Every week at SiftPop.com, we challenge our writers to choose what they think is the best movie under a certain topic related to a recent release. So this week, with the release of Uncharted, we’re counting down our favorite movies featuring a word with the prefix “un-”! Let us know @SiftPop what your ranking is!
In the rush of movies based on old TV shows that started showing up last decade, The Man from U.N.C.L.E. is definitely one of the most underseen. While the presence of Armie Hammer these days is cause for alarm with some people, this really was one of the movies that put him on my personal radar as the foil to Henry Cavill’s Napoleon Solo. The name is as ridiculous as you might expect from a movie like this — a comedic spy thriller from Guy Ritchie, in the vein of James Bond, or Mission: Impossible — and Ritchie’s style adds so much texture and flavor to the movie that it’s easily the standout element in what might otherwise be kind of a been-there-done-that plot. He’s been much maligned recently for the Aladdin remake and the unfortunate King Arthur, but at his core, Ritchie is one of the finest voices in comedic crime thrillers, and it translates so well to the spy plot that it really is kind of sad that it seems like there wasn’t enough audience appeal to warrant a sequel. It’s an eternal shame, because this might be my favorite thing Cavill has ever done. (Chris Bakker)
I have a soft spot for The Hobbit movies, and even though they’re far too long and are prone to meandering, I consider them to be incredibly strong entries in the Middle-earth franchise. The first (and best) of the films is An Unexpected Journey, which perfectly captures the adventurous spirit that Bilbo Baggins so desperately needs to experience. I quite like the addition of the primary and secondary villains (it works best for a film adaptation), and upon rewatches, I find it very hard not to constantly hum along to its stunningly beautiful score. It’s not a patch on Lord of the Rings, but The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is a gloriously fun start to an excellent trilogy that recaptures the magic of Middle-earth with ease. (Rowan Wood)
Imagine this scenario — you are walking around the Glasgow area. Suddenly a van pulls up and a woman who looks remarkably like Scarlett Johansson invites you to join her. And since she looks like Johansson, you go, because your brain stops working. Then, this mysterious woman takes you to a room full of blackness/darkness and starts to undress. Would now be a good time to run? Yeah, but did I mention it’s Scarlett Johansson? Anyway, as a mere mortal, you are mesmerized as to what’s happening in front of you, so of course you stay, starting to take your clothes off, hoping if worst comes to worst, you can live your life with just one kidney (who needs two, right?). But that is when you are “rewarded” for your action. And the reward is death, because… duh. That is what this movie is about. Under the Skin is a weird movie that surfs on its own wavelength. Johansson took many risks doing this film, and I think that is what attracted her to the project; and it paid off as she’s fascinating in this film. She does so much with so little. It’s a fascinating “you need to feel it” movie that’s really about this alien creature who, for whatever reason, looks like Johansson (I don’t think I’ve mentioned that yet?) and for some other reason, devours men. I would gladly rewatch, and I am proud to write I was one of the few people who saw this in the theater. And what a watch it was. If you are in the mood for something out of the ordinary, Under the Skin can’t get any weirder even if it tried. (Luke Burian)
Two years removed from his emotional departure on Doctor Who, David Tennant stars in another heart-wrenching story about the real-life Munich air disaster from 1958. Mostly set in wonderfully recreated 1950s Manchester, in United, Tennant plays the Manchester United assistant manager Jimmy Murphy, who wasn’t actually involved in the disaster. The main focus is Murphy’s experiences before and after the event. The first 20 or so minutes cover Murphy’s coaching in the early stages of the playing career of Bobby Charlton (Jack O’Connell), who was the most famous survivor of the disaster. When showcasing a disaster from over 50 years ago, many won’t know anything about the people that were lost, so it was important to give the audience a familiar actor (Tennant) and sports name (Charlton) for them to engage with and see things through their eyes. The crash itself, which doesn’t happen until about halfway through the film, is not shown on screen, nor is any actual football (soccer, if you prefer) outside of stock footage. With it being a TV film, the alternative would have been a cringe-worthy CGI plane and actors kicking a ball around in front of a green screen. The focus in the aftermath on Murphy’s work as an acting manager, to put together a scratch team as quickly as possible and get the club back on its feet, followed by Charlton returning to the team after losing one of his best friends, enables the story to end on a more uplifting and hopeful note. (John Tillyard)
