ERIC MICHAEL HALDERMAN’S TOP "100" FILMS OF ALL TIME MUST SEE

OK starting off this Post saying YES there are more than 100 films on my list.... and NO this is not a ranking order, that would be too much work, this is just an Alphabetical order of my top must see films and YES I am sure that I have left out a good number of films from this list and will most likely continue to amend it........ SO ending 2009 HERE THEY ARE............

300

2001 SPACE ODYSSEY

ABYSS

ALIENS 1-2

AMERICAN BEAUTY

AMERICAN HISTORY X

AVIATOR

BACK TO THE FUTURE

BATMAN 1-2

BANK JOB

BEAUTIFUL MIND

BIG

BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA

BLADE

BLADE RUNNER

BLOW

BOTTLE ROCKET

BRAVEHEART

BARON VON MÜNCHHAUSEN

CASINO

CASINO ROYALE

CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY 1st Version

CHINATOWN

CLASH OF THE TITANS

CLOSE ENCOUNTER OF THE 3RD KIND

COMING TO AMERICA

CRASH

CROUCHING TIGER HIDDEN

DRAGON
DARK CRYSTAL

DARK KNIGHT

DEAD MAN WALKING

DEPARTED, THE

DIE HARD 1

DONNIE BROSCO

DOUBLE INDEMNITY

DRUNKEN MASTER 2

EDWARD SISSORHANDS

ENTER THE DRAGON

ET: THE EXTRA TERRESTRIAL

EVIL DEAD 2

FIFTH ELEMENT

FIGHT CLUB

FINDING NEMO

FORREST GUMP

FROM DUSK TO DAWN

FROZEN RIVER

FULL METAL JACKET

GANGS OF NEW YORK

GHOST BUSTERS 1

GLADIATOR

GODFATHER 1-2

GOODFELLAS

GOOD WILL HUNTING

GREEN MILE

GROUNDHOG DAY

HANGOVER

HELL BOY 1-2

HELLRAISER

HERO

HIGHLANDER

IN AMERICA

IN BRUGES

IN THE BEDROOM

INCREDIBLES

INDIANA JONES 1-2

INGLORIOUS BASTERDS

IRON MAN

JAWS

JERK, THE

JERRY MCQUIRE

KARATE KID

KILL BILL 1 AND 2

LA CONFIDENTIAL

LAST DRAGON

LETHAL WEAPON

LEAVING LAS VEGAS

LEON

LOCK STOCK AND TWO SMOKING BARRELS

LORD OF THE RINGS 1-3

MAD MAX

MAGNOLIA

MATRIX 1-2

MEMENTO

MIST

MOULIN ROUGE

MY LEFT FOOT

MYSTIC RIVER

NETWORK

NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS

NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 1

NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN

OCEAN'S 11 (REMAKE)

ONG BOK

ORPHANAGE, THE

PAN’S LABYRINTH

PAYBACK
PLATOON

PRIMAL FEAR

PRINCESS BRIDE

PUBLIC ENEMIES

PULP FICTION

RAGING BULL

REQUIEM FOR A DREAM

RANSOM

RESERVOIR DOGS

ROCKY

RONIN

SAVING PRIVATE RYAN

SAY ANYTHING

SCARFACE

SE7EN

SHAUN OF THE DEAD

SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION

SHINING, THE

SHRECK

SILENCE OF THE LAMBS

SIN CITY

SIXTH SENSE

SNATCH

SOMETHING ABOUT MARY

SPIDER-MAN 1

STAND BY ME

STAR TREK

STAR WARS 1-3 FIRST VERSIONS

TAXI DRIVER

TERMINATOR 1-2

THERE WILL BE BLOOD

THE THING

TIME BANDITS

TITANIC

TRUE ROMANCE

TRUMAN SHOW

UP

UNFORGIVEN

USUAL SUSPECTS

WALL E

DVD Review: "BOLT" Score B-

This Disney Animation film comes up with a unique storyline. Bolt, A dog who is the star of a TV show where he has super powers but doesn't know its not real, he gets lost trying to save his master (young girl star of the show). His trek across country leads him on adventures with a cat Mittens and a Hamster in a ball. He goes from NY to LA but I was confused as to why he was in NY in the first place if the show is filmed in an LA sound stage. Along his adventures he learns that he doesn't have any powers, he becomes a real dog and makes friends. When he finally finds his Master again he sees that he was replace with a look alike Bolt for the show. After one last real save they all live happily ever after. The animation is top notch and the characters are plenty cute and fun. I enjoyed this one. Check it out.

