Now that I have studied Chinese for four semesters in school, I think it's time that I start watching some movies in Mandarin. I'm not much of a moviegoer, so I'd like to know, what are your favorite Chinese-language movies?

I enjoy the film 天下无贼。It has some funny, ironic moments. Plus it gets you away from only martial arts films. (Unless of course that's what you're looking -- in which case Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Hero ［英雄］are two of my favorites).

1.Er nu ying xiong chuan (1959)(It's like A Chinese Ghost Story 1, which I also like, btw.)
2.紅樓夢 (1962)
3.梁山伯與祝英臺 (1963).
4.花田错.http://www.hkcinemagic.com/en/movie.asp?id=4085

All of the above starring 樂蒂.

My choice would definitely have to be In the Heat of the Sun (阳光灿烂的日子) by 姜文

Good ones - from my point of view:
1. If you are the one I (not II) 非诚勿扰 with Ge You and Shuqi, directed by Feng Xiaogang, more of a comedy, brought out as one of their "Chinese New Year" movies
2. Aftershock 唐山大地震, same director, starring his wife in the main role, very moving movie about the further live of a family after the big earthquake
3. Shaolin 新少林寺, martial arts with Andy Lau, Nicolas Tse and other famous actors/actresses
4. What women want 我知女人心, a remake of the original American movie, with Andy Lau and Gong Li, very interesting to see the "cultural translation" of some scenes.
5. For history: Founding of a Republic 建国大业 and Founding of a Party 建党伟业, featuring almost all famous Hongkong and mainland actors/actresses (many of them as guest actors in minor roles)
6. A "Must(?)": Director's Zhang Yimou's movies, the earlier ones are not so much my favorite, the later one's have beautiful images, e.g. Hero, The House of the Flying Daggers, Curse of the Golden Flower. My favorite: To Live 活着, with Gong Li and Ge You, shows some history of China between 1940 - 1970.
7. Shanghai 諜海風雲, agent thriller in Shanghai around 1940 with Gong Li, Chow Yun Fat, etc.
8. Good Hong Kong crime/triad movies: Infernal Affairs I - III, I corrupt all Cops, Overheard.
9. Martial Arts: Detective Dee and the Mystery .. 狄仁杰之通天帝国, A Battle of Wits 墨攻, Bodyguards and Assassins 十月围城, Reign of Assassins 剑雨, Once Upon a Time in China I-III 黄飞鸿 I - III, all of them are quite good, Bodyguards.... my favorite.
I hope, this gives you a start. If you need another 100 recommendations, let me know.

Yeah, I really enjoy watching Reign of Assassins 剑雨 too. I've probably watched it four times now! Bodyguards and Assassins is also pretty good.

Speaking of Donny Yen, you might enjoy 葉問 (one and two).

If you like art-house, 太陽昇起

Assuming Chinese only (ie not Taiwan, etc...) it would be:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0439884/

No, Taiwanese movies are okay too. I just want to practice listening to Mandarin while watching some good movies :)

Thanks for all the suggestions guys!

I heard that 飲食男女 is good too, I've added it to my list.

I second 阳光灿烂的日子.

I also really enjoyed 甲方乙方, which also stars Ge You (he's in a lot of mainland movies, tbh).

A more serious one would be 霸王别姬, which is excellent, but the mandarin is difficult to understand. If you watch this one I suggest subtitles in your own language, at least the first time.

甜蜜蜜 is a very interesting romance. It's mainly set in Hong Kong, but most of the dialogue is in Mandarin.

飲食男女 is also a great classic, I think you'll enjoy it.

Absolutely my favorit:
我的父亲母亲 (the road home) with Zhang Ziyi.
Very enchanting.

@baconfrank, you beat me to 我的父亲母亲. Love that movie! Other great Zhang Yi Mou films are 一个都不能少 (Not One Less), about a young girl who takes over the village school while the village teacher is away, and Shanghai Triad 摇啊摇, which is unique in its focus on the crime boss' mistress, played by Gong Li.

Eat Drink Man Woman (飲食男女) and the The Wedding Banquet (喜宴) are two early Ang Lee classics. Eat Drink Man Woman gives you a slice of early 90's Taiwanese life, and the Wedding Banquet is about a gay Taiwanese man living in the US. The lead female actress, May Chin 高金素梅, is amazing in this movie - she's currently a member of the ROC Parliament for the Highland Aborigines electoral district. She's half Atayal.

Warm Spring
Beijing Bicycle

I love "Farewell My Concubine" ( 霸王別姬 ) directed by Chen KaiGe and three films by Zhang YiMou "Red Sorghum" ( 紅高粱 ), "Ju Dou" ( 菊豆) and my favorite "Raise the Red Lantern" ( 大紅燈籠高高掛 ). "Ju Dou" has been described as a Chinese variation of "The Postman Always Rings Twice"

All these movies have the great advantage of Gong Li in a starring role and are easy to find.

I agree with a lot of the suggestions above. I also would recommend Red Cliff (赤壁). Be sure to get the two-disc international version, rather than the much shorter U.S. version. It will make you want to read about the history on which the movie is loosely based.

Great thread! I can't add anything other than to second Zhang YiMou, especially 我的父亲母亲 ('The Road Home' in English). The language is accessible, the cinematography is fabulous, and Zhang Ziyi (in her first role) is transcendent. Definitely a date movie; no martial arts whatsoever.

I think Donnie Yen's Yip Man movies should be watched in Cantonese because the jokes are funnier (I have seen both Cantonese and Mandarin versions) and there's just something about Cantonese that makes it more delightful.

Oh, I love Zhang Yi Mou films too - the cinematography is just too amazing for words.

The latest film I watched was Wu Xia, which starred Donnie Yen but it was in Cantonese. For this particular film I personally felt it should be in Mandarin instead of Cantonese.

Oh ya, a bit off topic since it's about movies but if I think of songs, I think of Teresa Teng's classics....beautiful stuff.

I also like to watch foreign cartoons in Chinese if it makes sense. For example, I think it kinda makes sense to watch Kung Fu Panda in Chinese, so I did!
I guess my listening skill is still not good enough for watching live-action movies with serious context :(

13 Blades (or was it 18 Blades)? Haha. Anyway, I thought it was pretty clever at some points. One battle made me laugh pretty hard.

I'm more into cheesy action so not sure if these are good films persay but I also enjoyed Twins Effect (which is available in Cantonese or Mandarin I do believe).

Just finished watching 梦影童年 Mèng Yǐng Tóngnián -
English: " Electric Shadows " and really liked it !
Can recommend this one to all Skritterers :)
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0424273/

Shower (洗澡）
Not one Less (一个都不能少)
Aftershock (大地震）

Oh I forgot -
Riding alone for thousands of miles (千里走单骑)
Starts in Japan but most of action is in China.
Highly recommended

Just finished watching 千里走单骑 from http://tv.sohu.com/20101001/n275386807.shtml. The story is very good. Also it’s good for learning Japanese too. The Chinese lady unexpectedly speaks excellent Japanese. But sadly, she is also the only person who speaks standard mandarin. I really enjoyed watching it. Thank you.