TeddyReddy's movie Reviews on Newgrounds

[Purgatory Dreams - Choking on Plastic]

I really wish I could rate this 5, but I really can't.
Most things that make up this animation are superb, but with just one thing being out of place the entire experience is ruined. I'm not lowering my score by half just because of this one big flaw I see, rather because of how easy it could have been fixed(granted that fix would've needed to be implemented at the writing stage), because of the missed potential.

THE GOOD: Over-all presentation was superb. The art, throwbacks to popular media, voice effects, everything build up quite the uncanny imagery that I couldn't take my eyes away from and the rough audio that ressonates too strongly not to bring to life an emotion or two. Aside from that glass crack effect, everything in this department was top-notch.

THE BAD: Tiff. Oh,Gods, Tiff was terrible. It ruined the entire experience for me, made me keep looking at that 10 min timeline, that I usually see as a Godsent when it comes to NG content, but now I just wanted it to be over with, the only thing keeping me from switching to another tab being the moments when she shuts up.

-Firstly the VA work sounds very out of place, not sure if that's a fault of the actress, the director or if she was actually intended to sound like that. This would've worked so much better if she had no voiced lines. The only good moments of Tiff communicating something was when that communciation was non-verbal, the way she moves when she's on-screen, her decissions, her actions, etc. I understood so much more about her thought process by seeing her make decissions, the way she moves the cursor, the determination, the fright; than I did when I heard her talk.
Honestly there was a lot of dissonance between the way Tiff spoke and the visuals. The most striking example of this is the Panic meter. That was the moment when I decided I just couldn't suspend my disbelief for this.

-Secondly, the writing. Tiff's lines are terrible and completely ruin any of the many possible moods this animation could have created. I'm not sure if she was supposed to come off as strong or mouthy or what, and I can't pinpoint the mistakes that were made in building up her character, because I'm unsure of the mood the short was going for. It's really hard to tell. Pixel art and an uncanny setting are elements that lie in juxtaposition. YOu never know what atmosphere that's supposed to be. In order to find that out, there has to be a third element to look at. Usually, the characters in the story. But Tiff being the only relevant character makes that hard. I can't tell if she's supposed to be like that, or if the performance was done poorly and that leaves everything regarding the story's feel up in the air.

I really wanted to like this so bad, but I just couldn't. It's the same way I wanted to like SAO, but all the bajillion budget visuals and sound can't make up for such an infect story. This case is a bit different. In this case I could excuse the atmosphere if it wasn't well-executed, but the intentions were good. But I can't tell if this was the way it was intended to come out or not.

ClockworkPixel responds:

theres intended to be a disconnect between momments, tiff acting cocky and a few joking parts so that when the scares came it all the more harder but with doing that way, it hits and it misses.

i tried making this without a script, kinda story board as i go along to see where the story took me. this worked well for pacing but it not so much with dialog.

i believe piper gave a great performance and if i have to place blam on that disconnect it'd be my pixel art. i should of made sprites more expressive but it would of leas to a longer delay and at some point you have to say "this is done" and move on.

i'm proud of what i've done here even with it's flaws. with the things i've noticed and you've pointed out i know what to improve in the future and i can only hope you enjoy tape two more if you're willing to give it another shot when the time comes? :)

[One moment of lucidity]

Despite your style needing a lot of work, you have my 5, because it's by no means bad just unrefined, you're clearing going in the right direction and if this is just your fourth, you're going to make it far.

Keep at it!

R-Christophe responds:

Thank you for your encouragement.
I will try !
I didn't expect that this animation is so well seen.

[Making a Legendary Sword - PixelPalas]

This is some of the most beautiful pixel art I've ever seen.
Are you working on any games?
Or considering it?
I would be the furst to buy a game that had funny scenes animated like this.

FelipePalacio responds:

Thank you! :)
Not working on any games right now, but lots of people tells the same... But I am doing more animations!

Still considering to do a game o/

[TD-Shut The World Out]

It is amazing to me how much effort you put into making these small stories come to life. The colourful art really helps your experiences come to life and come across as more personal.

I wish more people were like this, instead of making the lazy slideshow of random images from Google.

While the message isn't presented in a concise or academic manner, it is all the more impactful for its anectodal character.

