FightingSeraph's movie Reviews on Newgrounds

[Lisa Killed Off Simpsons]

Even though I rarely watch The Simpsons; this was very poignant and funny.

It isn't often that The Simpsons get parodied, and it's very rare for a spoof of that to be funny. For some time, I had similar feelings towards South Park when Trey and Matt shifted gears from homemade raw and crude to "the cynic taking off his mask" and "the irony not being lost." Anyways, here's what I have to say.

Animation: Considering that the subject material rarely having good animation; everything was a blast to watch. The characters were very expressive, well-drawn, excellently timed, and just plain well-animated. In addition, your color choices are amazing and I liked that Marge porno poster that you did in Bart's room. If there is one thing for certain: you're better at drawing women than Richie Zirbes, co-creator of Perfect Kirby.
Audio: Great job on the music selection, which shows that you have the ear of a director. They complemented each scene perfectly. However, the voices aren't very good, but I have a hunch that you were ripping on the shows voices being phoned in.
Content: It takes a delicate hand in making something like this work; anyone else would have fucked up big time. I was laughing throughout the whole film with your superb timing and gags. Truth is, your brand of poignancy was sorely needed considering how long that show has been on. Anything that goes on and on for a long time eventually stumbles and falls flat on its face, and The Simpsons are evidence of that. However, there is still a lot of material to mock considering the subject of The Simpsons has gone to shit, but that's another story.

What I liked about this:
-Underused subject
-Funny
-Great art and animation
-Very Poignant

What I didn't like:
-Some of the voices
-The end felt forced and predictable

Overall: Great work such as this deserver a nine and maybe you should take the piss out of the following:
-South Park
-Hi-Definition Audio and Video
-Digital Distribution (Steam, X-Box Live Arcade/Indie Games, PSN, Ouya, etc.)
-Rtil and his followers
-Motion Comics

[Super Duck Hunt]

That was spectacular!

It's been a while since I saw a sprite movie that doesn't recycle the same shit we've seen so many times. How the hell did this slip under the radar is a total mystery to me. Too bad that this doesn't have a higher score.

Graphics: You did an excellent job on ripping, customizing, importing, and animating the sprites. It's even more amazing that you did all of your editing in MS Paint, which gets a very bad rap. All of that effort was painstaking, but it was all worth it in my book. (Especially considering that you had to make it all under system specs.) Kudos for NOT saving your backgrounds as .jpegs, which doesn't blend well with pixel art or vector art.
Music and sound: I will say that you have the ear for music as all of those NES songs fit perfectly. Also worth mentioning is that you managed to use some obscure games for music (FF3, Lagrange Point, Akumajou Densetsu, and the NES Earthbound). As for the sound effects, I like how you took some liberties without going overkill. That's highly commendable.
Content: You sir have the eye of a director; something that only a few on NG truly posess. Every scene was well-staged, cohesive, composed, and the camera movements were also great. In addition, your pacing was perfect considering that this was a war-themed cartoon. Did I mention that I thought that this was funny at parts? However, the only flaw is that there were spelling mistakes.

What I liked about this:
-Underused subject
-Great music selection
-Excellent sprite work
-Top-notch direction
-Funny

What I didn't like:
-Spelling mistakes

Overall: I think a ten would be most appropriate for this. (5/5)

fea-tures responds:

Thank you so much for the Review, I had no idea Tom had finally featured Duck Hunt in the Parody collection.

Fairly chuffed to be getting fond reviews once again, makes it all feel a little more worth while. Particularly surprising to me since this is the old version that featured some major pacing issues.

The Youtube and eventual MP4 Newgrounds (Having client issues with my slow connection) version are far superior to what you've seen but still, thanks alot, made my day. :)

[Brofox Assault]

That was fucking hilarious!

At first, I thought that this was going to be insubstantial and reeking of dated cash-in. Upon repeated viewing, however, I was in hysterics. It isn't common to see a Star Fox spoof on NG, and this one felt like a legit parody from Roger Van Der Weide. In addition, I agree with what Spazkid has said except for the Family Guy being "perfectly well-crafted" part.

When it comes to the animation, it may be badly-drawn, but what you did with those bad drawings was pretty crafty. I definitely see the Metal Gear Awesome similarities, but you took the good things about it and applied it in a very distinct way. Of course, you have stiff competition from Rambojoe in the badly-drawn, but creatively animated department. I can see you getting better and better as time goes on if you study the right material. As for the sound, I like the music used as it fit every situation quite well, but the voice acting takes the cake. This is some of the best voice acting I've heard in a while. Finally, the content was well-written considering how underused the subject is. While the barrel roll joke is old shit, I was laughing hysterically though the whole thing. It takes a delicate hand to make a style of humor that has been overplayed funny these days; anyone else would have done so poorly. For that occasion, I have added this cartoon to my favorites list.

