20% off books, CDs at Borders this weekend: Continuing their promotions through the "retail wasteland" of January, Borders has released two new 20%-off coupons, one for books and one for CDs, each good off the regular retail price of one item. It is good at Borders through Sunday, January 22^nd. Print them out, then bring them to your local store for the discount; this offer excludes previous purchases, purchase of gift certificates, non-stock special orders and periodicals.

Disney to buy Pixar Animation?: The Wall Street Journal is reporting today that the Walt Disney Co. is in serious talks to buy Pixar Animation Studios Inc. The Journal said the companies are still haggling over a price, and any major moves in Pixar's stock price could disrupt negotiations. The newspaper said the two sides could decide on a less-ambitious plan, including an agreement for Disney to distribute movies that Pixar finances and makes.

30% off books, CDs at Borders this weekend: Two new 30%-off coupons, one for books and one for CDs, are now available, each good off the regular retail price of one item. It is good at Borders through Sunday, January 8^th. Print them out, then bring them to your local store for the discount; this offer excludes previous purchases, purchase of gift certificates, non-stock special orders and periodicals.

Warner Bros. HD Titles: Last night, Warner Brothers Home Video announced their upcoming slate of 24 HD-DVD titles. Among the list, March 28^th will see the release of Batman Begins, Twister and Million Dollar Baby; Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and Unforgiven will bow on April 11^th. Before the end of the year, two tentpole summer releases -- Superman Returns and Poseidon -- will be released in HD-DVD day-and-date with their DVD counterparts. Other titles on the list include Goodfellas and The Matrix (April 25^th), Blazing Saddles (May 9^th), The Green Mile Special Edition (May 16^th), Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The Dukes of Hazzard, Rumor Has It and Syriana. Warners will also support the Blu-ray format, but did not announce specific plans.

2006 HD Titles: At the 2006 Consumer Electronics Show today, several atudios have begun announcing their upcoming HD DVD titles. Sony plans to release (on Blu-ray) 20 titles by the system launch in March, and at least four catalog titles each month thereafter, beginning with XXX, RoboCop, and Stargate: Atlantis (the first announced TV series to be released in the format). Two other titles, Bridge on the River Kwai and Black Hawk Down, will be released on dual-layer (50-GB) discs. Recent theatrical titles, such as Underworld Evolution, will be released day-and-date with their DVD counterparts.

20th Century Fox Home Entertainment will debut five Blu-ray titles (including Ice Age and Fantastic Four) by system launch, and is planning 20 more day-and-date titles by summer.

Lionsgate (recently renamed from the two-word "Lion's Gate") will be releasing Terminator 2 among its ten titles for system launch.

Paramount announced the Mission Impossible trilogy, as well as nine other titles, to be released in both Blu-ray and HD-DVD.

In addition, other known titles to be released in either Blu-ray or HD-DVD (or both) include Universal's King Kong and The Bourne Supremacy; Warner’s Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Batman Begins and Friends; New Line’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy and Se7en; and HBO’s Band of Brothers.

30% off at Borders this weekend: Generally the biggest coupon of the year, a new 30%-off coupon is now available, good off the regular retail price of one item. It is good at Borders through Sunday, December 4^th. Print it out, then bring it to your local store for the discount; this offer excludes previous purchases, purchase of gift certificates, non-stock special orders and periodicals.

Paramount to buy DreamWorks SKG: Paramount Pictures said Sunday it had agreed to buy independent film studio DreamWorks SKG Inc. in a deal worth $1.6 billion in cash and debt. The agreement does not include DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc., the most profitable part of the company (the animated unit went public last year). But Paramount does gain the right to distribute the studio’s lucrative animated films, including the "Shrek” franchise.

Plan 9, MST3K'd (sort of): Legend Films has announced the limited availability of an autographed Collector's Edition of Plan 9 From Outer Space. Each cover of this prerelease is personally autographed by Mystery Science Theater 3000's Mike Nelson; the DVD itself features a MST3K-ish commentary by Mike, as well as never-before-seen Ed Wood home movies, bizarre Ed Wood commercials and the astonishing Plans 1-8. As an extra bonus, also included is a nifty limited edition alien air freshener, "Alien Fresh." The price is $19.95, and may be purchased directly through Legend Films' website.

25% off at Borders this weekend: A new 25%-off coupon is now available, good off the regular retail price of one item. It is good at Borders through Sunday, December 4^th. Print it out, then bring it to your local store for the discount; this offer excludes previous purchases, purchase of gift certificates, non-stock special orders and periodicals.

Event Horizon Special Edition: Paramount has announced April 18^th, 2006, as the release date for the special-edition DVD of the 1997 space horror movie Event Horizon, starring Laurence Fishburne (The Matrix) and Sam Neill (Jurassic Park). MSRP will be $19.99. Director Paul W.S. Anderson (Resident Evil) reportedly cut over 30 minutes from the film in order to achieve an 'R' rating; although the new special-edition DVD is not an "Unrated Director's Cut," several deleted and extended scenes will be included:

• Secrets: Deleted/Extended Scenes:
  • Briefing Scene (2:45)
  • Extended Medical Bay Scene (0:51)
  • Extended Burning Man Confrontation (6:16)
• The Point Of No Return (technical making-of, with commentary by Anderson):
  • The Revolving Corridor (1:50)
  • The Crew Gathers (1:12)
  • Shooting Wire Work (1:34)
  • The Dark Inside (3:26)
• The Unseen Event Horizon:
  • Unfilmed rescue scene (2:53)
  • Conceptual art montage (3:41)

• Into the Jaws Of Darkness (14:53)
• The Body of the Beast (22:45)
• Liberate Tutume Ex Infernis (19:51)
• The Scale to Hell (18:39)
• The Womb of Fear (26:34)

RELAUNCH!: After our unavoidable extended down time, the public VideoTropic site is now officially up again. Thanks for all your e-mail and words of encouragement. Our upcoming releases database has been refreshed with the newest available information, and we will be updating our "When will it be on DVD?" page (for films still in theaters -- the earliest DVD release-dates information available anywhere) before the weekend.

20% off at Borders next week, and 15% the following week: A new 20%-off coupon is now available, good off the regular retail price of one item. It is good at Borders from Monday, October 10^th through Thursday, October 13^th. Print it out, then bring it to your local store for the discount. This offer excludes previous purchases, purchase of gift certificates, non-stock special orders and periodicals. The odd date range for this coupon presages another coupon to be released for the following weekend. In addition to this, there is also a 15%-off coupon available, valid now through Thursday, October 20^th.

Another 30% off at Borders this Labor Day weekend: A new 30%-off coupon is now available, good off the regular retail price of one item. It is good at Borders through Monday, September 5^th. Print it out, then bring it to your local store for the discount. This offer excludes previous purchases, purchase of gift certificates, non-stock special orders and periodicals.

