299. City after dark (1980)

Country:The Philippines Directed by Ishmael Bernal A legendary film, voted repeatedly as one of the very best Filipino movies ever made, City after dark or Manila by night, as is its alternative title, is a multi-narrative of people connected mostly each other by lies and exploitation, living a rather marginal life, fighting to escape from the poverty, in the ruthless nightlife of unseen, underground Manila. Prostitutes, pimps, drug dealers, junkies, abortions, crimes, gay sex, violence, everything that the Marcos regime of the era tried to hide under the carpet, are exposed here in a bitter drama that played a big part on the evolution of the Filipino cinema to adulthood

298. Symbol (2009)

Country: Japan Directed by Hitoshi Matsumoto Although Symbol is the definition of a film that has zero artistic value and you can easily call it not only "bad" but also idiotic, I think that still has a place in a list like this because as soon it unfolds you want to watch it with the addictive way that you want to watch a reality show, moreover it's quite weird and this weirdness makes it somehow interesting. Dont try to find anything deep on it: the plot vaguely reflects the stages of human life and even the stages of human history and that's all

297. Rainy dog (1997)

Country: Japan Directed by Takashi Miike One of the most memorable early films of Takashi Miike, where,as usually does, blurs the line between a commercial and an artistic approach with some occasional sparks of genius here and there. Many weaknesses, many things that we have seen countless times before, however the film has some moments of real magic that you can't ignore. Moreover the feeling of rainy Taipei never has captured so beautifully: you almost have the illusion that you are there

296. Suzaki paradise, red light district (1956)

Country: Japan Directed by Yuzo Kawasima The film that Kawasima himself, a director that was a very important influence for Shohei Imamura,loved the most among the 50 movies that he directed, Suzaki paradise is one more black and white film of the era, reflecting the ethical dilemmas, recession, fight for survival and desperation of post war Japan. Not a masterpiece but without a doubt a compact, very well constructed ,balanced movie with a vivid realism and a solid plot that keeps you interested from the first frame to the last

295. Ring : Kazenban (1995)

Country: Japan Directed by Chisui Takigawa The first and totally unknown internationally adaption of Koji Suzuki's novel it was a TV horror film that without doubt deserves a mention. It's the most faithful version to the book and it has many raw and unrefined elements that makes you feel somehow tensed up. Dont expect too much but if you liked the famous version of The Ring you should watch this one as well as its approach on the story is also interesting

294. High and low (1963)

Country: Japan Directed by Akira Kurosawa No matter how much you admire or you like High and Low, one thing is certain: it's a film that every future director, if not any artist, has to watch and study to learn from it. The way that Kurosawa builds the tension, the way that, even in theatrical scenes, he compacts massive amounts of pure action,the way that he transforms the existential and ethical dillemas of the protagonists to a social commentary, the way that he deals with such serious issues offering at the same time so much entertainment, is nothing short of amazing

293. 27 Down (1974)

Country: India Directed by Awtar Krishna Kaul The first and last movie of a very promising director who died too early, 27 Down is a bitter film about the crushed dreams of the youth under the extreme social and financial pressure of the Indian patriarchal society. The young protagonist of the movie keeps asking himself in vain who he is and where he is going as he is unable to shape his identity himself and his father chooses his job and even his wife in an arranged marriage. With beautiful black and white photography, artistic framing and a strong documentary-like feeling, 27 Down has a special place in the filmography of Indian cinema even if the various weaknesses that it has prevent it from being something even greater