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The Collection (5/5)
I have heard about Synapse's 42nd St. Forever collections since the first one was released many years ago. I have been meaning to pick them up for just as long, but just never have. I should have known better. If Vol 5 is any sort of indication of the quality of the other volumes in the series, than I have seriously been missing out. 42nd St. Forever Vol. 5 is very probably the most fun I have had with a DVD This year.
For those who aren't in the know. The 42nd St. Forever is a series of Grindhouse trailer compilations issued periodically by Synapse Films. 42nd St. Forever Vol. 5 is a compilation of trailers selected by the staff at the famous Alamo Drafthouse in Austin, TX. The trailers are actually part of the private archive started by Alamo founder/owner Tim League.
The compilation is not all trailers there are promos such as Charlton Heston on the movie ratings system, and an awesome advertisement for shrimp rolls. Synapse has organized the trailers to flow together in an almost by genre way. 42nd St. Forever Vol. 5 opens with the aforementioned Charlton Heston clip, and then segues into a series of Kung Fu, and action film trailers. It than works it's way through a series of sex comedies, before branching out into other genres.
Video(3.5/5)
Synapse has presented 42nd St. Forever Vol. 5 in a 1:78:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer. The transfer for the various trailers are of various quality, but none look unwatchable. There are a lot of scratches, and grain though out, however, with films of this nature I would actually make that a plus, as they easily lend themselves to the grindhouse atmosphere of the disc.
Audio(3.5/5)
42nd St. Forever Vol. 5 is presented with a Dolby Digital mono soundtrack that is befitting to the material. Everything is for the most part totally audible with only the occasional background noise.
Extras(4/5)
Extras on this disc include a commentary track featuring Tim League, Lars Nilsen, and Zack Carlson of the Alamo Drafthouse. There is also a short 30 minute documentary on the history of the Drafthouse, which I found interesting. Although I will say the audio quality on the documentary is slightly lacking, simply because the music track was mixed very highly drowning out a good deal of certain interviews.
Overall
If you are a fan of grindhouse cinema, or just loves movies, and have a great sense of humor than 42nd St. Forever Vol. 5 will be completely up your alley. It is the most fun I have had with a DVD release this year, and am now going to have to go back, and pick up the earlier volumes. The A/V is not perfect, but it doesn't have to be. This is another must-buy DVD from the fine folks at Synapse Films.
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