Where to buy this week's big titles: For the blockbusters this week, the best in-store prices are... Sahara: "Low Price" at Best Buy (w/ bonus DVD), Circuit City (w/ three free downloads), and Target. Monster-In-Law: $14.99 at Circuit City and Best Buy, $16.99 at Target. Lilo & Stitch 2 and Ong-Bak Thai Warrior: $19.99 everywhere (Lilo includes $5 in Reward Zone certificates at Best Buy). We will update this list as necessary.

25% off at Borders this weekend: A new 25%-off coupon is now available, good off the regular retail price of one DVD or CD. It is good at Borders and Waldenbooks through Sunday, August 28^th. Print it out, then bring it to your local store for the discount. This offer excludes previous purchases, purchase of gift certificates, and non-stock special orders.

Coal Miner's Daughter on September 13^th: Universal Studios Home Entertainment has announced details on the upcoming 25^th anniversary special edition of Coal Miner's Daughter. New to this edition are:

• Feature Commentary with Sissy Spacek and Director Michael Apted;
• Tommy Lee Jones Remembers Coal Miner's Daughter;
• An Exclusive Interview with Loretta Lynn and Director Michael Apted;
• George H.W. Bush Salutes AFI and Coal Miner's Daughter.

Another 30% off at Borders this weekend: A new 30%-off coupon is now available, good off the regular retail price of one book, DVD or CD. It is good at Borders and Waldenbooks through Sunday, July 24^th. Print it out, then bring it to your local store for the discount. This offer excludes previous purchases, purchase of gift certificates, non-stock special orders and periodicals.

We're Back!: We pause to thank Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince for defeating He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named, who has prevented the updating of the Videotropic home page for several weeks. All of our databases have been brought up to date, and as a special bonus we get to announce November 8^th as the DVD release date for a certain movie, the third prequel to a far superior trilogy. For other about-to-become-official dates, check out our "When is that new movie coming to DVD" listings. Yes, Fantastic Four is there, too.

When is that new movie coming to DVD? Fantastic Four, out theatrically this week, will be released on DVD in December in a 2-DVD set. November, as usual, is the big month for DVD blockbusters; look for Star Wars Episode III, War Of The Worlds, Batman Begins, Cinderella Man, Miyazuki's Howl's Moving Castle, Madagascar, and a few upcoming summer releases to have street dates this month. George Romero's Land Of The Dead, House of Wax and Bewitched will be out by Halloween (naturally), along with Nicole Kidman's other film, The Interpreter; also expect to see Ridley Scott's Kingdom of Heaven. DVDs to hit the streets in September include Disney's Robots, Hitchhiker's Guide, and a slew of B-level theatricals.

This VideoTropic feature is your electronic bug in the conference rooms of the studios, where we let you in on what release dates the studios are planning for those big movies still in the theaters -- usually months before an official studio announcement. For the complete list of when current theatrical features are expected on DVD -- before they're officially announced, and before you'll hear about it anywhere else -- click here.

Rhino replacing MST3K disc: Following up reports that Disc 4 of the Mystery Science Theater Collection 7 set ("Killer Shrews") is missing about a minute following the movie titles, Rhino has confirmed a mastering error and is offering to replace the disc at no charge. Send an mail to drrhino@rhino.com requesting a replacement for disc 4 of Volume 7, and include your name and mailing address. Rhino will ship the replacement discs as soon as they are ready.

Harry Potter IV on November 18: Dan Fellman, president of Domestic Distribution at Warner Bros. Pictures Warner Bros., announced today that the fourth film in the Harry Potter series, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, will be released simultaneously to both conventional theaters and in the big-screen IMAX format on Nov. 18^th. This marks the ninth such agreement between Imax and Warner Bros. Pictures; upcoming Warners summer event films Batman Begins and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory will also be released simultaneously in IMAX and conventional theaters.

30% off at Borders this weekend: In addition to the 10%-off sale prices coupon good until the end of this month, a new 30%-off-one-book coupon is now available. It is good at Borders and Waldenbooks through Sunday, May 1^st. Print it out, then bring it to your local store for the discount. This offer excludes previous purchases, purchase of gift certificates, non-stock special orders and periodicals.

Warners to release a restored King Kong: In conjunction with the Peter Jackson King Kong remake, Warners is restoring the 1933 original for an as-yet undated theatrical re-release and subsequent 2-DVD (or possibly 3-DVD) home release. Although the original negative was destroyed decades ago, Warners has gathered what are believed to be the best elements still existing, and has teamed with Hewlett Packard in a massive restoration project; those of you with the groundbreaking Criterion laserdisc should hold onto it, though, until further details emerge from the two camps.

Dune extended a little further: Universal Home Video has announced that the "Extended Edition" of Dune has been postponed. Originally scheduled to street on May 10^th, a new release date has not yet been determined.

When is that new movie coming to DVD? Robots has been positioned for Thanksgiving, with an expected November street date and a likely 2-DVD set. With the Winter Olympics in Torino not until next February and therefore too late for the normal Disney live-action film-to-DVD window, Disney will be releasing Ice Princess to DVD in September (and saving November for what -- Herbie: Fully Loaded?). August, a dead month for home entertainment, will see Bruce Willis' Hostage, Sandra Bullock's comeback vehicle Miss Congeniality 2, and James Cameron's Aliens Of The Deep (neatly combining the titles of two of his hits). July will be horror month, with DVD releases of The Ring 2, Cursed, The Jacket, and -- most frightening of all -- Vin Diesel's The Pacifier.

This VideoTropic feature is your electronic bug in the conference rooms of the studios, where we let you in on what release dates the studios are planning for those big movies still in the theaters -- usually months before an official studio announcement. For the complete list of when current theatrical features are expected on DVD -- before they're officially announced, and before you'll hear about it anywhere else -- click here.

Schrader's Exorcist to be released: Morgan Creek and Warner Brothers have agreed to release Paul Schrader's Warners-rejected and still publically-unseen version of Exorcist: The Beginning in May. The $35 million film was completed in 2003, but was rejected by the studio and the film's backers -- who then offered another $35 million to Renny Harlin to rewrite and reshoot the movie (it was Harlin's version that was eventually released and is now on DVD).

Titanic Special Editions in October: The long-awaited special-edition DVDs of James Cameron's 11-Oscar-winning Titanic will be released in October by Paramount. Two editions are planned: a two-DVD set which will include a commentary and some other featuresa, and a 4-DVD set to include hours of additional featurettes, documentaries and special additions. The film will include 58 minutes of additional footage, available from the main film via a branching mechanism. And yes, at long last -- they will be anamorphic.

