IGN FilmForce Weekend Shopping Guide: What It Covered
The IGN FilmForce Weekend Shopping Guide was a weekly IGN column that paired personal writing with recommendations across entertainment. Here is what it covered and how its editions were organized.
In this article
Here's what the IGN FilmForce Weekend Shopping Guide was: a recurring IGN column of film, TV, music and book picks. Each week's edition gave you a set of recommendations to consider buying, which made it a handy place to find something new to watch, listen to or read. [1] For the next step, see IGN FilmForce Weekend Shopping Guide.
The 10/14/05 edition, titled Jacksonville Bound, shows how a typical one was built. Its title line reads IGN FilmForce Weekend Shopping Guide 10/14/05: Jacksonville Bound, and it was written by Ken P. [1] The column opened with a personal essay before it got to the recommendations, so it read more like a short piece of writing than a plain catalog. [1] Related reading: IGN FilmForce Weekend Shopping Guide.
This article walks you through the column's format and the kinds of picks it included. It also points you to separate guides on specific editions, so you can dig into the ones that interest you most.
What kinds of picks did the column include?
The column did not stick to movies. The 10/14/05 edition's subject line names Ryan Adams, Arrested Development, Gaiman and South Park, so music, TV and books sat beside the film picks [1].
Music, TV and books
Adams shows up as a musician. The writer spends real time on his new country-heavy album, Jacksonville City Lights, so music gets genuine space in the column [1].
Film stays in the mix. The same edition points to the Alfred Hitchcock Masterpiece Collection on DVD, which the writer says should be a prominent fixture on the shelves of any self-respecting cinephile [1].
Why 'and more' matters
The subject line ends with 'and more,' so those four names are examples, not a complete list. Think of the headline names as a starting point. The rest of each edition fills in the picks you won't see in the title [1].
That mix is what makes the column read differently from a plain movie list. You can see the range of its picks in a single week's edition.
How was each edition put together?
Each edition opens with a personal note before it gets to the picks. The 10/14/05 edition is a clear example. Its opening paragraph is about the writer's high school reunion, which he says he will not be attending [1].
That opening is about his hometown, Jacksonville, North Carolina, and why it leaves him feeling nostalgic [1]. The column reads like a short essay followed by a list. The essay sets the mood, and the shopping picks come after it as a separate block [1].
Why the date matters
Every edition is tied to a specific date. The 10/14/05 column is headed "IGN FilmForce Weekend Shopping Guide 10/14/05: Jacksonville Bound," so its picks reflect what was current that week in October 2005 [1]. Treat each edition as a snapshot of that week, not as a list of what is available today.
When you read an edition, start with its date.
Where can you read about specific editions?
If you want detail on one edition, the cluster has a separate guide for each. Start with the Black Books edition, which explains how its entries were organized. That helps if you want to understand why the picks are grouped the way they are before you look for any of them.
For the Star Wars edition, read the guide to Return of the Jedi. It focuses on the collectibles and home releases the column pointed to, so it is the best place to start if you collect Star Wars items or want to know what was available on disc.
Fans of science fiction should look at the guide to Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. It covers the releases the column recommended for sci-fi fans, which makes it a natural next stop if that genre is your main interest.
The simplest way to choose is to pick the franchise you already care about. Each guide answers one question in depth, so you don't need to read them in order. If you are new to the column, begin with the overview, then jump to the edition that matches your interest.
What is the column worth today?
The column is best read as a snapshot of what IGN recommended in 2005, not as a current shopping list. [1]
Start with the date on each edition to see how old its picks are. The 10/14/05 edition, for example, is dated October 14, 2005, so its recommendations reflect what was on IGN's radar that week. [1]
The linked guides go deeper into the editions that interest you most. Pick one, note its date, and compare its picks with what you can find today. That comparison shows you which recommendations still hold up and which have aged out.