What I liked:
-Underused subject
-funny
-Great voice acting
-Good music
-Clever use of the whole badly drawn on purpose style.

What I didn't like:
-The fact that people have accused you of ripping off two renowned cartoonists.

Overall: Brojack, how would you like a nine from me? (4.5/5)

[Arachnotorious - Ep 1]

That's fucking hilarious!

I remember you back in the day, along with Andrew Dickman, Iragination, Clark Lybeck, etc. and this proves that you can still make top notch content. Truth be told, you missed out on a lot of great stuff (CI: Unregulated, Contra Rampage, Dual Arms Verbatim, and Gunchest to name a few) since you left, but let's not get sentimental and nostalgic.

When it comes to the animation, it really shows how much you have improved since your early drawn efforts (The Kirby Matrix). You have nice layouts, along with well-done frame-by-frame and tweening. Oh, and I like the style you used in this. Then there's the sound, which is also excellent. The voice acting is great considering that you did it yourself, and the music used fit perfectly. It really shows that you have the ear of a director as well as the eye. Finally, the content was pretty funny considering how short it was. Aside from being original, the execution was magnificent unlike some people who became popular out of luck. The only problem with this is no preloader or replay button. A bad influence from being on YouTube for far too long. If you still have the .fla, I suggest that you add those when you get the chance.

What's good:
-Original
-Funny
-Well animated
-Reasonable file size

What's Bad
-No Preloader or replay button

Overall: Bill, how would you like a nine from a fellow old-time user? (4.5/5)

[SNAPSHOT Vol. 2]

This is how a sequel should be done.

Better direction, better animation, better story, I just couldn't help but add this to my favorites. Congratulations on getting first place on the daily feature, and here's to seeing more cartoons from you.

When it comes down to it, the animation has gotten better with great fluidity, construction, composition, linework, and so on. I noticed that you used the brush tool for this one; a contrast with the all line/pencil work in the previous episodes. That and the thicker outlines added a greater sense of hierarchy which enhanced the look. Oh, and I like the use of black and white for the flashback scenes. Audiowise, the music that you used fit perfectly, and the sound effects were pleasant. As for the lack of voice acting, I think the silent/pantomime approach that was used was appropriate. Finally, the content of this piece was nothing short of amazing with one of the best examples animation mixed with cinematography. It takes a lot of precision, skill, and a delicate hand to bring those two together perfectly; those who lack that would've made an awkward, static, poorly paced mess. That and your plot was well elaborated upon with the aforementioned flashback scenes.

What I did like about this:
-Great animation
-Excellent direction and fight choreography
-Great music and sound
-Better story
-Original

What I didn't like:
-Not much really

Overall: Quasimodoxxx, I think a ten will be appropriate for this, and I hope that this inspires others as well. (5/5)

QuasimodoxArt responds:

Thank you for taking the time to write a detailed review. I appreciate it!

It seems some people can't fully understand the story, I think I need work on the story telling more.

[Super Hero Clock Teaser]

This is an improvement from the original.

I never really expected you to elaborate on your concept, but you did it quite well. However, it's just a trailer and not a proper pilot.

Animation: Interesting mix between 2d, 3d, and photograph backgrounds; it looks like something that Ralph Bakshi did back in the '70s, but in a good way. Your animation has improved considerably since you made the original five years ago, along with a clever usage of Flash gradients. However, your colors could have used some improvement.
Audio: The music that you chose was excellent and fit the situation quite well; but I think you could expand your music roster by checking out the likes of Dythen, Deshiel, xenith800, Bosa, Hopeku, Tremulos, Cutting-Christ, DJ Harlock/Cross666, and Dialo. On the other hand, the voice acting is very deadpan and generic.
Content: While it's just a trailer, the direction is a step up from the original, along with the pacing. I can see this being up there with Stick Slayer, Joe Zombie, Madness, Bunnykill, and Keegan's Truck with that kind of direction. That, and your writing is also good.

What's Good:
-Original
-Good animation
-Great direction
-Clever use of imported photography
-Excellent music

What's Bad:
-The voice acting isn't very good
-The fact that this is a trailer

Overall: Here's a nine and I look forward to the first real episode. (4.5/5)

[Dream Slate]

Not bad for something that almost got completed.