MST3K Volume 7 Update: Rhino Home Video has confirmed for us the episodes to be included in the 4-DVD Mystery Science Theater Collection Volume 7 set, due on April 17^th:

• The Killer Shrews (from Joel's season 4, plus the featurette Junior Rodeo Daredevils -- "And the crowd goes wild!");
• Hercules Unchained (season 4, with Mike Nelson as Steve Reeves during one of the bits);
• Hercules Against the Moon Men; and
• Prince Of Space (a Mike episode from season 8)

One more 25% off at Borders: In addition to the 10%-off sale prices coupon good until the end of February (Note: on March 1^st its expiration date will change to 3/31), a new 25%-off-one-book coupon is now available. It is good at Borders and Waldenbooks through Thursday, February 10^th. Print it out, then bring it to your local store for the discount. This offer may be used once per day, in theory.

MST3K Volume 7: Rhino Home Video has confirmed an April street date for the 4-DVD Mystery Science Theater Collection Volume 7, although has not yet announced the specific episodes to be included. Also due in April (4/1) is Pop Ink's book Happy Kitty, Bunny, Pony: A Saccharine Mouthful of Super Cute, with text by MST3K's Mike Nelson; it is likely, then, that the Rhino DVD set will be released on the following Tuesday (4/5).

When is that new movie coming to DVD? With the flurry of nominations for award season, the studios have begun their repositioning of projected release dates; the general rule of thumb is that films with significant nominations get moved up to take advantage of publicity, while movies failing to earn noms get pushed back. Million Dollar Baby will be released sometime in May (an unusually short theater-to-video window). May will also see National Treasure (5/3), along with Team America, the Bobby Darin biopic Beyond the Sea, the Razzie-nominated Alexander and the fanboy-dream Elektra. The Aviator and Hotel Rwanda have been moved up to April, a month that will also see Lemony Snicket, The Life Aquatic, Meet The Fockers, House Of Flying Daggers (4/19) and Blade: Trinity (4/26). Seven-Oscar nominee Finding Neverland has been set for 3/22.  As an indication of how poorly Christmas With The Kranks is expected to do, note that it will be released on 3/8 rather than the traditional Christmas-movie month of November.

This VideoTropic feature is your electronic bug in the conference rooms of the studios, where we let you in on what release dates the studios are planning for those big movies still in the theaters -- usually months before an official studio announcement. For the complete list of when current theatrical features are expected on DVD -- before they're officially announced, and before you'll hear about it anywhere else -- click here.

Another 25% off at Borders: In addition to the 10%-off sale prices coupon good until the end of this month, a new 25%-off-one-item coupon is now available. It is good at Borders and Waldenbooks through Sunday, January 23^th. Print it out, then bring it to your local store for the discount. The discount this time around is 10% 10% on videogames and electronics; on DVDs, the discount is 25% at Borders, 10% at Waldenbooks. This offer excludes previous purchases, purchase of gift certificates, non-stock special orders and periodicals.

Movie Gallery Buys Hollywood Video: And then there were two: Ending a competition between Movie Gallery and Blockbuster for the takeover of the number two video chain, Movie Gallery announced today an $850 million acquisition of Hollywood Video. The definitive agreement must still be voted upon by stockholders.

Borders 10%-off update: The 10%-off-your-total-purchase coupon mentioned here two weeks ago has had its expiration date extended; it is now valid through the end of January, 2005. As a reminder, unlike the typical 15%-25% coupons that Borders issues, this coupon is valid on top of sale prices.

When is that new movie coming to DVD? Not surprisingly, the year's two non-embarrassing Christmas movies -- The Polar Express and Christmas With The Kranks (based on John Grisham's "Skipping Christmas") -- will be released next November. As for the rest: look for Blade: Trinity, The Incredibles, Series of Unfortunate Events and Spanglish to be released on DVD next May. Alexander will be out in April (it would be appropriate to be out on April Fools' Day), as will House of Flying Daggers, the Bobby Darin biopic Beyond The Sea, and Team America: World Police. National Treasure should be out in March (compare this 5-month release to its spiritual mentor, The Da Vinci Code -- over a year with no sign of a paperback release). March will also see DVD releases of Finding Neverland and the SpongeBob movie.

This VideoTropic feature is your electronic bug in the conference rooms of the studios, where we let you in on what release dates the studios are planning for those big movies still in the theaters -- usually months before an official studio announcement. For the complete list of when current theatrical features are expected on DVD -- before they're officially announced, and before you'll hear about it anywhere else -- click here.

Chappelle Season 2 delayed: Paramount has announced that the Season 2 Chappelle's Show box set, originally scheduled for February 8, is being delayed. The release was set to coincide with Comedy Central's premiere of Season 3, but the show has run into production delays and its premiere air date has been postponed. We will announce the new DVD release date as soon as it can be confirmed.

10% off at Borders: The new 10%-off-your-total-purchase coupon is combinable with sale prices and promotions (except other coupons). It is good at Borders through the end of the year (Friday, December 31^st). Print it out, then bring it to your local store for the discount. This offer excludes previous purchases, purchase of gift certificates, non-stock special orders and periodicals.

10% off at Best Buy: There is a new in-store coupon good for 10% off most items at Best Buy, valid through Sunday, December 19^th. Click here to open the coupon in a new browser window, then print it out. Limit, in theory, anyway, is one offer per coupon per household.

Where to buy this week's big titles: For the blockbusters this week, and there are quite a few of them, the best in-store prices are... Lord Of The Rings: Return Of The King Extended Edition: $22.99 at Best Buy ($22.99 at Coconuts after a $7 mail-in rebate), $24.99 at Target and Circuit City. ROTK Gift Set: $49.99 at Best Buy and Circuit City. I, Robot: $14.99 at Best Buy, Circuit City and CompUSA, $15.99 at Target. Top Gun: $12.99 at Coconuts, $14.99 at Best Buy w/ bonus disk. Collateral: $14.99 at CompUSA and Circuit City, $15.99 at Best Buy and Target. Princess Diaries 2: $14.99 at CompUSA, $15.99 at Target, $17.99 at Best Buy and Circuit City. We will update this list as necessary.

25% off at Borders: This week's new 25%-off-one-item coupon will be the biggest-discount Borders coupon of the shopping season. It is good at Borders through Monday, December 13^th. Print it out, then bring it to your local store for the discount. The discount this time around is 20% on DVDs, and 10% on videogames and electronics. This offer excludes previous purchases, purchase of gift certificates, non-stock special orders and periodicals.

20% off at Borders: These coupons should be coming weekly until the end of the shopping season. This week's new 15%-off-one-item coupon is now available, good at Borders through Monday, December 6^th. Print it out, then bring it to your local store for the discount. The discount is valid only on regularly-priced items including DVDs, and the discount for videogames and electronics is 10%. This offer excludes previous purchases, purchase of gift certificates, non-stock special orders and periodicals.

Where to buy this week's big titles: For the blockbusters this week, the best in-store prices are... Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban: $12.99 at CompUSA, $14.99 at Target, $15.99 at Best Buy and Circuit City, $18.99 at CostCo. The Terminal: $15.99 at Target, $17.99 at Circuit City and Target, $18.29 at CostCo. The Terminal 3-Disc Gift Set: $24.99 at CostCo, $29.99 at Best Buy, $34.99 at Circuit City. Seinfeld: Gift Set $69.99 at CompUSA, $75.99 at CostCo, $79.99 at Best Buy, $89.99 at Circuit City; Seasons 1-2 and Season 3: $31.29 each at CostCo, $39.99 at Circuit City and Best Buy. We will update this list as necessary.

