AiPT! Staff Picks – March 2018

Last Good Movie You Saw: Shin Godzilla. It’s so good while also not being what I expected at all. I loved watching Godzilla evolve over the course of the film and following humanity’s desperate struggle to fight back. The ending shot of the film is just perfect, too, as expected from Hideaki Anno.

Concert Season Is Here. Are There Any Concerts You Plan To Attend? Nah. I’ve never really been one to go to live music events.

Current Gaming Addiction: Nothing at this moment, but Atelier Lydie & Suelle: The Alchemists and the Mysterious Paintings is about to come out in the U.S. and I’m hyped. I’ve played the series’ last seven installments, the most recent of which was my game of the year for 2017, so I have high hopes. If this doesn’t end up being my game of the year for 2018, I’ll be very surprised.

Coolest Recent Purchase: I just ordered this bad boy. A variant cover to Iceman #1, featuring Stan Lee kicking Apocalypse in the face and wielding Mjolnir. I now have a copy of every cover for Iceman (that series was an event for me), and this is easily the funniest one.

New Comic Titles You Are Looking Forward To: I’m feeling hopeful for Ta-Nehisi Coates and Jen Bartel’s Storm series. I’m a big fan of Coates from his run on Black Panther and I like what I’ve seen of Bartel’s work. Storm is also one of those X-Men who, despite being iconic, hasn’t gotten many chances to shine on her own. I’m looking forward to seeing what this team does with her.

What Are You Looking Forward To In April? Vacation! I have a short vacation scheduled this month. I’m not doing anything special, just not working–that’s special enough for me. I’ll mostly be reading and playing Atelier.

If You Had Your Own Pop Culture-Type Shop, What Would It Be Called And What Would You Specialize In? “That Gay Stuff.” I would specialize in gay stuff. We’d have comics, manga, games and plenty of other things, all featuring queer characters. Queer bookstores are a rarity in and of themselves, and I’ve never seen one that specifically tailored to geekdom. I can’t think of any other type of retail establishment that would be more tailored to my tastes without just being named “Things the Owner Likes.”

Nathaniel Muir: Contributor

Favorite TV Show: I don’t watch TV regularly unless something really catches my eye. I am looking forward to Westworld next month, so for the time being I have been watching mid 80s NWA World Championship Wrestling. I grew up on the stuff and decades later it may be even better. I won’t go into “wrestling was better in the olden days” rant (it was) and let Dusty Rhodes tell it like it is.

Last Good Movie You Saw: Black Panther is the easy pick. There is nothing I can say that has not been said already. Recently I saw Thoroughbreds and was impressed. I expected it to be an okay movie at best and was blown away by how original and fun it was. Movies like this do not come around often.

Concert Season Is Here. Are There Any Concerts You Plan To Attend?  I really hate to admit this to myself, but I think my concert going days are over. I have no problem seeing a band play at a bar, but even then it has to be a friend’s band. That being said, I have been a fan of Modest Mouse since The Lonesome Crowded West and have never had the chance to see them live. They will be in the area in a couple of months and tickets and I am thinking about going.

Current Gaming Addiction: Kingdom Come: Deliverance has gotten better since I first reviewed it. What was a good game with way too many bugs has become a really good game with a few too many bugs. KC:D is an immersive RPG in which everything you succeed at fills you a tremendous sense of accomplishment. This is a fun game that feels rewarding.

Coolest Recent Purchase: A gift from my wife counts, right? Kurt Vonnegut is probably my favorite author and next to Oscar Wilde the wittiest writer ever (scientific fact.) A piece of clothing can’t really tell you what a book is about, but I can’t imagine there being a better shirt for Cat’s Cradle. Bonus fun fact about Cat’s Cradle: It is not Vonnegut’s best book-you can even make the argument it is not his second best book-and it is still one of the greatest of all time.

What Are You Looking Forward To In April? Quick answer: Avengers. April also means WrestleMania. The past few have not been so great and with at least 14 matches, this year looks like it will be another 9 hour endurance test. But this year’s Mania will have Ronda Rousey for people who watch out of curiosity, John Cena vs Undertaker (in all likelihood) for the casuals, AJ Styles against Shinsuke Nakamura for the hardcores, and Daniel Bryan for everyone. This year may not be the best WrestleMania ever, but it should be the best in a long time.

If You Had Your Own Pop Culture Type Shop, What Would It Be Called And What Would You Specialize In? One of those bars where everyone is a spy but no one admits it would be cool. I would call it Just Spy Inn. Unfortunately, a liquor license is expensive in Texas and I would probably end up being the butt of a lot of jokes. I would like to open a little cafe to show movies. Something small, maybe ten to fifteen people. There would be finger foods and drinks and people could gather to meet, watch and discuss movies. Blockbusters, foreign movies, classics, overlooked gems, bad movies whatever. Basically, it would be a clubhouse for pretentious movie geeks to get together.