Galneda's movie Reviews on Newgrounds

[Purged]

Gushing with Character

For starters, I was blown away by the dramatic interpretation of the Newgrounds logo. That looks fantastic!

Hania once again proves to be a brilliant composer. She's improved since Tarboy, and she effectively contributed providing a wonderful atmosphere to this animation. (reads author comments) ...Err...well, me personally, I like this soundtrack better :P

The overall texture, atmosphere of the entire animation was most appealing. It was very broody, but it looked great doing it. However, it was SO broody, and so focused on the visuals that it left something to be desired in the content...

From the very beginning we're trying to understand what's going on. I have no problem with there being no dialogue, as long as what's happening is clear. Here, we don't know the significance of him turning down food, or what the apple is supposed to represent. We don't know who these three Mummy Witches are, and we don't know why he got shot out of an earthbound cannon. Nothing is clear. We don't know what this character did to deserve this, we don't know what his conflict is other than trying to get this unexplained, unestablished ring off his neck, and we don't know what he's walking towards. We don't know who or what or why he was snatched back up into the heavens, and I'm simply left to just throw my hands up and say "Whatever. It looked better than anything I could ever draw. Five!"

Where is the story? It certainly looked beautiful, but why are these things happening to....who are these people again? Where or...huh? BEAUTIFUL, yes...phenomenal animation set to phenomenal music, without a doubt.....but....What?

I don't mind that there's no dialogue, it doesn't need it. This is art in itself, and it's done to the specifications of what you were emoting THROUGH your art. At that level, it's wonderful. But at another level, there's a lot to be desired through this because I want to see where it could go. If you're not going to use any voices, grunts and cry-overs could still be welcome...even for dramatic breaths, or struggling against the pull from the sky.

The menu has smooth transitions all throughout. The music uninterrupted in the background is an underappreciated blessing (friggin' DVD's with a buttload of funding don't even have that) and the menu loop looks and sounds wonderful and mystical. Actually, that would be a pretty good word to describe the project...it's very mystical and unearthly.

It's mystical how SMOOTH some of the face animations were. You would be doing me a huge service by at least pointing out what software you used for those morphing head turns, as I'm about to take After Effects over the summer semester. (Hell, I still have to even mess around with Premier. I have so much to learn.)

You're a master at your craft, clearly. I always look forward to hearing when you got something new coming up, in fact I came from your news blog posted on the front page. Keep up the great work! This was a very juicy, very artistic and creative demonstration of your abilities, as well as Hania's ability to accentuate on an atmosphere. Once again, while I don't mind the lack of dialogue, the lack of clarity in the story is what keeps it from getting a 10. Everything else is top-notch, as far as I'm concerned.

Great job! And if you could answer my feeble software questions, you'd be a much appreciated hero. :D

JamesLee responds:

Thanks for your in depth review! The morphing effects were created in After Effects, though early on I was experimenting with a software called Fantamorph, which worked quite well with similar results. :)

[Henry The Office Lizard]

Wow, this looks great!

Having taken a 3D rendering Maya class, I can empathize to a degree on how frustrating this 3D crap can get. The Office was wonderfully lit, and Henry was lively as he reacted to his superior's dialogue.

I wish we could have seen Henry actually tossing the boss out the window...as if it stayed in his perspective throughout the whole short. I've got no problem with Henry being a silent, snarly giant, but the cut-away seemed to be an easy way out. Yeah, it was easier to animate...but are you satisfied with how it ended? I felt like what we just watched was only a fraction of what the audience needed to see in order for us to really fall for the big lug...have us care about the character, or immerse us in his environment...In short, I'd like to see more. :D

Still, 3 months work over this ain't bad in the slightest. RicePirate did a very professional job as voice-over, too. Great job! Voted 5

[A Barn Owl]

You're off to a brilliant start!

-It could use additional sound effects to promote immersion. Rustling of the leaves, subtle noises like the owl's wings flapping or catching air, the rush of wind as it approaches, even super subtle noises like the mouse's paw contacting the seed with a barely audible pat...all of these could easily be reproduced with items in your very home or with your own body or mouth. Music couldn't hurt either, but I don't think this particularly needed it.
-The end when it closes in on the mouse, the frame-rate dips so dramatically that I initially thought it was unintentional. Learn to create the slow-motion illusion without sacrificing smoothness, and you'll have achieved a very advanced animation challenge. Slow motion is EXTREMELY difficult to pull-off, but to slow down the frame-rate where it chops like that makes viewers like me think it's an error with our flash player or browser.

