kvdbm Reviews

Evil Dead Rise (2023)

All gore, no story, and disgusting rather than scary.

[2/10 · 26 April 2023]

I have no idea why this movie has a rating above 7. All you get is a stupid, disgusting, gore fest that is not even scary.

Some may like the gore, but the characters are so uninteresting, unrelatable, and lacking in depth that you are never invested in them. You don't care whether they live or die, including the little kid and that is a first for me.

And the story: Find book->Evil Out->Carnage. A 5th grader can write a better plot.

There is no comedy, suspense, or unpredictability.

You are essentially stuck in a single floor of an apartment building with dying people you do not care about or even believe are real, yawning and wondering when the movie is going to end.

Except gore the movie fails to tick any check marks required for a good horror movie.

David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet (2020 TV Movie)

A documentary that everyone must watch

[10/10 · 10 October 2020]

If David Attenborough cannot convince climate change deniers, I do not know what will. It is a heartfelt call for action by a man who loves our planet and everything it has to offer.

The Forgotten Army - Azaadi ke liye (2020)

It could have been so much more.

[6/10 · 27 January 2020]

This series had so much potential. Don't get me wrong - it was emotional, tear-jerking, and deeply moving. It surely has the right 'heart'.

However, there was something missing. The insipid love story that directors seem to think is a necessity for Indian screen didn't bother me much. What bothers me is that the series promised so much more, but ultimately failed to deliver.

If you wish to watch this series, keep this in mind. You will surely enjoy the ride but brace yourself for a disappointing end.

This Giant Beast That is the Global Economy (2019)

An entertaining introduction to complex and world changing issues.

[8/10 · 12 March 2019]

The show does have its issues, but one has to take into consideration the nature of the show itself. Its being hosted by Kal Penn, so you should expect it to be an entertainer and not a purely educational series.

From that perspective, the show does an excellent job of introducing you to complex issues that may have immense ramifications for the future of the world. The episodes are informative, if you're not already aware of the problems. For example, I was quite bored with the episode on AI because I am well read in the topic. However, the rubber episode was quite revelatory.

Someone complained that the show has a deep leftist bias. I personally think the show tries to be balanced. It won't make either the leftists or the rightists happy.

My only real complaint about the show is that it could've gone easier on the humor aspect. Some of it does come off forced and unnecessarily distracting.

Ultimately, I think the show is good and would suggest it to anyone who doesn't have an in depth knowledge of the issues at hand.

A Star Is Born (2018)

The music and acting are good, but the story and the characters not so much.

[7/10 · 26 February 2019]

I give this a seven solely because of the great music. Cooper and Gaga are good actors but I am not very moved by the characters they portray. Yes they are supposed to be flawed characters, but there is something superficial about their behavior and emotions that you can't truly empathize with them. To put it short, I would've preferred to simply listen to the songs and not wasted my time with the movie.

The Birth of Empire: The East India Company (2014)

British Centric Documentary

[7/10 · 4 October 2018]

Although it puts on the facade of a critical documentary on the EIC, this is clearly a Birtish centric documentray. The whole thing is viewed through a British lens.

This is ample clear, when the episode ends with claims like the English language has become a legacy and a boon in the globalized world.(This is said by an Indian, but it's definitely not a majority opinion). It's like forcing a man to live on a boat with no means of sustenance and then giving him a fishing rod as a boon. The British may have left a lot of their own legacies to survive and persist in India, but they have destroyed many more that we may have claimed as our own - they just needed time to evolve by themselves.

The episodes give a vivid account of the tragedies on the British, but why they happened and the things that the British government in India did that may have caused them are glossed over. Maybe this is because the written accounts from the perspective of the British were more articulate, but I had hoped for a more balanced approach.

It's not a bad commentary, but it doesn't do justice to the Indian people.

Baby Driver (2017)

An erratic illogical dream

[6/10 · 19 September 2017]

The only good part of the movie was the music. I am not sure how a movie like this gets an 8.1, while something entertaining like Valerian gets a 6 something. From the get go the movie has the feel of a dream rather than a sound logical thought out story. The violence is senseless and the planning of the heists even more. And the ending... even a clichéd hackneyed 'good' ending would have been better than an ending that doesn't leave you with much of anything.