Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse swung into theaters in December of 2018 and immediately captivated audiences with its revolutionary take on the beloved superhero genre and breathtaking animation style. Directed by the talented trio of Peter Ramsey, Rodney Rothman, and Bob Persichetti, this animated masterpiece defied conventions and soared to unprecedented heights.

The film successfully introduces the concept of the multiverse and seamlessly weaves together the stories of various Spider-People from different dimensions. At its core, the film follows the journey of Miles Morales (Shameik Moore), a teenager grappling with newfound powers in the wake of the death of his universe’s Spider-Man. His world is spun even more out of control as he meets alternate universe heroes that make him question if he is ready for his new responsibilities.

Accolades poured in for the film, with the crowning achievement being the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. This recognition affirmed not only the technical brilliance of the animation but also the emotional depth and storytelling prowess that elevated Into the Spider-Verse beyond the status of a mere superhero film.

As first time viewers delve into the intricate web of dimensions and the extraordinary journey of Miles, it becomes clear that Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is more than a cinematic experience – it’s a groundbreaking achievement that redefined expectations for animated storytelling in the West and left an indelible mark on the superhero genre.

In this Movie List from The Film Magazine, we are highlighting the 10 best moments from the film that define why Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse continues to enthral audiences, and we will explore its legacy as one of the best comic book movies of all time.

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10. Welcome to the Spider-Verse

This is how you start a movie.

The rising intensity of the opening music. The glitching of the studio logos. The flashes of graffiti. Then blam: the intro fully kicks in and we are treated to the visual feast that is this movie. An explosion of colours and funky graphics inform us that Into the Spider-Verse is unlike any other comic book movie in that it is unashamed of its genre.

Following this is the opening monologue from Peter Parker (don’t get too attached), beginning the recurring “Alright, let’s do this one last time” gag. Peter, voiced by Chris Pine, gives a brief rundown of things most audiences will already know, narrating his life and the responsibilities that come with being Spider-Man. Yes, we’re technically seeing another screen Spider-Man origin story, but the writers make this one concise and fresh. This self-awareness lends itself nicely to some humorous moments, such as detailing the smaller Spider-Man duties, like having his own cereal or recording a Christmas album. 

Furthermore, there are plenty of references to Spider-Man in pop culture for fans to feast on. Did anyone expect them to reference the abominable Spider-Man popsicle? The animators even draw comparison to other Spidey iterations on screen, like the upside down kiss, the train scene in Spider-Man 2, and the legendary dance scene from Spider-Man 3.

It is the film’s thesis statement: funny, fast-paced and visually spectacular. The perfect introduction to one of the most unique comic book movies. Simultaneously, these opening 2 minutes are a celebration of all things Spider-Man, and a reminder why the iconic hero has endured for so long on page, on screen, and in wider popular culture.

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9. Meet Miles

A film is arguably only as good as its characters, and a film filled with fantastical Spider-people could have a hard time making its protagonist stand out. Within seconds of meeting Miles Morales, its clear audiences have a beloved hero to root for.

The first time we see Miles, he is caught up in his passions: artwork and music. His singing is gradually drowned out by his parents calling his name. He is pulled out of his daydream and into an all too relatable scenario – a teenager late for school. 

This quickly transitions to a high-energy montage showcasing Miles’ daily life, complete with the vibrant backdrop of Brooklyn. We are immersed in the sights and sounds of Miles’ world as they see a new side to him. As he walks through his neighbourhood, he is cool and approachable. His effortless charm makes him instantly likable. The dynamic animation, coupled with a hip-hop soundtrack, creates a sense of kinetic energy that mirrors the pulse of Miles’ urban environment. As Miles parades through the streets, leaving stickers of his artwork, he trips and is caught by his dad, a police officer. We are reminded that, despite his coolness, he’s still an awkward kid. These relatable struggles form the necessary strong connections between Miles and each of us.

These first moments with Miles do more for the film’s central character than a lot of comic book movies manage to do in their entire runtime. Miles’ humour and occasional awkwardness make him endearing. He embodies the youthful enthusiasm and idealism associated with adolescence, making him a perfect vessel for audiences diving into this larger than life story.

It’s the hap-happiest season of all. We bring nature inside as we adorn our living spaces with seasonally appropriate trees, and we light up the longer nights with bright and colourful lights. Music from generations long since passed is re-played and re-contextualised, and centuries old iconography is re-evaluated and repurposed.

There’ll be parties for hosting, marshmallows for toasting, and carolling out in the snow. If we’ve been good, we’ll receive gifts (thanks Santa!), and if we’re lucky we’ll eat so much food we can barely move. Almost certainly, we’ll watch a movie. From the Netflix Originals of the current era to the silver screen classics of wartime Hollywood, Christmastime movie watching doesn’t discriminate based on picture quality, colour or the lack thereof, acting powerhouses or barely trained actors – if it works, it works. And if it’s good, we’ll hold onto it forever.

