Insector's movie Reviews on Newgrounds

[what is this i dont even]

Genuinely sublime

From the abstract, pixellated preview picture you really don't know what to expect from this animation. There's a minimalism there that promises nothing more than a turquoise plane with two areas of black and a slither of red. The title too, conveys nothing more than a sense of confusion. What is my reason for clicking, then? Curiosity and intrigue? If it turns out to be as simple and uninteresting the preview image and title convey, then I have no-one to blame but myself for deciding to partake.

The start of the animation is a confirmation of the few expectations. Abstract colours in a blocky, pixellated arrangement that resemble a simple face. Music, which is also suitably simple, starts. Nothing prepares me for the sudden infinitude of space. The vastness is multiplied by the simplicity of the lone skier, who is but an arrangement of blocks in a massive cosmos. In one deft move, the animation has flipped from a unimpressive simplicity to the sublime. The lone skier rotates slowly, an almost graceful motion, towards the gorgeous aquamarine canopy of the atmosphere. He is held in place where the day meets the night; outside of time; ageless, unending.
Announced, spiraling flames begin to engulf the lone skier. The intricate detail of the flames juxtaposed with the inherent minimalism of the pixellated character give the flames a sense of beauty similar to the sudden reveal of the cosmos. One by one, the artist is bombarding the viewer with visual allusions that the viewer was neither expecting nor could have predicted. What will happen next? Why do I care? What is the magic of this animation, to keep me mesmerized? A faint whooshing sound grows in intensity, as if building up to some inevitable climax.

As if on a timer, the lone skier explodes. No apology is made by the artist for the unsympathetic abruptness of the characters demise, who instead continues to smother the viewer with a thousand copies of his own name. The comedic effect of this egotistical outburst, with it's brilliantly sudden timing, is excellent. I found myself in reels of laughter, laughter of the calibre whereby I unexpectedly bash my elbow on a solid surface, laughter that says "That won't catch me off guard next time!"

And then, the face again. A face that before said nothing, but now shows the look of a man doomed, the shocked expression of one prepared to fall, burn and combust all in the name of David Spade. A thousand times David Spade.

"well-meaning ineptitude that rises to empyreal absurdity" - M. S. Dworkin

Short-Factor responds:

Holy god.
I'm dyin.
I can't breathe.
You made my day. Thank you. This is my favorite review yet.

[Pokemon CharPower]

MASTERPIECE

GLORY

Henselishere responds:

Fo sure man

[Walkin Talkin Banana Fun]

This is great!

CANNOT STOP WATCHING. I love the animation on the eyes and mouth, and the way he steps a little higher when he enunciates baNAna looks really great. I demand further adventures of the bipedal fruit!

It sounds more like walkin' talkin' banana bun to me.

[Sketchy Friends Dance]

Incredible

You have succeeded in giving noises personalities. I especially approve of the chicken man, he suits his sound perfectly.

I was hoping the music would escalate and by the end we'd have the whole gang working together at once. Alas.

TheBoogley responds:

Thanks! Hey, you're from Lancashire! My mums from Lancashire!
There is no better accent in the world than yours!

[Girlchan in Paradise Ep1]

Refreshing.

Interesting move here Egoraptor, and I for one am super pleased with it.

It's always been cool to mock Video Games (What with the Super Flash Bro's 'Decline' series and of course your own toons) but Anime/Manga, being the beloved medium it is, is scarcely parodied. Whether this be for fear of outrage from fans or just a general lack of enthusiasm for pisstaking the genre remains to be seen.

Either way, the response seems gloriously positive (though I fear this may be simply voting five 'because it's Egoraptor') so congratulations, and here's to many more.

(Also happy to see original (ish) characters, that's another step up)

[B]

Apathetic brilliance

What B represents is the desire for fame without the effort involved.
Strawberryclock has created something that defies the very laws of the portal; something that despite its lacking nature has become iconic as a symbol, enjoying extraordinary renown. In a way B epitomises the dying creative drive of the internet, the obsession that "Crap is good". Whilst many will strive to replicate B, to create something of unjustified popularity, no-one can hope to match Strawberryclocks anarchic creation.
Where then, does its appeal lie? Why is B revered so? Surely, it is no more than a red B on a white page? Consider for a second that Strawberryclock made B with the intention of showing us something about ourselves. The B is the only object on a fully white canvas, the only object tainting an otherwise unmarred view. The B becomes the focal point, tearing us away from the white surroundings with its slightly off-centre alignment. this shows Strawberryclock not to be a perfectionist: his B does not need to be in the centre of the screen, does not need to dominate the entire view of the canvas. Indeed, it is our own choosing to focus on the letter, when there's an entire canvas to be explored, blank or not.
Secondly, the B is a red, serif letter. The colour red holds obvious denotations such as blood and mortality, whilst the spiky protrusions of its serif nature gives it a majestic, almost demonic look. This dominating letter is the only obscurity in a white expanse, the only object preventing a pure, white existence. This represents the evil in all of us, the problems that stop us being virtuous, faithful entities. Indeed, we all have our own B's preventing us being pure and good.
Thirdly, B's appeal lies in its status and indeed, the fact of its mere existence. Here we observe something that simply shouldn't be, something that should have been voted out of existence soon after its creation. But it didn't, and even B's most harsh critics must admire and respect that immortal tenaciousness.
It is this immortality that is both B's appeal and its scariest feature. Yes, B shall last forever in the expanse of cyberspace, and by watching it and commenting on it we can all share in that immortality, that certainty that B shall last forever in the coding of the internet. However, B's existence is like a stone thrown in a perfectly still lake, and the ripples are still being felt. Still people live off of Strawberryclock, try to leech some of that inexplicable fame. And why? Because B shows us our own mortality. B shall always exist in some form on the internet long after we watching it have died. B has succeeded where we have failed. It shall live forever.
Therefore, perhaps if we could drag the letter B out of the way and see what was behind it, we would see a mass of eager flash animators, anxious to be noticed behind the dominating B.

We are, all of us, living in the shadow of B.