Still, if you told a bunch of animators to describe what we just watch and had them animate it themselves, this is a challenging subject matter. A graceful owl's hunt as it preys upon a mouse below...I gotta admire the perspectives you chose for each shot!

Keep up the good work, keep churning stuff out while the momentum is still warmed up! Congratulations on your first Daily, and go ahead and download a stock NG Preloader to add to your future submissions. Go to "Downloads" underneath the Newgrounds banner in the top left, then go to Preloaders and take your pick!

[Pelican!? - Home life]

lmfao!

These Pelican!? shorts get better and better after each one. It'll be interesting to see how the hell that bird is going to top this.

I like how they both turned, acknowledged him, and the little bastard went in for one last hump before high-tailing it! You drew her out to be pretty hot looking, his expression at the end was priceless. Though I suppose it was an intentional part of his character design, my eye was drawn/distracted towards that bit of hair that moves as he blinks.

It makes me wonder who's blood that belonged to at the end...but, eh, fuckit...the bird's a bastard. Loved this! Voted 5.

Neo-uk responds:

Glad you liked it, matey. I have so many half-finished ones and this was one of them I decided to finish now that I have nothing else to do.

Thanks for the review!!

[Hilarious Cat Sleeping!!!]

Bahahaha, Newgrounds will never die.

Youtube does videos, Newgrounds does flash. They're not the same ball-game, hell they're not even the same field. Besides, NG is physically older and has changed the most dramatically in my opinion. But there's shit you go to youtube that you can't find here and visa-versa...this compare and contrast game could go on through the length of the review, so I'll just leave it at that. :P

NG has yet to get the powerhouse sponsorship that it's competition receives, but the fact remains that NG is STILL a very heavy-hitting website...and that it's doing all of it WITHOUT those powerhouses makes it an exceptional website. The creative possibility in our collective soup could explode one day and open the world's eyes. With The Behemoth's progress into mainstream gaming, it could only further funnel the potential in this creative nexus that grows and grows each year. I'm hoping to do my part with future Art, Flash, and Literature submissions. It will take us all for it be Everything by Everyone.

This flash was a pretty funny pop-shot, but my biggest complaint is how WILDLY different Youtube is from Newgrounds, and the fact that it's being phrased here like they are similar. We all know people go apeshit over cats online, but the thought of a 2 million viewed video of cat sleeping being the death of Tom Fulp is more confusing than it is funny.

Like, the joke was weakly executed. *BWOON* "OVER 2 MILLION VIEWS!" (Tom Fulp is dead) what? ...err...alright. Yeah, I'll go to NG instead of Youtube...how else am I watching this? But the fact remains I go to both sites. When I want to check out some copyright protected music, watch some old shows, or view some funny bullshit videos, I go to youtube. When I want to listen to some non-copyright protected music, watch some cartoons, art, play some games, and view some funny bullshit flash, I go here. NG has way more going on than Youtube, sure, but on both sites I'm still Phobotech...and this seems like a dry joke meant to recruit people to NG...ON NG...It would defeat the purpose of the flash's punchline, but wouldn't this be more effective ON youtube?

Don't take my ranting the wrong way, I still thought the flash was entertaining. What I gotta ask is how did you manipulate the perspective of the camera? For one, you created a believable "handheld camcorder shake" on the cat, as well as successfully, smoothly zooming in on the view-count. Was everything a movie clip, tweened together, do you have some sort of flash trick into everything within the frame acting like a camera? I must know! :D

Voted 5, gratz on the Daily 1st!

[C. Crashing Corn Boss]

Aww, I loved the ending drawing. :3

You're definitely improving! It's hard not to notice your animations; you're almost becoming a regularly featured animator on the front page.

Immediately the first thing I noticed was the improved shading. When that first knight walked out from the corn field to signal the others to follow, it looked incredible. The fight scene was engaging, though you could tell you weren't too caring of the superb shading and lighting effects on our heroes as you were in the beginning. It's understandable; after every intense frame-by-frame scene I do, you can notice the dip in time spent on the animation immediately after it...lol, so it's a common problem, if you were fretting about it, don't.

