Stop Teasing Me

Last week was amazing. Let's start with Sunday. Some people start their weeks on Monday, but for the purpose of this post, Sunday works better. Everyone is carrying on with their lives, when suddenly - JURASSIC WORLD TEASER TRAILER. I've know for a while that the movie was being made, and scheduled for release sometime next year, so was super excited when the teaser was released. And golly did it tease me. It gave absolutely nothing away, and lasted only 16 seconds, but showed enough to get attention and build hype. We get a brief glimpse of the reopened park, a scientist lady who appears to be in charge of something, and Chris Pratt looking like an archaeologist explorer dude.The simple music in the background was a perfect combination of tranquillity and eeriness. Whilst it's a bit redundant now, if for some reason you haven't seen it, I'd still recommend checking it out.This was a good day.

Monday was shit.

Tuesday was shit. I thought at one point it was going to be good. There had been word for while about a Star Wars trailer coming sometime soon, and since the Jurassic World teaser, everyone was expecting it. So when I saw a link floating about, I was momentarily excited. Then someone did this.

Things got a bit better on Wednesday with the release of the full Jurassic World trailer. After the teaser, there was an announcement of the full trailer release date having something to do with Thanks Giving, which thanks to the internet, means that even non-Thanks Giving-celebrating countries like Australia could still watch it. In the end it came out a bit earlier anyway, not that I'm complaining.

This obviously expands greatly on the teaser. You can see that the park is not only reopened, but has had a massive upgrade, including new safari vehicles for roaming with wild dinosaurs, and even a water show not unlike something you'd see at Sea World (and given the history of killer whales eating their trainers, it might be more relate-able than you think). One of the big things is you finally learn something about the plot - the creation of a hybrid dinosaur. This is announced by the aforementioned scientist lady, to which Chris Pratt archaeologist explorer dude replies that it's probably a bad idea. Which of course it is. You don't get to see much of this hybrid, only its feet, which tells you that it's bi-pedal like a T-Rex. Judging purely from the feet though, it looks like a pretty awesome dinosaur. But what really wraps it up are the Velociraptors at the end. Everyone loves a friendly raptor. This was a good day.

Thursday was shit.

Friday was shit.

Saturday seemed like it was going to be shit. I started work at 6 in the morning, expecting it to be just like any other day. I bumped into a friend as I was leaving work, and he mentioned something about a trailer. I missed exactly what he said, so assumed it must have been about the Jurassic trailer. So responded with, "Yeah, looks awesome. Pretty excited for it. ...The Star Wars trailer should be coming out soon I reckon". Suddenly the conversation got awkward and neither of us knew what the other was talking about:
"You mean the full one?"
"No, just the teaser, that one released the other day was a fake."
"Huh, it was released this morning."
"What?"
And that was how I found out about the Star Wars teaser. Unfortunately, I wasn't finished running around for the day, but I wasn't going to let that stop me from seeing this trailer. I was only going home to change and find directions to my next destination - perfect time to have a quick look. I noticed I had 5 different Facebook notifications from friends sharing the video with me, so I clicked one, and experience 88 seconds of awesome.

I didn't have time to see the impression it made on the internet, as I had to quickly leave again, but it was stuck in my mind the rest of the day. Until I got home again a bit later in the afternoon, and I watched it again. But as before, I had to quickly go out elsewhere. Do you know what I did when I arrived home at 11.30pm? I watched it again. I have since watched it many more times, and here are some things that impress me/draw discussion.
It does everything a teaser is meant to, and whilst a little longer than the one for Jurassic, doesn't give too much away, and certainly raises some questions. Is the Stormtrooper in the first scene (John Boyega) in disguise (think Han and Luke in A New Hope), or is he a rogue, like others have suggested. One things that's really cool, and I'm very surprised that I haven't read anything about this yet, is at the very end of the first scene, you can hear what sounds like a probe droid from The Empire Strikes Back. Is this guy being chased? But speaking of Stormtroopers, how awesome is the new helmet? They look a little more high-tech, but still have the classic 'frown' that they're known for. There's also a new astromech type droid, which draws inspirtation from a soccer ball.