DVD Review: "UNTRACEABLE" Score C+

Mystery films with a serial killer on the loose usually follow this pattern. This one is no different. Lets solve the puzzle, lets figure out who the killer is and catch him. Diane Lane looks a little worse for the wear in this, she normally looks better than this but here she looks tired in every scene. The action is Ok, the storyline mediocre, and it ends with a thud. Kind of drops off. Yes the lead will be in danger, and the partner will die, as will the killer by the end. Normal plotline for movies like this, the only twist being that this is an internet killer, that can't be traced down. And views on the internet kill his victims. Yet like every villain like him, he sets up clues as to how to find him, which begs the motivation behind the crimes, to outsmart the cops or to get revenge for his father's death etc...... Its OK just don't expect too much.

DVD Review: "WORLDS GREATEST DAD" Score B-

From the twisted mind, and direction of Bobcat Goldwaith, this little indy film is something that is on Robin Williams best works list. The redheaded kid from Spykids turns in a really vicious performance as the bastard of a son to Williams unpublished writer/poetry teacher father. He loves his son even though he is a miserable human being who hates most everything except really sick porn. SPOILER: Not knowing what was the premise of this film when the kid DIES from self masturbation asphyxiation I was wondering where this was going to go. I thought it was about this father dealing with this kid, instead it was about this father hiding the real death, faking a deep suicide note, and turning this kid into a savior for other teens, then using his writing skills to forge a journal that he publishes. In the end I found it unsatisfying that he comes clean to everyone and tells the truth of it all, although this is probably showing more of how much of a good father he was trying to be. The end of the pool jump had me perplexed but now I think it was showing the father finally able to wash himself clean of the whole thing about his son, the burden of the lies he told about him and his life now. Check it out, its an odd film but in the end a proficient one.

DVD Review: "INGLORIOUS BASTERDS" Score A-

One of the few 'A' rated films (my scores) of this year. Tarantino once again proves his film making prowess with this one. The casting is virtually top notch, with the exception of the glaring mis cast of that jerk temp guy from the OFFICE TV show, he is out matched, out acted and out of place in this one. In fact I can go as far as to say that he is not made for Feature film work and really is the only bad thing about this whole movie. The lead Nazi villain is brilliant and steals every scene he is in, especially with his stare. Forewarning that this one is heavy on the subtitles of foreign languages, which both works (esp. in the first scene with the switching to English halfway into the scene with a great payoff) and is a little over played for this being an "American" film. The Jewish community I am sure cheered at the concept of this would be revenge theme and fantasy rewrite of WWII. If only there was a feared team of Jewish Americans that hunted down Nazi's and ultimately blew up Hitler. This is a fun film for those of war action and an understanding of what a Tarantino movie is. High recommendation as one of the best films of 2009.

DVD Review: "LAND OF THE LOST" Score D+

This giant budgeted stinker should never have been made. The plus on my D rating here is only for a couple brief humorous moments by Farrell. Had he not been in this film it would have been burnt upon completion. What was a campy TV show, does not translate to much of a big screen adventure. The storyline is simple enough but there is a lot of fluff involved (scenes that just take up time and are not funny...ie. hot tub and drug berries). The make up and costumes are expensive but not done very well and this movie looks like it was made more for 3 year olds than any real movie going audience. This is definitely a skip it.

DVD Review: "HORTON HEARS A WHO" Score B

As far as animation of the past decade it has taken big leaps forward. The anime in this one is as exceptional as most recent fare has come. The star voice power (Jim Carrey and Steve Carrell) lends to the wacky nature of this Dr. Seuss story. As every story needs to have a "villian" this one is the mother kangaroo (who we can only wonder why she is in the jungle with Elephants and monkeys). The who world on the dust flake is well done in that Seussical style and fun is to be had with those characters and their dilemma. Ultimately the lesson that a person is a person no matter how small rules out in the end and saves their tiny world as they collectively make enough noise for anyone other than Horton to hear them. This is good enjoyable family animated film.

DVD Review: "SON OF RAMBOW" Score B+

This is one of those little independent films that could.... like the little engine that could get up that hill this film delivers a great little tale that makes the mark of being told by a legitimate source. As the quality of this movie exceeds your basic star less and therefore budget laden movie..... I really liked this little sleeper of a film. It has a lot of heart and I suspect either the writer or director lived parts of this movie. Its fun as a exploratory boys having fun film and it also gleams light into the realms of adolescence too.

