Inside Redbox

It’s been a few years since I started this site, and its been a lot of fun. On occasion, I have expressed my reasons for doing so and my connections (or lack therof) to Redbox, but I wanted to clarify my purposes and any potential conflicts that may exist.

First off, let me just say that this website is not in any way affiliated with Redbox, McDonald’s or Coinstar. A more detailed explanation can be found below.

As it says on the About Us page, this website is designed to share and discuss the latest information on Redbox and other similar companies in the DVD rental industry. When I started this site, Redbox was fairly new, and this site was the first dedicated to providing news and info about Redbox, as well a place to share Redbox promo codes.

I chose the name Inside Redbox as somewhat of a play on words, as “inside” the Redbox kiosk was the place to get great movies for a buck. Also, the “inner workings” of the Redbox kiosk is something most Redbox users never see, and I wanted this website to be a place we could all share anything we want to about Redbox.

Over the past few years I have been asked what my relationship is with Redbox, and some have even accused me of working for Redbox and trying to deceive you. I want to clarify all of that with the following disclosures:

• I am not (and have never been) an employee or consultant of Redbox, McDonald’s or Coinstar, or any similar companies in the DVD rental industry.
• I do not own stock in Redbox, McDonald’s or Coinstar.
• I do not receive any free movies, special benefits or services from Redbox, other than the occasional use of promo codes that everyone has equal access to here.
• I have in the past had discussions with representatives from Redbox, as most bloggers and journalists would. I hope to continue open communication with them as well as other companies in the industry.
• I do make affiliate commissions from time-to-time on ads located on this website. However, I have never been paid any commissions or the like by Redbox or its affiliates.
• I try to be fair in my reporting of Redbox and other companies in the industry. As a blogger, I write about things that I am interested in, but am always open to comments, suggestions and even criticism.
• I do not delete any comments unless they are found to be SPAM, pornographic, hateful, etc…
• If I am wrong, I will post a retraction, correction or even apology, if necessary.
• I try hard to respond to all email and comments I receive. If you need something, please let me know.

I hope this clears up what this website is (and is not). I really do enjoy running this site and discussing all things Redbox. I am grateful for all members of the (growing) community here and for all you do in helping make this site a fun and useful place to visit.

Thanks for being here!

- Michael

I just received an email from Redbox asking me to take a survey about my travel plans for spring break.  It states in the email that you will get a promo code for taking the survey.

I submitted it and there was no code.  Perhaps they will email the code?

Has anyone else taken this survey and got their code?

Earlier today Redbox announced that they will be adding Redbox kiosks in 1800 more Walgreens locations.

From the press release:

[Redbox] announces an agreement with Walgreens to expand the presence of redbox automated DVD rental kiosks to approximately 2,000 Walgreens stores nationwide. Currently available at nearly 250 Walgreens locations, redbox will install kiosks at approximately 1,800 additional Walgreens stores during 2008 and 2009.

The expansion of redbox to Walgreens locations nationwide follows the successful test of the fully-automated $1 per night DVD rental service in Chicago, Houston, Phoenix and Columbus, Ohio-area Walgreens.

This is good news for me, because I have a Walgreens just 1 block from my house.  Now I can be even more lazy and not have to go 2 blocks to Walmart or 3 blocks to McDonald’s and/or Albertsons. :)

How far is your closest Redbox?

ONE EXTRA DAY TO WATCH DVDS!
Redbox had the law passed just for you.

It took a little more glad-handing and baby-kissing than redbox is usually down with, but the intense lobbying has paid off! This year an extra day — the 29th of February — will be added to the calendar just for you to watch movies. Tell your boss you’ll be observing the holiday at home.

Beowulf [watch trailer]
The Middle English classic you refused to read in high school is reborn…as a movie spectacle! Ray Winstone stars as the medieval warrior who has to slay the monster Grendel before it ravages more of the region. Anthony Hopkins and Robin Wright Penn co-star.

