Galneda's movie Reviews on Newgrounds

[Parasitemas]

Badass.

I kinda wanted to see what life was like in this new dick-colonized worm-world.

Really creative collab, you guys. Fantastic animation and artwork accompanied by a pretty bitchin' Audio Portal track.

The Tankman looked great, I loved Felix's Worm Overlord animations, and God masturbating with a crushed fairy is pretty hilarious.

The whole thing was a little too short to earn it a perfect 10, but I can't complain too much...it's only a minute long track, and the detailing in this animation was time-consuming enough as it is, even if the workload was divided up. Still, y'all have a style each unique to your own, all of the animators involved are fantastic, and I'd love to see a collab with you four again.

Hell, if I'd get my productivity up, I'd love to collab with the lot of you too. It's sick and twisted, and therefore very Newgroundsy. How could I vote less than five for that?

Merry Yule! This turned out great! Good job guys :D

[Wales and Gary]

Well, that was strange.

It took me a while to identify the grey mask wasn't just a still amoeba and actually supposed to be a geographical shape.

It made no sense that Wales, in it's entirety, had a kind of American accent instead of...well...Welsh. But hell, if I'm going to nit-pick; what was the Centaur drinking, why is Wales grey, why did the world explode, can Wales fly blahdyblahderherpdrurp and I'm envisioning an Englishman pronouncing that word aloud RIGHT. NOW.

It was random humor, so I could go in one of two ways; affirm that it succeeded in being random and vote highly, or denounce that the path of incoherence is an easy path to take and vote lowly. Since I can't make up my mind yet, I gotta trust my gut. My gut's reflection on this, is...well, I'll have him type it himself.

geau blorch haaarrpppl;'l;, grauf'iao 'qweasdewtgffrrrrylorp furt braaarghr-

Alright, I'll just type it. Just as I was beginning to roll with these crazy happenings unfolding before me, suspending disbelief that, "Okay, a gray chunk of the UK that is a detective (who can fly) is battling against a sophisticated, villainous Astronaut Centaur", it ends too abruptly. AS SOON as you got my attention, it just drops for a half-assed "Come to Wales or some shit" tourist ad line...even though in the end of the animation, the world seemed to have exploded.

I'm also profoundly against censorship. Tell me, which is worse? Being exposed to a long sustained "FUUUUUUUCK" or being exposed to a long, loud, annoying shrill beep? Like most men, I'd rather fuck. Err...hear fuck. Um....fuckit.

On the plus side though, it's actually animated very well. The facial expressions and lip syncs (or 'stache syncs lol) were spot on. The environments were great. Not really a fan of the flat grey office environment, but I suppose it works seeing as how it matches Detective Wales entirely. I also think it's interesting to see what an artist does when they're told "draw outer space." You handled the black void above us all pretty well. I liked what you did with the place.

But yeah, what's keeping it from getting a 10? The long sustained beep and the underwhelming punchline. Great Voice Actors, art, animation, and hell for a random flash you did it very randomly. I'd like to see something of yours that contained more depth in the future. Voted 5!

-Review Request Club-

[The Emperor's Pilot v2]

There's much I like about the song.

The idea behind the song and what you were going for is awesome, and I liked it's structure a lot.

Mattresses or closets work significantly better for soundproofing on a budget, though I only noticed background noises right after the solo...of which, could use some tightening up, and the solo itself ended with, err, little finesse.

There also must've been something slightly off with the timing as you layered the different takes, because there's this weird staggard effect going on through MOST of the song. Where a split second after one strum, there's instantly another, so there's this weird copy-cat echo effect going on...it would overall SEEM much stronger if it was one punchy note...though I can empathize that would be difficult to do because of the song's tempo, it's what NEEDS to be done for the song to be better.

It needs bass. TASTEFUL bass, that's supporting the guitars, not mimicking them.

It needs drums. GREAT drums. None of that auto-tempo, machine drum crap either...somebody who knows what they're doing, or at least faking it enough to sound great...like In Flame's drummer, just doing the bare minimum of heavy (lol)

I guess it would need vocals, but not death metal growling/pig-squeeling/incoherent bullshit...it needs something powerful, with lyrics that tell the story of the fearless, dedicated pilot, honor bound to guide his machine to victory beyond death, devoted to his leader. If I were more confident in my singing ability, I would totally audition.

It's also in my firm opinion that the song needs to start off smoother...with class...KEEP the segment in the beginning as it's building, but start it off slower, with class...your music is telling a story. He's not launching in any particular hurry off of those wood-decked aircraft carriers...he has thoughts of his family back home...the serene beauty of Japan...the looming threat of American invasion onto that beauty...and DESPITE the fear, DESPITE the possibility of a fiery death, screaming through the skies in air overwhelmed with flak and bullets, he'll do what he needs to do...maybe, this one last time. Starting it off with beauty and grace would make this segment you have here MUCH, much more powerful.

Lastly, as I listen to this again, clean up and work on that solo. Make sure you don't have too much going on, and don't be afraid to sloooowww dowwwwnn the supportive riffs behind the solo, so it's not "JUNJUNNAJUNJUNNAJUNJUNJ-J-JUN" CONSTANTLY in the background. Break it up! Think of the emotions behind it. :D

Visually, we got nothing, and that admittedly hurt it's score. What saved it, actually, is moreso the song's potential. I think you're onto something here...it's just an early draft of something greater to come.

Fived to Save, you must perfect this!

RPRMT0054611 responds:

i'm copying and pasting your comment on my notebook. haha! your intro idea has much weight; i like it.

[Babies]

Greatness!

This is the most tasteful use of auto-tuning I've ever heard. One of the catchiest and hilarious songs I've heard from either of you guys, this is just great! Y'all make an excellent team, and I can't wait to see what else you can come up with. :D

Five'd and Fave'd!

[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)