20% off at Borders: These coupons should be coming weekly until the end of the shopping season. This week's new 20%-off-one-item coupon is now available, good at Borders through Sunday, November 22^nd. Print it out, then bring it to your local store for the discount. The discount is valid only on regularly-priced items including DVDs, and the discount for videogames and electronics is 10%. This offer excludes previous purchases, purchase of gift certificates, non-stock special orders and periodicals.

Sale at DeepDiscountDVD: DeepDiscountDVD is offering 20% off all in-stock DVDs through November 20^th (sale does not include preorders or video games). All sale prices include free shipping. Use the coupon code "SUPERSALE" at checkout.

Where to buy this week's big titles: For the relative paucity of blockbusters this week, the best in-store prices are... Elf: $14.99 at Toys R Us, $15.99 everywhere else. Chronicles of Riddick: $15.99 at Target, $16.99 at Best Buy, $19.99 at Target. Aqua Teen Hunger Force Vol. 3: $21.99 at Best Buy, $22.99 at Target, $24.99 at Target. We will update this list as necessary.

20% off at Borders: A new 20%-off-one-item coupon is now available, good at Borders, Waldenbooks and Brentanos, valid through Sunday, November 7^th. Print it out, then bring it to your local store for the discount. The discount is valid only on regularly-priced items including DVDs, and the discount for videogames and electronics is 10%. This offer excludes previous purchases, purchase of gift certificates, non-stock special orders and periodicals, and -- for the first time -- the coupon states "One coupon per purchase, per day," although actual permitted frequency is left up to the individual store.

Where to buy this week's big titles: For the blockbusters this week, the best in-store prices are... Shrek 2 (Friday release): $15.99 everywhere (Best Buy includes bonus "Green Room VIP Pass" disc). Around the World in 80 Days: $17.99 at Circuit City, $18.49 at Costco, $19.99 at Best Buy and Target. Pirates of the Caribbean 3-Disc Set: $18.99 at Costco, $19.99 at Best Buy, $22.99 at Circuit City. Ali G: $19.99 everywhere. Loony Tunes Vol. 2: $49.99 everywhere. Star Trek: TOS Season 2: $84.99 at Costco online, $114.99 at Costco stores (!), $99.99 everywhere else. Dr. Strangelove 40th Anniversary Edition: sadly, not advertised anywhere. We will update this list as necessary.

Notice to our customers and visitors: The VideoTropic domain experienced an unauthorized rerouting late last week, resulting in the inability of many of our visitors to reach us. Our data security protocols remained solidly in place, however, and our customers' proprietary information was not compromised. We apologize for the interruption in service, and are investigating the event to determine the root cause and to prevent a similar hijacking from taking place in the future. To ensure continuity we will be resending all e-mail that had been scheduled since Saturday, October 9^th; similarly, if you attempted to contact us via e-mail since that day, please resend it and -- if requested -- we will respond ASAP.

20% off at Borders: A new 20%-off-one-item Borders coupon is now available, valid through Monday, October 4^th. Print it out, then bring it to your local store for the discount. The discount is valid only on regularly-priced items including DVDs, and the discount for videogames and electronics is 10%. This offer excludes previous purchases, purchase of gift certificates, non-stock special orders and periodicals.

Second Miramax layoff: Walt Disney Co.'s Miramax Film Corp. has announced the layoff of an additional 55 workers. Added to the 65 let go in June, this represents a trimming of 25% within the past three months; the workforce will now number 365 employees, similar to the levels of October 2001, before the studio began expanding its slate. Despite the impressive roster of films such as Pulp Fiction, Kill Bill and the Spy Kids franchise, Disney has stressed that -- including the Weinsteins' compensation -- Miramax is not consistently profitable (as if the recent Disney slate is).

Amazon offering additional 1.57% discount: If you sign into Amazon.com, then -- while you're signed in (your name should appear in the upper-right corner) -- jump over to Amazon's new search engine A9 and perform a search, your Amazon purchase will be discounted by 1.57% at checkout. This unadvertised discount is being offered by Amazon in order to drive traffic to its new search engine.

When is that new movie coming to DVD? New for this update, The Notebook has been pushed back again, this time to February '05. Although the studios have not yet announced official dates, look for January DVD releases of Cellular and (shudder) Superbabies: Baby Geniuses 2; late December is being eyed for the DVD release of Resident Evil: Apocalypse. Official dates have also been announced this week for Anacondas: Hunt For The Blood Orchid (12/4), Dodgeball (12/7), I, Robot (12/14), The Manchurian Candidate (12/21), and the indie-style sleepers Napoleon Dynamite (12/21) and Garden State (12/28). These last two will receive surprisingly large market pushes by Paramount.

This VideoTropic feature is your electronic bug in the conference rooms of the studios, where we let you in on what release dates the studios are planning for those big movies still in the theaters -- usually months before an official studio announcement. For the complete list of when current theatrical features are expected on DVD -- before they're officially announced, and before you'll hear about it anywhere else -- click here.

Packages going out: VSDA Conference information packets are going out today to our B2B customers.

VideoTropic at the VSDA Show: WideoTropic will be at the VSDA Conference (formerly the East Coast Video Show) in Baltimore today. We hope to see many of you there.

VideoTropic exclusive: We here at VideoTropic are proud to announce that we are the only online news source to not invoke the song title "Oops, I Did It Again" in reference to Britney Spears' second marriage.

Where to buy this week's big titles: For the blockbusters this week, the best in-store prices are... The Star Wars Trilogy: $39.99 at CompUSA, $42.99 at Best Buy (with a free "Star Wars Insider" magazine), $43.49 at CostCo, $44.99 at Target and Circuit City. Mean Girls: $15.99 at Best Buy (with a free "Burn Book"), $17.99 at Circuit City, $19.99 at Target. Mr. Show, Season 4: $27.99 at Best Buy, $29.99 at Circuit City. MadTV, Season 1: $29.99 everywhere. We will update this list as necessary.

When is that new movie coming to DVD? New for this update, the comparatively quiet release month of January will see Alien vs. Predator, the remake of The Manchurian Candidate, Wicker Park, Without a Paddle, Suspect Zero, and Troy (with a release date of January 4^th). Although the studios have not yet announced official dates, look for December DVD releases of Exorcist: The Beginning (with Warner likely to include Paul Shrader's much-debated completed-but-unreleased version as a separate title and with the theatrical Renny Harlin version as part of an Exorcist collector's set), I Robot, Harold and Kumar..., Collateral, Anchorman, and the indie Napoleon Dynamite.

