Most of the movies on here seem “great.” A “great movie” is far below the standards of an “epic” movie.

Apocalypse Now is an epic movie. Full metal jacket is great – I have enjoyed that movie several times. But it is just great in my mind — not epic.

What makes for an epic movie versus just a great movie? What do you think the difference is?

What a great collection of movies! Bookmarked.

But you miss two great movies

– Dead Snow
– District 9 (i wasnt’t impressed like that from a movie for years)

I know I’m late to the party but I’ll add my picks that aren’t mentioned yet.

American Psycho
Chocolate (by Prachya Pinkaew)
Contact
Cube
Dark city
Dr. Strangelove
Interview with a vampire
Lo
Logan’s run
Pan’s Labyrinth
Slumdog Millionaire
12 angry men
Children of men
The usual suspects

One other one I forgot is an Italian Movie, La vita è bella, or Life is Beautiful, set in World War II. It’s a lovely movie, but tragic in other ways… it’s worth watching.

Stranger Than Fiction was one I picked up a couple of weeks ago for cheap on DVD, and I almost cried at the end.

Yeah, I’m a bit like that. Go figure. :P

Oh. And. A recent Hollywood movie that really got to me was Up in the Air with George Clooney. A tale of a man who deliberately isolates himself.. so it really resonated within me. It was humorous at times, but ultimately depressing. Which, I enjoyed the movie for. I find it brave of Hollywood to dare to release such a real and depressing movie.

I would throw in some oldies like Captain Horatio Hornblower. Hell of an awesome movie, Peck at his best.

Another great Peck movie, real heartwarming tale, would be Keys to the Kingdom.

Also there’s Kurosawa – Ikiru and Seven Samurai. Both are just great stories. Ikiru in particular, it struck me how despite the fact it came out over 50 years ago it still rung true in today’s world.

For utterly dark humor, there’s Otis. A movie that makes light of kidnapping and potential rape.

[REC] – the best zombie movie hands down, also a great thriller/suspense.

And then as mentioned in your Sci-Fi thread, there’s Timecrimes. Even with a second viewing with knowing everything beforehand it was still fun to think about it and still somehow blows my mind to contemplate.

Also there’s The Experiment, suspenseful type movie.

And I’ll finish with Run, Lola, Run. Fast paced crazy German movie.

Okay – have to agree with just about all of these except to add:

The Abyss
Edward Scissorhands
Old Boy
Robocop (cheesy, but a seminal movie of the genre)

Well done to @Alphast for the Caro and Jeunet films, you have to add La cité des enfants perdus to that list.

For the record Blade Runner is my alltime best movie.

Out of the back of my head:
* Usual Suspects
* The Thin Red Line
* Apocalypse Now
* Full Metal Jacket
* Blade Runner
* The Third Man
* The Wind Which Shakes the Barlow
* Alien 1 (Ridley Scott) and 4 (Jeunet)
* Le Fabuleux Destin d’Amélie Poulain
* Delicatessen
* Ronin
* Kagemusha
* Le Diner de Cons
* Being John Malkovich
* Syriana
* Out of Africa
* Trainspotting
* Nikita
* The Blues Brother (the original one, of course)
* Der Himmel über Berlin
* In weiter Ferne, so nah!
* Renn, Lola Renn!

Wow! So many great suggestions. I’m actually going to use some of this as a “to watch guide” but yeah, I agree with most of these. I have no clue how I forgot the Shaun of the Dead or the Princes Bride because they should have been on my list as well. Same goes for Being John Malkovich and Hackers (so bad and corny, and yet I love it so much… Though it might have something to do with the young Angelina Jolie being in it).

Boondock Saints is one of my favorites too!
American History X
Ace Ventura 1+2 …. alllllrighty then!
Crash
Rounders