Congratulations on your first Weekly award! I think 2011 might be a prosperous year for you as a learning animator! :D Don't be afraid to experiment a little more in your future animations...you can't reach new boundaries until you push yourself into them, or just dive into it.

The sound effects were well chosen, I especially liked the sturdy "clank" after the Red Knight dropped his weapon from the first hit. Using traditional CC music has always been a good call.

I remember the corn boss being a pain in the ass to fight, I can't wait to see what boss you cover next! Again, experiment! You've got amazing potential, and it's already evident you've come a long way, so keep up the good work and keep pushing yourself!

Voted 5!

alfa995 responds:

Thank you so much for the review! I hope I can get my first daily 1st award next year, I'll put much more effort in my next C. Crashing flash (I made a news post about it, if you want to see it), I still have lots to learn, but I'm sure I will achieve a lot if I work hard :)
(Congratulations for your first weekly award on Repercussions of Evil, I watched it a few days ago and I really liked it)

[Yule of Krills]

I have a very serious question!

First off, I've always been a fan of your colorful, smoothly animated, creatively DARK style. Love this shit, love you, I get excited whenever I see anything "Catoble" up.

This is no exception! If anything, I'm noticing more complex things thrown into the mix, which is why I gotta ask.

How do you get the animation to continue going within the restrictions of the thought bubble as it condenses? Like, the Dad is drifting back, and the thought bubble forms OVER him, while the animation continues within the thought bubble. Same thing as the bubble focuses over the Dad's head being axed in the other thought bubble. Is that a masking property? Your Christmas Present to me would be taking a few minutes out of your time to enlighten me :D

I love watching how you make their mouths move. Like I said or implied, I always enjoy your style. Keep up the great work! Voted 5!

Merry Christmas and a Happy 2011 to you! :D

Catoblepas responds:

Second most oldest trick in da book. It's just a moving, bubble shaped hole in the bg wall.

[The Christmas Caper]

Wow Brow saved it.

I was sulking more, and more, and more, convinced this was a lazily thrown together, farfetch'd, no good Christmas cartoon with bad jokes...but then I saw Wow Brow. After a hearty laugh, I realized it was a lazily thrown together, farfetch'd, no good Christmas cartoon with A COUPLE of pretty funny wtf moments.

Sure, none of the funny gags tied in with the plot, and sure, the song 2/3rd's in was absolutely pointless...but it's CHRIIIISTMAAASSS...

I would work on structuring a plot, without making jokes that grind the progression of the plot to a halt.
I would work on volume leveling..."Three Ways to Saturday's" vocals got waaay quiet at some points...and it made no sense that the detective and Mom were singing "I can see it in your eyes" when it shows both of them inches away from their face and their eyes closed. I smiled, sure, but it wasn't clear if it was intentional or not.

The most clever line? "I'm not a detective, I'm a Dick!" ...which means detective... XD

The nerdy guy? Weakly established, weak performance, weak, almost accidental Deus Ex Machina to the plot...and the most action packed scene, when he's recounting Santa Dad beating him was TOLD THROUGH EXPOSITION, not SHOWN in something that's supposed to be a visual median.

...Hell, You know more than I how lazy you made the visuals! If you ever had thoughts of improving, why not challenge yourself?

All-in-all, this animation was mediocre at best. A few funny lines here and there, but overall, just more sloppy than I can tolerate. Voted 3, try to test your limits!

...Oh, and Merry Christmas. :D

[A paedophile story]

WOW!

Style! Artwork! Really, REALLY pro animation! Impressive sequence one after another and it just never lets up. The sound and music was beautifully balanced, and I kept finding myself audibly "wowing" over those visual sequences. You made these characters come to life! Additionally, the ending was great, though the giant rat thing DID seem to just kinda come out of nowhere... was it the symbolic evil, growing and growing as the cycle of perversion swirled about infinitely?

Consider me a new fan of your work! Fived and Faved! What in this was the hardest part for you to do, and which did you have the most fun doing? Did you use any program other than flash? You rock!

[Furries In Space Ii]

THUMBS UP YER THE BOSS!!!

The Captain's voice was hilarious, the web comic was hilariously bad, and I hate that I want to see this story continued in the format of this story-telling. I loved, I laughed, I already voted, I don't know why I'm still typing, somewhere along the line their I lived...and found out I love you. What was the hardest part to animate in this? :P