A couple of my favorite movies (apart from the ones already quoted by all of you guys):
* The Thin Red Line
* Cyrano de Bergerac (I know it is more a filmed theater play)
* Much A Do About Nothing (Kenneth Branagh’s version, same issue than above).
* Full Metal Jacket
* The Wind Which Shakes The Barlows (Ken Loach)
The last one is I believe the only movie where I actually cried at the end… ever.

A remark about Nikita: just like True Lies 1, the original French movie (not La Femme Nikita, just Nikita) was a thousand times better than the US remake. Note: it’s the same guy who made The Fifth Element, so no wonders here. I recommend the pen scene… ;-)

The early works of George “I ruined the series” Lucas, being Indiana Jones 1-3 (so many great moments in these!) and StarWars 5-7 (well, maybe because I love the SF-genre and these were the first epic movies I came across as a kid?).
And then there is Kingdom of Heaven. I really loved it although it’s a bit too hard on the “I’m from Europe, I have great ideas you would never come to think of.”
And recently Cameron blew my mind. Bet you know what I’m talking about…

@ Luke Maciak:

SJ: “Hi Michael wanna see me nekkid? I don’t mind!”

MB: “Nekkid eh? …nah”.

I really wish you hadn’t told me that Luke. I’m quite depressed now *sniffle*.

Moon was great, but I liked Sunshine too…

Generally Ive found anything by Tarrintino, Cameron to be safe bets. The matrix is always gonna be one of my faviourte movies, simply by how it blew my mind when I first saw it, and as ive gotten older (now 21) it appeals on different levels.

I quite like movies that mess with you, (mentally) so ill have to add Moon (Im thinking tonight) and Primer to my increasinly long to watch list.

Anyone got any opinions on the Time Travlers Wife, flatmates have been raving about it, and their taste is genrelly pretty good.

I also quite enjoy early Peter Jackson movies (Braindead, Bad Taste, The Frightneers), there generrely weired and im finding really hard to describe without them sounding awful. I guess there borderline movies that people will either find dreadful or brilliant. If you do watch them keep in mind the budget he had for them (non-existant, the alien suits from Bad Taste were made in his mums oven, one of scenes was shot by the camera man sitting on the bonnet of a car (no harness, just sitting on the bare-metal) as Jackson drove)

It’s funny but, my favorites are the ones you mentioned at the beginning of the article, except Moon which I have yet to watch. I would add Fight Club to the list. Incidently it also falls into the good book adaptations category.

By the way, foreign movies with subtitles aren’t that bad: Der Leben den Anderen (The Lives of the Others) and Die Welle (The Wave) are rather thought provoking. I also liked L’auberge espagnole and Les poupeés russes which, I suppose, were meant to be more entertaining, but still make you think: they cover ground that no american movie about students I have seen has even the intention to cover. Those two last ones are the kind that you can watch with family or friends and everyone enjoys them even if it’s not for the same reasons.

I don’t watch a lot of movies, mostly because they are too short. When I start getting close to the characters the movie is more often than not getting close to the end. That’s why I prefer TV shows.

Well, you can watch Novecento, unless 5:15 hours is not enough for you :P

(actually, it’s a good movie too, although it feels somewhat disjointed. But you can watch Donald Sutherland explaining you how to fight communism (he plays a fascist).

I don’t watch a lot of movies, mostly because they are too short. When I start getting close to the characters the movie is more often than not getting close to the end. That’s why I prefer TV shows.

That said, when I do watch movies nowadays, 99% of the time it’s movies you’ve recommended, and I’m never disappointed =P I think the only one that went the opposite direction was Primer. Other than those, I think the posts above contain pretty much every movie I’ve watched and liked, so I’m not gonna reiterate that =)

@ mcai8sh4:

Books are awesome – highly recommend them. :)

@ Sameer:

Completely agree re: Michael Bay.

Interesting anecdote: did you know that Scarlet Johanson told Michael Bay she didn’t mind doing a nude scene in The Island and he was like “Nah… I don’t want to do a nude scene…”

Yeah.

I’m sorry, but if Scarlet Johanson wants to do a nude scene in your movie, and you don’t have one in the script, you make a last minute addition and squeeze it in and then thank your lucky stars. Seriously…

Michael Bay couldn’t squeeze it in, because it would ruin the flow of car chase punctuated explosions he had going on. Sigh…

@ IceBrain:

I loved Being John Malkovich – absolutely brilliant dark comedy. Big fish was good too though Nightmare Before Christmas is an iconic classic by now.

Pulp Fiction is another movie that I haven ever watched from start to finish. I have seen pieces of it, I know the quotes – but it does not form a cohesive story in my head.

Taxi Driver is on my to be watched pile. I picked it up along with Scarface and The Shining when I was on my “I need to watch these cult classics so I can know the memes and references” kick.

I very rarely go to the movies, preferring watching them at home, even in my smallish TV. The last time I went (to see Up in the Air) it was, well… unpleasant. The movie didn’t help much, though.

I’m also young, so I prefer to see the classics I didn’t get to see at the time instead of newer ones.

Well, my favorites are (in no particular order – I’ll try to stick with one per director):
Dark:
* Apocalypse Now Redux (Coppola) – Masterpiece. It has so great moments that terrify you and yet you can’t stop watching. And “Charlie don’t surf!” is a quote for life :)

* Taxi Driver (Scorcese) – Another classic. One of De Niro’s best performances.

* Clockwork Orange (Kubrick) – Yeah, I like 2001, but I just can’t get the ending. Maybe I’ll change my opinion after reading the book, but until then, C.O. gets the prize. It’s terrific.

Lighter:
* Pulp Fiction (Tarantino) – Seriously, I can’t even compare it to Kill Bill. The actors, the dialogs, the soundtrack!

* Being John Malkovich (Spike Jonze) – It’s fucking hilarious. Surreal comedy at its best.

* Life of Brian (Monty Python) – Why? This.

Less story, more cinematographic art:
* Big Fish (Tim Burton) – Movie magic. But it’s hard to decide between it and Nightmare Before Christmas.

* Mulholland Drive (David Lynch) – Well, it’s the only Lynch I’ve watched, but it’s amazing. It’s art is its purest form. Everything has a meaning. Every moment is important. It’s puzzling and it never lets you rest.

Well, there are more, but this is long enough as it is. By the way, I have to second the Memento and American Beauty.

It’s funny how the former can change a lot by missing a little scene at the end. My friend didn’t get it and it was a totally different movie to her.