30 Days of Night [watch trailer]
The sci-fi creatures keep coming in this modern vampire thriller. Josh Hartnett stars as the sheriff in a small Alaska town (enduring its full month of winter darkness) who has to fight off an onslaught of hungry vampires out to feast on the residents — including the lovely Melissa George.

The Darjeeling Limited [watch trailer]
Owen Wilson, Jason Schwartzman and Adrien Brody play three brothers who decide to reconnect and deal with their father’s recent death in the most Wes Anderson way possible: a train ride across India to visit their mom (played by Anjelica Huston).

Barbie Mariposa and Her Butterfly Friends
Something is wrong in Flutterfield! It seems an evil fairy has cast a spell on its queen, and it’s up to Barbie (a beautiful butterfly fairy) and her friends to escape the city and return with an antidote before Flutterfield’s lights burn out one by one.

Bratz: Kidz Fairy Tales
In this CGI kids’ adventure, your favorite Bratz — that’s Cloe, Sasha, Yasmin and Jade, in case you forgot — get zapped into a Fairy Tale Land, where they get to play the roles of Snow White, Cinderella, Rapunzel and others.

American Gangster [watch trailer]
And from last week, don’t miss this intense game of gangland cat and mouse. Denzel Washington plays a heroin lord in 1970s Manhattan, and Russell Crowe plays the detective who’ll stop at nothing to catch and prosecute him.

Don’t forget that you can find each of these titles online, then pick them up and drop them right back off at you the redbox location near you.

NOTHING SAYS ‘I LOVE YOU’
like pizza and a dvd.

Forget chocolate. Forget teddy bears. Forget reservations at pricey restaurants. Grab a DVD you’ll both enjoy and stay in for the night. Happy Valentine’s Day, ya lovebirds

No Reservations
Speaking of fancypants restaurants, the first film features Catherine Zeta-Jones as a renowned chef who is the queen of the kitchen — until she gets custody of her niece (Abigail Breslin) and meets the dashing Aaron Eckhart.

We Own the Night
Mark Wahlberg and Joaquin Phoenix star as brothers in this movie about cops, crime, and corruption. Wahlberg plays an officer trying to protect his family from the Russian mafia.

Why Did I Get Married?
Perfect this Valentine’s Day! (Innocent whistling.) Tyler Perry, Janet Jackson, and Sharon Leal star in this adaptation of Perry’s play about temptation and the trials of marriage.

Gone Baby Gone
Casey Affleck and Michelle Monoghan star in one of the year’s most talked-about movies. It shows the heartbreak and professional struggles of two Boston detectives searching desperately for a missing child.

Becoming Jane
The gorgeous Anne Hathaway stars as a young Jane Austen – before she was famous – learning about life and falling in love with a dashing Irishman (James McAvoy of Atonement).

Martian Child
In this week’s last movie, John Cusack stars as a widowed sci-fi novelist with the opportunity to adopt a six-year-old boy (played by Bobby Coleman)…who happens to think he’s from Mars. Amanda Peet co-stars.

DVDs — THAT’s how you dial up the romance. You can pick them out online and pick them up at your nearest redbox.

Redbox is continuing it’s expansion (and world domination) with plans to add over 2,700 locations at Wal-marts across the country in 2008.

From the press release:

Redbox, the fully automated DVD rental system featuring new release rentals for $1 per night, recently announced an agreement with Wal-Mart to expand its number of automated DVD rental kiosks 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 kiosks are now available at more than 6,700 locations nationwide, including leading grocery stores, select McDonald’s® restaurants, and Walgreens and Wal-Mart locations in select markets. The company’s expanded Wal-Mart presence further solidifies redbox’s position as the number one DVD rental provider in the country based on number of U.S. locations.

Add that up and that puts Redbox in over 10,000 locations within a year. Now if they only had a location just outside my front door…

THE LOOK MIGHT BE NEW…
But the DVDs? Wait, they’re new too…

Longtime fans might just notice a streamlined new look to these emails. Well, redbox can do a new Spring look as well as the Paris design studios. Fab.

