“The Wizard of Oz” (70th Anniversary Two-Disc Special Edition) — If ever there was a time to own this film on home video, this is it. The sheer volume of special features in this collection will take you days to get through. Here’s a partial list of all the stuff that’s packed into these two discs: A commentary track; six hours of audio features, from the musical recording sessions to radio shows and promos; outtakes; deleted scenes; tornado test footage; a documentary on director Victor Fleming; all seven of the “Wizard of Oz” films that came before the Judy Garland version … and much, much more.
And if that isn’t enough for you, amazon.com has a four-disc Ultimate Collector’s Edition that’ll knock your socks off.
In addition to all the stuff you get on the two-disc set, the amazon.com boxed edition contains a disc containing a digital copy of the film and Disc 4 contains the six-hour MGM documentary “When the Lion Roars.” There is also a 52-page book highlighting the film’s production history; a wristwatch; a reproduction of the film’s original budget; the 1939 campaign book and four poster cards featuring characters from the film.
“42nd Street Forever 5: Alamo Drafthouse Edition” — As the title says, this is the fifth installment in the awesome “42nd Street Forever” series — a showcase of trailers to some of the best (worst?) of the grindhouse flicks of the 1960s, ’70s and ’80s. Some of the low-budget gems featured: “Mad Monkey Kung-Fu,” “The Terronauts,” “Caged Virgins,” “Message From Space,” “3 Supermen in the West” and “Sting of the Dragon Masters.” Also included is a 30-minute documentary on the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, the Austin, Texas, theater that is world famous for its Quentin Tarantino Fest and Butt-Numb-A-Thon movie marathons.
“Too Cool For School Collection” — If you came of age in the 1980s, you either snuck into the theater to watch these teen sex comedies, or if your parents ponied-up the dough for Cinemax, you waited until they went to bed to catch these low-budget jiggle fests. This collection contains: “The Beach Girls,” “Cave Girl,” “Coach Hunk,” “Jocks,” “Malibu Beach,” “My Tutor,” “My Chauffeur,” “Pom Pom Girl,” “Tomboy,” “The Van” and “Weekend Pass.” That’s 12 movies for under $15. Such a deal!
TV SERIES
“The Guild” Seasons 1 & 2
“How I Met Your Mother” Season Four
“CSI NY” The Complete Fifth Season
“Life on Mars” The Complete Series (U.S. version)
“Kings” Season One
“The Unit” Season Four
“The Patty Duke Show” Season One
“Ultraman” The Complete Series
“Midsomer Murders” Set 13
“Foyle’s War” Series 1-5 — From Dunkirk to VE-Day
© 2009 King Features Synd., Inc.