FightingSeraph's movie Reviews on Newgrounds

[Street Fighter Epic Final]

I haven't really paid attention to this series, but as an individual movie; it's good.

Graphics: Great job on importing the sprites and cautious use of blur effects. I don't have a problem with flash made out of sprites as long as the movie is good. Plus, it was also a smart move to do many of the blur effects with Photoshop rather than do it directly in flash. However, aside from the custom palettes and aforementioned blur; there wasn't much in terms of customization.
Sound: Great job on the sound effects, and I liked the non-use of voice acting. It's a breath of fresh air after hearing the same damned voice actors over and over again. On the other hand, the music while good, isn't really fitting for a series finale. I think that you should have gotten some music from the Audio Portal. (Examples: Bosa, Waterflame, Xarnor, Box-Killa, and Nemesis Theory come to mind.)
Content: Goddamn, your fight choreography was fucking amazing! It may not have the wow factor that Alvin Earthworm has, but it was solid none-the-less. While a lot of people may bitch at the lack of cinematography; the fact that it was easy to follow made up for that. Of course, the story may not be up to par with Dual Arms or Cooljaw, it was solid. On the other hand, this isn't that much different from similar flash aside from the SNK and Melty Blood characters.

The Good:
-Great spritework
-Excellent direction and choreography
-Fitting sound effects and non-use of voices
-Top-notch pace
-Decent plot

The Bad:
-Not that much different from similar flash.
-Could have used better music

Overall: Here's a nine out of ten from me. (4.5/5)

TechLeSSWaYz responds:

Thank you very much :) glad you enjoyed it!

[Sonnet 73]

Hmm...

It's not often that you see a flash that involves William Shakespeare, which more people on here should check out. Truth is, I think that people such as yourself are sorely needed on Newgrounds, and lots of people could learn something from you.

Graphics: I really like your use of warm/cool contrasts and gradients. When it comes to the latter, it takes a delicate hand to make them look good; anyone else would have done this poorly. In addition, the Frame-by-frame parts were well done along with the usage of shape tweening. However, the red figure in one scene has arms that are too short. I suggest you study anatomy for a bit.
Sound: Great use of Ryan Tani's music, which really fit the mood that you were trying to convey. Plus, I like the limited use of sound effects with the fire.
Content: This kind of reminds me of Celx Requin's flash (CoolJaw: Dreaming Darkly, The Sugar Claws), but without his brand of dark and gritty. The direction was excellent and seeing that Shakespeare is an underused subject on here; you get an added bonus. I bet if you keep practicing, you'll be in the top five some day.

[+]
-Underused subject
-Clever use of gradients, shape tweening, and masking.
-Great frame by frame animation
-Fitting music
-Something different

[-]
-Not everyone will appreciate the length.

Overall: Here's a nine (4.5/5) from me.

[Father Tucker #11]

This deserves a higher rating!

Unfortunately, this isn't going to get the score it deserves due to your brand of shock humor. It's obvious that you were inspired by John Kricfalusi while being original at the same time.

Graphics: While I did like your lipsync and unique style; this could use some adjustments. First, while I am appreciative of you keyframing the individual pieces to simulate gestures, there wasn't much in terms of character animation. I suggest you study up on lines of action/dynamic poses to make it more salient. Second, I would also recommend that you cut back on your usage of flash gradients. They may be great for special effects and shiny surfaces (Namely the roadway, Pope-Mobile, and the bi-plane propeller); they aren't a good substitute for actual shading unless you really know what your doing. (Example: Anything by GoshaDole) I would also recommend that you try more conventional shading.
Sound: I think that new microphone you got helped with the already-excellent voice acting. Plus, Ryan did a great job on the remade theme song. By the way, have you and the Mitiska brothers considered submitting the music you guys made onto the Audio Portal?
Content: You have never truly disappointed me at all. This was funny from beginning to end, and the direction is up to par with many of the all time great cartoon directors. In addition, your brand of originality is sorely needed these days. The only other people that can compare with you are Catoblepas, Wooden Sneakers, Peixeaquatico, and Golfinho.

{+}
-Great voice acting
-Funny as hell
-Fitting music
-Original
-Top-tier direction

{-}
-Overuse of flash gradients
-Could have been better animated

Overall: Dean, I think another ten from me is proof that you haven't lost it.

ApocalypseCartoons responds:

thank you very much for the elaborate and positive response. yes, i was influenced by krisfaluci, but i'm more influenced by the old masters that influenced him, like avery, clampett, jones. i know flash gradients are old hat, but that's how i do it. i draw it all in flash, nice and straightforward. and i'm rubbish at drawing backgrounds, so a vague color usually does the trick for me. lazy, but at least it draws more attention to the main action. i thought this one came out well. i'm also glad i haven't lost it. thanks again for all the kind words.