Notice the pod-racer engine in the background?

The environment here certainly looks like Tatooine, and we're also shown some new planets which is great. I think it's done really well - it emulates the classic Star Wars feel brilliantly, particularly the vehicles, but with a modern twist. The appearnce of X-Wings, TIE-Fighters and the Millennium Falcon just set if off. They are things we know and love, plus you know Han and Chewie are sitting the the Falcon's cockpit pulling that sick air manourvre. One thing that is either coincidince or very very deliberate, is the resemblance of the X-Wing pilot to the Snowspeeder pilot on Hoth that finds Han after he rescues Luke. Even my brother noticed it, so it's not just me:

X-Wing pilot from The Force Awakens

Snowspeeder pilot from The Empire Strikes Back

First of all, let me just say I love cockpit shots, they for some reason always look really cool. But is that the same guy, or is that the same guy?? Ok, so it's not actually the same guy. Dude on top is Oscar Issac, and dude on the bottom is Christopher Malcom. But is that the same guy? It's probably just coincidence, and the characters certainly aren't going to be the same either, But if that was intentional, then Abrams, to you I tip my hat.

Definitely the biggest point of discussion from the teaser is the new lightsabre design. I personally think it's awesome. Sure, it may not be safe or practical, but normal lightsabres don't have a hilt guard at all, which is not any safer. It has spawned many parodies and arguments, but it sure as hell is cool. Even the blade(s) of the lightsabre itself are awesome. It looks a bit unstable, and you can see plasma arcing out of it, unlike in previous movies where the blades have been very controlled and crisp.

There's also a cool little surprise at the very end of the trailer, watch it to the last second. After everything has faded to black, you can hear the faint sound of a lightsabre igniting. And it sounds like the traditional ignition as well, not the new sound that's used on the new lightsabre (which still sounds cool). Not sure what exactly it's there for, and again, I've not seen it mention in any of the articles I've read about the teaser. It's subtle, and it's awesome.

One little mistake though... The scene with the female character (Daisy Ridley) shows starting up some sort of speeder bike (very retro-Star Wars looking) with a lightsabre hilt hooked onto the side. Then as it cuts to her speeding away, suddenly the lighsabre is gone. It could well be from different scenes in the movie, simply cut together for the teaser (not uncommon), but from what is shown, it looks like an editing error, WHOOPS.

Some fan art. I can't un-see it now.

The only thing I didn't like about the teaser (although I already knew this beforehand) was that it annouced the release for the film in December (written in the original Star Wars, for extra nostalgia). No. Star Wars movies are released in May. They have always been released in May. I don't give a shit about Christmas time holidays releases, Star Wars must be released in May. And while I'm on that note, each movie in the trilogy has been released 3 years after the one before it. But Disney's big plan is to release them 2 years apart. No. They should come out in May, and 3 years apart, that's Star Wars tradition. End of Rant.

So far no word on when the full trailer will come out, but I can only hope it's soon. Although in the space of 2 days, there's already countless remakes and parodies, including a George Lucas Special Edition, J.J Abrams signature Lens Flare Edition, and even a Lego version (there's actually a few Lego ones, that one wasn't the first, but it's by far the best).

Saturday was a good day.

While I'm talking teasers and trailers, notable mention to the Avengers: Age of Ultron trailer, and the Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies. Both came out recently-ish, and both look pretty intense.

Chris

Woof

Back in 2012, online comedian, artist, and philanthropist, Matthew Inman, perhaps better know as The Oatmeal, published a comic, "My Dog: The Paradox". It's not the first animal-related comic he's done, with cats and bears in particular making regular appearances, nor is it the only time his adorable dog, Rambo, has been featured.

And also here.

