KarmaLysing Reviews

Salaar (2023)

Yep, they went there...

[8/10 · 21 February 2024]

Imagine "Baahubali." Visualize what it might look like if it was set in a modern era. Think about Bahu and Bala being unrelated best friends as children, and loyal unto death to each other. Switch things up a bit, as Bala is still royalty, but Bahu is a commoner.

Now throw in intrigue, war, betrayal, sacrifice, exile, and a beautiful girl, for good measure.

Oh, and lest we forget: In this version, Bahu is a stone cold Psychopath.

This, in a nutshell, is what you can expect from "Salaar."

Although it is a bit derivative, and the layered flashbacks will give you whiplash if you're not careful, it is entertaining and engaging enough to keep your attention for its entire near-three-hour runtime.

It will be interesting to see what Part 2 has in store for us.

RRR (2022)

SO Close...

[9/10 · 20 February 2023]

Indian action movies for about the past decade have had one goal: "Be the next 'Bahubali'." Even Bahubali himself hasn't quite managed. (See "Saaho").

"RRR"... Damn near manages...

Action... Friendship... Divided loyalties... Betrayal... Redemption... CGI wild animals... Heinous villains... Mild homoeroticicm... Heart-wrenching torture... Noble soicism... Epic dance battles... (Wait, WHAT??!?!?)... Yeppers: An epic dance battle, right smack in the middle of the movie.

Rao and Charan are perfectly balanced foils for each other, although it is a bit of a shame Ajay Devgn has just a cameo role.

The three hour run-time may seem a bit daunting, but once you get stuck in, you won't notice. The historic anachronisms you WILL notice, but DO forgive them, as they mean well.

Long story short: Suspend that disbelief, hop on the crazy train, and enjoy the ride!

Black (2022)

Complete waste of time

[2/10 · 5 September 2022]

I kept watching and hoping at some point this movie would start making sense.

No such luck. It just gets more convoluted and incoherent as it progresses. The "plot twists" are utterly lame - either predictable or from so out of left field as to be pointless - and Aditya's "disorder" is a sad attempt at using a real phenomenon to advance a ridiculous plot.

Several good actors did the best they could with a truly pathetic script and a debutante director of very little talent. It wasn't enough.

Learn from my mistake, and spend two hours watching grass grow, instead. It will be more fulfilling, and less of a time-waste.

Satyameva Jayate 2 (2021)

Not a worthy successor

[3/10 · 18 June 2022]

Calling this movie Satyameva Jayate 2 was a mistake, as it created certain expectations. Which this feature length dumpster fire was incapable of fulfilling.

The first film was more than just an action movie. It had heart, depth, and a moral compass.

This one? It barely has a plot. It attempts to make up for that deficit with endless overdone action sequences, thuddingly heavy handed MESSAGES!!!(tm), and symbolism so glaring you could be two weeks dead and still notice it. (One brother wearing an orange shirt, the other one wearing a green shirt, and dead Dad wearing a white shirt... Seriously? I mean... SERIOUSLY??!?).

Add to this the fact John Abraham, although he is a decent actor, is by no means a good enough actor to pull off three separate roles in one movie. (You need Suriya for that). By halfway through the movie, you basically can't tell the three characters apart any more.

I could go on, but other reviewers have pretty much covered the rest.

Long story short: Don't waste your time with this crap-fest. Go back and rewatch the first one instead.

Radhe Shyam (2022)

Okay movie, glaring anachronisms

[6/10 · 18 June 2022]

It's a big old Bollywood love story. It exists in its own parallel universe, and doesn't necessarily have to conform to the rules of our universe.

That said... I lived through the 70s. So did a lot of other people. The screenwriter and the director are evidently not among them.

Things we didn't have in the 70s: Snowboarding, modern composite-deck skateboards, enormous container ships, the intermodal containers carried by said ships, etc.

The glaring anachronisms kept tossing me right out of my suspension of disbelief. And for a movie like this, losing said suspension is pure poison.

Prabhas pretty much carries the movie. Watch it once because you would watch him read a phone book (something we DID have in the 70s, by the way). Then move on with your life and put it behind you.

Go Goa Gone (2013)

Finally, a zombie movie worth watching!

[9/10 · 12 June 2022]

Full disclosure: I freaking hate zombie movies. And yet, I loved this one.

It didn't take itself seriously. At all. And the horror strikes a nice balance with the comedy, which is not always the case.

The characters are likeable, and though they do some stupid things, the stupid thing are believable for their characters, and they do learn from their mistakes.

