Easter egg, n.
1) A hardboiled egg dyed and then often hidden to celebrate Easter. Sometimes a candy egg filled with rich nougat, etc.
2) A hidden feature in computer software, DVDs and video games
While I enjoy sleuthing out eggs, and I’m certainly a big fan of nougat and nougat-like substances, today I’ll be discussing the second definition of Easter eggs: the cool little features hidden inside DVD menus.
More and more DVDs have these now that the disc is the primary medium for movies. Some are just weird little messages or pictures, some are entire behind-the-scenes features. I’ve rounded up a few of the cooler DVD Easter eggs I’ve seen or heard about for you, the people. Please note: I found some of these on the internets, and haven’t had time to ascertain their truthiness. Don’t sue me or anything if they don’t work.
Fight Club
After the FBI and Attention warnings, there is another fine-print warning. If you read closely, you’ll see it’s actually a secret message from Tyler Durden.
Star Wars
Access a hidden bloopers reel by typing 1138 on the Options menu.
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
Go to the scene selection menu and scroll over to the last scene. Press down once, and a ring will appear next to New Scene. Select the ring to see the Jack Black parody of LOTR from the 2002 MTV Movie Awards.
The Matrix
To see a montage of concept art and test footage, go to Special Features, then Cast and Crew biographies. The page on Larry and Andy Wachowski has a red pill you need to highlight and then select.
Ocean’s Eleven
Click on the map of Las Vegas in the Special Features section. Select The Sands and watch the segment. Click it again to see a hidden video of the casino’s 1996 implosion.
Reservoir Dogs
Go to the Special Features section and move the cursor over the policeman’s ear. A bloody ear will appear. Click it to access the Hidden Features section, which includes a special interview with Quentin Tarantino.
The Ring
If you scroll all the way to the bottom of the main menu, the cursor will disappear. Hit select to see the deadly videotape from the movie in its entirety.
Predator
To see a hidden documentary about the cast getting sick from drinking water on location in Mexico, go to the photo gallery on the second disc. Scroll over to the 16th photo (Hawkins with glasses on his head). Highlight and select the targeting triangle on the right side of the screen.
Serenity
To see a short feature on the making of the Fruity Oaty Bar commercial and then watch it in its entirety, highlight Play on the main menu, then hit left.
For more super-secret fun, check out our list of DVDs with Easter eggs.
Monday, June 29, 2009
Friday, June 19, 2009
An Interview with our Director of Content
We’re starting a regular feature on the blog: interviews with BLOCKBUSTER corporate employees.
Today we have Keith Leopard, the Director of Content for BLOCKBUSTER Online. He decides which movies we’re going to buy for the rental service, so he’s kind of a big deal. Keith recently returned from a trip to the Cannes Film Festival.
Favorite movie: Citizen Kane
Most recently watched movie: The Hangover
Last movie purchased: The Bicycle Thief
First movie you remember seeing in the theater: The Jungle Book
What is a day at the Cannes Film Festival like for you?
I begin the day with a movie around 9am and then see 4-5 per day for about a week. I pack a lot of food in a backpack as I usually do not have time to stop for a meal. When I did, it was a ham and cheese sandwich and a diet coke (or Cola Light as they say in France).
I had dinner meetings every night with vendors so I would usually end my day around 1am. That 9am movie the next day came pretty early. Of course I will never get any sympathy from my friends and co-workers as they view me off at film festivals hobnobbing with the stars.
What is your main goal when attending a film festival?
I go to festivals to find movies that would fit into one or more of our current initiatives. This year I was trying to see films that would be good for our new BLOCKBUSTER Premieres series of films. I saw quite a few and hope they show up on our shelves in the next six months or so.
Do you do anything else while in Cannes?
I try to eat as much stinky French cheese as I possibly can.
What was your favorite movie at Cannes this year?
Middle Men — a fun little comedy with Luke Wilson and Giovanni Ribisi.
Which upcoming release had the most buzz?
Inglourious Basterds — Quentin Tarantino’s new film
What is your favorite event at the festival?
Any opportunity to walk the red carpet. I did this last year and I was nervous, excited, and in such awe, I barely remember doing it.
Did you spot any movie trends for the upcoming year while at Cannes?