DVD Review: "WHITE NOISE 2 THE LIGHT" Score C

Sequels never seem to be able to live up to their originals. This one lives up to its straight to video/dvd status. Once again whoever sanctioned the sequel most likely never even saw the first one. Why? Well this one is completely different from the first. After the murder of his wife and daughter in front of himself we get a basic superhero. Who sees the light around those he should save that are about to be killed and then they in turn kill others and he must stop that too but can't and this movie goes on like that and on..... really? I would advise to skip it ...There is nothting to miss or see in this one. Fails on many levels...casting ,acting, writing,F/X, and plot...................

DVD Review :"THE HURT LOCKER" Score A-

I am not one for War films that are about the day to day interaction and dealings of soldiers. My Limit was at FULL METAL JACKET and PLATOON..... However this one reaches to today.... not an expose of things gone by but an exposition of things going on right now...... I am not sure that I think films like this are exactly a good thing. This film really lets us all know right now what our American Soliders are in the middle of right now. We follow a very small select group of men who are responsible for bomb disarmment or removal in IRAQ. SPOILER ALERT: In the first few minutes of the film the lead Bomb meets his maker.... and then we are graced with titles and then a new bomb difuser leader and lead actor..... this takes us into the just of the film.... a rougue rule breaking guy who just doesn't care.. or does he... this film is filled with tension, character struggles and interactions and lots of WTF moments. Its tense and worth the view. Check it out.

DVD Review : "TERMINATOR SALVATION" Score C++

I have a special place in my heart for the Terminator Franchise. WHY? Performing as, and being a Live T-1000 stunt actor for the T2 3D shows at the Universal Theme parks for too many number of years I really wanted the franchise to live up to 1st and 2nd Films. After the disappointment of T3, I thought this might be a great reboot. T4, when it arrived in theaters was a mis-fire and I skipped it based on my friends and actual critic reviews. So after gettting a chance to see it in full, I must agree with the critics and my friends and say that not only did it not live up to the expectations we had, it did not even deliver as a reboot to get a whole new audience. T4 basically tried to rewrite the mythology and failed . I really found major faults in the way they tried to even get this one moving. Overall we have lost Terminator as a series....... The TV show "The Terminator: Sarah Conner Chronicles" did much better service to the series than this film did. I had high hopes for this one and it could have been a continuation of T23D or Even TTSCC. Instead they basically chopped the story in pieces and took little of the mythology to this one...What we were left with for this one is a confusing mish mash of ideas slapped together with a bit of helicopter and laser fire...... In the end this one is unsatisfying for me maybe much more than the rest of you..... I wish this was something that it is not.... See it if you want too

DVD Review "ANGELS AND DEMONS" Score C+

In a follow up to The DiVinci Code comes this one. Tom Hanks again as Robert Langdon the religious writer and theorist. This time the Vatican is seemingly attacked by the ancient Illuminatii who appearantly are trying to destroy the city with a anti matter bomb. Suppposedly they stole an experimental project trying to find the "GOD Particle". If the antimatter container's battery drops out then the particle touches matter and causes a 5 megaton bomb explosion (which would level the Vatican). Hanks's character has a few hours to solve the magic illuminatii puzzle to find the location of the 'bomb'. Now although there is major action an puzzle solving to be found, there is plently of plot holes once this one wraps. SPOILER ALERT: Ok here it is, there is no illuminatii plot, the priest who causes the whole thing killed the pope and planted the bomb. And the reasoning and the plot behind it are all a mess. If it were really the illuminatti then the plot and the way the puzzle is laid out would make complete sense. In the end when the reveal happens its more of a let down, especially after the superhero moment the priest has by flying a helicopter by himself (somehow he has the training) with the bomb, over the city into the air then miraculously parachuting to safety as it explodes. When we realize the priest did the whole thing then its like a big WTF!! We are like why did he go through it at all. What was the real purpose? So I can say that it is an entertaining movie with a completely unsatisfying resolution and ending. Hey but at least the priest commits suicide by self flame burning as his sacrifice to God. Its an OK movie just don't look too deep, its less than the first movie.