You are a pleasure to listen to and your drawings are very stylized for such short pannels. It's like watching an episode of Extra Credits where the artist actually put effort into making each individual frame speak for itself, and the script doesn't try to present a dozen disjointed complex ideas that would be better suited to having at least one hour devoted to each, but instead made an effort to deliver a simple strong message.

Only one complaint. Why is the rating M? All I see that would take the rating above E are a few short drug and sex referrences.

Raziberry responds:

It's rated M cause I couldn't remember if there was any nudity when I was uploading, but I swear a lot and draw violence so I figured better safe than sorry.

[Kaiju Chaos]

Wonderously done.
Beautiful animation, if a little inconsistent.

The intro was strong. It managed to transcend its often childish medium and have more impact and grit than most hollywood movies in the genre have. The lineweight, good voice acting and well designed shots do all that's needed to establish the tone.

The middle is the weakest part. The character designs don't fit in at all with the rest of the animation, but I can understand there was a lot of very fluid animation that they had to be subjected to, so it is excusable. Aside from the goofy character designs and movement these battle shots feel very weak. The composition, poorly masked perspective tricks and at times lazy animation(like when the entire upper body of a character has no keyframes when moving, but his lower body is very active) destroy the intensity of the fight. Granted this isn't supposed to rival the MCU, but some more dust clouds, a bit of screen shake, some better use of light and colour when there are things happening both in the background and foreground would have been appreciated.
Where this otherwise sub-par section shines is the characterization done through actions alone. The silent heroes speak very loudly through their interactions with each other and their fight styles. I feel like I got to know them better during this short fight than I know some of my favorite comic-book characters after countless walls of exposition and movie tie-ins. Their relationship to one another and personalities are beautifully conveyed, top notch stuff, and despite their costumes being very basic(i understand, lots of frames), their unusual physiques and distinct abilities makes them immediately recognizable.

Just to get this out of the way, the other weak part is the music. The sound is strong and exciting, but very by the numbers and forgetable.

The final scene, after the fusion is a comeback in full force. It manages to ride the momentum of the intense, if poorly portrayed, fight scene, take the intensity from the intro's millitary assault and reinforce it with solid animation, good angles and nice composition.
Very satisfying end, which doesn't linger for too long.

All in all, a masterpiece of Kaijyu and Superhero animation, done on a small scale, but effectively enough that it's tone and pacing rivals even the most expertly executed large budget ones. All of its weaknesses can be forgiven due to this project being so complex.

By the by, I see very little SFX, did you do this all in Flash, no After FX? If so, I can fully understand those weaker moments of composition.

5/5 Keep making awesome stuff, please!

RickMarin responds:

That is why I like submitting to Newgrounds , I get the real in depth critiques that helps me improve and make better animation. RoosterMaind , Thank you for your time ,and review . I will remember these thoughts when I do my next project .

[DEVICES - PUBLICLY FUNDED]

5/5 Art
4/5 Mix
-∞ Lyrics

The message of the lyrics is so tired and bland I want to scream. It's below shit blogs. It lacks any substance, it's just a dramatic restatement of what anyone living in todays society knows and accepts because of convenience. Presenting social issues in an artistic way doesn't help any more than complaining about them at a bar. Also this was the easiest one to target.
Avoiding stuff like this was the first thing every literary work-shop taught me to do.
Yes, we all know society has issues. No, it didn't start with social media or the smartphone. We could fix it if we bothered, but no one wants to do that. If you want an artsy fartsy interpretation of it just watch Serial Experiments Lain

The presentation is very good. Sound is okay and visuals are in synch with the beat and perfectly illustrate the terrible message of the lyrics.
Animation flows very well.

If I were to judge this by the message of the lyrics, I would blam it with all my might, but I can't punish the good sounding tune and that 10/10 animation.

Amazing work, Emrox and Pr0t0n.
BillPremo and Thundaboom, I can't tell you guys what to write about, but I hope to see music from you guys on another topic, I believe I would enjoy it, judging by this track.

Bill responds:

I didn't write the music I did animation and direction.

[Fernando's New Fragrance]

This series shows a lot of promise. Keep up the good work!

Sexual-Lobster responds:

cheers.