This VideoTropic feature is your electronic bug in the conference rooms of the studios, where we let you in on what release dates the studios are planning for those big movies still in the theaters -- usually months before an official studio announcement. For the complete list of when current theatrical features are expected on DVD -- before they're officially announced, and before you'll hear about it anywhere else -- click here.

Where to buy this week's big titles: For the blockbusters this week, the best in-store prices are... THX 1138: 2-Disk Special Edtion: $19.98 at Best Buy and Circuit City. Seventh Heaven, Season 1: $49.99 everywhere. Everybody Loves Raymond, Season 1: $29.99 at Best Buy, $34.99 at Circuit City and Target. Survivor All-Stars: $34.99 at Target, $37.99 at Best Buy. Home On The Range: $17.99 at Best Buy and Circuit City, $19.99 at Target. We will update this list as necessary.

Sony buys MGM: For the third time, investor Kirk Kerkorian has sold MGM -- this time to Sony (with help from Comcast), who has agreed to pay $12 a share. Sony will likely shut down MGM's current production slate, with the possible exception of the "James Bond" franchise -- which, with its 21^st installment due to start filming early next year, is barely a a live franchise. The Bond franchise will be negotiated under a separate deal with the Broccoli family, but future Bond films (if any) would be handled by Sony releasing under the MGM name. MGM itself has eight films planned for 2005 releases, including the Bond film, the Get Shorty sequel Be Cool, a remake of The Amityville Horror, Barbershop spinoff Beauty Shop with Queen Latifah, Into the Blue, and the return of The Pink Panther with Steve Martin; United Artists is planning four films.

Frank Thomas dies: There has been another loss in Walt Disney's "Nine Old Men" family. Frank Thomas, a frequent collaborator with Ollie Johnston, was the animator for many of Disney's classic sequences, including Mary Poppins' dancing penguins, the spaghetti sequence of Lady And The Tramp, and the "I've Got No Strings" musical number from Pinocchio. He was also lead animator for the title character, as well as for Cinderella's wicked stepmother, the Queen of Hearts in Alice in Wonderland, and Captain Hook in Peter Pan. With Disney since 1934, Thomas was part of the team that created Snow White, the first animated feature; he and Johnston both retired in 1978 and went on to author several influential books on animation, including "Disney Animation: The Illusion of Life" and "The Disney Villain."

Star Trek: Generations recalled: A bulletin has been sent out to retailers from Paramount Home Entertainment to inform them of a recall of the 2-disc Star Trek: Generations Collector's Edition, and a delay of the street date (originally September 7^th). The recall is due to a discrepancy between the disc contents and the packaging, which inadvertently notes a teaser and theatrical trailer that are not on the DVD. A new street date has not yet been announced.

Where to buy this week's big titles, including the Holy Snuff Film: The best in-store prices are... The Passion Of The Christ: $14.99 at Circuit City and CompUSA, $15.99 elsewhere (except, oddly, $19.49 at Costco). Star Trek TOS, Season 1: $81.99 at Costco, $99.99 at Circuit City and Target, $106.99 at Best Buy. Lion King 2: $17.99 at Best Buy and Circuit City, $18.49 at Costco, $19.99 at Target. Rocky & Bullwinkle, Season 2: $23.99 at Costco, $24.99 at Target, $29.99 at Best Buy (with free three 20-oz. Cokes). Twisted: $17.79 at Costco, $19.99 elsewhere. Videodrome (Criterion): Sadly, not on sale anywhere. We will update this list as necessary.

Update on Mystery Science Theater 3000 Collection 6: Rhino has announced a delay on this title. Previously set to street on September 21^st, the collection has been delayed and will now street on October 5^th.

Where to buy this week's big titles: This is a big week for DVD releases, especially box sets. For the blockbusters this week, the best in-store prices are... Futurama Vol. 4: $31.99 at Costco, $32.99 at Best Buy, $35.99 at Target, $39.99 at Circuit City. Night Gallery, Season 1: $43.99 at Best Buy, $34.99 at Circuit City. The Apprentice, Season 1: $34.99 everywhere. The Girl Next Door: $17.99 everywhere (free Maxim DVD with purchase at Best Buy). Ella Enchanted: $15.99 at Target, $17.49 at Costco, $17.99 at Circuit City, $19.99 at Best Buy. Purple Rain: $14.99 at Best Buy, $17.99 at Circuit City. We will update this list as necessary.

15% off at Borders: A new 15%-off-your-total-purchase Borders coupon is now available, valid through Friday, September 3^rd. The 15% discount is also applicable to DVDs. Print it out, then bring it to your local store for the discount. The discount is also valid on sale items (discount is taken on the sale price), and the discount for video games and electronics is 10%. This offer excludes previous purchases, purchase of gift certificates, non-stock special orders and periodicals.

We're back: And there's lots of catching up to do. If you have e-mailed us with an RFI, we are replying in the order of receipt, and we hope to have all responses out by the end of day on Wednesday.

Borders 20% update: Besides the original coupon (mentioned here on August 4^th), good for 20% an entire order but 10% on DVDs through this coming Monday, another coupon is available: click here for a coupon good for 20% off one item, including DVDs. The coupon is valid for the same dates as the original: Friday, August 6^th through Monday, August 9^th.

Update on Universal's Monster Legacy Wave 2: Sadly, no, there will not be 3-D versions of the Creature films; on the plus side, to make up for the comparatively short Creature series, there will be feature-length commentaries for all three on that collection. Universal has just released official specs of the Wave 2 special features, as follows:

• The Mummy Collection: Mummy Dearest: A Horror Tradition Unearthed featurette; and for The Mummy, a feature-length commentary with film historian Paul M. Jensen, archives, and theatrical trailer.
• The Invisible Man Collection: Now You See Him: The Invisible Man Revealed featurette; and for The Invisible Man, feature-length commentary with film historian Rudy Behlmer, and production photographs.
• The Creature From the Black Lagoon Collection: Back To The Black Lagoon featurette, and theatrical trailers for all three films; for Creature.., feature-length commentary with film historian Tom Weaver, and production photographs; for Revenge.., feature-length commentary with actress Lori Nelson and film historians Tom Weaver and Bob Burns; and for Walks.., feature-length commentary with film historians Tom Weaver and Bob Burns.

Universal's Monster Legacy Wave 2: On October 19^th, to coincide with the DVD release of Van Helsing, Universal will be releasing Wave 2 of their Monster Legacy collections. With an MSRP of $29.98 each, the titles this time around are:

• The Mummy Collection, featuring:
  • The Mummy (1932)
  • The Mummy's Hand (1940)
  • The Mummy's Tomb (1942)
  • The Mummy's Ghost (1944)
  • The Mummy's Curse (1944)
• The Invisible Man Collection, featuring:
  • The Invisible Man (1933)
  • The Invisible Man Returns (1940)
  • The Invisible Woman (1941)
  • The Invisible Agent (1942)
  • The Invisible Man's Revenge (1944)
• The Creature From the Black Lagoon Collection, featuring:
  • The Creature From the Black Lagoon (1954)
  • The Revenge of the Creature (1955)
  • The Creature Walks Among Us (1956)

20% off at Borders: A new 20%-off-your-total-purchase Borders coupon is now available, valid Friday, August 6^th through Monday, August 9^th. Print it out, then bring it to your local store for the discount. The discount is valid only on regularly-priced items, and the discount for DVDs and electronics is 10%. This offer excludes previous purchases, purchase of gift certificates, non-stock special orders and periodicals.