It felt like there were less “big” movies and more good solid films that people should look forward to seeing in theaters or at home in the next year.
Today we have Keith Leopard, the Director of Content for BLOCKBUSTER Online. He decides which movies we’re going to buy for the rental service, so he’s kind of a big deal. Keith recently returned from a trip to the Cannes Film Festival.
Favorite movie: Citizen Kane
Most recently watched movie: The Hangover
Last movie purchased: The Bicycle Thief
First movie you remember seeing in the theater: The Jungle Book
What is a day at the Cannes Film Festival like for you?
I begin the day with a movie around 9am and then see 4-5 per day for about a week. I pack a lot of food in a backpack as I usually do not have time to stop for a meal. When I did, it was a ham and cheese sandwich and a diet coke (or Cola Light as they say in France).
I had dinner meetings every night with vendors so I would usually end my day around 1am. That 9am movie the next day came pretty early. Of course I will never get any sympathy from my friends and co-workers as they view me off at film festivals hobnobbing with the stars.
What is your main goal when attending a film festival?
I go to festivals to find movies that would fit into one or more of our current initiatives. This year I was trying to see films that would be good for our new BLOCKBUSTER Premieres series of films. I saw quite a few and hope they show up on our shelves in the next six months or so.
Do you do anything else while in Cannes?
I try to eat as much stinky French cheese as I possibly can.
What was your favorite movie at Cannes this year?
Middle Men — a fun little comedy with Luke Wilson and Giovanni Ribisi.
Which upcoming release had the most buzz?
Inglourious Basterds — Quentin Tarantino’s new film
What is your favorite event at the festival?
Any opportunity to walk the red carpet. I did this last year and I was nervous, excited, and in such awe, I barely remember doing it.
Did you spot any movie trends for the upcoming year while at Cannes?
It felt like there were less “big” movies and more good solid films that people should look forward to seeing in theaters or at home in the next year.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Summer Escape Pass
If you’re like me (totally awesome and easy on the eyes), you end up renting a lot of movies in the summer. I’ve already ramped up my rentals this month, since television has forsaken me and it’s literally 1 million degrees here in Texas.
Well now you can rent a plethora of movies or video games from participating BLOCKBUSTER stores without breaking the bank. Our new Summer Escape Pass lets you rent as many movies as you can handle, one at a time, for one week. How much would you expect to pay for that? $1,000? $1,002? Your guesses are ridiculously high, because it’s only 10 American dollars. You read that correctly: just $10 for a whole week!
So say you buy a Summer Escape Pass at the beginning of the week from your local BLOCKBUSTER store. Because you have nothing else to do, you watch your first movie immediately. Normally, you’d be out of luck, but since you are such a smart person and bought an Escape Pass, you can return the movie to the store right after you watch it and rent another. But you knock out the second movie as quickly as the first. No problem — you can go in and exchange it for yet another movie. And you can keep doing that all week!
To get more information on how cool the Summer Escape Pass is, or to buy one of your very own, just talk to a friendly BLOCKBUSTER employee. Find a store near you.
Well now you can rent a plethora of movies or video games from participating BLOCKBUSTER stores without breaking the bank. Our new Summer Escape Pass lets you rent as many movies as you can handle, one at a time, for one week. How much would you expect to pay for that? $1,000? $1,002? Your guesses are ridiculously high, because it’s only 10 American dollars. You read that correctly: just $10 for a whole week!
So say you buy a Summer Escape Pass at the beginning of the week from your local BLOCKBUSTER store. Because you have nothing else to do, you watch your first movie immediately. Normally, you’d be out of luck, but since you are such a smart person and bought an Escape Pass, you can return the movie to the store right after you watch it and rent another. But you knock out the second movie as quickly as the first. No problem — you can go in and exchange it for yet another movie. And you can keep doing that all week!
To get more information on how cool the Summer Escape Pass is, or to buy one of your very own, just talk to a friendly BLOCKBUSTER employee. Find a store near you.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Movie Wedding Disasters
You know, maybe I’m just a sadist, but I’m more interested in movie weddings that go horribly awry than picture-perfect ceremonies where everything goes according to plan. Whether the disastrous events happen during planning, during the bachelor party, or during the ceremony itself, I love seeing things fall apart.
