Score: 10

"Well played."

submission: SnakeClock's Close Call 2

date: April 26, 2009

There is no other way to describe the way i am feeling beyond numb. The subtle psychological intricacies of the permanently damaged mind of the protagonist are portrayed flawlessly, even as you see the effects his damaging behavior is having on the people around him. The surreal visual aspects of the film do nothing but enhance the poignancy of SnakeClock's internal war with his darker impulses by contrast; we see his surroundings as dream-like and innocent, but his bitterly cynical inner voice provides a jarring counterpoint, highlighting the perceived double-standards in his life and indeed the varying facets of life itself. One walks away from the deeply emotional and intellectually evocative experience that is "SnakeClock's Close Call 2" with a renewed faith in life, community, and huge reptilian genitalia.

Score: 10

"Yeah..."

submission: Valentine: A Love Story

date: February 19, 2008

...why don't you say that to my FACE?!!!
Also, that's what your MOM SAID.

Score: 10

"The crossroads..."

submission: NG Sketchbook Tour 06

date: August 2, 2006

...where teenaged boys meet a growing art form, both of which are not necessarily exclusive--teenage boys have creativity too, it just strays towards boobs, videogames, and beer. And what ties all those together? NEWGROUNDS. Newgrounds, where one can express the inexpressable; where one can tap into the infinite and abiding idolization by the masses of NES characters; where one can laugh at the absurd, distasteful, and grotesque literally until dawn, through devious use of the "search' panel. Newgrounds is the stomping ground of everyone from junior high--highschool internet addicts to graphic arts undergraduates to professional artists, animators, and programmers. Part of the reason Newgrounds gets so many crappy submissions is that everyone wants a piece of the Flash pie--which is also what makes it great. There's no censorship; you are entirely at the mercy of your peers, not some mod. Anything goes. The same way ten years ago every teenaged boy wanted his own death metal band, today every kid wants to be able to live off of the proceeds from their computer-generated cartoons. You get animations ranging between arguing over pirates vs. ninjas to displaying the finer artistic points involved in animation, and some that do both. Some flashes suck, some are awesome, and everyone and anyone can express themselves totally, because what MAKES a flash awesome is almost totally random, and the only scale of greatness is how much soul someone put into it. Look at Numa Numa--it's critics call it a fat guy singing a crappy song into a low-quality webcam; most call it amazing. Why? Because you can't help but respect and laugh with a guy blatantly making fun of himself, his friends, and that song in joyful, random, childish abandonment. This sketchbook should be published and sold on the site; I know I'd buy it, if only to chronicle what I can't help but think of as an ephemeral phenomena that is one of the cornerstones of internet culture in its most developmental, impressionable stages. But who knows; maybe Newgrounds will turn out like Google; a reviled and simultaneously worshipped monopoly of flash animations and games that makes or breaks artists based on how many 'front-pages' they have. Sorry I'm a little wordy tonight. To cut to the chase--this book is awesome, though the image quality could be better, and it makes me happy to see so many classic NG animators making an effort to create a more traditional art project, in a more flexible media.

Score: 6

"Cool."

submission: Sweet Importance

date: June 23, 2006

You have some really neat drawing styles going on; maybe spend more time on those next time? The music was very appropriate to the mood, and well-used. It's not especially deep, but it's mildly insightful, and almost dryly funny sometimes. You have cool scene transitions, too, and some of the backrounds aren't bad. The animation itself could be a lot better, and like I said, a lot of the drawings need work. I think your style would be pretty cool if you learned to draw better in flash--maybe use a Wacom tablet?

Score: 7

"Dude, that was inspired."

submission: White Stripes: Aluminium

date: March 6, 2006

It could have been better; the drawings better, the animation smoother, but it was generally awesome.

Score: 4

"Well, that was...strange."

submission: Handman

date: March 6, 2006

I have no fucking clue what just happened, but I think it melted my brain.

Score: 4

"okay..."

submission: A Friend Like Me: Part 1

date: March 6, 2006

It was alright. Nothing special really, and the music sounded like the backround on someone's angelfire webpage, but the story could have potential. You did a good job, I think, of describing an actually introverted person, without sounding whiny and emo. It was a little cruel to finally get to the point in the story where something actually happens and then cut it off, and I think that sort of ruined it for me. But again, more of the story could make it better, and you did a good job of setting the mood.

Score: 10

"Neat!"

submission: Johnny Casanova

date: January 12, 2006

That was really cool. Very reminiscent of "Home Movies," a show from the early days of Cartoon Network's Adult Swim, in humor, animation style, and voice acting. That's not to say it's not original. Managed to have both humor and a plot, which is apparently too difficult a task for many people. It would have greatly increased my enjoyment, however, if it ran a little bit smoother, and maybe a tad faster. Overall, very proffesionally done.

Score: 7

"Most Improved."

submission: The 12 Days of Christmas

date: December 23, 2005

By an accident of fate, I saw your previous animations a couple months ago. I thought then that you had some great concepts, but were not very good yet, and I have to say, after seeing this, that I am impressed by how much better you have gotten, at both drawing and animating in flash. I liked this animation a lot. The graphics could be improved, but they're pretty good, and I'm not a huge fan of Christmas carols in general. I find your sense of humor... refreshingly honest. Basically, I like the bald guys, you have a great concept here, and a great animation.

Score: 0

"Poo jokes went out in, like, the fifth grade."

submission: The Kitty Incident

date: October 31, 2005

Worst piece of shit I've ever seen. No pun intended. Seriously. Badly animated, badly drawn. The people's limbs bent in the wrong directions, Ben only had four, misshapen fingers and toes, and it wasn't funny. At all, really. And fix your frame rate.