In this Movie List from The Film Magazine, we’ve scoured the annals of Christmas movie history to bring you the very best of the best to watch this holiday season. These films are Christmas classics and beloved cult hits, some culturally significant and others often overlooked. These films are seasonal treats; two advent calendars worth of movie magic from the big-wigs in Hollywood and beyond.

Short films (those with a runtime of under one hour) will not be included here, nor will films that cross multiple seasons but feel like Christmas movies – sorry You’ve Got Mail and Bridget Jones’s Diary. Debatable Christmas movies like Gremlins have also been omitted because of their inclusion in our alternative list “10 Excellent Non-Christmas Films Set at Christmas“. Seasonal classic The Apartment has also been disqualified on the grounds that it covers Christmas and beyond, and is arguably more of a new year’s movie.

These are 50 Unmissable Christmas Movies as chosen by The Film Magazine team members. Entries by Mark Carnochan, Kieran Judge, Martha Lane, Sam Sewell-Peterson and Joseph Wade.

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1. Remember the Night (1940)

Golden Era stars Barbara Stanwyck and Fred MacMurray (who would go on to star in The Apartment) spark an unlikely romance when Stanwyck’s Lee Leander steals a bracelet from a jewellery store and MacMurray’s John “Jack” Sargent is assigned to prosecute her over the Christmas holidays.

One of the era’s many beloved studio romantic comedies, Remember the Night features all the elements that would come to define the genre while encompassing some screwball comedy and classic transatlantic accents. The tagline read “When good boy meets bad girl they remember the night”, and it’s likely you’ll remember this seasonal treat too. JW

2. The Shop Around the Corner (1940)

Few things signal classic Hollywood Christmases like Jimmy Stewart, and 6 years before arguably his most memorable performance in the iconic Frank Capra Christmas movie It’s a Wonderful Life, he starred in a seasonal favourite that was just as beloved by critics, The Shop Around the Corner.

This holiday romance from Ernst Lubitsch (who also directed Heaven Can Wait) sees Stewart’s Alfred fall in love with his pen pal who, unbeknownst to him, is the colleague he most despises at his gift store job – You’ve Got Mail has got nothing on this. With some hearty moments and all of the circumstantial comedy of the best movies of the era, The Shop Around the Corner will make you laugh and fill your heart in that special way that only the best Christmas movies can. JW

3. Holiday Inn (1942)

Early sound pictures were revolutionised by famed tap dancer Fred Astaire, and by 1942 he was a certified movie musical megastar. In Mark Sandrich’s seasonal musical Holiday Inn, he teams with would-be Christmas icon and man with a voice as sooth as silk, Bing Crosby. The result is one of the most iconic and influential Christmas movies ever made.

The film’s outdated attitude towards race are cringe-inducing and inexcusable in a 21st century context (there’s a whole sequence featuring blackface), but its other dated sensibilities shine bright amongst more modern and commercial Christmas films; its wholesome aura, classic dance scenes, and era-defining songs making for an unmissable experience. To top it all, Bing Crosby sings “White Christmas” for the first time in this film, cementing it in history as a seasonal classic. JW

4. Meet Me in St. Louis (1944)

Widely acknowledged as one of the holiday season’s best-ever films, Vincente Minnelli (An American in Paris) illuminates his would-be wife Judy Garland in arguably her most established performance, bringing Christmas cheer to all without sacrificing any of the harsh realities facing the American people in the first half of the 20th century.

Featuring the original (and arguably the best) rendition of Christmas classic “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”, and being anchored by some heartbreaking story elements, Meet Me In St. Louis maintains its power and relevance 80 years on. It offers a Christmas movie that will forever mark the height of its sub-genre, as well as the two filmmaking careers (of Minnelli and Garland) that helped to define the era. JW

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5. Christmas in Connecticut (1945)

Remember the Night star Barbara Stanwyck is once again front and centre for a Golden Era Hollywood Christmas movie, this time playing a city magazine editor whose lies about being a perfect housewife are put to the test when her boss and a returning war hero invite themselves to her house.

This is screwball comedy with all the spirit of the festive season is as romantic as it is funny, and prominently features the shadows of World War II to gift the film a unique emotionality that has ensured it is rewatched year on year. JW

The four films released annually between 2012 and 2015 present a dystopian near future dominated by class divides and its public’s insatiable appetite for violence and cheap thrills. It focuses upon Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) as she navigates her position as a tribute in the 74th Hunger Games in Panem, what was once North America, before winning and unintentionally becoming the face of a rebellion.

In the universe of the films, the Hunger Games are an annual televised event in which 24 participants (Tributes) are forced to fight to the death until one remains. This competition was enforced by the Capitol (the ruling power of Panem) after the 13 Districts of Panem rebelled against their power. As retribution, District 13 was annihilated, and the 12 remaining Districts must offer up their children into the Hunger Games as a reminder of the cost of insurrection against the Capitol.

One boy and one girl between the ages of 12 and 18 are selected from each District in a lottery system (the Reaping). They are paraded as if they are celebrities, dressed in high fashion, interviewed on mandatory viewing programmes, before being shipped into a custom-made themed arena in a battle that often lasts weeks.

