XjokerX's movie Reviews on Newgrounds

[The SWEFS Intro]

A new outlook on an old style.

Very nicely done!
The Film is very reminiscent of the older work of Ralph Bakshi and his contemporaries in the rebel "art films" as done by the likes of R. Crumb and Zap comics.
though your lead in was a bit over done (perhaps one too many "cranks" on the ship- got old quickly) the actual montague was a well scripted and timed to the music- You might want to make the guitarists' actions a little less dramaticand more subtle.
Color shading was nice- though a perhaps sharp in transitions, a good example of similar intros within the genre.
I'm really looking forward to this- it promises to be a new era in the anthropmorphic star trek parody theme. And that's saying alot-- for the film's story and art work.
the implied plot is nice in itself, a mix of other such series as Bucky O'Hare and Starfox. I'm anticipating the introduciton of the series to make a big impression on the portal. Well done. 5/5
XjokerX ~ Ed

[Calderbank]

Awesome

Again- flawless animation coupled by the most unique and wry sense of humor on all of New Grounds.
Like whitmore the Overt use of the obvious and dramtic of "loose" irony make for a brilliantly loveable scene. Absolutely inspiring. I simply MUST pick your brain one day.
it is a relief to see you submit something to NewGrounds again as I've felt there's been a general economic depression of good intellectual humor- You, like TMST productions bring a quasi-intellectualism back to newgrounds that is desperaely missing. And while the average layman will appreciate the randomness of this, they fil to see near flawless recitation and composition of godly prose.
I'm dying to know if you've published any poetry online or off-line, perhaps in a scholarly anthology or annual collection. Simply breath taking performance. My fandom and my fives are yours for the taking.
Your biggest fan,
~Ed braun,
A.k.a. XjokerX

EdibleCastle responds:

hey thanks for the well thought out review. its the best one yet. I'll take you're fives gratefully.

poetry? wha? nah, not me.

[Oh My God - Episode 2]

good but,

I've fairly looking forward to the series- when I saw the first episode under submission it took me quite by surprise- with a title such as "Oh-my god" I figured it to be another little random, pornographic, strobing tribute to star syndicate or the bruce willis is on fire.
However in seeing what the series held I was more than surprised and enjoyed the rehashing of "everyman" in the avativistic relationship of humanity and diefication. As Heinlein said in "Stranger in a Strangeland": "God is internalized through action, speech, and sharing-- the very essential "human" aspects of life. In that right all men and women are God, thou art God to create and share."
In all I'm very pleased with what we see artistically althogh as others have noted there's some minor inconsistencies in the smoothness with a break in synch with voice acting and some volume troubles- nothing hard to fix.
The only real problem is its relation in character design to "Tomorrow's Nobody's."
As a fan I really want to see this as a ground breaking series on newgrounds unlike, "OMG Robots" which is just another rehashing of the old Bonus Stage/slackers, geometric artwork and random craziness.
The first one incpororated aspects of modernity ala "Office Space" with the cross genratic ties between individual desires for freedom and luxury despite the demands by the common labor movement. At the same time, it requires the enduring spirit of humanity in the struggles and angst of "the little guy" trying to earn a living and putting down the evils of "big business."
I thought the introduction of lucifer a nice touch and his sardonic personality matches well for other established figures for, "Old scratch" such as Zebu's "Faust" series.
In all, excellent scripting, animation, and art. A wonderful addition to the growing genre of that the character design fits the larger generation of. 5/5
~XjokerX

["Target Practice"]

not a review

this is by no means a review of the film but of the poor taste by the Fulps in posting on the front page.
This video only demarks the obvious issues of a very troubled individual. If anything it's a testament to his parents either ignoring or being oblivious to their child's problems. It is neither a tribute nor a "eye opener" to promote it on the front page of a website visited by younger audiences.
it is not censorship, but it is something that should be brought to the attention of the parents of the victims and perpetrator.
It is not something to parade around where the viewing masses can "enjoy it" just as people made a mockery of the tragedy with what happened to LiveCorpse.
It glamorizes the terrible and selfish actions of a few deranged individuals.
My only hope is other more reasonable members of the NG community share in my opinion that this is a travesty to the memory of those who died at this persons hands and the overall image of NewGrounds.

[Madness Depredation]

Outstanding brilliance standing on the verge of

REALITY-
You were the first major author to respond to my reviews on Newgrounds- since then it has been an earnest force in pushing my creative talents as a writer as you have amassed visually. Indeed, inspiring my presence on newgrounds and in presenting criticisms in as detailed and focused as your Madness series.
No other series on newgrounds has ever been as stand alone as Madness. Films, such as PoNinja's, stand as a testament to your achievements.
While some would owe the genre of the lone gunman to films such as Xiao-Xiao, those aspects, those pieces, have given way to yet a plethora of stick films and let us not forget the boon of Stickslayer.
Yet Madness gives our barbarious souls what it craves- the desperation and Madness of combat in it's most elemental form. Man as unique as Avatar.
the consumate nature of our technocratic society gives rise to the pure Madness of the socio-political world. the elite agents of the supreme soveriegn nation, under God, as lucid as any Raver's fantasy.
You maintain humanity however in the asides, the posters, the message to dedicated fans engraved on the tablet at the foot of the sky light. The video game atmosphere denotes our generation's Culture! I will admit to having zoomed in on previous editions- of actually "studying" the film by the scene. But that is why artists hide those things- for the appreciative viewer.
I can by no means ever put as much dedication in writing a view for sch a brilliant film. I will admit that I'd expected a prequel to the series judging by comments you'd made on the last film.
Will this be the End of Madness?
The depths of reality have only to be stirred into action by a single thought.
Where there is a Clown then there is surely life.
Predetation is yet only one stage in Natural Selection. In the end there is only the revolution of Evolution to bring around the Next Stage.
I thank you for this latest. 10/10, 5/5.
~xjokerx
Ed