Mystery Science Theater 3000 Collection 6, and more: Big news for fans of MST3K's Comedy Central years: on August 31^st, Rhino is releasing a 2-disc set, Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Essentials, Vol. 1, containing the official fan club's two highest-rated movies: Santa Claus Conquers The Martians (with Pia Zadora) and the previously released Manos: Hands Of Fate (with Torgo), as well as outtakes and the also-previously-released "Poopie Reel." MSRP is $24.95 (the lowest online price is $17,47, from Amazon). And on September 21^st, Rhino will be releasing the 4-disc MST3K Collection Volume 6, featuring:

• Gunslinger (from Season 5)
• Teeneagers From Outer Space (Season 4)
• Attack Of The Giant Leeches (with the short "Undersea Kingdom Part 1") (Season 4)
• "Mr. B's Lost Shorts??!!"

• "Mr. B Natural" (from War Of The Colossol Beast);
• "X Marks The Spot" (from King Dinosaur);
• "Hired! Part 1" (from Bride Of The Monster);
• "Design for Dreaming" (from 12 To The Moon);
• "Johnny At The Fair" (from The Rebel Set); and
• "Are You Ready for Marriage?" (from Racket Girls)

More Walt Disney Treasures: The next wave of the limited-edition tin-cased 2-DVD Walt Disney Treasure sets will be released on December 7^th, and are now available for preorder on Amazon. The three titles will be: Mickey Mouse in Black & White, Vol. 2; The Complete Pluto, Vol. 1; and The Mickey Mouse Club. MSRP, as before, will be $32.99 each; Amazon's preorder price is currently $23.09. Details of the disc contents will be posted as soon as we get the official specs.

Where to buy this week's big titles: For the blockbusters this week, the best in-store prices are... Hellboy: $15.99 everywhere. Showgirls (VIP Edition): $24.99 at Circuit City, $29.99 at Best Buy. Sledge Hammer, Season 1: $24.99 at Circuit City, $25.99 at Best Buy. We will update this list as necessary.

: Warner Home Video has announced the DVD release of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban for November 23^rd, with an MSRP of $22.95. Among the supplements for the disc will be an interview with book series author J.K. Rowling.

$5-off-$30 at Buy.com: Click here for a $5-off-$30 coupon for the books, music and movies store at Buy.com, valid until midnight (PDT) this coming Sunday, July 25^th.

Where to buy this week's big titles: For the blockbusters this week, the best in-store prices are... Starsky & Hutch: $15.99 at Best Buy and Target, $16.99 at Circuit City. Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights: $17.99 at Circuit City, $26.99 at Target, $19.99 at Best Buy (as a 2-pack with the 2-DVD edition of Dirty Dancing 1: $25.98 at Circuit City, $25 at Best Buy). Confessions Of A Teenage Drama Queen: $17.99 everywhere. The Human Stain: $19.99 at Target and Best Buy. We will update this list as necessary.

MGM to release 12 new-to-DVD horror films exclusively to Best Buy: Twelve never-on-DVD horror titles from MGM, under its "Midnite Movies" double-feature line, will be sold exclusively at Best Buy beginning Aug. 24. The titles are:

• The Return of Count Yorga
• Madhouse
• The Incredible Two-Headed Transplant
• The Land That Time Forgot
• The Ghost of Dragstrip Hollow
• Ghost and the Invisible Bikini
• Wild in the Streets
• Gas-s-s-s
• Invasion of the Star Creatures
• Invasion of the Bee Girls
• Hells Belles
• Tentacles

When is that new movie coming to DVD? Due to the timespan since the last update, there are an unusual number of new-to-this-list titles. Many of the titles that we've gotten the most requests about will be released in November, and most have actually received official release dates (unusual this far in advance). The month will start out with Shrek 2 (11/5), two weeks later (11/23) the family-oriented Harry Potter 3 and Spielberg's adult-aimed drama The Terminal will hit the streets (two big titles, but different audiences -- so they won't compete with each other), and the following week will bring Spider-Man 2 (11/30). The day-in-the-title quadrilogy Around The World In 80 Days, The Day After Tomorrow, Dawn Of The Dead and Fahrenheit 9/11 will be hitting video shelves in October.

This VideoTropic feature is your electronic bug in the conference rooms of the studios, where we let you in on what release dates the studios are planning for those big movies still in the theaters -- usually months before an official studio announcement. For the complete list of when current theatrical features are expected on DVD -- before they're officially announced, and before you'll hear about it anywhere else -- click here.

Where to buy this week's big titles: It's another week with no A-list titles, but nevertheless: The Manchurian Candidate: $9.99 at Best Buy. Never Die Alone: $19.99 everywhere. The Bourne Identity (with free MovieCash ticket to The Bourne Supremacy): $17.99 at Best Buy, $19.99 at Circuit City. The Barbarian Invasions: $19.99 at Best Buy. We will update this list as necessary.

Universal announces major push into the TV Season Box Set market: Universal has announced its long-awaited committment to the TV-on-DVD market, with the release of several Season One box sets ($60 MSRP each unless noted otherwise):

• The Apprentice (8/24)
• Knight Rider (8/3)
• Sliders (Seasons 1-2) ($90, 8/3)
• The Munsters (8/24)
• Night Gallery (8/24)
• Magnum, P.I. (9/7)
• Columbo (9/7)
• Dream On (Seasons 1-2) (10/12)
• Amazing Stories (11/2)
• Buck Rogers (11/16)

• Alfred Hitchcock Presents
• The Bionic Woman
• Traffic
• The New Battlestar: Galactica
• Law & Order: The Fourteenth Year (9/14)
• Law & Order SVU: The Fifth Year (9/14)
• Law & Order CI: The Third Year (9/14)
• Miami Vice
• Las Vegas
• American Dreams: Season One Extended Music Edition

Back from vacation: VideoTropic is back from our annual shut-down, and as always our priority will be to reply to all interim e-mails from our corporate and public visitors.

Where to buy this week's big titles: Well, there are no real "big" titles this week, but... Bad Santa: $15.99 at Circuit City, Target and Best Buy (with Armageddon for an extra $5 at Best Buy). Secret Window: also $15.99 at Circuit City and Target, $16.99 at Best Buy (this time with Once Upon A Time In Mexico for an additional $6.99). Reno 911!: $16.99 at Best Buy, $19.99 at Circuit City and Target. We will update this list as necessary.