The Victor is then bestowed a home, riches, and exemption from further participation in the Games, while their District receives additional food for the year following their victory. The Victor will then be placed into a pool of Mentors to support the future Tributes of their District as they navigate their own preparation for the Games.

The Quadrilogy follows Katniss primarily, as she wins her first Hunger Games and manages to survive her second until she is liberated by the Rebellion. Whilst this is ongoing, she is navigating complex relationships with Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson), her two-time District 12 Tribute/Victor counterpart, and Gale Hawthorne (Liam Hemsworth), her childhood friend and closest ally in District 12. Meanwhile, she is trying to keep her family safe, primarily her sister Primrose (Willow Shields), and trying to escape any negative attention from her accidental enemy, President Snow (Donald Sutherland).

In this Movie List from The Film Magazine, we are evaluating the best moments across the four films that cover Katniss Everdeen’s journey from a District 12 Tribute to the figurehead of a revolution. We will be considering the moments that made our hearts stop and kept us on the edge of our seats as we attempt to outline what truly are the most iconic moments of the Girl on Fire and beyond. These are the 10 Best The Hunger Games Moments.

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10. Katniss Adjusting Her Aim to Kill President Coin
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 (2015)

The rebellion has ended with the underclass Districts triumphing over the might of the Capitol. The Government of Panem has been overthrown. The end of the Hunger Games, and the end of forced starvation and extreme poverty, is in sight. But Katniss is all too aware of what it has cost her, having witnessed the deaths of her squadron, including Finnick Odair (Sam Claflin) and brutally, in the last moments of the war, her little sister Prim (Willow Shields). The whole saga started with Katniss trying to save Prim from death, and despite it all she couldn’t save the person who mattered to her the most. Katniss has been charged with killing President Snow (Donald Sutherland), the now dethroned ruler of Panem. President Coin (Julianne Moore), the leader of the Rebellion and now assumed President, announces what is about to happen. Katniss pulls the single arrow from her sheath and takes aim at Snow, before quickly adjusting her aim and shooting Coin straight in the heart. She intends to kill herself with a nightlock pill (crafted from poisonous berries) tucked in her outfit, but Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) stops her in her tracks, allowing her capture and Snow to be torn apart by seething crowds.

This, as the end of the war, is what we’ve been waiting a long time to see. Katniss facing President Snow, finally with her in power. However, her previous discussions with him illuminate the pawn she has been for President Coin. Katniss begins to see that Coin is not trying to overthrow Panem for entirely pure reasons, she wishes for power and is willing to allow the Hunger Games to continue in a differing format. Katniss also comes to learn that Prim died in a trap placed by the Rebels, which also killed many Capitol children, seen as collateral damage by Coin. In this moment, Katniss finally reclaims the autonomy she lost as a pawn for both Snow and Coin. Whilst she becomes an enemy of the nation, Katniss knows she has avenged her sister and prevented another corrupt leader rising in Panem. Katniss never wanted to be the hero, but she still did it. This, Katniss’ final kill, represents the end of her journey as a warrior and a piece in their games. Katniss barely makes a sound, but the weight of her emotion is clear in every small movement she makes. She has nothing to lose, but might be able to change the course of the future with one final shot.

This moment makes the list because of how shocking it is, and the gravity of the situation itself. Katniss, a girl from the poorest part of a poor region, now stands before two Presidents as the most important person in the country. The culmination of the series must be represented in the top 10, only hindered by how much we’ve lost to get to this point, and how painful it is to see Katniss ready to die after losing Prim.

9. Finnick Odair’s Death
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 (2015)

In one of the scariest moments of the franchise, Katniss and her elite Capitol invasion squad have descended below the streets of the city to avoid ‘pods’ (traps intended to kill advancing rebels) and increased Peacekeeper (Capitol soldiers) presence. However, the sewers and tunnels beneath the city are not without danger. Snow-white humanoid lizard beasts (created by the Capitol) pursue the group, soon decimating them as they attempt to flee via tight, dark sewer tunnels. Our heroes make a last stand as they attempt to climb out of the sewers, with Katniss and Finnick (Sam Claflin) leading the charge as the most skilled combatants. Finnick manages to save Katniss and takes out countless Mutts as the others escape, ultimately throwing his trident straight through a Mutt to save Katniss as she ascends the ladder. Armed only with a knife, Finnick makes it to the ladder before being dragged underwater to be massacred. Katniss activates a detonation sequence in her Holo (a map loaded with sensitive Capitol info) and uses it to kill Finnick and the Mutts.

Katniss having to mercy kill Finnick is yet another traumatic moment for her and the audience. Finnick’s death represents the hopelessness of the group’s Capitol mission. Finnick is the Victor amongst Victors, beloved by all and a larger-than-life personality. Katniss lied to make this mission happen, and she sees Finnick’s death as yet another that she caused, another weight for her to bear. It could have been avoided if she had only stuck to her original orders of avoiding live combat, but she wished to be the one to kill Snow no matter what. Finnick’s death cuts deep as, by this point, we know he has married his childhood sweetheart, and that in his years post-victory of the Hunger Games he was sex-trafficked by President Snow. He was presented as a symbol of success amongst the Districts but treated only as a plaything by those in charge.

