One of the most frequent questions I am always asked being the host of the greatest movie podcast ever (opinions may vary) is “What’s your favorite movie?” That answer has been the same since I was 11 years old. But it also isn’t as easy to explain why I love some movies more than others.

As an art form, movies are by their nature interpretative. Some people will point to a film’s box office total as a barometer for a film’s quality, this might not be true again because although it might be popular to the masses it might not appeal to you. I am looking at you Avatar, which is not one of my favorite films, not by a longshot.  

Also, if the film wins an Academy Award for Best Picture, that hardly means it’s one of my favorite films, looking at you The English Patient, in fact I hardly agree with the Academy. Having said that, I am sure that some people love Avatar and The English Patient. And that’s what makes movies so great.

I, also am not a professional critic. I love film. I try and find merit in all film. As a host of a podcast that attempts to give every movie a chance, I believe that is the best way to approach movies, let the lights go out and try and enjoy yourself. You might find a “diamond in the rough.”

When thinking of my favorite movies to share with you, my loyal listeners, I thought 100 wasn’t going to be enough. So, I am proud to present my 150 Favorite Films, right now. These will change, I know they will.

See you at the movies!

***Spoilers Ahead!***

118. Freddy vs. Jason (2003) Directed by Ronnie Yu

The Movie: Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund) is trapped. Jason Voorhees (Ken Kirzinger) is “dead”. Freddy is pissed because the town of Springwood has figured out how to beat him. They simply made their children forget about him. Freddy can no longer manifest his demonic revenge if people will not dream about him. Freddy scours the bowels of Hell and he finds a monster he can manipulate into helping him. Freddy devises a plan that resurrects Jason. Freddy tricks Jason into believing that his mother (Paula Shaw) is asking him to go to Elm Street and punish the teenagers there. Jason rises from his grave and marches towards Springwood.

Lori Campbell (Monica Keena) is at a party with her friends, Kia (Kelly Rowland) and Gibb (Katharine Isabelle). Lori has been depressed since her mother was murdered and the boy she loved, Will Rollins (Jason Ritter) is believed to have just skipped town. Kia and Gibb have invited over a boy for Lori to meet, Blake (David Kopp). Blake is the friend of Gibb’s douchey boyfriend Trey (Jesse Hutch).

Blake and Trey arrive, bring beer and are looking to score with Gibb and Lori. Outside the home, Jason is stalking the teenagers. The power goes out and Trey and Gibb retire upstairs. Lori is forced by Kia to give Blake a tour of her home. Upstairs, Gibb takes a shower and Trey lays on the bed, reaching for a beer. Jason appears, stabs Trey repeatedly in the torso and folds the bed in half, killing him. Gibb finds a dead Trey, Gibb and her friends run out the door and onto the street. It just so happens a new cop, Scott Stubbs (Lochlyn Munro) drives by to help.

Lori lives in a very famous house, 1428 Elm Street. The home of Nancy Thompson. As more police arrive, Nancy overhears the name Freddy. The sheriff tells his deputy not to speak that name and takes the friends to the police station for questioning.

Blake now at home is sitting on his porch. Blake sees a goat in the street and goes out to investigate. There he is confronted by Freddy. Freddy however is not strong enough to kill yet. Freddy realizes that Jason will have to kill more, scaring the teenagers of Springwood some more. Blake doesn’t escape fate however. He wakes up from his dream to find his dad has been decapitated and he is killed by Jason as well.

Will and his friend Mark Davis (Brendan Fletcher) are inmates at Westin Hills, a psychiatric hospital. They are given a drug everyday called Hypnocil, it suppress their dreams. Will sees that Lori’s house is on the news again and asks Mark to help him escape. They both are able to escape.

The next day at school, Lori and her friends decide to attend a rave that is taking place in a corn field outside of town. Lori tells her friends about the dream she had and describes Freddy to everyone. Lori is shocked to learn that Will has escaped and see him in the hallway. The police close in on Will and Mark and they run away.

At the rave Will meets up with Lori again. Kia who relentlessly teases a classmate Linderman (Chris Marquette) is taken aback when he dishes it back. Kia likes his confidence and they dance. Gibb passes by Freeburg (Kyle Labine) who is describing how her boyfriend Trey dies. Upset, Gibb wonders off and passes out in the middle of the corn field. There a raver starts to sexually assault her. Gibb however is now in a dream and follows her dead boyfriend Trey to a silo. The silo morphs into a boiler room and Gibb is stalked by Freddy. Freddy moves in for the kill, but he’s too late. Jason beat him to it. This pisses Freddy off.

