JohnMikeOOS's movie Reviews on Newgrounds

[The Story of Skunk Head]

One of the smartest movies on Newgrounds.

Max, this is a very commendable flash. I have only one complaint, and I'll get it out of the way: there were times where I couldn't tell if this was supposed to be a comedy or drama. Your drawing style says "comedy," but your subject matter says "drama." I wasn't able to find the right frame of mind to watch this movie in, so there were parts where I wasn't sure if I should laugh or cringe.

Other than that, as one previous reviewer said, this is a PERFECT re-enactment of how English settlers treated Native Americans back in the day. I would actually show this to a history class to teach them about how we forced Native Americans from their homes.

Great story, sweet twist at the end. Can't wait to see more of your work!

[Perfect Kirby 3.2]

Every force worked against me, but...

I've been a fan of Perfect Kirby despite any gaping flaws it has. I have constantly recommended it to friends and family looking for a good, fun way to kill ten minutes. Ever since I finished PK2, I've been constantly checking your profile to see how far ahead PK3 was, the internet equivalent of a father pacing nervously outside of the maternity ward. And now that I'm looking at this episode, I see where those ten months have gone.

Let me tell you guys something. I've just recovered from pneumonia, so my vocal cords are a bit shredded from coughing. So laughing hard, hooting, hollering, and generally going apeshit over people kicking serious ass isn't really encouraged.

Not that that stopped me from laughing hard, hooting, hollering, and generally going apeshit over people kicking serious ass here. THAT'S HOW GOOD YOU DID HERE.

Everything that may have been wrong with Episodes 1 and 2, it won't be found in 3. The pacing is dead on, you've tightened up the lip synching, and the humor is classic.

Samus on Air Force One - ABSOLUTELY ONE OF THE BEST ACTION SCENES TO EVER HIT NEWGROUNDS!

The only complaint I'll make is that the humor isn't as consistent as in Part 1, and quite honestly, after ten months of work, ten months that looked (and sometimes felt) like two years, it's not enough of a reason to deduct even half a point.

Sorry if this review seemed overly gushing...maybe it's because I'm finally getting a PK fix after withdrawal...oh well, one more gush for the road: with this episode, I consider you the best writer/animators on Newgrounds.

Pikanjo responds:

381 days since PK2.
Stayed tuned for PK3.3.

[Another Regular Day - Ep1]

Is it just me...?

Or did anyone else notice that the voices were a little low? Anyway, I'm sure you did a great job, Gecko, but I could barely hear the voices, hence, I could barely hear the jokes.

[Gone in 59 Seconds]

My God...I never knew.

Absolutley, positivley, funny as hell. For a high school student, you did a fantastic job with the car racing scene (even though the compressed video made it hard to see, hence the "4" on graphics), and the twist at the end was hilarious in a broken logic sort of way.

Good job!

[Barge of a 1000 Bullets]

I don't fucking believe it.

OK, so I see the opening splash screen with Mario's head superimposed on a set of machine guns. Right away, I forgot that this was a Daily Feature and groaned. Let's face it, most of the ten-year-olds that post here think the idea of Mario as envisioned by John Woo is funny, so they make crap flash about Mario with a gun, and we learn that Koopa blood is RANBOWE COOLRD LOLOL!!!!!1!!!11one!!!1! Add to this, I wasn't exactly psyched when I started hearing "Hey Man, Nice Shot," because it seemed like a corny choice of music. It's like playing a song called "Rain on Me" when a character gets caught in a rainstorm.

I'm happy to find that my fears are COMPLETELY unfounded. You stage your action creatively, and you pace it so fast it didn't give me time to predict what would happen next, even on the second viewing in a row. THAT takes skill.

I've seen a fair share of reviewers compare this to The Matrix. I don't see it that way. Maybe the style of action is lifted from The Matrix, but you stage it more like a Michael Bay or John Woo flick. Thank GOD, because I've seen too many takes on bullet time from other artists. (I know you borrowed the slow-mo chain gun from The Matrix, but I'll let that slide without even blinking.) It's nice to see somebody bring a refreshing style of action to the table.

As for the music, you don't exactly make "Hey Man, Nice Shot" new again, but I still can't think of a better choice in music for this piece. You NAIL the intensity of the song in ways other artists couldn't and I salute you for that.

Reading past reviews, I noticed that you were a little bugged out on the factual error you made with the shotguns (how they're not supposed to pump more than once before you fire them). Can I offer some advice, from one action movie fan to another? The threat that Mario faces would be conveyed just as well (if not better) if you used pop zooms (which you used to show a pistol being cocked at one point, in case you didn't know what it was) or different/reverse angles each time a Koopa Troopa cocked his gun. Try it out next chance you get; little things like that could go a long way.

But seriously, EXCELLENT job on the movie. Best of luck with Part 2 (if you decide to do part 2) and all your future endeavors.

JeremyLokken responds:

What a review! Pop zooms, they sound like Close-Up shots of action, but with a more snazzy name :). It sounds like it might help a situation such as the one you gave. From one film student to another, thanks. Good luck in NY!

[Faint]

Not quite there

"Faint" is a VERY intense song, and I don't feel that you captured that intensity properly. The song was always one step ahead of you. Maybe through quicker cuts, a faster framerate, cutting down on the static shots, you might improve this video and bring better justice to it. Until then, though, I'm giving you a 2.

[Trapped by Love]

As smooth and cool as the music that inspires it.

Now when one puts jazz music into his or her flash movie, one of two things can happen:

1.) One makes a movie with jazz in it, or;
2.) One makes a movie that IS jazz.

"Trapped by Love" falls into the second category. Your style is very different from the other anime-inspired movies you see here--nothing fluid, just a series of stills, inserts, and split screens. You know how to use them, though; the snap and rhythm of the pictures match the snap and rhythm of the jazz music you chose. Hence, your movie is jazz.

I gave you a 4. Only because this isn't my kind of movie in the first place. It's still something different, though, and despite my personal tastes, it DOES work. So you deserve a lot of credit for the movie you put out.

Plus, that fucking "Trapped By Love" song is stuck in my head.

[Wacked Season 2 Episode 2]

Absolutley enjoyable!

Wacked! just does not get better than this. I think this is, by far, my favorite episode. GREAT anime spoof!

[The Hunt: O.P. Pt. 2]

Where were you going with this?

OK, first off, a preface to potential reviewers: STOP RUINING THE FUCKING ENDING IN YOUR REVIEWS! I loaded up this page, and I get the pleasure of seeing a review that says "Too bad for ___________, he was the best one." Thanks for ruining the movie for me, jackass!

OK, now for the movie. The jokes were great, the action was awesome. You have an amazing way with music; that's a gift, my friend.

The problem is, it's all unfocused. Is this movie straight action? A spoof? I couldn't understand where you were going with it.

God knows the comic moments were great - There's a lot of "special forces save the day" movies here on Newgrounds, and I'm glad that you had the balls to put a different spin on them. And God knows I'm there once you get Part 3 onto the portal - the story that keeps me on the edge of my seat. But I wish you could've set a proper tone for the events to come.

[arfenhouse teh movie too]

Everything I know about Flash...

...has gone right out the window. This is EASILY the most fun I ever had being retarded, even more so than Retarded Animal Babies.

Question: Are you guys fans of Terry Gilliam (or at least the movie "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas")? Your style definitley has the same feel as "Fear and Loathing."