This scene is so iconic for many reasons, the pure shock of Finnick’s death when he has become one of the most beloved characters and revealed many new layers of vulnerability throughout the franchise. As an audience member, you just want to see Finnick finally live a quiet life with his wife, however it is snatched away in a particularly horrifying manner, allowing him no reprieve from the non-stop torture he has faced since the age of fourteen. Finnick’s death remains one of the biggest talking points of the franchise many years on.

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In her debut feature film, would-be Cannes Palme d’Or-winner Julia Ducournau marches us through the swampy terrains of adolescence and female desire. Helmed by the talented Garance Marillier, we watch a young girl’s descent into madness and cannibalism after eating raw meat for the first time. 

This film is absolutely not for the faint of heart, but it is a careful and articulate look into the deepest depths of human depravity and desire. 

In this Movie List from The Film Magazine, we are counting down the most impactful and memorable moments from Julia Ducournau’s monumental debut, for this: the 10 Best Raw Moments.

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10. The Beginning of Hazing

Within moments of arriving at her prestigious veterinarian school, it becomes clear that Justine (Garance Marillier) isn’t going to have an easy time fitting in. The older students, known as “the elders”, dedicate the first week of school to brutally hazing the “rookies.”

Ducournau perfectly sets the stage for this out-of-control school – the elders arrive in cloaks and ski masks, dragging the younger students out of their beds in the middle of the night. We see the younger students crawling like animals across an otherwise deserted campus as the mist envelops the quad.

Though this moment isn’t particularly brutal, it communicates the rules of this stilted society. You follow orders, you subject yourself to whatever torture in order to fit in. It’s a moment of dialed-up, tense drama in an otherwise familiar setting.

College hazing doesn’t feel so brutal if not done under Ducournau’s watchful eye. Ducournau expertly uses the unsettling and understated score to let us fully sink in to this bizarre world. 

9. The Rabbit Kidney

Here we see Justine’s first moment of corruption.

She arrives a strict vegetarian at the orders of her mother, though she doesn’t completely know why. As part of the hazing ritual, all of the incoming students are forced to eat a rabbit kidney. Justine looks to her sister, Alexia (Ella Rumpf), for help, but Alexia insists that she eat the raw meat. It turns out Alexia has been disobeying their mother’s orders from the second she arrived on campus. 

The rabbit kidney is a brilliant shift in Justine’s character. Through Garance Marillier’s restrained control of her emotions, we see a flicker of something in Justine. It isn’t monstrous yet, just the spark of an idea coming to light. 

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The film follows Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson), his wife Wendy (Shelley Duvall), and their son Danny (Danny Lloyd). Jack has taken a job as the winter caretaker at the isolated Overlook Hotel, where he plans to work on his writing. The Shining tracks the family’s collective descent into madness as the hotel’s evils take hold of them. It is a film about family, heritage, responsibility, and the destructive capabilities of man. 

Director Stanley Kubrick’s attention to detail was unrivalled – each and every shot, every item on each shelf, and every single word that made it into the final cut of The Shining was absolutely intentional. As a result, his one and only certifiable horror has endless value in that it can be watched over and over again with each revisitation uncovering new meanings and hidden nuggets of information. The film is so densely packed with meaning and filmmaking intent that its shoot ran for 34 weeks longer than it was supposed to (51 weeks instead of the originally planned 17). The overrun delayed the production of Steven Spielberg’s adventure movie Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), which was waiting to film on the same lot at Elstree Studios.

The Shining is a film that is so carefully constructed that it has formed its own lore and, consequently, a wide range of conspiracy theories. A documentary was even made about them, aptly named Room 237 (2012). Some think that Kubrick was trying to tell us that he directed the faked moon landings, others believe that the film is a retelling of the legend of Theseus and the Minotaur. The rumours surrounding these readings have been given credence by the issues present during the film’s elongated production, especially those regarding Kubrick’s apparently excessive number of takes and his reported mistreatment of lead actress Shelley Duvall. Just as the lore of what is in the film lives on, so does the lore surrounding the making of it.

In this Movie List from The Film Magazine, we are evaluating all that The Shining is. We will be considering the conspiracy theories and assessing the rumours, but most importantly we will be judging the artistry of the film itself, counting down the ten most horrifying, stomach-churning and iconic moments. These are the 10 Best The Shining Moments.

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10. Mr Halloran Gets Killed

“Hello…anybody here?”

At number ten on this list is a moment that arrives towards the end of the film, after the hotel has descended into chaos.

The hotel’s head chef, Dick Halloran, has received some disturbing images of the hotel through his ability to ‘shine’ – a type of telepathic communication. After a few failed attempts to contact the hotel through their radio system, Mr Halloran gets onto a plane and begins to make his way to the Overlook.

