paul_haakonsen

Stumbling upon this 1994 movie titled "Crackerjack", from director Michael Mazo, here in 2025, of course I opted to watch it, as it was a movie that I hadn't already seen.

Writers Micheal Bafaro and Jonas Quastel put together a script and storyline that actually proved better than I had expected. The storyline turned out to be a rather enjoyable and entertaining one, so it was a joy to sit through the 96 minutes that the movie ran for. Sure, one might argue for this being a somewhat run-of-the-mill early 1990s action thriller, but it was still an enjoyable and entertaining movie. So thumbs up to writers Micheal Bafaro and Jonas Quastel for that accomplishment.

The movie does start out in a pretty upscale speed, throwing the audience right into the action, without us actually knowing what is going on. I liked that, because it pretty much set a hope for a fast paced and action-packed movie.

The movie actually has a pretty impressive cast ensemble, with the likes of Thomas Ian Griffith, Nastassja Kinski, Alex Diakun and Christopher Plummer on the cast list. The acting performances in "Crackerjack" was good. Leading actor Thomas Ian Griffith carried the movie nicely. And I had never thought that I would actually see Christopher Plummer in a villanous role, but he really performed rather well as a villain.

If you enjoy action thrillers, and get the chance to watch the 1994 movie "Crackerjack", I would recommend you to do so. I was genuinely and wholeheartedly entertained throughout the course of this movie.

My rating of director Michael Mazo's 1994 movie "Crackerjack" lands on a well-deserved six out of ten stars.

I needed no persuasion to sit down and watch the 2024 horror movie "Pigman", as I had the opportunity to do so here in 2025. Sure, I had never heard about the movie and virtually didn't have a clue as to what I was in for. But it being a horror movie that I hadn't already seen was all that I needed to watch it.

Writers Ben Daly and Robert Howgate didn't exactly put together a script and storyline that made "Pigman" stand out amidst so many other similar horror slashers. It was, for a lack of a better word, generic. Sure, it was watchable, but it was hardly a particularly outstanding or overly entertaining storyline. And the fact that the cover states that the movie was based on real events hardly carried an ounce of impact.

This was essentially just another lousy movie about social media influencers. And yeah, as you might have guessed, that is most definitely not my cup of tea. 'Influencer' is essentially just a fancy word for 'freeloader'. And honestly, had I known aforehand that the storyline was about social media influencers, I would not have given the movie the time of day.

Actor Mark Collier was actually the only familiar face on the screen for me. The acting performances in "Pigman" were fair, despite the fact that the script was bland and generic. The character gallery was flaccid, but then again influencers aren't exactly the sharpest knives in the drawer now, are they?

If you enjoy horror movies and slasher movies, don't waste 98 minutes on "Pigman". Some of us suffered through this ordeal in greater or smaller extend, so you don't have to; you're quite welcome.

My rating of director Louisa Warren's 2024 movie "Pigman" lands on a two out of ten stars.

While I had indeed never heard about this 2023 horror movie titled "Butchers Bluff" prior to sitting down to watch it here in 2025, I needed no persuasion to do so. Why? Well, it was a movie that I hadn't already seen. And it was also a horror movie, and I am a big fan of all things horror.

The movie's cover was actually the reason why I stopped and took notice of the movie. It was interesting, but at the same time just oozed with a particular low budget, cheesy slasher feel.

The narrative in the movie is pretty slow paced. Sure, the movie starts out nicely enough, but then falls into a sluggish slump and just slowly waddles onwards. So writers William Instone and Renfield Rasputin didn't exactly put together a particularly exciting or entertaining script and storyline. In fact, it was a bit of a struggle to sit through the movie. After what felt like an hour of nothing much happening, I checked the timer on the movie, and only 32 minutes had passed.

Sure, I harbored zero expectations to directors William Instone and Matt Rifley's movie, as it just had a particular low budget feel to it, and the familiar names on the cast list aren't exactly known for their blockbuster movies. But I still opted to watch it and give it the benefit of the doubt.

The movie does have some familiar talents on the cast list, such as Jeremy London, Bill Oberst Jr. And Brinke Stevens. The acting in "Butchers Bluff" were fair, despite the fact that the actors and actresses didn't really have much to work with in terms of script.

My rating of directors William Instone and Matt Rifley's 2023 horror movie "Butchers Bluff" lands on a generous three out of ten stars.