The Brave One

Known for squaring off against the bad guys, this time Jodie Foster IS the bad guy. Or is she? Here she plays a woman dead set on revenge after surviving a brutal attack. Terrence Howard co-stars.

Snow Buddies

Some of Disney’s best and brightest young stars — here, adorable talking puppies — are back at it in this feature. Voiced by Dylan Sprouse and Jim Belushi among others, here the pups set out to win the big sled race.

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford

So you know what’s going to happen. But the acting by Brad Pitt (as James) and Casey Affleck (as Ford) will still leave surprises at every turn in this interpretation of the last days of the famous Missouri outlaw’s life.

Across the Universe

Evan Rachel Wood and Jim Sturgess (not to mention the music of the Beatles) are the big stars in this whimsical tale. It’s about a boy named Jude and a girl named Lucy who find each other — and love — in 1960’s America.

Go Diego Go: Diego’s Magical Missions!

For the kids, of course. Everyone loves Diego.

And from last week…

The Invasion

When an ancient virus threatens everyone on earth (starting with her son), a scientist played by Nicole Kidman has to stop it. Teaming up with Daniel “The New 007″ Craig might just be her only hope.

Onward, movie lovers. Select these and other new flicks online at redbox.com, then grab them at your nearest redbox.

BE GLAD THE GROUNDHOG
DOESN’T HAVE A COUCH,
A DVD Player, And These…

Old Punxsutawney Phil would NEVER make it out of his hole.

And speaking of holes…if you haven’t heard of Hannah Montana, you must be living in one, friend. In HANNAH MONTANA: ONE IN A MILLION, Miley Cyrus stars as the teenage singing sensation who’s just trying to live a normal high school life. This collection of Hannah episodes from the Disney Channel co-stars Billy Ray Cyrus (Miley’s real life achey breaky dad).

Trying to match the craziness of “The Big Game” itself, THE COMEBACKS is one sports spoof for the ages. David Koechner plays Lambeau Fields, an unsuccessful college coach who has one last shot at a title…with a team of total misfits. Along the way, he has many hilarious victories both on and off the field. Carl “Apollo Creed” Weathers and Melora Hardin co-star.

Enough with the cheeriness already. Can redbox get a virus up in here? In THE INVASION, Daniel Craig and Nicole Kidman star as science colleagues who have just one small task on their plates: save Earth. When Kidman discovers the origin of an ancient virus — and her son contracts it — she has to save him, not to mention everyone else, before it’s too late.

If the goofiness suits you better, grab a copy of DADDY DAY CARE sequel DADDY DAY CAMP. Cuba Gooding Jr. stars as the main man in charge of a summer camp. He learns an age-old lesson the hard way: if kid campers want to torture you, they can get pretty dang resourceful. Lochlyn Munro and Richard Gant are spending the summer there, too.

How about a sunny dose of indie goodness? In KING OF CALIFORNIA, Michael Douglas plays a man who, after being released from a mental institution, reconnects with his daughter (Evan Rachel Wood) in the best way he can think of: by convincing her there’s gold buried beneath their California suburb. Crazy sounding, but as loveable as it gets.

And the week ends with a gripping, award-winning drama from an old favorite. Kevin Kline stars in TRADE as a Texas cop who sets out on a dangerous mission to recover a young girl (Paulina Gaitan). She’s lost in the illegal tunnels of sex trafficking between Mexico and the US. Suspense lies at every turn.

Don’t forget that it’s easy to select these great flicks online, then grab them at your nearest redbox. Won’t take but a minute. Until next week, keep an eye peeled for Old P. Phil.

TIRED OF YOUR
MID-WINTER COMPLEXION?
Your TV Sure Has A Healthy Glow

Hit the lights and hit the couch. Pop in a DVD. Even in the grey of winter, there’s nothing more vibrant than a new release.

This dreary old week kicks off with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson as a pro football quarterback in The Game Plan. The Rock is on top of his game, doing what quarterbacks do, leading the team. Right up until his eight-year-old daughter from a past relationship pops into his life. Will the dance recital interfere with the big game? Madison Pettis and Kyra Sedgwick co-star.

