robototron's movie Reviews on Newgrounds

[Fish Dad Test-i-cles]

interesting

At the risk of giving this movie more weight than it wants to carry, I think this a very compelling movie. The establishing shot of the house is very dreamlike, and the sound coming out of the alarm clock is even more dreamlike. I don't really know what to say about the cat thing. No big applause for that. But, I think the first half is effective, surreal, and becomes more fascinating every time you watch it.

[session.]

Tremendous visuals but rote messaging

Like many, I came over here directly from "Snow" to see what else the author had done. This is pretty much the exact opposite. Whereas "Snow" was short, sweet, almost silent, and visually subtle, this movie is visually bombastic, loud, long, and cynical. Not bad things, mind you. Just opposite.

But, then again, I would classify this as a music video. So, let's critique it as such:

First of all - and I should say overall - the graphics and animation in this movie are amazing. Actually, the graphics and animation are above superlatives. It's that good. If the author isn't already working professionally as a Flash artist, then the author has a ton of potential to someday be working professionally as a Flash artist. Visually this is better than most Flash things I see (and I don't just mean here on Newgrounds).

On to the other elements: I take issue with some of the content. The whole "Give in, Give up, Get out" and commentary on suburbia felt very teen-angsty. Where the graphics were pretty much unparalleled, the content here was pretty much par. I typically get more unique insight from reading the graffiti while waiting for the subway. The whole "bomb the suburbs" thing might sell to the kids hanging out in front of the 7-11, it's not speaking to a more intellectually, existentially, and generally more concerned audience. I guess what I'm saying is, if she's not YOUR mom, then what's the point of trashing a SOCCER mom? As annoying as they may be, they're generally harmless, and they're happy with suburbia. Disturbing their peace and forcing them to move to the city is only going to raise rents.

The choice of music here - Linkin Park - reflects the content. I can't criticize the author's tastes. You can't quantify that sort of thing - way too personal and subjective. But, I can say that Linkin Park, like the content, is generally the kind of music the kids hanging out in front of the 7-11 in the suburbs (yep, same kids) are rocking. It's the soundtrack of their teen angst. The author may love LP, and that's all well and good, but I wish (s)he would have chosen something more compelling.

Calvin Johnson once sang, "Snowfall what makes you all / so very unidentical?" I think it's because snow has a lot more to say about life than the same old "suburbia/automoton" complaint.

jayohelay responds:

shit, sorry that wasnt supposed to be the message. the whole thing wasnt really a narrative, just random elements, and i wasnt trying to say something negative. also, while the song is by LP, it doesnt have any lyrics, esp. negative ones

[snow.]

a little too light

I have a giant, no MASSIVE soft-spot for these kinds of animations: subtle, visual, even cute. I love it when people make movies that don't fall back on stupid physical humor and gratuitous violence (yes, my animations and i have been called gay MANY MANY times here on Newgrounds).

But, ultimately, this was missing one crucial element: singularity. There was nothing at the core of this that was unique. Unless I missed something, this was pretty much showing someone who was feeling down, and a person coming over to her and cheering her up by very normal means.

That said, the author makes great use of the medium. The movie does have beautiful illustration and smooth animation (I'll attribute the way they walk to an artisitic choice - not laziness). So, in the end, it's better than harmless...but not as good as heart-warming.

jayohelay responds:

hmm well its like this.. the girl is having a nice walk in the snow, then the guy throws this snowball at her (accidentally), presumably in some snow fight or what not. So he comes over and he's all like "oh sorry are you ok let me help you" etc, and the girl is like "yeah im ok", she gets up, pulls his pants down, then he gets a snowball thrown at his ass

[I know you can]

i'm joining up

Wow! I wouldn't have thought it, but after looking in the obituaries, and then reading the reviews on the re-entry, it seems this animation has the power to really divide people. Everyone's reviews say, "this shouldn't be blammed, help protect it!" or "This is shit, BLAM BLAM BLAM!"

Personally, I don't know why this would inspire a love it or loathe it situation. But if it must be that way - and even though it's out of the judgment phase - I'll choose love it.

Do I actually love it? No, but I do LIKE it a lot. I'm not so crazy about the Pillows, but still the author did good work here.

And someone said it perfectly before, "Just because someone doesn't get blown up, doesn't mean it should be blammed." (or something like that). Here here. Here here.

AtC responds:

thanx for siding with us!
we obviously see there is little or no corellation(sp?) between the score (x/5) and the reviews, and since this is our first flash (that was posted on NG) we are uberconfuzzled @.@

[System.]

95 percent wonderful

This movie was so wonderful. I loved the fact that the author did not bow to potential impatience on the audience's part, and he kept the pacing perfect. Great tone, great animation, great great great.

But, I was SO let down that the guy killed himself at the end. Not because I was sad for the character, but because suicides at the end of stories/movies are so cliche. It's almost as bad as a "it was all a dream!" ending.