It is made very clear earlier in the film that it wouldn’t be easy to travel to or from the hotel once the snow arrives, as the roads do not get cleared and they would need to use the snowcat to traverse them. As we watch Jack become more and more of a threat in the hotel itself, and thus understand that Danny’s plight is becoming increasingly difficult, scenes of Mr Halloran are interspersed. He is our beacon of hope, the only remaining saviour for Danny and his mother, and the pacing of his arrival plays cleverly against Jack’s inevitable “here’s johnny” moment.

As Mr Halloran enters the hotel, the camera follows, keeping a safe distance from the vulnerable man as he wanders further into the dragon’s den. This moment is so laced with tension that every echo of Halloran’s voice send a shiver down the spine as we silently pray for him to rescue Wendy and Danny. All of this hope is swiftly cut down with a beastly yell and the swing of an axe, driven straight into Halloran’s chest. This moment is horrifying – it is the only murder we see on screen in The Shining and it comes so suddenly. After we have picked our jaws up from off the floor, our attention is turned fully to Jack, his hunched frame rising slowly into frame. There is nothing standing between Jack and his family now.

Due to the poor critical reception of The Shining at the time of its release, Kubrick cut around 19 minutes of footage from the 144-minute run-time. In doing so, he removed many of the scenes tracking Mr Halloran on his journey to the Overlook Hotel, effectively taking away the juxtaposition between his long journey and swift death. It is this juxtaposition that makes this moment one of the best in The Shining. For this reason, the longer cut (widely referred to as the ‘US version’) is a more complete and suspenseful experience.

9. Danny’s First Vision – The Blood

“Tony, why don’t you want to go to the hotel?”

This is the first visually distressing moment in the film, and the first warning of things to come. In this moment, Danny is in the bathroom of his house and he is talking to Tony about going to the hotel. That’s when the blood comes…

Danny describes Tony as the little boy who lives in his mouth, but Wendy tells the doctor and Mr Halloran that Tony is Danny’s imaginary friend. Danny is talking to Tony in the mirror, wiggling his finger and changing his voice whenever Tony is replying (an acting choice that was made completely independently by actor Danny Lloyd). In the scene, he is asking Tony why he doesn’t want to go to the hotel. After a few tries asking, Danny’s eyes widen and the now-iconic image of the hotel elevators appears on the screen, gallons of blood slowly gushing forth from the door.

There has been barely anything more than a polite conversation presented thus far in The Shining, so it is particularly striking for the first piece of visual horror to come quite literally crashing in as a wave of blood.

This moment acts as the opening of the floodgates, as the introduction to the onslaught of horror that will occur at the Overlook Hotel. From this point in the film, we are marching towards something terrible, and Danny is the only character who is aware of this. This is a moment that shapes the rest of the film, introducing a sense of intrigue and dread, calling us towards the hotel whilst also informing us that terrible things await. 

The bloodied elevator shot took 3 takes to record, which is a low number compared to some of the other scenes which reportedly took over 100 takes. However, these 3 takes actually took a year to complete, due to the mammoth task of cleaning and resetting the blood. Kubrick was apparently unhappy with the first two shots, complaining that they didn’t look enough like blood. Ahead of release, Kubrick had to bend the truth and explain that the blood was rusty water so that he could bypass the rule that blood was not to be shown in trailers.

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Considering these other films, it becomes immediately obvious why The Wicker Man enjoys such continued high acclaim: because it’s unique. The Wicker Man is an innovation of the sub-genre of Folk Horror in which fear is derived from our shared past and humanity’s relationship with its surroundings. The Wicker Man is a trailblazer that has been blessed with the highest form of praise, mimicry. It has been subjected to being cheaply knocked off by the 2006 remake starring Nicolas Cage, imitated by the likes of The Village, and paid homage to by recent critically acclaimed horror Midsommar.

The story of devout Christian, Sergeant Howie (Edward Woodward), investigating the reported disappearance of a young girl (Gerry Cowper) on the wildly liberal and pagan Summerisle off the West Coast of Scotland is not just unique but remains chilling. The Wicker Man‘s lack of jump scares and tense atmosphere indicate that the film was a genuine attempt at creating art and not just a quick cash grab, relying on crude methods to illicit shock and controversy. The production’s intellectual and artistic approach to the story of The Wicker Man means its themes not only remain compelling but prove to be relevant to the modern day.

In this Movie List by The Film Magazine, we are bringing attention to the moments in The Wicker Man that best highlight why Robin Hardy’s masterpiece remains the best of both folk horror and British horror.

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10. The Landlord’s Daughter

As Sargent Howie walks through the door of The Green Man pub, he is clearly disappointed that a routine investigation has transformed into an overnight stay, but he is not yet too perturbed. So far he has found the residents of Summerisle aloof and evasive, particularly over the subject of the whereabouts of Rowan Morrison; but it is what is to be expected from an isolated community and from those involved in possible foul play. It is only after Howie’s introduction to Willow, the daughter of The Green Man’s landlord, that the bizarre nature of Summerisle’s community is revealed as the patrons at the bar all burst into song:

“Much has been said of the strumpets of yore,
Of wenches and bawdy house queens by the score,
But I sing of a baggage that we all adore,
The landlord’s daughter.”