Something about this particular comic really resonated with me though. I'm not known for my emotional displays, usually hiding behind my mask of awesomeness, but I do have feelings, and I love dogs. If you're ever around me having just read/watched/heard something sentimental about dogs, you'll likely see my guard drop a little. Dogs have that effect on people, it's their super power. Feeling sad? HAVE A PUPPY FOR INSTANT HAPPINESS!! Lonely? DOGGY CUDDLES ARE FRIENDLY!! Main character in a movie dies? Pssh... Dog in a movie dies? SADDEST THING EVER!! I don't care if you're not a dog person, I dare you to disagree with me. Dogs are emotions wrapped up in fur with a tail as indicator (usually happy...or hungry). My Dog: The Paradox, was such a popular comic, that The Oatmeal re-drew it in colour and published it as a little book, which came out in May 2013. I didn't buy it straight away, as there's many things I want, so everything just gets added to a list until such time as I deem appropriate to buy it.

Fluffiness is proportional to happiness.
Bonus points for long ears and puppy-dog eyes.

That's my dog (family dog), Stella, a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. We got her when I was 10, so I grew up with her. Just before last Christmas (2013), we had to put her down (nearly 14 years old). I've never been through something like that before. Our previous dog died naturally of old age (I was 8 at the time), and it was during the night once I had gone to bed, so it wasn't something I actually experienced as such. Being quite young, I was sad, but I didn't really understand fully, and I don't really have many memories of her (but I do remember she was a loveable little Miniature Dachshund, Shasa - no, not Sasha). But back to Stella, in 2008 I think it was, she had to have one of her hind legs amputated due to cancer in the knee. That didn't stop her trying to run around like she still had 4 legs, and for the next couple years it didn't seem to impair her too much. But as she started getting older, she developed arthritis, which only made it ever harder to move, as her single back leg started to struggle more and more with supporting her. To cut a long (and not too happy) story short, her leg deteriorated so much that it got to a point where she could hardly move or even stand. Even sleeping had become uncomfortable for her and in the end we had to make the hard decision.

One of the last photos of Stella.
The carpet strips you see were placed around the house as "runways" to help her get around.

As most dog owners will confirm, dogs love chewing things, and one of Stella's favourite things to do was to unwrap presents. She didn't chew the boxes or whatever was inside, she just liked to tear the paper off. So Christmas was a dream come true for her. That Christmas, was therefore quite sad, not having our little doggy to run around share the happiness. I used to come from uni and she would greet me with a happy woof (I was usually the first one home for the day if everyone was out), then we'd go and study in my room. She particularly like exam periods as I was home much more and she'd spend the whole day with me, After she died, it took me while to get used to not having her there any more. I'd get home from uni and go to let her out, only she wasn't there. 

Stella would stalk flies, but should they ever turn around she'd run and hide. She wasn't too keen on baths, but loved getting dried and brushed afterwards. She was terrified of other dogs, regardless of their size or age (I always wondered if she realised she was a dog herself), yet would try to befriend every person she came across. If something was out of place or unusual, she'd sniff it and/or bark at it, because it was different. On two separate occasions she got stung by a scorpion when she sniffed it too close, and on many occasions she got absolutely no response from a plastic bag that had been left on the floor. I could keep going on about how crazy-yet-normal she was, and The Oatmeal's book draws very similar comparisons about his dog. This post wasn't meant to be all emotional, the idea was to review the book, however I felt it required a bit of a back story and some personal anecdotes. But now we can go back to happy (if you need help, grab the nearest dog - even if it's not yours).