Another 25% off at Borders: Two new short-dated 25%-off-one-item Borders coupons are available, one for books and one for CDs, are now available, valid through June 14^th. Print either or both of them out, then bring them to your local store for the discount. Remember that while each coupon is good on only one item, nothing prevents you from printing more than one of each coupon. As usual, this offer excludes previous purchases, purchase of gift certificates, non-stock special orders and periodicals, and -- alas -- DVDs.

Night Gallery do be released, poorly: Universal will be releasing a long awaited "first-season " box set of Rod Serling's Night Gallery on August 24^th, in a bare-bones no-extras package with a MSRP of $59.98. As of this writing, it is unclear what episodes will be included; Universal claims "20 episodes including the pilot," but beyond the 2-hour TV movie and a pilot, the series' actual first season (12/16/70-1/20/71) was a limited run of only six episodes, and the second season (9/15/71-3/22/72) was 29 episodes long. More disturbingly, Universal has opted out of a remastering of the series, despite its long refusal to release the series without remastering (and several times, refusing the offers of outside entities such as Image and director Guillermo del Toro to pay for remastering and distribution costs in exchange for the rights to release the series). Instead, Universal will be using an inferior 1991 mastering of the series that sported a weak image, uneven soundtrack, splices, and missing scenes. A petition is available at www.petitiononline.com/ng1969/petition.html; we urge all VideoTropic visitors to add their names to the list and request of Universal a proper showing of this memorable, semi-classic TV series.

25% off at Borders: An unusually generous, unusually short-dated new 25%-off-one-item Borders coupon is now available, valid through June 6^th. Print it out, then bring it to your local store for the discount, and remember that while the coupon is good on only one item, nothing prevents you from printing more than one coupon. This offer excludes previous purchases, purchase of gift certificates, non-stock special orders and periodicals.

Where to buy LOTR and the rest of this week's big titles: Target is offering Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King for $14.99, while Best Buy, Circuit City and most other competitive chains will have it for $15.99 (Best Buy throws in a free "commemorative" Entertainment Weekly magazine). The 2-DVD edition of Underworld: $21.99 at Circuit City, $23.99 at Best Buy. Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 6: $39.99 at CostCo, $45.99 at Best Buy, Target, and Circuit City. Club Dread and Welcome To Mooseport: $19.99 everywhere. Northern Exposure Season One Parka Pack: $34.99 at Circuit City and CostCo, $39.99 at Best Buy and Target. We will update this list as necessary.

Server change: In an effort to minimize the database and connection issues that some VideoTropic visitors have been reporting recently, this week we will be upgrading our hosting servers to a more stable configuration. We have been working behind the scenes to make this as seamless as possible, but due to the vagaries of the network changeover it is possible that you may see a brief outage before the new arrangement is complete. VideoTropic appreciates your patience.

When is that new movie coming to DVD? Troy and Van Helsing will be hitting video shelves in October (in the case of the disappointing Van Helsing, which should have been released sooner, the DVD is being held off to October solely in order to position it with Halloween). 13 Going On 30 and Ben Stiller's Envy will be released during August, as comedies on video typically do well in the last weeks of summer; expect at least one to be released the same week as Kill Bill Volume 2 (8/10), a big release that targets a different audience. Official dates have also been announced for Hidalgo (8/3) and Mel Gibson's Passion (8/31).

This VideoTropic feature is your electronic bug in the conference rooms of the studios, where we let you in on what release dates the studios are planning for those big movies still in the theaters -- usually months before an official studio announcement. For the complete list of when current theatrical features are expected on DVD -- before they're officially announced, and before you'll hear about it anywhere else -- click here.

Where to buy this week's big titles: Many of the big releases this week are priced identically at Circuit City, Best Buy and Target, as follows: Paycheck: $19.99, Torque: $15.99, and Sex & The City Season 6 Part 1: $29.99. Beyond those titles the best in-store prices are... Star Trek Voyager, Season 2: $84.99 at Costco, $99.99 at Best Buy. The Good, The Bad and the Ugly: $18.29 at Costco, $19.99 everywhere else ($10 off with the purchase of The Great Escape at Best Buy). Speed Racer Volume 2: $14.99 at Circuit City, $17.99 at Best Buy and Target. Smallville Season 2: $39.99 at Circuit City, $44.99 at Target and Best Buy. We will update this list as necessary.

Passion set for August 31: Fox has confirmed an August 31 street date for Mel Gibson's The Passion Of The Christ. The single-disc release, with little or no bonus features, will have an MSRP of $29.98.

Database update: As many of you know, we had an event several weeks ago which corrupted one of our data feeds. Our "Upcoming Releases" database is now 95% repaired and updated through this morning; the one remaining repair is for MSRPs on some titles (the selling prices are all correct). We hope to have this corrected momentarily. Thank you for your continued patience!

20% off at Borders: A new 20%-off-one-item Borders coupon is now available, valid through May 9^th. Print it out, then bring it to your local store for the discount, and remember that while the coupon is good on only one item, nothing prevents you from printing more than one coupon. The discount is valid on both regularly-priced and sale-priced items, including DVDs; ther discount on video games and electronics is 10%. This offer excludes previous purchases, purchase of gift certificates, non-stock special orders and periodicals.

Where to buy this week's big titles: For the big releases this week, the best in-store prices are... Monsters Legacy Collection: $54.99 at Costco ($18.29 each separate title), $59.99 at Target and Best Buy (or $19.99 for each separate title; Target includes a free "Van Helsing plate" with each Monster Legacy title). Big Fish: $15.99 at Best Buy and Circuit City, $17.99 at Target, $18.19 at Costco. Ghosts Of The Abyss: $18.19 at Costco, $19.99 everywhere else. Love Actually: $15.99 at Target, $17.99 Best Buy and Circuit City. Love Don't Cost A Thing: $15.99 at Circuit City and Target, $17.99 at Best Buy. We will update this list as necessary.

Where to buy this week's big titles: For the big releases this week, the best in-store prices are... Haunted Mansion: $15.99 at Target and Circuit City (some regional Targets are maintaining a $19.99 price), $16.99 at Best Buy ($5 off with the purchase of another Disney DVD), $17.99 at CostCo (with free pin). Master And Commander: $25.99 (2-DVD) at CostCo, or $15.99 (1-DVD) or $29.99 (2-DVD) everywhere else (free 20-minute behind-the-scenes DVD at Best Buy). Wild Things 2: $19.99 at Best Buy and Circuit City (or $30 two-pack with Wild Things 1). We will update this list as necessary.