This tribute to both Willow’s beauty and sexual prowess not only reveals the extraordinary sexual liberation of the island but also Howie’s own prudish nature, effectively establishing Howie’s antagonism towards Summerisle’s society. The folk element of the song differentiates The Wicker Man from other horror musicals, creating a tangible relationship with the past and with nature, akin to the storytelling of other world cultures. It is a hint of what is to come, a primordial stirring within our blood.

9. Crying by the Gravestone

Overwhelmed and disgusted by The Green Man’s saucy rendition of “The Landlord’s daughter”, Howie steps outside to take in the fresh air. In the shimmers of the pale moonlight the presence of dozens of couples on the Village Green is revealed, all in the throes of making love. Out of the frying pan and into the fire.

It could be expected that this display of mass public indecency will have lost some of its shock value against contemporary progressive values, but the slow motion reveal with distorted audio is almost chilling (and sensual). The power of the scene can be summarised by the single shot of a naked weeping woman embracing a gravestone. The ultimate gothic aesthetic.

Similar to “Wuthering Heights”, in which Heathcliff desecrates the grave of Cathy to kiss her corpse, The Wicker Man combines horror with eroticism, humanity with the Earth. The Wicker Man was ahead of its time back in 1973 and is still pushing the envelope fifty years on.

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When child psychologist Dr Malcolm Crowe (Bruce Willis) is shot by one of his former patients Vincent Grey (Donnie Wahlberg), he is haunted by the fact that there was one child he was unable to help. This leads him to Cole Sear (Haley Joel Osment), a 9-year-old boy who reminds him of Vincent. Cole is tormented by a secret that he is visited by ghosts plagued with unresolved problems from their lives. Together, Cole and Malcolm both learn to accept the unexplainable and to find closure. This eerie, sentimental, and often sweet film has become a beloved classic that earned a spot on the 2007 American Film Institute’s list of the 100 greatest American films.

In this Movie List from The Film Magazine, we are revisiting the film’s most beautiful, disturbing, clever, and inspiring scenes. These are the 10 Best The Sixth Sense Moments.

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10. One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

In one of their earliest encounters, Malcolm (Willis) suggests that he and Cole (Osment) play a mind-reading game: if Malcolm is right, Cole will take a step forward, but if he is wrong, the boy will step back. Initially, Dr Crowe makes a few correct guesses, including that Cole is afraid to share his secrets. However, Malcolm incorrectly guesses that Cole avoids getting into trouble at school. At this, Cole steps back and reveals that he got in trouble for drawing disturbing images, so his mother had to meet with his teacher. He says that now he draws rainbows because ‘they don’t have meetings about rainbows.’ Moving further away, he tells Malcolm that he won’t be able to help him and then closes off communication by leaving the room.

This moment is notable for the way it frames our perception of the psychiatrist-patient relationship. Malcolm sits in a chair whilst the camera is placed at Cole’s eye level, aligning us with the child’s perspective and making both characters appear equal. Close-ups of Cole’s feet as he steps forwards and backwards emphasise his negotiation between opening up and closing off, and POV shots track backwards as he moves away physically and emotionally to create distance between Malcolm, Cole, and the audience. This scene sets up the early tension in their relationship, and we realise here that Dr Crowe will have to work hard to earn his patient’s trust.

9. Cole’s Childhood Photos

When Cole’s mother, Lynn (Toni Collette), is gathering up the laundry one day, she stops in the hallway to examine his childhood photographs on the wall. The camera cuts to close-ups of light flares that appear close to her son’s image in almost every picture. This moment appears before Cole reveals his secret ability and serves as foreshadowing for anyone familiar with the supernatural. Legend has it that if an unexplained light flare or glowing orb appears in a photograph, then the camera has captured evidence of a ghost. In an article for the University of Maryland, Baltimore County magazine, Beth Saunders writes about the phenomenon of spirit photography, though she concedes that these orbs may be nothing more than floating specks of dust caught in the light.

It is also worth noting that Lynn is wearing a hoodie and adjusts the thermostat, indicating that there is a chill in the air. Cole later reveals that sudden cold can indicate the presence of a ghost. Furthermore, as she looks at the family photos, the pop music emanating from her walkman cuts out and the film score fades in as we leave the real world behind and enter the film’s ghost story through her perspective.

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A prolific filmmaker whose career began in 1967 with Who’s That Knocking at My Door and has covered every decade since, Marty (as his friends call him) is a cinephile of the highest order, and of course an exquisite storyteller whose films have cemented themselves into cinema’s historic and sacred vault of masterpieces. His upbringing as an Italian American in Queens and Little Italy meant that he became accustomed to the crime-riddled streets of New York and the plethora of interesting characters that called that place home; an aspect of his life that is said to have started his love for character examination.