[contrast: a love story]

Very Sweet and Symbolic!

I may not be familiar with your cartoons aside from your Robot Day submission, but this is your best submission to date. In addition, this is proof that you don't need a huge file in order to be worth watching.

Graphics: Clever use of silhouette, cutout tweening, and selective color. I really like how you eased the tweens during the last part. Some people could learn a thing or two from you.
Music: I loved the non-usage of sound effects and voices. However, it could have used more emotional music. (Search the Audio Portal for Buffalo Lullaby.)
Content: You had Nice direction, staging, and pacing for something like this. On the other hand, this wasn't the first flash of its kind considering "In Memory of Elle" and "A Lovely Dream." Then again, I understand that not everything needs to be 100 percent original in order to be enjoyable.

What's good:
-Great tween animation, although I'm more into Frame-by-Frame animation.
-Excellent direction, staging, and pace.
-Clever use of symbolism, silhouette, and selective color.
-Small filesize

What's left to be desired:
-Could have used more emotional music
-Not the first flash to deal with a loved one.

Overall: Pants, would you like a ten from me?

Horsenwelles responds:

the "whats left to be desired" list about made me cry with joy. thank you so much for such a professional review =)

and i'd love a ten, even if it seems slightly forced lol

[Surface EP 2 (Part 2/ 2)]

This isn't going to be easy for me to explain.

Max, Steve, it's been a long time since you last submitted something here. That and it took a lot of balls to upload something that's three to four years old. However, judging by this (2007) and the latest Kazahana episode (2010), you two haven't improved at all.

Graphics: Just like Chester Kwan of Totally BS fame, along with Legendary Frog, Rhete, and Image Nation; this has no notable visual improvement, even by 2007 standards. There's not much in terms of character animation aside from tweened gestures, blinking, and lip sync. However, I really like how you used gradients for those columns. I suggest you guys get some books on basic drawing/animation/direction techniques so when you guys return to this, the results would look much better. Look, I believe that not everything needs the best graphics, but enough to get the point across. On the other hand, I can't stand it when people make no real improvement.
Audio: You guys did a great job on the music and sound effects, while the voice acting leaves a lot to be desired. They didn't have much in terms of emotion or distinction although it was bearable. Another issue with the voices are that they didn't sync up with the mouth movements, and one voice had hissing going on.
Content: This is what pretty much saves this from getting a much lower score. I haven't seen the previous episodes to this, but your story is really interesting. It kept me watching all the way through, and the direction/pace were decent most of the time. Kudos for including quality toggle buttons, which is something that more people should consider.

The Good:
-Interesting plot and characters
-Original
-Good pace
-Fitting music

The Bad:
-Even by '07 standards, this looks outdated and boring to look at.
-The voices were sub-par and poorly synchronized.
-Could have used better colors, and the shading at times looked sloppy.

Overall: I think another seven from me would be fitting for this. However, I still like Xin and your live action short film.

[Mario's Date]

It's been a while since I saw...

...a cartoon involving Mario that was worthy of a high score. Truth is, it takes a very careful planner to get something as overused as that to be funny. Now, let me go over this...

Graphics: I have to concur with Spazkid on this one; The animation was very fluid and the western cartoon style this had gave it a very distinct look. It felt like a children's book or a newspaper comic fully-animated. However, I understand that you guys censored Mario's dick just to get this on YouTube, but on here you could have gone the uncensored route or did him in silhouette during the shower scene.
Sound: Great work on the music, sound effects, and the voices. Plus, I'm also appreciative of you guys not having some stale, overused VA in this.
Content: Just wonderful! I laughed throughout the flash, and kudos for not relying on shoehorned pop-culture references. I'm willing to bet that you guys did this all on a storyboard like the golden age animation studios. Your shots were well-staged with an excellent pace.

The Good stuff:
-Great animation with a unique style
-Excellent audio
-Funny
-Top-notch direction and staging
-The old cartoon feel

The Bad stuff:
-Overused subject
-The censorship may have been fine for YouTube, but it doesn't really have much of a point here.

Overall: Sam, Tyson, here's a ten from me and I may have to check out your other flash.

[Love on the Cliff]

Middling.

While this did have the potential to be comedy gold due to the current score it received. Unfortunately, the execution was really awkward and unbearable at times.

