza has sausage on it, so a "Kong" pizza must have some sort of Kong meat on it, no?  I'm sure it's Papa John's quality better Kong meat, what with your emphasis on using only "better ingredients" and all, but it's still Kong meat.

OK, Jim, I know that it probably doesn't really have actual Kong meat on it because A) he's a fictional character, B) it would probably cost a lot more than thirteen dollars and C) I just read the press release and I think it might have mentioned Kong meat somewhere in there if it were true... unless you really buried the lead.

But I'm still thinking a lot about a pizza made with bits and pieces of the savage gorilla.

And I suspect that many of your customers will think the same thing. Especially kids, who may not be as quick to recognize that "Kong-sized" just means "BIG" in Papa John's marketing speak.

Back when David Letterman was still doing a 12:30 show on NBC, the McDonald's hamburger chain introduced a new product called Chicken McNuggets. Dave wondered out loud - and I'm paraphrasing here - "if there were a part of the chicken that could accurately be called the nugget, would you want to eat it?"

Nobody wants to eat a "Kong" pizza, even if it's served with fava beans and washed down with a nice Chianti.

I don't know how they do it down in Louisville, Jim, but here at the DVD Dossier, we tend to shy away from eating our favorite movie stars, even for promotional purposes.

We passed on the Bambi Burgers that were offered up by Disney not long ago and when Dreamworks came by with their Shrek Sausages, we did our best Nancy Reagan impression and just said, "No."

(We will admit, however, to being partial to marzipan in the shape of small pigs from the Elk Candy Company, but that's a whole different story.)

[Previously: Lord of the King (Kong); Kongzilla]

Sony & Amazon Offer UMD Discount

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment and Amazon have teamed up to offer special savings on movies released in the new UMD format for Playstation Portable (PSP).

For a limited time, purchase two eligible UMD/PSP movies and save $12.00.

The offer is only valid on Sony titles, but there are more than 60 already released on UMD including "Spider-Man 2," "Resident Evil," "XXX," "House of Flying Daggers" and "Hellboy."

Enter this promo code at checkout: SPHEUMDFEB67.

You'll find complete details on this offer here.

Blockbuster Makes An Offer You May Not Be Able to Refuse

Hacking Netflix broke the news late last night and it appears to be true; the official confirmation came this afternoon.

Blockbuster Online has doubled the number of free in-store rental coupons given to its subscribers. Effective immediately, subscribers to the online DVD rental service will receive one free in store rental coupon a week, rather than two a month.

The offer applies to new and existing subscribers and will be widely promoted beginning Sunday with a commercial during both the pre- and post-game shows of the Super Bowl broadcast on ABC.

With Blockbuster Online having unlimited rental plans as low as $9.99 (for one DVD out at a time) and with the ability to choose four additional DVDs a month at no extra charge through their retail locations, do they now represent the best overall value in online DVD rental?

What do you think?

Are you already a happy camper with Blockbuster and is this sweetened deal just icing on the cake for you?

If you're not a subscriber, will this be the deal that sets you over the top and gets you to try online rental for the first time or shifts your loyalty away from Netflix to Blockbuster?

Or could they literally give away the store and it wouldn't make one bit of difference?

[Previously: Blockbuster CEO Aims For 2 Million Subs, CSM Looks at Movies by Mail]
[Previously: Slate Slays Blockbuster, Netflix and Blockbuster: Trading Places]

Press Release follows after the jump.

------------------------------

Check prices of new DVD releases at your favorite online merchants:

Amazon l Barnes & Noble l Buy.com l DVD Empire l DVDPlanet l eBay l Half.com l Video Universe l Target l Wal-Mart

------------------------------