This movie would have been so much more poignant if the character simply continued the cycle. I mean, even that would be a great commentary on the concept of what a weekend really is (it's not time for yourself, but time that you spend preparing for the system, thereby making weekends part of the system).

Good work, hope my critique doesn't overshadow how much of an overall great job you did.

Emiel123 responds:

Thank you for this great feedback, up to now this is the only review that's actually useful to me. Now that I look back at it, it might've indeed been better to let the character continue his utterly boring cycle, but when I made it, it seemed only right to let the guy kill himself, to amplify the message. Anyway, thanks. =)

[Test Animations]

good work!

For a first movie/submission, this is pretty damn good! These tests demonstrate great skill.

One of the guys in my production company did a similar thing (more abstract), that you may be interested in. It's called "The Lost Art of Basement Science." Check it out on our site and www.lsadproco.com/animation.html

hell, maybe i'll submit it later.

[Nazis Hate Uglies]

not funny and very confused

What exactly is the message here? Who are you satirizing? Ugly people? Nazis? It doesn't take a genius to formulate how "uglies" could be representative of "jews" or "gays" or "gypsies." And reducing nazis to such a cartoonish level completely strips away the fact that the nazis were a bloodlusting, death-bent, hate-race.

Perhaps I'll be accused of being overly sensitive, or "totally missing the point," but if this is intended as satire it is a total failure. This comes off as satirizing the victims of the holocaust, not the nazis!

To the author: You seem a bit obsessed with socialism and nazis (your other movies/games, the swastika in your profile). I might suggest a bit of history and political science. The Nazis have nothing to do with socialism. They weren't socialist. Hitler adapted socialist rhetoric to capture, inspire, and deceive a country bewildered by poverty and defeat. Suggesting that the nazis were socialist would be like saying that a rapist who poses as an electrician to gain entry into a victim's home is actually an electrician.

Also, capatalism is not the opposite of socialism. In fact, as politics and economy become more evolved and entwined, it's becoming more apparent that capatalism and socialism won't survive/thrive without each other, and a healthy combination of both may end up being the closest we get to indealised government.

[Terminal]

35% more noodle

Homage to Nadine Gordimer? That seemed to be more of an homage to vaseline-on-the-lens soap operatics, but maybe I'm wrong.

This seemed WAY heavy-handed. It's hard to for the viewer to come to any sort of natural, poignant reaction while they are being bashed over the head with an aluminum bat that says "TERMINAL ILLNESS IS SAD! LOVING RELATIONSHIPS ARE TOUCHING! COMBINE THEM, AND WHAT DO YOU GET?! FEEL THE EMOTION!"

Try a little subtlety. May I suggest watching "Ready's Voyage" (if you haven't already)? That movie manages to be incredibly effective without one word of dialogue or title. I'm not saying you shouldn't have words, but it might be a good reference.

An alternate "homage": Don DeLillo's novel, "White Noise." If you put more into the decision between regular condensed soup and 35% more noodle, you'd have something there. It's all about the grocery stores...and generic products! It's how they arrange the aisles!!!

OK, lastly, what's with the Journey song? "They say that the road is no place to start a family..." The characters in this movie hardly seemed like touring band members playing for adoring fans all over the country, but feeling so lonely inside. But, one time I watched "Journey: Behind the Music," and this terminally ill kid's wish was to meet Journey, so they did! And the kid was really happy about it!

ANYWAY YOU WANT IT!

JUST A SMALL TOWN GIRL, LIVING IN A LOOOOONELY WOR-ERLD

MajinMetroid responds:

I used that song because of the lyrics "You stand by me... I'm forever your's... Faithfully." Trust me, I spent about four solid hours trying song after song and that one, in my opinion, worked best. Others that came close to being used were "Open Arms" by Journey, "End It On This" by No Doubt, "Still In Love" by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds", and "Sweeter Than Me" by Aaron Sprinkle. Thanks for the review.

[A look Into...]

NG forever!

jesus! a little sycophantic, no?

artificial responds:

Can opener, i need one now

[Switch to us.]

argh!

Today is the day of animations that have potential but don't deliver! Everything I've seen today starts out in a way where I think, "Wow, this is gonna be fuckin' great!" And then it unravels with some one-liner or physical gag that I've heard or seen a million times.

Don't get me wrong, it's funny, but it's nothing new. I mean, just the other day, I was reading someone's review of a movie (here on NG), and he wrote, "Here's the bad news: your movie is utter shit. The Good News: I saved a ton of money by switching to Geico." This joke is so pervasive it's working its way into people's normal vernacular.

What was funny was the end "Making other people feel like shit about it" or whatever. I wish that wasn't a footnote, or post script tacked on to the end; I wish that was the main premise.

Sorry, I'm being overly-negative. I think the voice-overs were great and the animation was funny, and you obviously no how to structure a joke. I just wish I hadn't heard it before.

10-4.

Mek1985 responds:

Sorry to ruin your day.