Graphics: Cooli, I'll admit that you did a good job on this with your usage of rendering, frame-by-frame, and tweening. Plus, you did a great job with the facial expressions. Therefore, this gets a passing grade in this department.
Sound: The music you chose was fitting though you didn't credit the creator, which just isn't right. Plus, you and Solrac also did a good job on the voicework. In other words, I have nothing to complain about this either.
Content: This is a bad case of an original idea ruined by a bad execution. All of the jokes in this felt forced and were very predictable. It doesn't help that this was drawn out, which exacerbated this. If you're going to do gay jokes and shock humor; study the likes of Bob Clampett, Tex Avery, the Fleischer brothers, John K, Retarded Animal Babies, and Rats on Cocaine. Of course, I'm also appreciative you doing something under five megs with actual effort, along with doing something original.

What I do like:
-Passable file size
-Good art and animation
-Okay direction
-Original
-Fitting music
-Good voice acting

What I didn't like:
-Every joke in this was forced and felt predictable, which makes this unfunny.
-Needlessly drawn out
-The ending didn't match the buildup.

Overall: I know you guys are going to get bent out of shape upon reading this. (And your fans will probably hate me for it as well.) However, I am going to be fair and give you a six for trying. Just keep at it and study the right material from now on.

CooliSushi responds:

Okay! Thanks for the review ;)

[Time to "Waist"]

That's pretty damned funny.

It's been a while since you submitted anything new, and I think you redeemed yourself after that NiN10doh 64th Power clusterfuck. Now, lets get started...

Graphics: You did a great job on the animation, and it shows that you came a long way since your Zelda skits. Plus, I like how you animated the pants and the expression at the end.
Sound: The sound effects were well chosen, the music fitting, and the voice work was good. Plus, it was nice of Noah & Kevin to help you out with this. That and the inclusion of subtitles, which was a wise decision on your behalf.
Content: People may bitch about the length, but not everything needs to be like Keegan's Truck Chronicles Episode 1 in size and scale. To be honest, I thought this was pretty funny for something this short. In addition, it was original like that flash by Wooden Sneakers that I previously reviewed.

[+]
-Good voice acting and sounds
-Great animation for something short
-Small filesize
-Original
-Funny

[-]
-Not everyone will appreciate the length.

Overall: Nalem, I think a ten from me would suffice, and hopefully you won't end up like some people who screwed the pooch years ago.

["today"]

Pretty funny for something short.

You deserve more name recognition on here, and it's nice to see something with actual creativity. In addition, I really like how you took the silent film approach on this one.

Graphics: When it comes down to it, the animation is well done in spite of your style. Plus, I really loved the facial expression of the prisoner when he found out about what today meant. It seems that you draw with a mouse, and that does have its uses. However, if you don't have one, I recommend that you save up for a tablet.
Sound: There wasn't any music considering the silent film approach that you took. On the other hand, I really like how you used those old typewriter sounds. That added to the grim tone that was present.
Content: It is not easy mixing grim and funny together without the results being a total mess. What made this funny was the aforementioned facial expression. It may not be laugh riot, but still funny. Of course, while it may be nice for a cartoon so short to be good, it could have used a bit of elaboration on why that prisoner was sentenced to die. Then again, at least you made an original flash as always, which is commendable.

What's good about this:
-Great animation for a style that many consider out-of-place for animation
-Funny facial expressions
-Fitting sound effects
-Original
-Dark comedy done right
-Small filesize

What's bad about this:
-Could have used a bit more story development, but the humor made up for it.

Overall: Wooden Sneakers, I think another ten from me was needed.

[The Steven Seagal Show #1]

Pretty funny considering the subject.

I never expected you to return here after all those years. Anyway, taking jabs at Seagal is overdone, but the way it was done was pretty funny.

Graphics: It's nice to see that you have improved on this. Most notably the backgrounds have better colors and richer detail. The character pieces have also seen improvements although the actual animation is tweening based. However, the characters could have used some shading as well.
Sound: There wasn't much in terms of music, but it fit. So that leaves us with the sound effects and the voice acting. Both of which were very well done and there's not much I can comment on.
Content: As said before, Steven Seagal is pretty much an overused subject for parody. The same can be said for the jokes used in this as well. On the other hand, it was pretty funny and well directed. It takes a cunning mind to make an overused subject with an equally overdone joke funny. Anybody else would have done this poorly.

{+}
-Good voice acting
-Fitting music
-Excellent backgrounds
-Funny
-Well-written and directed

{-}
-Overused suject and joke
-Not the best animation, but not the worst.

Overall: Ken, here's a nine from me.