Everyone and their dog knows about Scorsese’s great narrative films – there have been 27 of them altogether: Taxi Driver (1976), Raging Bull (1980), Goodfellas (1990), Casino (1995), The Departed (2006), and The Wolf of Wall Street (2013), being just some of his most iconic releases over the years. But what you might not be so aware of are the great man’s many acclaimed documentaries.

Martin Scorsese’s work as a documentarian has resulted in 17 films over the course of his career. What began with the production of short films in conjunction with the United States Information Agency (USIA) for educational and information purposes, was Marty’s first insight into documentary filmmaking – it wasn’t until Scorsese made the now-iconic Italianamerican in 1974 that his love for the medium began to take shape. Scorsese’s love of people, film, and music, is the basis for many of the great non-fiction offerings he has put his name to; the passions, themes and experiences that define so much of his filmmaking legacy.

We at The Film Magazine would like you to join us in exploring this legacy in our Movie List of 5 Unmissable Martin Scorsese Documentaries.

Follow @thefilmagazine on X (Twitter).

1. Italianamerican (1974)

The 1970s was an important decade for Martin Scorsese. It became the decade that allowed him to cultivate the famous auteur style of filmmaking that forged his career. By the time 1974 came around, Scorsese had already directed Who’s That Knocking at My Door, Boxcar Bertha (1972), and Mean Streets (1973), with the former and the latter taking great inspiration from our first documentary in question.

Italianamerican is an obscure film that explores the relationship between the director and his parents. Starring Catherine and Charles Scorsese, and set in their New York apartment on Elizabeth Street, Martin lays the foundations down for a conversation; a sincere and frank discussion with his parents that covers his upbringing, the importance of family, religion, their Italian heritage, and the difficulties that poor immigrants faced when hoping to gain opportunities in the United States. Even with all these crucial themes being inspected, the most memorable sequence of the film involves Catherine demonstrating how she makes her world-famous (they are to Martin at least) meatballs, a recipe that you can find in the end credits (for all you would be chefs out there).

This is Scorsese’s most intimate and personal documentary. And it comes so early on in his filmmaking journey too. How basic the film appears on the surface is what makes it work, as we follow the Scorseses around their family home and pay homage to a heritage that he is obviously proud of. The talk of religion is an important theme throughout as well; it lays out the ideas that Martin has about Catholicism and its role in his life (he was famously about to pursue priesthood as a vocation before finding his calling). Religion has become one of the most powerful motifs throughout Scorsese’s filmography, with the questions surrounding it becoming the primary structural themes in several of his pictures – think Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, Goodfellas, Silence, and of course, The Last Temptation of Christ.

The importance of Italianamerican is celebrated by the masses as the most important insight into the mind of the famed director – it foreshadows certain subjects and messages that would soon enough become known about Scorsese’s films. Even in its brief 50-minute runtime, we get all we need to know about the origins of the man, as well as an inkling into the style and substance of what his future documentaries might consist of.

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2. The Last Waltz (1978)

Between the years of 1974 and 1978, Martin Scorsese stepped up his filmmaking game. He graced us with the hugely underrated Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore (1974) before gifting us with Taxi Driver, arguably his most highly renowned film of all time, before his final film of the decade, New York, New York (1977), a romantic musical forged as a tribute to Scorsese’s hometown of New York and the city’s relationship with Jazz music. It feels almost poetic that Scorsese’s second documentary of his career, The Last Waltz (1978) would be another musical tribute, this time dedicated to Canadian rock band The Band.

Filmed in 1976 during The Band’s farewell show at San Francisco’s Winterland Ballroom, The Last Waltz features concert performances from the band, intermittent song renditions that were shot on a studio soundstage, as well as interviews with the members of The Band conducted by Scorsese himself. The origins of the film began when The Band’s tour manager from 1969 to 1972, Jonathan Taplin (who also produced Mean Streets) proposed that Scorsese should direct the upcoming project while introducing him to Robbie Robertson (lead guitarist for Bob Dylan and member of The Band) as a means of sweetening the deal.

The Last Waltz was marketed as The Band’s “farewell concert appearance” and consisted of dozens of special guests such as Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, Van Morrison and Eric Clapton. Scorsese’s love of music, specifically rock music, made this the ideal subject matter to get stuck into. The director’s vision of what he wanted the film’s aesthetic to look like was definitive, and his role with the editors to sift through hours of footage and angles took almost two years of dedication.

The film begins with the title card, “This film should be played loud,” which is exactly how a rockumentary should be experienced. The collection of footage that was gathered and produced offers a unique experience into the backstage goings-on of the music industry, and the interviews that are interspersed during the film are brilliantly insightful and engaging. The Last Waltz is not only one of the most definitive documentaries on Scorsese’s CV, but it has also been dubbed as one of the greatest documentary concert films ever made.

Since this is a subjective list of the films I personally find great or important, I am limited by what I have and have not seen. Unfortunately, you will not find Lawrence of Arabia, On the Waterfront, or Jeanne Dielman on this list as I have yet to watch them (and I intend to).

You will find a few classics that I and dozens of other critics, academics, and audiences agree are cinematic masterpieces, as well as some beautiful, thought-provoking modern classics that I believe are worthy of sharing their company.