The now famous pet of The Oatmeal, Rambo

My Dog: The Paradox, perfectly describes dogs, and is a great sentiment about them. Whilst it is written simply as a fun book about one man's love for his dog and how happy and crazy dogs can be, it is a great keepsake type book for all dog owners and lovers. Whether your dog may have died and you get it in memory of them, or you simply find the book interesting and funny, the book relates to all dogs and reflects common feelings towards them. The book features an introduction by Matthew, before it get's into the comic, where he talks about his inspiration for the comic/book and dedicates it to all the dogs he's owned and lived with. The coloured version of the comic is a really nice touch, made extra bright being printed on glossy paper. It reinforces the happiness of the comic, which whilst is a little moving in parts, is mostly a celebration of dogs and our relationship with them. It's quite short compared to his previous books, consisting of only the single comic rather than a collection of them, but there are a couple extra bonus artworks. Also it's hardcover, which helps keep it in good condition, plus allows you to stand it up should you wish to display it.

I bought the book recently when The Oatmeal celebrated 5 years by having sale in the website's merch shop. I didn't buy just the book though, that would be silly. If you're going to the effort of buying something, you might as well buy other things too (this applies to internet shopping and real-life shopping), especially if you have to pay for shipping. So I took the opportunity to get a couple other things - but what? I want The Oatmeal's other books as well, although I didn't want to just get books, and they make good presents too (for any family members reading if you're ever not sure what to get me...). There's some cool shirts which I'd like to add to my collection as well, but in the end, I opted for some prints. I'm a fan of wall art, however it gets to a stage in every mans' life when posters of your favourite bands and/or movies just don't work any more, and you need something a little more... appropriate?

Kate-Lyn said I could.

Enter, "Wookiee Jesus", and "There's a Duck in My Coffee". Quirky enough to be cool and keep your inner child at peace, yet colourful and classy enough to be suitable as home decoration and keep your significant other at peace. And they're both signed, so that adds artistic value. Wookiee Jesus is from another comic (speaking of significant others...), and features a Wookiee (let's call him Chewbacca, cos he's the best), holding a crucifix-styled lightsabre, with a Death Star in the background in place of the moon. I'm by no means religious (though should Jedi ever be accepted as a religion, then sign me up!), but you can't deny it's an aweosme print, and it allows be to display my affection for Star Wars without putting up possibly non-significant-other-worthy movie posters (though I have them as well). As for the Duck, it's kinda weird, but in a cool way, and makes for an awesome piece of art. It's not from any of The Oatmeal's comics, just a stand alone drawing, though it does have a partner, "There's a Polar Bear in My Coffee", which is available as t-shirt.

If only it came in a print as well.

I've wanted to feature The Oatmeal for a while (back when I was posting on the old version of the blog), and I finally had the opportunity. If you haven't heard of his work before, go check it out. Some of the comics are educational, some cute, some rude, all aweosme. He also does a lot of charity work, including for animals and wildlife, cancer research, and building a Goddamn Tesla Museum! 

That's all for now, I'll leave you with a couple extra dog comics from some of my other favourite comic artists:

The Science of Dogs

Why You Are Not As Awesome As A Dog

Dog Loyalty Pt. II

Pet a Dog

Chasing a Leash

Chris

Catch-Up

Many things have happened since my last post in 2012. There were so many potential posts, that I wanted to write, but I had a few too many items on my plate which meant that this blog had to sleep for a while. However now that I'm back and things are up and running, I thought I'd go back to where I left off.

This is a snapshot of time-travel, at a rate of 1 second per second, captured over 5 seconds

This next part is something I like to call speed posting. Kinda like speed dating, in that you don't get the full picture - some you'll want more of, some you're glad it's only quick. I might end the analogy there before things get weird. 3... 2... 1... BLOG:

• Disney buys Lucasfilm: announces Episode VII - Good move for the future of Lucasfilm, 200% excited for the movies
• Big Day Out 2013 - Chili Peppers YEAH! (Killers were awesome too), also BOOBIES!
• Flying lesson #2 - Got to take off, did a perfect circle and flew into the plane's wake, flying is AWESOME
• Disney on Ice: Princesses and Heroes - A musical performance consisting of various songs from a variety of Disney movies. I felt like a real princess!
• Bernard Fanning: Departures + Tour - Great to hear some new material following the breakup of Powderfinger, I CAUGHT A GUITAR PICK (Kate-Lyn actually caught it and gave it to me, still counts!)
• Engineering Ball - It's a ball! Fancy clothes and open bar!
• Tough Mudder - Once again dressed as Batman, this time with a Go Pro (corrupted footage though...), great challenge and lots of fun
• Pearl Jam: Lightning Bolt - Solid album, still waiting for that tour (missed BDO 2014)
• Submitted my engineering thesis - My model looked like a Mario pipe, got a 6 (84.2%)

CFD meets Gaming

• Matthew Reilly: The Tournament - Very interesting book, a detour from his normal modern action thrillers but still very fast paced, and a free prequel!
• Muse live - Awesome as ever, nearly caught Chris' harmonica and Dom's drumstick, did catch 20 Musos during animals, had a girl try to hit on me, who after being turned down, I heard trying to pick up another guy using a different name
•  Celebrated 5 years with my girlfriend, Kate-Lyn - 5 years is a long time to hold hands, also same night as Muse so that was fun,
• Nutcracker - My first ballet, not performing, watching
• Did a suicide shot for NYE - Then did a 2nd one for my mate's birthday (same day), one is bad enough, wouldn't recommend two (FYI: shot the tequila, snort the salt, squirt lemon in your eye)
• New Zealand trip - The Hobbit and bungee jumping and snow in summer and 3 amazing weeks which you can read all about on Kate-Lyn's blog (she's a bit behind). Fun fact, the first picture is one I took from Sky Tower in Aukland)
• Eddie Vedder live - Really good performance, with covers, classic PJ songs, a guest appearance from Tom Morello, and plenty of banter and audience interaction. Went well overtime and we missed all the buses and trains for the night, but totes worth it!
• One Man Show - Stage show featuring Andrew and Chris from the Chaser, my laughs for the year
• NIN/QOTSA - Genius combination for a double headline act, NIN were first and I felt so out of place, (it was like a hardcore rave) but really good performance, followed by QOTSA who absolutely rocked it
• 3rd Dan in Taekwondo - I have a particular set of skills

This should get me a place in the next Super Smash Bros. game

• Graduated - Finally, I am now officially an engineer, any takers? Boeing? NASA? Virgin?
• Mythbusters live - Slow-mo and science and physics on stage, I may do a full post on this as it was little more than a week ago, alas it was very interesting ("alas" makes me sound fancy, like Dumbledore)

Which brings us to now. There's definitely some things I left out, and I do wish I could've written a full post for all these entries. But at least I'm up-to-date now. Posts will be on an irregular schedule, but I'll keep them frequent enough, just really depends on the happenings in my life and around the world. Don't forget to check out the recently launched WETS! which updates weekly.

Chris

Welcome

Sex, Star Wars, Rock & Roll is back! I forgot to feed before hibernating, so I return to the Internet somewhat smaller than before, and very hungry. You may notice the URL is different (if you didn't, check now - look closer). The old URL does not exist any more, and the blog that was attached to it has been deleted. This was not a hack or a terrorist attack (lucky, there was some awesome, secret, special, take-over-the-world stuff I had hiding on there), but a personal decision due to conflicts with Google and how they handle accounts. This version is more or less a duplicate as far as looks go, but the content will be brand new! If you liked my old posts, you will be able to find them on the Graveyard page to look through and reminisce about the good old days at your own leisure. In addition to the regular review-type posts, I have some new features planned for the blog as well, which I'm very excited to get started on and share.

You can follow Sex, Star Wars, Rock & Roll on Facebook and Youtube. There is also a Google+ page, because it made one for me when I registered the account for this blog. I may decide to make it interesting one day, but that day is not this day. If you're an old follower, welcome back, and I hope you like what I've done with the place. If you are new follower, you obviously won't know any better, but I hope you like what you see. To both old and new,thank you for visiting.