Kenneth Branagh Archives - HavingSaidThat...

Review: Thor

05/06/2011 by Zac 6 Comments

Thor is arguably in the running for the best Marvel movies yet and is a pretty much non-stop blast of action, fun, and humor from start to finish; lead by star making turns by Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston.

Thor is a god, and the future king of Asgard, that wields a powerful hammer that only elevates his abilities to being the greatest warrior in the Realm. As Thor’s anointment ceremony is about to be carried out Asgard’s ancient enemies, the Frost Giants, attempt a sneak attack to recapture an ancient weapon that King Odin took from them a millennium ago. Thor, Loki (Thor’s brother), The Warriors Three (Volstagg, Fandral and Hogun) and Sif head off to the Frost Giants home of Jotunheim to confront their leader Laufey, hoping to set the Frost King straight. After the inevitable battle on Jotunheim, Odin has to step in with Thor being banished in the aftermath of the battle. On Earth, stripped of his powers and hammer, Thor finds himself wrapped up in the lives of a team of scientists who hesitantly help to find him to find his way again.

Review: Pirate Radio (The Boat That Rocked)

11/13/2009 by Zac Leave a Comment

Richard Curtis’ silly, random, and plot-less ode to rock n’ roll, comedy easily overcomes any of its own short comings by having a knock out cast and a number of good laughs along the way.
Back in the sixties when British rock was at an all time high, the British government didn’t allow the music to be broadcast over the radio. To counter act this a number of rebel sects launched pirate radio stations that broadcast from the North Sea evading laws and circumventing the bans by the government controlled stations. Our focus is on a boat/station Radio Rock that is full of interesting characters/DJ’s that allow for some weird and wacky fun to unfold over the course of the film. The problem that some people will find with the film though is its lack of any real structure or plot. If you can look past this, which isn’t too hard to do, then you will find plenty of fun to be had along the way. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Movie Review Tagged With: Jack Davenport, January Jones, Kenneth Branagh, Nick Frost, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Pirate Radio, Rhys Darby, Richard Curtis, The Boat That Rocked

Review: Valkyrie

01/06/2009 by Zac Leave a Comment

Tom Cruise and Bryan Singer team up for a solid suspense thriller that surrounds the conspiring, attempt, and fallout of the final assassination attempt on Adolph Hitler during WWII.
Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg (Tom Cruise) is a member of the Nazi army and after his stint in North Africa, in late 1944 Stauffenberg becomes more concerned about his soldiers lives then the mission of the Nazi party. He also quickly finds that he is not alone and that there is a bit of a underground resistance building in an attempt to try and figure out how they can help Germany to save face as well as they can after this the war. To do this, they plot to assassinate Hitler and the scheming and the attempts to recruit, stay secret, and hopefully finally succeed after their last failed attempt is what this film focuses on. Stauffenberg enters the resistance’s ranks as a recruiter of sorts but quickly ascends the ranks as his dedication is proven to be to the end. Stauffenberg lost his eye, two fingers, and a hand in Africa and is risking himself and his families lives by betraying Hitler and to some the country. [Read more...]