[Nazism]

Nazism and not Facism

I understood what you were trying to do in tis piece, however I wonder how far off the mark you fell from the original assignment. Nazism in it's extremes is still a radical "positivist" Facist movement. What was depicted in the film was Nazistic actions of the Third Reich and Hitler's insanity.
The Problem I had with this, AS A JEW, was the fact that you misrepresented Klepfisz's statement about the Holocaust. "...the Holocaust has been like a fad...it has been commericialized, metaphored out of reality, glamorized, been severed from historical fact."
This is exactly what you're doing- though (I would hope) you are sympathetic to the 10mil people who died in Himmler's death Camps this film only further removes the Holocaust from the actual event. Nazism was an excuse for Hitler's insane regime-- remember Aryan's presupposedly evolved from the original Romans and as such, Hitler was an extremist in the occult and other aspects of mysticism. The extermination of the "undesireables" came on the part of his advisors as opposed to deporting them.
In all- as an outspoken member of the Jewish community I thank you for a tasteful and touching rememberance to the horrors of 1930's-40's Europe.

NathanButchart responds:

I had to cut some of Klepfisz' quote so people would have enough time to read it, and I think i still did justice to it's meaning. Thanks for your opinion.

[Under a Killing Moon]

Well done

Very reminiscient as Karasowa's experiments using silent films-
You capture the essence in the fear and brutality in the mignight raid, the suddenness and terror of the preemptive strike. Ground work for a rather Lone Wolf and cub-- for the honor of those lost-- the insanity of vendetta. Powerful, moving, inspiring. Excellently done.

[Retarded Animal Babies 12]

best in the series

While the average mindless sot here on NG fails to comprehend the subtleness of the "They Live" theme to this (like they didn't get Tron) i found this to ultimately be the best in the series thus far. You combine some very nice genratic as well as integrated portions of the characters. While each previous episode has at one point or another pressed with rehashing the character intros- this moved right into the story with the hopes fans would already be familiar with the story line.
Et Al, it's a great carry through with the trivia quiz in the last installment. You've found a willing audience aware of the back story and so you can now ADD a full plot to the otherwise gorsmisjustices befalling Cat with his four "retarded" friends and abusive drunken stepdad.
Art:
Top notch- the colors were by far the most indepth and defined thus far. In the last ep. you supplied us with a shining example of the true potential behind the series. In this you consumate art with the theme by combining that into the world you've created ,"save humanity...er...animality."
Sound was most excellent-- voice acting again well done.
Lack of easter eggs in this was something nice for a change. The story in itself makes this- we don't need gimmicks for replay value. 5/5 for a home run.
~Ed

[Zelda RJZT BS version]

enough is enough

First of all, this song isnt by SOAD.
Second of all,
No true animation
no real art, just a bunch of bland slides
the most involved part of the song gets done down to a "I'm away at lunch" sign.
You could do this film in five minutes if you had any skill. Weak, unimaginative, unfunny and boring.
This is a poor reflection of the many hundred other tributes to this song- it's like Numa Numa or AYB> Yet another tired rehashing of another old, tired cliche.

[A Plate of Butter]

A good introduction

A good start to a good series-
Art: Very nicely done- as Doomgaze said, sketch style isn't seen as much on NG in favor of brush or dizzy cam it's nice to see some good artwork come through again. Color tones were very nice and highly defined. Outlines were well crafted, but could use some cleaning up on iteams like the T.V. and the phone.
Animation: Very well scripted, however you could increase the frame rate in picking up the phone- bored and reluctant aside, it dragged those seconds and put a damper on what was coming next. Possibly manageable since the absurdity of the comentary.
Voices/sound: You could have been very melodramatic with this- you instead chose to down play dialogue. I thought it worked best with having the protagonist simply say, "I hate my life" rather than break into some deeper, explanatory internal monologue. Even as such, that's become cliche' you step back to the classic form for keeping the audience in suspense in favor for the bizarre phone call. A little too soft spoken at times, watch for pops and fuzz.
Story: A mix between salad fingers, FLCL, and Donny Darko. Very well done- I look forward to the next installment.
5/5 over all.
~Ed

Artboycat responds:

Thanks for the critique, I really appreciate it. I also want to thank you for the comparison to FLCL, which is one of my favorite anime series. Somehow with out any direct intention the influence of that show seeps into my work, but I didn't think anybody would notice...I'm not sure what salad fingers is but it does sound familiar....I have seen Donnie Darko but I'm not particulary fond of it, however it is interesting to see that I may be influenced or have a similiar thought process to something I may not generally like. I appreciate that you took the time to analyze and critique all of the elements of my work...I hope to make the next episode bigger and better!