The Monster Legacy Collections: April 27^th is the street date for three 2-disc Monster Legacy collections from Universal, each with an MSRP of $26.98:

• Frankenstein: The Legacy Collection
• Frankenstein (1931) (with audio commentary by Rudy Behlmer)
• The Bride of Frankenstein (with audio commentary by Film Historian Scott MacQueen)
• The Son of Frankenstein
• Ghost of Frankenstein
• House of Frankenstein
• Stephen Sommers on Frankenstein's Monster
• "She's Alive! Creating the Bride of Frankenstein"
• "The Frankenstein Files"
• Frankenstein Archives
• Boo! A Short Film
• Theatrical Trailers
• Dracula: The Legacy Collection
• Dracula (1931) (with audio commentary by Film Historian David J. Skal)
• Spanish Dracula (1931) (with introduction by Lupita Tovar Kohner)
• Dracula's Daughter
• Son Of Dracula
• House Of Dracula
• Stephen Sommers on Dracula
• "The Road to Dracula"
• Poster Montage
• Theatrical Trailers
• New Dracula score by Philip Glass, performed by the Kronos Quartet
• The Wolf Man: The Legacy Collection
• The Wolf Man (with audio commentary by Tom Weaver)
• Frankenstein Meets The Wolf Man
• She-Wolf Of London
• Werewolf Of London
• Stephen Sommers on The Wolf Man
• "Monster By Moonlight"

In addition, a collection of all three Legacy releases, The Monster Legacy DVD Gift Set, will include commemorative Sideshow Collectibles busts of the three monsters, and carry a $79.98 MSRP.

When is that new movie coming to DVD? Cold Mountain has been shifted from a June release to early July, and an official July street date has been set for The Human Stain. Among the most anticipated titles this time around are Mel Gibson's The Passion (August, for no valid reason), Dawn of the Dead, Secret Window and Starsky & Hutch (all July). June is a comedy month, with anticipated releases of 50 First Dates, Along Came Polly, Eurotrip and Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights (and yes, we consider that a comedy). Titles announced for preorder in the online stores this week include just about all the big May releases, as well as Big Fish (4/27).

This VideoTropic feature is your electronic bug in the conference rooms of the studios, where we let you in on what release dates the studios are planning for those big movies still in the theaters -- usually months before an official studio announcement. For the complete list of when current theatrical features are expected on DVD -- before they're officially announced, and before you'll hear about it anywhere else -- click here.

10% off at Borders: Two new 10%-off-your-total-purchase Borders coupons are now available, one valid through March 14^th and the other from the 18^th through the 21^st. Print them out, then bring them to your local store for the discount. The discounts are valid on both regularly-priced and sale-priced items, including DVDs. This offer excludes previous purchases, purchase of gift certificates, non-stock special orders and periodicals.

Where to buy this week's big titles: This may be the biggest new-release date until May, with long-anticipated titles from several studios; because of this, there is a likely chance of last-minute local price changes as the retail stores position themselves. As it stands this morning, for the big releases this week, the best in-store prices are... The Ten Commandments (Special Edition): $12.99 at Circuit City, $14.99 at Target and Best Buy. Schindler's List (2-Disc Edition): $15.99 at Fry's, $16.99 at Target, $17.99 at Best Buy, $18.99 at CostCo, $19.99 at Circuit City (the Collector's Edition is $54.99 at CostCo, $59.99 at Best Buy). Mona Lisa Smile: $14.99 at Best Buy and Circuit City, $16.99 at Target, $17.99 at CostCo. Futurama Season 3: $29.99 at Best Buy and CostCo, $35.99 at Target and Circuit City. Dawn Of The Dead: $11.99 at Best Buy, $14.99 everywhere else. We will modify this list as necessary; please email us with corrections and updates.

LOTR: The Return Of The King to video on May 25^th: The last of Tolkien's (and Peter Jackson 's) trilogy will be available on a two-disc DVD with an MSRP of $29.95 (separate fullscreen and widescreen versions will available). As with the previous two installments, an extended four-disc edition will be available late in Q4. Disc Two of May's release will feature behind-the-scenes specials, featurettes, theatrical trailers, TV spots, The Lord of the Rings Trilogy "supertrailer," a preview of the upcoming LOTR-based video game from Electronic Arts and a link to exclusive online content about the motion picture trilogy.

Gigli sweeps: At the Razzies award ceremony this morning at Santa Monica's Four-Points Sheraton, Gigli became the first movie to take all six top trophies. The film took awards for worst picture, Affleck as worst actor, Lopez as worst actress and the two as worst screen couple; in addition, filmmaker Martin Brest also took the Razzies for worst director and screenplay. Despite sweeping the top awards, the film fell short of the record seven Razzies won by Showgirls and Battlefield Earth. "But those are much better bad movies, if that makes any sense," said Razzies founder John Wilson. "If you sit through them with the right people or the right brand of liquor, they can be strangely entertaining. But I don't care how medicated you are or what people you're watching it with, Gigli is just a pain in the posterior. It's one of those things that is, as opposed to enjoyably embarrassing, it's just skin-crawlingly embarrassing." Other winners this morning included Sylvester Stallone (for Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over), Demi Moore for worst supporting-actress for her comeback role in Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle ("She tried to come back, and we said, 'No, thanks. We chased you away before. Go away again,'"), and Dr. Seuss' the Cat in the Hat for worst excuse for a movie. From Justin To Kelly was awarded a special "governor's award" for distinguished underachievement in choreography.

When is that new movie coming to DVD? Once again, after a hiatus, we are relaunching our "When Is That New Movie Coming To DVD?" section. And once again, we are promising to update it on a weekly basis. This VideoTropic feature is your electronic bug in the conference rooms of the studios, where we let you in on what release dates the studios are planning for that big movie still in the theaters -- usually months before an official studio announcement. For the complete list of when current theatrical features are expected on DVD -- before they're officially announced, and before you'll hear about it anywhere else -- click here.

Where to buy this week's big titles: For the big releases this week, the best in-store prices are... Spy Kids 3-D: $15.99 at Circuit City, $16.99 at Target and Best Buy. Matchstick Men: $16.99 at Target, $17.89 at CostCo, $17.99 at Best Buy, $19.99 at Circuit City. The Missing: $17.99 at Best Buy and at Circuit City, $18.49 at CostCo, $19.99 at Target. We will update this list as necessary.

More Megapacks: Fans of Treeline's recent 50-movie and 100-TV-episode "megapacks" (generally found at either Rite-Aid, similar rack-jobber stores, and Overstock.com) should be aware of new Treeline collections now available for purchase at Amazon. The following 50-movie packs are currently up for preorder for $24.49 each at Amazon: Hollywood Legends, Sci-Fi Classics, War Classics, Comedy Classics, and Action Classics. Also available for the same price are the 150-episode Classic Serials, and the Cartoon Classics 100-pack. For those who have not sampled these titles, Treeline's transfers are significantly better than the old Brentwood and similar $5.99 DVD transfers, and at an average cost of $0.50 per film are a great way to see some of the older titles that you may be interested in. The releases so far have been in fullscreen, matching the 1.33:1 Academy ratio that these older movies (and TV episodes) were filmed in. The discs generally contain 3-4 movies per double-sided disc, with each disk stored in a heavy-duty cardboard sleeve and the collection packages in a DVD-Box-Set-sized box with velcro closures.