TinCan Cinema Top 50 Films: 40-36

These films are our FAVORITE films. They were not judged on their underlying messages or social change that they brought upon the world. If that were so, the list would look drastically different. Take this list as a showcase of the films that are musts in the eyes of TinCan. We also chose to not list "comedies" in our list. As much as we love Kingpin, Old School, and Wedding Crashers, it would be unfair to judge them with different criteria than the other films. Maybe sometime down the road, we could compile our own smaller list for comedies

See TinCan Cinema's Top Films 40-36 after the jump.



40. The Godfather

Widely considered the greatest film ever made. The Godfather is Francis Ford Coppola's ode to the Mafia life. Full of iconic scenes and memorable characters, The Godfather is a true cinema classic and laid the groundwork for basically every mafia/gangster flick made since. The cast is a thing of legend with Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan and Robert Duvall delivering stellar performances; with Brando taking home the Best Actor Oscar. The story follows the evolution of the Corleone crime family as power is passed from family patriarch and "Godfather" Don Vito to his son Michael. Two sequels followed, with the "Godfather 2" usually mentioned among the greatest sequels ever made.

The "Mafia" sub genre is defiantly one of our favorites and  while "The Godfather" isn't our favorite entry in the field, it is truly a masterpiece. It can be a somewhat tedious film to get through and it's hard not to watch it without all the "greatest movie ever" hype rolling around your head. If you have a free afternoon or two we recommend everyone takes the time to view the "Godfather" trilogy, we think it's an offer you won't be able to refuse.

39. Shawshank Redemption

Some movies simply don't fit into any genre per say. The Shawshank Redemption many people would be surprised to know was actually based on a short story written by Horror icon, Stephen King. The film follows Andy Dufresne, a wrongly convicted inmate who is sentenced to a life at Shawshank Prison. Andy, who worked as a banker isn't prepared for prison life. The rough conditions and crooked administration inside Shawshank does not make things any easier. The story follows as Dufresne (played by Tim Robbins) befriends Ellis "Red" Redding (played by Morgan Freeman) who had already been in Shawshank for a long time and controls the contraband inside the walls. The two men who appear to have nothing in common learn from each other and somehow manage to survive their hardships.

The movie is truly inspirational as it conveys a "never give up hope" message with fantastic storytelling. The acting is superb and while there may be a few cliches here and there, I find it damn near impossible for anyone to dislike this film. For me the lasting image from Shawshank is that of elderly parolee "Brooks" being released into a world that he no longer recognizes and he soon longs for the comfort of the concrete walls of Shawshank. A truly emotional journey that fans of all types of films will enjoy.

38. The Dark Knight

It's rare that a summer "blockbuster" actually lives up to all the hype; the Dark Knight however may have actually surpassed the hype. Christopher Nolan took a character everyone was familiar with and returned him to his dark more realistic roots. In doing so, may have made the best superhero/comic book movie of all time. Batman takes on the murderous Joker, who is no longer simply a laughing clown of a criminal but instead a physco-path killer. Batman struggles with his own moral dilemma as Gotham goes from bad to worse. The cast is stunningly good from top to bottom, with Christian Bale dawning the hood and cape for the second time. Gary Oldman, Aaron Eckhart, Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Cilian Murphy and of course Heath Ledger in the role that won him an Oscar.

A lot of Batman backlash seems to have hit in the wake of The Dark Knight; with a lot of people screaming that it is overrated. While we would never throw "The Dark Knight" into the convo for 'best picture ever', as it certaintly has it's flaws. However it's still a fun ride with good acting and a tight script. It's a shame a lot of people believe Heath Ledger only won his Supporting Actor Oscar because he died. Ledger turned in one of the more memorable roles of recent years and it's hard to even tell if Ledger behind the make-up most of the time. For people who say it's one of the best movies ever, perhaps should take a step back, but that doesn't mean Christopher Nolan's ode to the caped crusader isn't a very good film.

37. Deer Hunter

Michael Cimino's tale of a group of small town people affected by the Vietman war is a masterpice in every sense of the word.  Robert De Niro and Christopher Walken lead a great cast, that show not only the horrors of war, but what happens to those who experience the worst of those. We follow three young men from a small factory town in Pennslyvania to their experiences in Vietnam and the toll on their psyches and lives. Michael (Robert De Niro), Steven (John Savage) and Nick (Christopher Walken) are captured by the enemy and detained in a POW camp. Which leads to one of the greatest scenes in the history of film as they are forced to play Russian Roullette against one another (won't spoil the scene, but it's a MUST see).

Obviously things are never the same after the War, and the men have a hard time re-joining reality. A true character study, this film offers some of the best performances of De Niro's and Walken's careers. Also present is John Cazale who seems to have only ever played in classics. Not to mention, a young Meryl Streep. While this film obviously isn't for everyone, especially due to it's length (182 mins.) we suggest that if you haven't already seen it that you pick a rainy boring day to pop it in.

36. Good Will Hunting

The movie that brought Matt Damon and Ben Affleck from obscurity to super-stardom. The film was co-written by the two who also star. Damon plays Will Hunting a janitor at M.I.T. who just might be the smartest man on campus. After solving a seemingly unsolvable math equation (in a scene that has been endlessly spoofed), Hunting is discovered by an award winning professor, who tries to get the troubled youngster to turn his life around with the help of therapist Sean Maguire (Robin Williams). Hunting is hesitate to turn his back on his blue collar roots and his old neighborhood and the two butt-heads as they try to get to the bottom of Hunting's anger.

This movie is a great story, and deserved the Academy Awards that it won. The performances are solid, with maybe the best dramatic turn in the long career of Robin Williams. There are also several memorable to classic scenes. Besides Damon solving the math problem on the chalkboard, the bar scene where Damon's character shows up the pompous Harvard student is awesome. This film has a charm that grows on you and introduces us to one of the top stars of the decade to come in, Matt Damon.