carsten-breum Reviews

Oppenheimer (I) (2023)

Why the black and white?

[7/10 · 11 November 2023]

Oppenheimer is a well-crafted historical drama that tells the story of J. Robert Oppenheimer, the brilliant physicist who led the Manhattan Project to develop the atomic bomb. The film is beautifully shot and acted, and it does a great job of capturing the complex moral dilemmas that Oppenheimer faced.

However, the film is not without its flaws. The black and white flashbacks are unnecessary and distracting, and the film's focus on Oppenheimer's political beliefs feels forced. Additionally, the film is a bit long at three hours, and it could have benefited from some more action and drama.

Overall, Oppenheimer is a solid historical drama that is worth watching for its performances and its exploration of the atomic bomb. However, the film's flaws keep it from being a truly great film.

Here are some specific examples of how the film's flaws could be improved:

The black and white flashbacks could be eliminated altogether. They are not necessary to tell the story, and they only serve to annoy the audience.

The film's focus on Oppenheimer's political beliefs could be toned down. It is important to show how Oppenheimer's beliefs (inspired by communism) but they did not affect the Manhattan Project. The film spends too much time on this.

The film could be shortened to two hours. This would make the film more watchable and would help to avoid the feeling of drag that sets in during the third hour.

Hidden Strike (2023)

A Missed Mark: "Hidden Strike" Falls Flat on Multiple Fronts

[3/10 · 10 August 2023]

"Hidden Strike" crashes and burns, and I'm not holding back in saying that this movie is an utter disaster. I can't stress enough how much you should avoid this train wreck. Prepare yourself for a bombardment of mind-numbing Chinese propaganda that drowns out any hint of entertainment. If you're not fluent in Chinese, good luck even understanding what's going on half the time. It's like they made this movie exclusively for a niche audience, leaving the rest of us scratching our heads.

And let's talk about the humor - if you can even call it that. The attempts at being funny are on par with a toddler's knock-knock jokes. If you're expecting sophisticated wit or clever punchlines, you're in for a rude awakening. It's as if the filmmakers got a crash course in comedy from a daycare center.

The technical aspects? Well, let's just say that the CGI looks like it was done by a group of sleep-deprived amateurs. Don't even get me started on the acting. It's so bad that you'll wonder if the cast drew straws to determine who'd put in the least effort.

Logic apparently missed its flight in this film. Why send helicopters ahead and not accompany the buses in a hostile environment? Why not just fly everyone out if the situation is so dire? And who in their right mind uses a machine gun as a sniper rifle against a freaking helicopter? It's like they're playing a game of 'how many dumb decisions can we cram into one film?'

Oh, and remember that iconic scene where a character does a somersault to take cover? Yeah, because apparently crouching behind something is just too mainstream. And the tactical brilliance continues with characters firing single shots from automatic rifles, as if they've never held a firearm before.

Let's not forget the genius who decides to tailgate a speeding bus in a sandstorm. Because safety is clearly overrated. And speaking of bad decisions, John Cena, did you have a gambling debt to pay off or something? Your involvement in this cinematic catastrophe is mind-boggling.

Consider this review your warning, a public service announcement to spare yourself the agony. The verdict? "Hidden Strike" is an insipid mess that makes you question the state of modern cinema. Unless you're into cringe-worthy dialogue, laughable action, and a heavy dose of incomprehensible Chinese chatter, steer clear. Your brain cells will thank you.

Poisoned: The Dirty Truth About Your Food (2023)

A Lackluster Attempt at Exposing Food Safety Issues

[4/10 · 3 August 2023]

"Poisoned: The Dirty Truth About Your Food" is a Netflix documentary that aims to shed light on the dangers of bacteria, particularly E. Coli O157 and salmonella, lurking in our food supply, causing severe illnesses and fatalities. The film follows a lawyer's pursuit of justice against major food corporations responsible for people falling sick or losing their lives due to contaminated products.

While the documentary touches upon the crucial issue of foodborne illnesses and the need for responsible food manufacturing practices, it fails to deliver on its promise. Throughout the film, the narrative is often repetitive and overly focused on basic knowledge that any informed viewer would already be familiar with. This lack of depth and fresh insights results in a tedious viewing experience that leaves much to be desired.

The documentary does present a fair argument about the importance of food safety, but it ultimately falls short in delivering a compelling message. Despite the emotional impact of personal accounts from affected individuals, the film lacks a cohesive structure and fails to make a strong case against the big food corporations it targets. As a result, it struggles to engage its audience effectively.

One of the few commendable aspects of the documentary is its exploration of the risks associated with consuming Romaine salad contaminated with salmonella. However, this limited focus does little to redeem the film from its overall mediocrity. The audience is left craving more in-depth analysis and investigation into the root causes of foodborne illnesses and the reasons behind the corporations' negligence.

In conclusion, "Poisoned: The Dirty Truth About Your Food" is a missed opportunity to deliver a hard-hitting exposé on food safety issues. While it briefly touches on the severity of the problem and the devastating consequences for victims, it fails to sustain the viewers' interest due to its repetitive and shallow approach. The lack of substantial content and the absence of a compelling argument make this documentary a disappointing watch, leaving viewers with unanswered questions and a sense of unfulfilled potential.

A Matter of Trust (2022)

Waste of time

[4/10 · 11 June 2023]

Do we really know each other? That is the question hidden in this extremely poorly produced film. It is one of the worst recent Danish films I have seen with an otherwise prominent team of talented actors who nevertheless do their best to see the film to the end. To the end?? Which end? Nothing connects. No stories are connected. It's like watching 4 movies in one. In other films of that type, the individual destinies are linked.

