With the holidays approaching fast-and-furious style, let’s take a moment and reflect upon the true meaning of the season: gettin’ stuff that we don’t need from people we rarely ever see. Just kidding! I really am looking forward to spending time with my family, who every year struggle to come up with gifts I might like. My father potentially scored a hit with blank DVDs so I can burn all my pirated movies and TV shows. But what about my poor mother? She gets the unwelcome honor of gifting me pants every year, which I do need, but they lack a certain cool factor. To aid her and all the others who have difficult ____________ (fill in the blank) to shop for, here is a list of items and sites guaranteed* to warm the heart of even the most cynical hipster:
McFarland Publishing
www.mcfarlandpub.com
McFarland Publishing bills itself as “a leading U.S. publisher of scholarly, reference and academic books,” which is true, until you discover that the scholarly reference books deal with topics like the existential Joss Whedon, a comprehensive list of television horror movie hosts, a history of romance comics, forbidden animation, classic video games of the 70’s and 80’s, and so much more. Do you know a Planet of the Apes fan? Put a new spin on their fandom by purchasing “Planet of the Apes as American Myth: Race and Politics in the Films and Television Series.” These are books that truly make you think.
Star Trek Figural Transporter
Available from www.snowdomes.com
A snow globe that’s more than a snow globe! It’s also a classic Trek transporter featuring space-age color changing transporter light effects activated by a switch on the bottom of the transporter. Shake it up to replicate the classic transporter dematerialization effect and you have hours of fun. Perfect for the office. Just pretend your Mr. Spock beaming down to Rigel 7. Or away from that miserable meeting.
Cost: $24.95
Universal Studios Monsters: A Legacy of Horror
Available from Barnes and Noble
For the monster in all of us, this 252 page hardcover book chronicles the popularity of Universal Studios’ monsters (including Dracula, Frankenstein, and The Creature From the Black Lagoon among others) during the 1920’s through 1950’s with amazing photographs, extensive biographies, behind the scenes insights, and interviews with surviving actors and studio employees. A must have for movie buffs, monster enthusiasts, or lovers of Hollywood history.
Cost: $40.00 cover price; $32.00 online price.
Think Geek
www.thinkgeek.com
If you’re going to load up your favorite geek with stuff, why not get stuff they’ll actually appreciate! Yes Think Geek has Airzooka guns, toys that teach science (gasp!), and Wi-Fi detecting T Shirts, but their real claim to fame has to be the “Tauntaun Sleeping Bag.” It started as an April Fool’s joke, but when people went berserk for the fake item, the fine folks at TG sprang into action and produced a real sleeping bag. For only $99, you too can recreate the classic Empire Strikes Back scene in the warmth and comfort of your own living room instead of the icy wasteland of Hoth.
My favorite item though, is the Doctor Who Sonic Screwdriver with authentic show sounds and purple UV light that can actually be used as a real pen. Oh, and the Doctor Who producers revamped their original prop using the mold for the toy, so it’s the same one you see on the show. Well, until Matt Smith takes over.
Inventory: 16 Films Featuring Manic Pixie Dream Girls, 10 Great Songs Nearly Ruined by Saxophone, and 100 More Obsessively Specific Pop-Culture Lists
Available from Barnes and Noble
One of the great things about being unemployed (two years and counting! Hey-oh!) is that, in addition to writing clever blog posts, I get to read the AV Club Inventory online. Now it’s available in book form and includes all the great lists and witty writing that you expect from the group that spun off from The Onion. You get insights into 24 great films too painful to watch twice, 14 tragic movie-masturbation scenes, 18 songs about crappy cities, and much more, plus new lists created especially for the book with a few favorites first seen at avclub.com and in the pages of The A.V. Club’s sister publication, The Onion.
Cost: $18.00 list price; $14.40 online price.
That’s a pretty good list and not too expensive! So happy holidays to all and to all, Allons-y!
*Not a guarantee!
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