[John Telleria]

Last week I recommended a co-worker rent the 25th Hour dvd, the latest Spike Lee film. Netflix didn't have any copies available, so he stopped at Hollywood Video to pick up a copy and couldn't find it anywhere in the latest releases section. He asked the guy at the counter why they didn't have it and was told the Hollywood Video wasn't carrying it because it's too controversial. Excuse me??? What's so controversial about this movie? The only scene I can think of that could be considered controversial is the one where Ed Norton's character goes off about every ethnic group in NYC, telling them to f*** off. Even Bin Laden and Al Queda. If that scene is the reason Hollywood is refusing to carry the movie, then I'm very disappointed in Hollywood Video. Have they refused to carry any titles before? I went to Hollywood's website, and sure enough I don't see 25th Hour included in their list of recent releases. BTW, Blockbuster is carrying the dvd.

Does anyone know more about the reason Hollywood Video isn't carrying the movie? All I can say is thank goodness I'm a Netflix subscriber and don't have to put up with Hollywood deciding for me what's appropriate to watch!

[Roger Li]

I was told by my local Hollywood Video that they in fact do not have the film, but the reason has nothing to do with its content. I was told that Hollywood could not reach a deal with the film's distributor, and so will not be stocking it. Sounds like a price per copy dispute. . .

I have never known Hollywood to not carry a title because of content, which Blockbuster does on a regular basis. If fact Blockbuster used to have special "family friendly" versions of some films which were only rented there.

I'm still sticking with Hollywood over Blockbuster because Hollwood carries only widescreen DVDs for rental, whereas Blockbuster now only carries the P&S versions where there is a choice.

[Jeff Gross]

Quote:

Blockbuster now only carries the P&S versions where there is a choice

That's not true. Blockbuster stocks primarily widescreen. They made a policy change about a month ago. Here is an article that appeared on IMDB on May 7:

Letterbox Format Wins Out at Blockbuster
Movie renters, who once overwhelmingly preferred full-frame versions of their films now generally prefer the so-called letterbox version, according to the Blockbuster chain. "We made a decision to purchase the majority of titles we bring in on DVD in the widescreen format," Blake Lugash, spokesman for the chain, said. "We try to follow our customer preferences. As DVD becomes increasingly popular, they become more familiar with the features and with the benefits of letterboxing. They've learned it's a superior format to full-frame." He noted that 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment and MGM Home Entertainment offer both versions on a single disc -- a policy that other studios ought to follow, Lugash said.

[Roger Li]

Jeff, thanks for the information. I haven't been to Blockbuster for a number of months now because they had only P&S versions of many new releases at the time, so I switched to Hollywood even though it was farther away. It sounds like I will have to give Blockbuster another chance if they now are getting the letterbox versions of new films.

[Jon_Welker]

Finally!!! Every time I go into my Blockbuster I complain about the full screen, I've sent several e-mails to corporate, and it looks like several others were doing the same thing. Folks at Blockbuster aren't the best about seeing trends coming, are they?