We see the man having an affair and the curious hostess who nags so hard. It was endlessly boring except that Jakob Cedergren and Ellaha Lack who were in the affair did it honorably. Ellaha Lack also has a fantastic radiance and played well along the way.

The excellent Morten Hee Andersen had to fight his way through a hopeless role with a bleak past we never get the answer to. His girlfriend is pregnant and finds a hot dog cart out in the woods. It makes no sense. Is she dreaming? It was out of place and absolutely cheesy. One thing is certain, it is not Morten's fault that the film is miserable.

Please do not make such a terrible movie ever again. Waste of time.

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (2022– )

Terrible nonsense starting with misinformation

[1/10 · 25 September 2022]

First episode. A stone doesn't float because it looks down! What is that?? Imagine some kids watching and thinking it sounds right!! It becomes worse. A boat float because it look up!! Again there is so much pain involved watching stupid sentences like that. It is unbearable to watch.

The story is filled with "old wisdom" why they do things and why they behave in a certain way. "They say that....!!put in something stupid!!" is used way too much during the first episode. I didn't get further because it is clearly waste of time and life watching this horrible stupid show. Even it is the most expensive show ever the CGI is not very convincing. I don't believe the elves are in some kind of forrest. I don't believe the first troll is real.

Don't waste your time on this. The show makes people stupid. Watch something intelligent instead.

Jackass Forever (2022)

Penis "stunts" and random people???

[5/10 · 25 March 2022]

It's the worst Jackass movie ever made. When you for the sixths time see a penis "stunt" with random crew members around it's not funny anymore.

The stunts also lack a purpose expect for hurting people as much as possible. It's really not funny seeing a guy on a stick who jump up on the nuts of a guys nuts and potentially destroying that nut. Why? What's the purpose? It's not funny.

The intro also with penis was the worst ever.

Jackass has too end here. The current crew doesn't have any future and the new random dudes they have brought in was not funny at all.

I wanted it to be funny and hoped it was worth the time but it was not.

RIP Jackass.

Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard (2021)

A movie not needed.

[6/10 · 24 July 2021]

A movie with so many well know Hollywood actors should have much higher quality than this. It started kind of okay, but then Salma Hayek entered the movie. From there it just went downhill. She has been very sexy for many years but in this movie she fails also with her acting.

The plot is also bad and I fail to understand that Ryan Reynolds will play such a stupid role.

A totally failed movie.

I am very very disappointed.

----------------------------------------------------

Sentinelle (2021)

Very entertaining on a Sunday evening

[7/10 · 7 March 2021]

It's not Oscar material, but who cares on a Sunday evening?

As a "don't think too much" movie after a hard day the movie is what I needed. Olga Kurylenko is doing well and is still a beautiful woman to watch.

You can't predict everything in the movie but there are no big surprises.

I also have to admit that in some part of the movie it is close to being too much.

As a movie when you are tired it is a fine choice.

The Operative (2019)

[e-mail]

[5/10 · 15 March 2020]

Boring and it just end with nothing. Total waste of time.

Knives Out (2019)

Replacement for sleeping aid!

[2/10 · 17 February 2020]

If you like to be bored and fall asleep easily then start watching "Knives out".

I could stand 15 min before I realized that this would be a marathon hell Agatha Christie inspired movie. My daughter agreed and while we were still awake we walked out.

The Mandalorian (2019– )

Excellent but it is "milking" the Star wars universe

[8/10 · 12 December 2019]

Watching the first episodes is fun but you are not blown away by anything new super exciting. It's okay as pure entertainment if you like sci-fi but not more than that.

I have spoken.

Tau (2018)

Don't waste your time on this crappy movie

[3/10 · 28 July 2018]

The movie is a cheap Netflix production where the acting is bad and the story is even worse.

I saw it to the end because I couldn't believe it would continue to be so bad and uninspiring, but in the end it was totally predictable.

Come on Netflix. Stop producing movies like that.

Westworld (2016–2022)

Season 2 is terrible.

[5/10 · 17 May 2018]

Season 1 was brilliant, but season 2 is terrible and quite boring.

The plot doesn't provide anything of true interest like in season one. Also the nude scenes is gone for those who liked them.

I won't go into details to avoid spoiling but just say the level has dropped way too much. I'm not sure I'm gonna see the rest.

Bernard is really not that interesting a character that they have to spend so much time on him.

The Shape of Water (2017)

[e-mail]

[6/10 · 1 March 2018]

Beauty and the Beast except the Beauty is not beautiful and the Beast is not really a beast. A story about love between none equals, but sadly that's it. For a movie nominated to 13 Oscars I expected much more depth than some superficial love story spiced with mute woman, water beast, racism and poor acting military general.

Song to Song (I) (2017)

Totally waste of time

[2/10 · 22 June 2017]

I managed to see the first 45 min before walking out. There is NO story, there is NOTHING to keep your attention.

I wonder WHY such high paid actors would participate in this nonsense piece of a movie wannabe.

Don't waste your time on this.

Antiviral (2012)

The premise of the movie is wrong

[5/10 · 21 May 2013]

Plot summary: "Syd March is an employee at a clinic that sells injections of live viruses harvested from sick celebrities to obsessed fans.". Also cell's from celebrities are cultivated and sold as meat so you can eat it! What?

That's never going to happen. If I am wrong it's a disturbing world we are going to live in.

The first 10-15 minutes is very interesting until you figure out what is going on. From then the movie is loosing momentum.

The ending is far out.

On the other hand if you want to see something provocative you should watch the movie.