45. Devdas (2000, India)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5XvkcPKSz0 The story of Devdas has been adapted a bonkers 16 times including this year. Based on the 1917 Sharat Chandra Chattopadhyay novella Devdas is a lavish reimagining of the story of a successful and wealthy law graduate who returns home to his native India to marry the woman of his dreams only to find his family absolutely hate her. The rejection of his bride by his family is enough to turn the handsome Devdas life on its ear as he slowly descends into a life of alcoholism and ruin. It's all pretty heavy stuff for Bollywood but one of the finest examples of the genre that has ever been brought to the big screen. Unlike many Bollywood movies there is little in the way of comedy and spectacle with drama replacing caper and serious, award winning performances giving the film even more kudos - nods at Cannes and the Academy Awards probably didn't hurt either.
44. Ring (1998, Japan)
AKA: Ringu I think we all remember the first time we ever watched Ringu. For me it was at University back in the late nineties and you can imagine the dramatic increase in prank phone calls after it aired for the first time on Channel 4. For the people reading this that are yet to endure the terrifying original (surpassed perhaps only by Ju-On) it is the tale of a mysterious video tape that is doing the rounds in suburban Japan. The content of the video is seemingly nonsense with noises and images flashing on and off over a minute or so - but there's much more to it than that. Once you have watched the VHS your phone will ring and set in motion a series of events that lead to your certain death. It's hard to remember a time before the Japanese were the leaders in the horror genre and for many it was this very film that kicked it all off. The idea itself is a tried and tested formula relying on the idea of urban legends coming true but it's fair to say that no film has ever got things right the way Hideo Nakata's adaptation of the original novel did. There may have been scarier films but there's few that will haunt you for as long as this.
43. The Vanishing (1988, Holland)
AKA: Spoorloos George Sluizer's subversive thriller turns the genre on its head in this classic Dutch offering from the late 1980's. Unlike many thrillers there is no mystery here, no who dunnit. In fact all of the big questions are answered right at the start leaving instead 107 excruciating minutes as Gene Bervoets' tries desperately to find his girlfriend who went missing three years earlier. The Vanishing is absolutely terrifying in that it could really happen. There's no over the top bunny boiling nonsense here just claustrophobic, unsettling realism and one of the most horrendous and disturbing finales we've ever seen. Sluzier directed his own American remake in 1993 starring Kiefer Sutherland and Jeff Bridges nut it was a far toned down approach that never lived up to the harrowing original.
42. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000, China)
AKA: Wo hu cang long Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is a genre defining Wuxia that changed cinema forever and gave birth to films like The Matrix. It is a gloriously stunning yarn that focuses on the search for a stolen sword once possessed by Chow Yun Fat's Master Li Mu Bai character. Michelle Yeoh also appears as a female warrior come love interest who joins Mu Bai in his quest to return the sword to its true owner but little do they know that the secret the thief holds is far more extraordinary than they could have ever expected. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon was also the film that introduced the world to the terrific Zhang Ziyi who at 21 was a relative unknown even in her native China. The stunning actress would later go on to appear in American films like Rush Hour 2 and Memoirs of a Geisha as well as films that capitalised on Crouching Tiger's success such as Hero but it is her work here in surprising action sequences that made her a hosehold name for film fans all around the world.
41. A Town Called Panic (2009, Belgium)
AKA: Panique au Village Absolutely bonkers stop motion animation co produced by teams in Belgium, France and Luxembourg. Trying to describe the plot isn't too easy as it revolves around a Cowboy, an Indian and a Horse who all live together in a house at the top of a hill. As Horses birthday approaches Cowboy and Indian decide to build him a barbecue but accidentally order 50 million bricks instead of the 50 they need. This sets in motion a series of events that lead them to the centre of the Earth chasing a strange species of pointy eared creatures who have been stealing bricks and taking them back to their parallel under water dimension. An English dubbed TV series could be seen on channels like Nickelodeon almost a decade earlier and despite the movie being subtitled it still has mass appeal to any audience of any age as the gags are so visual you don't really need to understand the dialogue at all. There are too few great animations like this that don't stoop to relying entirely on CGI but instead are every bit as successful by sticking to the more traditional methods of animation. Once viewing of this crazy caper will have you hooked and I defy you not to fall in love with the characters especially Cowboy and Indian. This is animation like you'll never see anywhere else. Do you think anyone would take Pixar seriously if they pitched this idea? Almost certainly not yet those crazy bastards at Gébéka Film went and did it and it works.