I don't know about you guys, but those 0-3 reviews that were left for this were extremely ostentatious and abusive. Even though there are people that deserve to be listened to, is it wrong for a creator to take a pernicious, knee-jerk, poorly thought out review with a grain of salt? First of all, giving a movie a low score due to drug use and writing a verbose tirade on the dangers of drugs is retarded. I mean, there are thousands of drug-themed submissions on NG, and singling this very cartoon out reeks of ignorance and idiocy. Second, on the topic of ad hominem and patronizing, isn't it hypocritical of these very reviewers whose comments fit that very description of those two terms. That kind of capricious, vengeful, petty-minded shit is something I normally expect from certain self-righteous Pixar sycophants who won't be named. And to top it all off, accusing other users of being alternate accounts with no evidence to back it up makes me want to vomit. I mean, what if those people were Evil-Dog or Mindchamber? Third, what Phsychopath said about the brush tool is ignorant as well as wrong. I mean, the majority of top-tier animators use it for a variety of reasons, from having a more organic feel to easier to work with. Fourth, at least Jake did something that's original and well made for Tofa, which is very commendable. While it is rough around the edges, saying that this is "sub-par at best" without a plausible explanation is just asking for trouble. Finally, giving a cartoon a low score because of how the creator mocked a couple of smug, stupid, pretentious comments is what Celx refers to as "fucking lame, petty 13 year old shit." In other words, rate a cartoon on its merits and content instead of how creator responds to others.

Animation: To be honest, it may look choppy when compared with the rest of your stuff, but each of the drawings are solidly constructed. Plus, considering the style of this cartoon, trying to get smooth animation while on a stringent deadline would have been impossible. However, when we first see the grey figure, his forward run cycle looks like he's shuffling his legs than actually running. On the other hand, I really like your color selection that you chose for this.
Sound: It was nice of your friend Dave Shimel to make such fitting music for this piece. It's baffling that most of this site's musicians haven't taken a cue from him. Additionally, it was also a smart decision to sparsely use sound effects in this.
Content: To be honest, both you and Dave Bruno have made great work for last year's event. The direction, staging, and pace are excellent given the theme that was assigned. Plus, the story around that theme was well-written and very creative. In other words, you depicted the creator's struggle quite nicely.

The Good:
-Nice colors
-Original
-Excellent direction and pace
-Nice music
-Solid layouts

The not-so-good:
-The animation could have been a bit better.

Overall: I hate having to rant and rave over some idiotic asshole's hubris, but it was going to happen. Here's a nine for having a respectable cartoon. (4.5/5)

[Toons These Days: Ep 14]

This is possibly the spiritual successor to Foamy's Rant and YAAFM!

Your character's thoughts on the show sum up what most cartoon/animation historians think of this. To be honest, I have only seen the trailer and it wasn't funny. Plus, Bugs' new look is awful when you consider that they could have used any of his earlier designs. But I digress...

Animation: Unlike Foamy and Reginald, you actually took the time to make Doggy seem lively with clever usage with cutouts to simulate gesture and eyebrow subtlety. There are so many people who scoff at minimalism, but if there's something that is to be learned: Details DON'T make good pictures. However, your background could have used better colors.
Sound: Still good as the last episodes, so no complaints here.
Content: As a fan of the original Looney Tunes (1928-1956), I have to concur that most classic cartoon redoes usually turn out to suck except for a scant few. While the formula is similar to those two aforementioned series, it was still funny none-the-less. However, I think that this could have been funnier had Doggy's critique been a bit more caustic. That and you overlooked Baby Looney Tunes. On the other hand, it has a reasonable filesize, which is nice.

The Good:
-Somewhat funny
-Nice use of cutouts
-Good music and voice acting
-Sums up how I feel about the trailer I saw

The Bad:
-The background could have used better colors
-Could have been funnier if taken further

Overall: I think a nine from me would be appropriate for this one. (4.5/5)

[Picksars Brayve]

Pretty funny for something so short!

I could care less about what Disney, Studio Ghibli, and Pixar are making these days with one or two exceptions, but this was pretty funny. Enough said about that...

When it comes down to the animation, it was well done for the most part. However, while I do like John K.'s trademark style; it would be even better if you took the principles behind it and applied them to a style that's actually yours. (You can only go so far on an established style.) As for the sound, it's not easy finding fitting music on the Audio Portal, but the song used fit this perfectly. On the other hand, the voices were poorly recorded and the actual acting felt phoned in. Finally, the content of this piece was pretty funny for a piss take. Your direction and staging were great for something so short and trivial. However, the aforementioned voice issues hampered it.

The Good:
-Funny
-Great animation
-Well directed
-Underused subject

The Bad:
-Voices were badly recorded
-Overused art style

Overall: Here's a nine for something funny. (4.5/5)

ThePrimatePunk responds:

Thanks although I agree about the voice quality, I do think it sounds like we were talking from inside a toilet, it was the setting we had the microphone on.
As for the style, I'm not sure you know how developing a style works. I admit my main inspiration is John K, and my cartoons can look like his, but is also because I happen to be inspired from his inspirations, mainly being looney tunes cartoons, so his style was easy to rub off on me. However, that doesn't mean I can't try and find more influences, creating a style comes from melding what you've learned from other cartoons and life and injecting it into your own work. I actually wasn't too fond of my staging personally because of how poor my backgrounds were, so I feel like we'll have to agree to disagree on half of your review.
Thank you very much for taking the time to write it, I will try to take in what you've said for future cartoons if I can :]