And it turns out I’m not the only one. When doing some research for this blog post, I saw eleventy billion links to “wedding disaster videos.” Of course, those were from real weddings, so I feel better about my own fondness for fake wedding tribulations.
Here are some movies featuring weddings gone wrong. Of course, since it’s Hollywood, most of them work out in the end.
Wedding Crashers
The Graduate
Bachelor Party
The Wedding Singer
Old School
My Best Friend’s Wedding
Runaway Bride
Father of the Bride
Want more on movie weddings without all my schadenfreude attached? Check out our Wedding Season Poll and Wedding Movie List.
And it turns out I’m not the only one. When doing some research for this blog post, I saw eleventy billion links to “wedding disaster videos.” Of course, those were from real weddings, so I feel better about my own fondness for fake wedding tribulations.
Here are some movies featuring weddings gone wrong. Of course, since it’s Hollywood, most of them work out in the end.
Wedding Crashers
The Graduate
Bachelor Party
The Wedding Singer
Old School
My Best Friend’s Wedding
Runaway Bride
Father of the Bride
Want more on movie weddings without all my schadenfreude attached? Check out our Wedding Season Poll and Wedding Movie List.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Shipping Delays Fixed!
Lately, we’ve had some reports of shipping delays for BLOCKBUSTER Online DVDs. As it turns out, a recent update to our system created a shipping hiccup for some customers returning their movies to a store. It took a little longer for returned movies to clear Queues and, in turn, longer to receive the next movie from us.
While I don’t know the exact specifics, I do know it involves businessy words like “sigma” and a bunch of confusing acronyms. Anyway, I’m happy to report that after a lot of hard work by software engineers, distribution logisticians, and many other people who are much smarter than I, the issue has been fixed! We apologize for any longer-than-normal wait-times you may have experienced.
If you’re still having shipping delays after you return a BLOCKBUSTER Online movie to the store, please contact Customer Care.
While I don’t know the exact specifics, I do know it involves businessy words like “sigma” and a bunch of confusing acronyms. Anyway, I’m happy to report that after a lot of hard work by software engineers, distribution logisticians, and many other people who are much smarter than I, the issue has been fixed! We apologize for any longer-than-normal wait-times you may have experienced.
If you’re still having shipping delays after you return a BLOCKBUSTER Online movie to the store, please contact Customer Care.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
MOVIE ROAD TRIP
You know, I always get excited about the idea of a summer road trip, but the reality can be a bit too much to handle: long stretches of time in a cramped car, bad food, and smokies always on your six (note: your road trip experience may differ).
Luckily, we’ve put together a virtual movie road trip, so you can see the country from the comfort of your roomy, air-conditioned home. Our fancy map lets you visit each state in the contiguous United States (sorry, Alaska and Hawaii), and see a select list of movies that were set and/or filmed there. If you’re a BLOCKBUSTER Online subscriber, you can add the movies to your Queue right from the map.
But that’s not all, sports fans! We also have a new group on Flickr where you can upload your movie-related travel photos. If you’ve ever taken a pic at a famous movie or TV location, we’d love for you to share it with the group. Katz’s Delicatessen in New York from When Harry Met Sally, Platform 9 3/4 in London from Harry Potter, the Dallas City Hall that served as the OCP headquarters in Robocop (true story!), etc.
So take a virtual trip or share the fruits of your real trip, all through the power of the internets!
Luckily, we’ve put together a virtual movie road trip, so you can see the country from the comfort of your roomy, air-conditioned home. Our fancy map lets you visit each state in the contiguous United States (sorry, Alaska and Hawaii), and see a select list of movies that were set and/or filmed there. If you’re a BLOCKBUSTER Online subscriber, you can add the movies to your Queue right from the map.
But that’s not all, sports fans! We also have a new group on Flickr where you can upload your movie-related travel photos. If you’ve ever taken a pic at a famous movie or TV location, we’d love for you to share it with the group. Katz’s Delicatessen in New York from When Harry Met Sally, Platform 9 3/4 in London from Harry Potter, the Dallas City Hall that served as the OCP headquarters in Robocop (true story!), etc.
So take a virtual trip or share the fruits of your real trip, all through the power of the internets!