Jason in the meantime takes out many partygoers in spectacular fashion and Lori and her friends escape. Outside Lori’s home her father confronts her and Will. Lori asks her dad if her mom truly died in a car accident. He balks which makes Lori run to her room and escape out the window. She meets Will and they head over to Mark’s house. They are too late. They watch in horror as Mark is killed by Freddy.

The friends figure out Freddy’s plan and devise one of their own. They will go to Westin Hills, get the Hypnocil and make Freddy powerless as they agree that Jason is the bigger threat right now. Deputy Stubbs arrives to help them and they head to Westin Hills. Jason is not far behind.

At Westin Hills, Freddy posses Freeburg and dumps the Hypnocil down a drain. As the friends attempt to escape Jason’s wrath, he kills Deputy Stubbs. Freeburg, still possessed by Freddy injects Jason with a tranquilizer, subduing him. Freeburg gets sliced in half for his trouble.

Lori learns that she can pull Freddy into the real world. She devises a plan to pull Freddy into the real world and have him fight Jason, at Camp Crystal Lake.

Jason is now dreaming. His mother chastises him for not being able to stop killing. Freddy reveals himself to Jason and the two slug it out in the Dreamworld. Freddy throws everything he can at Jason. Freddy is shocked to learn that Jason can’t die. Freddy goes deeper into Jason’s mind and discovers how he dies as a child. Freddy sensing an opportunity attempts to drown child Jason, killing the real Jason in the process.

Lori enters the Dreamworld and saves Jason from certain death. Jason wakes up and causes the van that Will was driving to crash. Freddy attacks Lori. Lori seems to have missed her wake up call and Freddy decides to take his time killing her. In the real world, Jason is attacking Will, Kia and Linderman. Linderman and Kia are thrown against a wall, with Linderman suffering a fatal stab. Will puts Lori’s hand into the fire, causing her to wake up and pull Freddy into the real world.

Freddy vs. Jason is now on! They fight to a bloody stalemate and Lori causes the dock they are on to explode. Launching Jason and Freddy into Crystal Lake. Lori and Will believe they won, but Freddy emerges with Jason’s machete looking to land a killer blow. Jason however, stabs Freddy with his severed arm, dropping him to his knees. Jason falls into Crystal Lake and sinks to the bottom. Lori picks up Jason’s machete and decapitates Freddy.

The next morning, Jason emerges from Crystal Lake holding Freddy’s head like a trophy. As Jason walks towards us, Freddy gives us a wink.

Why I Love Freddy vs. Jason (2003): I have love Friday the 13th and Jason ever since I was a little boy. My mom and Dad would let me rent the movies, and thought I was weird. I was. And I didn’t care. The movies are fun and Jason was and still is my favorite movie monster.

The idea of Freddy vs. Jason wasn’t a new one. At the end of Jason Goes To Hell, the end stinger of Freddy’s glove grabbing Jason’s mask gave that awful movie some meaning.

It would take 10 years and dozens of scripts before New Line Cinema found one they liked.

I couldn’t wait to see Freddy vs. Jason. In fact, I saw it 5 times in the theater and I loved it. Is the exposition dialogue a little much? Yes. But you need it to set up the fight at the end. And this is where director Ronny Yu doesn’t let the fans down. Between the fight in the DreamWorld and the real world, every blow lands and the fight is creative. The film is gory and fun and a horror popcorn film through and through.

I also love that Freddy vs. Jason embraces what came before. Trust me the film could’ve been a lot different and not in a good way. A lot of the rejected scripts were/are available online. And yes, I read everyone. Most are bizarre and do not honor the films that inspired them. Writers Mark Swift and Damian Shannon understood this and wrote a film for the fans.

My only gripe with the film is that Kane Hodder is not Jason in the film. He was a champion of getting this movie made and they did him dirty but not casting him as Jason. Yu mentioned in interviews that he wanted a different type of Jason, more slow moving. Kirzinger is fine, but I miss the intensity that Hodder brought to the role.

Freddy vs. Jason is the heavyweight bout that has fans cheering for their favorite movie villain, and although it appears that Jason and Freddy fought to a draw, the real winners are the fans.