Without further ado, let’s dive into this list of the 10 Best Films of All Time.

10. The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)

The Grand Budapest Hotel Review

Wes Anderson is one of the most distinctive directors in history and The Grand Budapest Hotel is the crown jewel of his oeuvre. The film follows a legendary European hotel concierge, Monsieur Gustave H. (Ralph Fiennes), and his loyal lobby boy, Zero Moustafa (Tony Revolori), who become embroiled in a scandalous art theft. The newfound friends must find a priceless painting while dodging persecution by the growing power of a fascist regime. The A-list cast of quirky characters includes Adrien Brody, Willem Dafoe, Saoirse Ronan, Tilda Swinton, Edward Norton, Jeff Goldblum, Harvey Keitel, and more.

The film is Anderson’s magnum opus and a masterpiece of narrative storytelling. The auteur’s unique style is front and centre with his characteristic symmetrical framing, deadpan delivery, and whip pan transitions in collaboration with cinematographer Robert Yeoman. Adam Stockhausen’s production design and Milena Canonero’s costumes bring the film’s whimsical, visually stunning world to life. With an offbeat score by Alexandre Desplat and makeup and hair by Frances Cannon and Mark Coulier, this expert creative team earned the film four Academy Awards.

The BBC and IndieWire have both named The Grand Budapest Hotel one of the best movies of the 21^st century, an important honour for a comedy, which is a genre that often goes overlooked by hard-hitting dramas.

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9. Arrival (2016)

‘Arrival’ and the Language of Cinema

Canadian director Denis Villeneuve’s name has become synonymous with slow-burn science-fiction and there is no better example than his 2016 film, Arrival.

Starring Amy Adams as linguist Louise Banks and Jeremy Renner as physicist Ian Donnelly, the story follows their efforts to communicate with extraterrestrial beings who have arrived on Earth. This tale of contact with alien life forms forces us to re-examine our own human relationships with each other and our world, and challenges our perceptions of war, peace, space, and time.

There are several important science fiction films that could be included on this list, such as Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey and Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar. However, until I see these critically acclaimed films for myself, Arrival remains one of the best films I have ever seen. It profoundly changed the way I think about my place in time and space.

The power of Villeneuve’s directorial style is his meditative pacing and sweeping visuals that force you to grapple with the challenges of what it means to be human. Critics and academics have also praised the film for its accurate representation of language and communication. The film was honoured with seven Academy Award nominations and one win for Best Sound Editing, no doubt in part for its genius use of silence.

I have approached this list in a way that focuses on the objective strengths of films as opposed to my subjective favourites. While my personal tastes undoubtedly influenced my choices, I tried to remain as impartial as possible. Therefore, I have excluded countless films that I adore which don’t quite meet the ‘best ever’ criteria.

It feels like a crime not to have a single entry by directing greats such as Orson Welles, Paul Thomas Anderson, Agnès Varda, Francois Truffaut, Masaki Kobayashi, Andrei Tarkovsky, or Céline Sciamma. Ask me on a different day and a film by them could easily be included over something else. But, as it stands today, here are what I think are the 10 Best Films of All Time.

Follow me on Twitter – @MrGeorgeLAX

10. Koyaanisqatsi (1982)

Koyaanisqatsi is a 1982 experimental film directed by Godfrey Reggio. The film has no plot or narrative, and instead features a series of stunning and often surreal images set to a mesmerising musical score by the legendary Philip Glass. The title comes from the Hopi language, and can be translated as ‘life out of balance’. Koyaanisqatsi explores the relationship between humanity and nature, offering a powerful commentary on the impact of modern civilization on the environment.

Reggio’s documentary is a groundbreaking work of art that challenges conventional storytelling methods. It’s a reminder that the form of cinema is so malleable and that directors should be encouraged to stray from the path most trodden. The slow-motion and time-lapse shots of urban and natural landscapes creates both a sense of awe and unease. While its lack of a traditional narrative might be too challenging for some, for me it’s a visual experience that I am completely enthralled by. 

9. Princess Mononoke (1997)

I wanted to include an animated film on this list, and where better to look than to the master himself, Hayao Miyazaki?

Across his brilliant oeuvre, which includes works like Spirited Away and Kiki’s Delivery Service, Princess Mononoke is the one I consider to be his best. This epic tale follows the journey of Ashitaka, a valiant warrior who becomes embroiled in a bitter conflict between the forest gods and the humans who seek to exploit their resources.

Miyazaki’s masterful direction and attention to detail have created a world that feels both fantastical and grounded in reality, and the film’s themes of environmentalism, war, and spirituality are woven together seamlessly. Its stunning visuals and richly detailed world make for a visual feast. The blending of awe (such as the forest of kodama) with spectacle (the final act) creates a unique and imaginative experience. As with all of Miyazaki’s writing, the nuanced characters are a delight to watch due to their compelling stories and fearlessness. It’s for these reasons that Princess Mononoke is not only the best Studio Ghibli film, but one of the best films of all time. 

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