Been twiddling your thumbs waiting for the next Saw (it’s up to SAW IV now) to come out? Wait no longer, you graphic-gore-and-sharp-instrument fanatic you. In this latest installment, detectives (Scott Patterson and Athena Karkanis) have to survive one last deadly trap set by Jigsaw (Tobin Bell) and his apprentice Amanda.

Please, get redbox to something more innocent, fast! Shoot, Sydney White will do the trick. Amanda Bynes stars in this updated version of Snow White, set in a college Greek system with freshman playing the lovable main parts. Sara Paxton and Matt Long co-star in this far more wholesome tale of young love.

And speaking of thrilling, this week’s final new release reunites you with a couple of favorites. In Grayson Arms, Judd Nelson and Stacie Dash star as two tenants in rent controlled apartments who get more than just a little bit suspicious of each other when a murder takes place in their building. Hey, what tenant wouldn’t?

Next up, a little something for all those young viewers in the house — Dora the Explorer: Undercover Dora. In this latest addition to the popular animated series, everyone’s favorite precocious young adventurer does plenty of detective work with her best friend Boots. Kathleen Herles and Harrison Chad voice the characters.

Finally, in case you missed it last week. Ever wonder how Star Wars might have played out if had featured your favorite dysfunctional cartoon characters? Wonder no more. In Family Guy: Blue Harvest, the sci-fi classic is re-imagined using Peter, Brian, Stewie, Maggie and the rest. Seth MacFarlane voices an amazing number of the hilarious, irreverent Griffins.

Spend as little time out there as possible. Pick out your movies online, grab them at your nearest redbox, and head on back. It’s that easy.

NO TRAFFIC THIS
HOLIDAY WEEKEND
(At Least Between Here And Redbox)

Travel times? Delayed flights? Congested highways? Not if you just stay on the couch with some hot new DVD releases. So select some at redbox.com, then grab them at the nearest redbox.

Ah, a story that many a scrawny movie lover can relate to. In Mr. Woodcock, Billy Bob Thornton plays a stern gym teacher who’s set to marry a local woman (Susan Sarandon) — to the horror of her son (Seann William Scott) whom Woodcock teased throughout high school. Of course, redbox wouldn’t know anything about that, having been all-state in the pole vault and all.

The laughs just keep on coming with Good Luck Chuck. Dane Cook plays a young bachelor with a real knack for helping women find their husbands…by letting them sleep with him. But when he meets the woman of his dreams (the lovely Jessica Alba) he has to break the streak of match-making by actually winning the girl’s love for himself.

Next up, a little something for all those young viewers in the house — Dora the Explorer: Undercover Dora. In this latest addition to the popular animated series, everyone’s favorite precocious young adventurer does plenty of detective work with her best friend Monkey Boots. Kathleen Herles and Harrison Chad voice the characters.

For an animated feature that dials up the intensity (and, yes, the sorcery too), there’s Dragonlance: Dragons of Autumn Twilight. Kiefer Sutherland, Lucy Lawless and Michael Rosenbaum lend their voices in this sci-fi adventure about a barbarian woman with a magical healing staff — and the only hope against some pretty tough invading dragons.

Now back to the humans! In Suburban Girl, Sarah Michelle Gellar plays a big city book editor who thinks she has the world (and romance) pretty figured out. That is, until she starts being pursued by a suave and influential older man (played by the charming Alec Baldwin, taking a break from his reliably hilarious and smarmy 30 Rock character). A sleeper romantic comedy with some big name talent.

And finally this week, ever wonder how Star Wars might have played out if had featured your favorite dysfunctional cartoon characters? Wonder no more. In Family Guy: Blue Harvest, the sci-fi classic is re-imagined using Peter, Brian, Stewie, Maggie and the rest. Seth MacFarlane voices an amazing number of the hilarious, irreverent Griffins.

A happy and lazy three-day weekend, friends! See you next week for more. So pick out a few DVDs online (redbox.com) today, then pick them up at your nearest redbox location.