DVD Review: "STAR TREK" Score A

JJ Abrams stuck gold resurrecting this lost franchise, rebooting it in the way that reboots should be done and cultivating an audience of new non-old trek fans that will most likely return for more films. Rather than rehash another trek story, this one reinvents it and brings it current and into the hands of those who really would never see this type of Sci fi. I really liked it and thought it was very well done. This is what directors should be doing with material that has existed already. They should make it new and accessable to those who normally wouldn't go near it. The casting is great. The actors all do a great job and the re-writing of the Kirk story, to how he came to be captain works so well here. The action works very well and the villians here do as well. Quinto as the new Spock works perfectly. Perhaps the only thing that could have been left out would have been Spock meeting with and having a scene with his future self. Laws of Quantum collapse could have played here when one person meets or interacts with himself... however the writers left that out. Other than that though the movie is spectacular as far F/x and as recent Sci Fi goes. Great SF/X and battles and I especially loved the new take off of the ships from dead stop to WARP! Really even if your not a Star Trek fan (which I am not) you will like this if you like Sci Fi action films.

DVD Review : "BRUNO" Score D+

The easy way to start off this review is that BRUNO is no BORAT. What Sasha Cohen did with Borat he fails mostly with BRUNO. This film is filled with many of the same suprise interactions with the lead character and unsuspecting regular people that are suppossed to create funny circumstances. Where BORAT was just a foreigner who didn't understand the ways of the American world, BRUNO is nothing more than a bad attempt at Gay Humor, which is really losing its appeal with most people. Making fun of gay situations isn't funny. Flashing himself to an older audience that is reviewing his talk show pilot and homosexual hitting on Ron Paul in a fake interview is just not funny. The funniest parts of this film may only be when he is at a Swingers party and is hitting on the men as they have sex with their women. The rest of this movie is basically unfunny moments strung together. Please skip this one unless you are a big fan of bad Gay jokes.

DVD Review "FROM DUSK TO DAWN 2: TEXAS BLOOD MONEY" Score C+

This sequel loses the flavor of the first one which was a cult camp movie which was actually two movies in one. The first was a crime movie that morphs into a vampire film. This sequel tries to do the same but its a lame attempt at recreating it. The cast is decent enough but the story line and the action sequences are mediocre at best. The plot device that all you have to do it put two sticks together and hold them up in front of a vampire in a pysudo-cross and they will be scared away from you instantly really take the movie down a couple notches. Most of this one screams low budget, from the scripting, to the make up, to the effects. I watched this one only because I enjoyed the first film and thought they might be able to at least duplicate some of the fun there... they didn't. You can skip this one.

DVD Review "OBSERVE AND REPORT" Score D

I don't know what this movie was supposed to be. A drama, a bad dark comedy, or what because it certainly wasn't a funny comedy. The deranged character here was mentally psychotic. And overall nothing more than a delusional problem person who needs medication and possible commitment. Really this is just an unpalatable film. From the creepy stalking of the lead girl, to her weird semi-conscious date rape, nothing here was not comfortable at all to watch. Then after the lead's ultimate breakdown and flip out at the end there is no explanation as to why he is not in jail or a nut house. And the resolution of him catching the streaker is unsatisfying. Overall this is just a bad movie and makes little sense as to why it was even allowed to be made. Skip it.

DVD Review "THE EXORCISM OF EMILY ROSE" Score B-

Based on true events, this film explores the trial of a priest for the exorcism death of a young possessed girl and questions whether it was a real possession or the twisted mental illnesses the girl may have had. The doctors and lawyers claim that this was all nothing but a metally troubled girl who needed medication only. The priest simply wanted Emily's real story to be told. The flashback method of storytelling works well and there are a couple moments of terror to be found. In the end no matter what you believe... this one can kick you toward the possible conclusion that the demonic SIX can possess a weak willed person and destroy them. There was an episode of Paranormal State that had a similar case of a young possessed girl and it called itself the six... so this is not an isolated event. Really makes you question what's out there. And was Emily suffering in personal mental illness or for the sake of the rest of us against forces we know not of.

DVD Review: "ZOMBIELAND" Score B

This is another great comedy zombie flick... in the realm of a 'Shaun of the Dead'...comedy plus zombie. This kind of film is one of those that don't come along often. Zombieland has a simple premise that basically says the entire world is a big festering zombie infection and there are only a few human survivors left. The interesting use of the lead's "Rules of survival" that are folded into the movie make for some fun things. The attacks are mostly comical which leaves out the scares but this is still an enjoyable romp. Harelson does a great job as the 'best' zombie hunter and killer. The others join together with him as a new makeshift family. Their adventures are fun and the Bill Murray cameo is as unexpected as much as it ends in a predicable way. Liked this one and can recommend it for some comedy/horror zaniness.