In preparation for Tim Burton’s big-screen take on Alice in Wonderland, every studio that has ever made a version of the story is dumping its straight-to-video, TV movie, miniseries or vintage clunker to DVD. Luckily there are some other choices.

Bitch Slap (2009, dir. Rick Jacobson, 20th Century Fox): Let’s face it: This movie is being mentioned for title alone. Star Kevin Sorbo (Hercules) calls it an insane mixture of Memento and Pulp Fiction. Somehow I don’t think it’s going to come close.

Clint Eastwood: 35 Films 35 Years at Warner Brothers (2010, Warner Brothers): This generation-spanning box set features every film that Clint Eastwood made for Warner Brothers. That means that along with a commemorative booklet, you get the good (Unforgiven, Letters From Iwo Jima, Gran Torino), the bad (Blood Work, Absolute Power) and the ugly (Pink Cadillac).

Coco avant Chanel (2009, dir. Anne Fontaine, Sony Pictures Classics): The delightful Audrey Tatou brings one of the fashion world’s greatest names to life in this romantic biopic about Gabriel Chanel a.k.a. Coco.

For Love of Liberty (2010, dir. Frank Martin, Melee): With help from Halle Berry, Morgan Freeman and Avery Brooks, this two-part, four-hour TV doc series explores the African-American contribution to the U.S. military from the Civil War right up to Iraq.

Good Hair (2009, dir. Chris Rock, Lionsgate): Chris Rock helms this controversial look at the relationship African-Americans have with their hair and how that is influenced by the discussion of race. See 2005’s My Nappy Roots, directed by Regina Kimbell, for a similar treatment of the subject matter.

Hunger (2009, dir. Steve McQueen, Criterion): This critically lauded look at hunger-striking IRA prisoners in the ’80s has split audiences. Some find the minimal dialogue mesmerizing, some find the film’s bleak disposition boring as hell, but all admit that Inglourious Basterds star Michael Fassbender is fantastic.

The Hurt Locker (2009, dir. Kathryn Bigelow, Summit): Jeremy Renner gives a star-making performance as a bomb-diffusion expert in Iraq who needs to start dismantling his own self-destructive personality. Bigelow brings an intimacy to combat films rarely seen onscreen and delivers 2009’s best film.

Jersey Shore Uncensored: Season One (2009, MTV): The greatest guilty pleasure that TV has ever known is now on DVD. Is this the funniest thing you have ever seen, or proof that TV and the human race have sunk to previously unknown lows? Yes.

King Lear (1953, dir. Andrew McCullough, E1): Originally broadcast live on CBS, this time-honoured Shakespearean tragedy gets a hand from the legendary Orson Welles in the title role.

Melies Encore: 26 Additional Rare and Original Films by the First Wizard of Cinema (1896 – 1911, dir. George Melies, Flicker Alley): Consider this the cinematic B-sides and rarities comp from the legend who brought you A Trip to the Moon. Given the age of the source material, the film quality might not always be there, but you can’t fault the vision.

Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead (2007, dir. Lloyd Kaufman, Troma): If you missed it at the Calgary Underground Film Festival, have no fear. Or better yet, do. Kaufman, the king of modern horror exploitation, outdoes even himself with this gory tale of fast food and zombie chickens.

Ran (1985, dir. Akira Kurosawa, Lionsgate): Kurosawa’s reinvention of Shakespeare’s King Lear in feudal Japan gets a glorious release on Blu-ray.

R.L. Burnside With Johnny Woods: Live 1984 & 1986 (2010, Felmay Records): Check out some vintage performances by one of the greatest Mississippi bluesmen that never made it big. Hypnotic modal blues never sounded this good.

The September Issue (2009, dir. R.J. Cutter, Lionsgate): Fashion fans get ready. This doc takes you behind the scenes with Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour to find out exactly what it takes to put out its epic taste-making issue in September.

Small Wonder: The Complete First Season (1985, Shout): I guarantee that this high-concept sitcom about a man trying to pass off the robot he invented as his daughter hasn’t gotten any better since I first watched it in syndication back in ’85. I can’t recommend it in good conscience, but I also can’t let this DVD release slip by unnoticed.

2012 (2009, dir. Roland Emmerich, Sony): Emmerich directs an all-star cast in this FX-laden homage to ’70s disaster flicks. The world is quite literally coming apart at the seams and it’s up to John Cusack to save his family by out-driving an earthquake, out-flying volcanic eruptions and getting onboard a super ark. Totally awesome, in a totally shitty way.

Where the Wild Things Are (2009, dir. Spike Jonze, Warner): Jonze turns Maurice Sendak’s Caldecott Award-winning kids’ story into a dark exploration of childhood frustration, with the help of screenwriter David Eggers. Young star Max Records may have the best name in show biz, but Catherine Keener knocks it out of the park as Max’s mom.

Zombieland (2009, dir. Ruben Fleischer, Sony): How do you survive a zombie holocaust? It helps if you have a sense of humour and some rules to follow. Jesse Eisenberg and Woody Harrelson star in this brilliant zombie comedy that has the smarts of Shaun of the Dead and the gore of Dawn of the Dead.