Plus which... COKE SKEET!!! You don't see THAT in every single other zombie movie, now, DO you?

Beast (II) (2022)

The film version of a Paint By Numbers painting

[5/10 · 5 June 2022]

It's not that this movie is terrible - it isn't. It's just not that good, and honestly, It's nothing we haven't seen from Vijay before, and done way better.

Coincidentally, I watched "Pokkiri" just before I watched "Beast."

I don't know whose idea it was to recycle Tamil's tagline.

If "Beast" had been even slightly less derivative, it would have been amusing, rather than a mere reminder of the fact we HAVE seen this before, done way better.

Heropanti 2 (2022)

This dud is not even worth a clever pun

[2/10 · 3 June 2022]

Why, Tiger? Just... Why?

The "plot," such as it is, exists solely as a framework for action scenes so ridiculously over-the-top they are literally boring.

There is ZERO chemistry between Our Hero, Babloo, and the erstwhile Heroine; who is, incidentally, so utterly noxious and rancid you're rooting for her to get nuked - preferably from orbit. (It's the only way to be sure).

Seriously... even if you are a die-hard Tiger Shroff groupie, give this one a hard pass, and rewatch "Baaghi" instead.

Etharkkum Thunindhavan (2022)

Suriya does what he does best

[7/10 · 9 May 2022]

This is Suriya in "Human Tsunami" mode. He is good at it, and he is believable, as three Singham movies have shown.

But there is also a human element, a love story, and a message about the systematic and institutionalized abuse of women and girls, and Suriya also makes those work.

There are some shortcomings, however. Sathyaraj is an exceptionally talented actor who isn't given a lot to do, and Vinay Rai, who is a genius at playing complex, multi-dimensional Antagonists, was given a single-note, "tie Polly Pureheart to the railroad tracks" Villain, complete with Evil Laugh(tm).

As other reviewers have noted, the multi-layered flashbacks are a little chaotic, and there are parts of the movie where a spreadsheet or a flowchart would come in handy.

That said, it is a decent entertainer, and it doesn't stall or lose the narrative, as it so easily could have.

Balamitra (2021)

Wait, what?

[3/10 · 8 May 2022]

The premise was interesting, and it started out promising... And then it all went directly to hell.

Bad acting! Silly, lame fight scenes! Immolation victims who sound like they are doing Foley dubbing for a porn movie! A track from the musical score of "300" for no readily apparent reason! A ridiculous, inane finale, complete with "Bhoot Ex Machina," because evidently the screenwriter couldn't think of anything better!

Trust me on this: All the 10 star reviews of this waste of celluloid are either from cast members, or from the same bored 12-year- olds who spend their free time posting troll reviews of restaurants on Yelp.

Avane Srimannarayana (2019)

A silly, fun rollercoaster ride

[8/10 · 30 January 2022]

This movie is a little over three hours long. Trust me, you won't notice.

Evil bandits, skeevy politicians, internecine battles, thrills, chills, a beautiful girl, an overly-devoted acting troupe, a mysterious lost treasure...

A hero who is a crack shot, a keen fighter, a highly intelligent lateral thinker... And lazy, egotistical, a tad narcissistic, and just a teeny bit corrupt.

This film has it all!

You won't be enlightened or educated, but you will DEFINITELY be entertained.

Werewolves of the Third Reich (2017)

Why, God... Why?

[1/10 · 6 January 2021]

The "werewolves" - when they finally appear - look more like the morphed Vampires from "Buffy". This masterpiece was filmed in Wales, and the mostly Welsh cast couldn't manage to get past their Welsh accents. As an added bonus, Jonni DC, Continuity Cop, clearly went out behind the shed and ended it all, ten minutes into the first day of filming.

If someone offers you the option of either watching this, or watching paint dry in the Everglades in August... Choose the paint.

Armstrong (2017)

Boring action movie: No longer an oxymoron

[3/10 · 1 January 2021]

This is what happens when a director can't decide whether to make an action movie or a morality tale, and this waste of an hour-and-a-half of your life manages to fail miserably at both.

Death Hunter (2010 Video)

Still a better vampire/werewolf story than "Twilight"

[5/10 · 31 December 2020]

Low budget? Yeah. Some marginal acting? Certainly. Couple of recycled CGI FX? Well, yeah... You spend a third of your budget on something, you're gonna get your money's worth out of it!

That said, it's not a terrible movie. The plot makes sense, and it moves along without any glaring plot holes or continuity gaps. Plus which, figuring out where in Arizona they filmed it was kinda fun...