Uncut Gems can only be described as uncomfortable. This rollercoaster ride starts with unrelenting noise that is designed to make you anxious. You are supposed to feel unclear about what is going on and why everything feels cramped. At first sight, the noise, and frantic movement and yelling to start the movie, can feel unusual. Most movies do not start feeling like you want it to stop, but that is where the craft and production of this movie is undeniably brilliant. This whole film is designed to feel unsettling. What first may seem unnecessary turns out to be implemented in such a way to create a specific type of feeling throughout the movie as it unfolds. Adam Sandler, playing a man with an unattractive gambling problem, brings his best performance yet. Seeing Sandler as Howard Ratner is an unbelievable transformation from the roles he is most famous for. This movie is uncaring in how it makes you feel. There is a part in the middle where characters are unable to exit the pawn shop because of a stuck door. Everyone is yelling and you truly feel like this is an unimaginable scenario, and just picturing it makes you cringe. Uncut Gems is a brilliant piece of filmmaking, and the fact the Sandler wasn’t even nominated for Best Actor is downright unfair. (Scott Batchelor)
Nearly 22 years later, M. Night Shyamalan’s psychological thriller, Unbreakable, still feels like a first collector’s issue of a comic book, introducing the reader to the titular superhero, the supervillain with which they’re destined to do battle, and the world they inhabit. The ahead-of-its-time origin story stars Bruce Willis as David Dunn, the sole survivor of a train derailment, miraculously unharmed, who is approached by Samuel L. Jackson’s character, Elijah Price, a comic book art dealer who suffers from Osteogenesis Imperfecta, a rare brittle bone genetic disorder that earned him the childhood nickname, Mr. Glass. Crippled in some form since birth, Elijah is convinced that if his own frail condition represents one end of the spectrum of human potential, so too must there exist someone at the opposite end of said spectrum, and he believes David to be that person. Elijah’s extreme fragility elicits sympathy, while David’s apprehension to accept his transcendental gift seems entirely justified. Who in their right mind would honestly believe themselves to be unbreakable? Still, the movie is infused with the inner desire of every viewer to escape the mundanity of life to answer a higher calling. Elijah is ultimately successful in his pursuit to unlock David’s true potential, but a single handshake near the film’s end reveals to the protagonist the depths of Elijah’s supervillainy. As a man so woefully obsessed with comic books from an early age, do the villain’s ends justify his nefarious means? “Real life doesn’t fit into little boxes that were drawn for it,” Elijah tells David, leaving the viewer to draw their own conclusions. (Jonathan Fedee)
A five-time Oscar nominated film, including Best Picture, Django Unchained is Quentin Tarantino’s bloody tribute to spaghetti westerns. In traditional Tarantino styling, it tells a revisionist revenge thriller about a freed slave becoming a bounty hunter and brutally murdering all of his white oppressors and slavers. Complete with the trademark third act bloodbath of an action scene. This movie isn’t for the faint of heart, as even the language will make you uncomfortable, but this is still a gripping flick. Jaime Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Samuel L. Jackson, and Leonardo DiCaprio will make sure you’re having a good time. Full of solid performances, smart action choreography, and beautiful cinematography, Django will leave you spellbound. (Heath Lynch)
The 9/11 terrorist attacks are a defining and tragic moment of American history. There’s a fine line that films utilizing the attacks in storytelling have to walk so as not to come off as exploiting the tragedy or using it as a cheap emotional bludgeon. Even 20 years later, the use of the attacks in popular media is done with some trepidation, which just illustrates what a masterpiece United 93 is. Released less than five years after the attack, it focuses on those aboard the titular flight that diverted from its intended target to crash into a field in Pennsylvania. As the years have gone on, director Paul Greengrass’ affinity for shaky cam has lost its luster, but here it helps accentuate the tension of the moment. The film also makes the brilliant decision of casting unknown actors, or even those who were there on the day. In a story like this, you don’t want to be distracted by a famous face. It’s a tough watch, but it captures the tense and tragic nature of the events better than any other film that has come along since. (Jake Bourgeois)
With a tight David Mamet script and Brian De Palma’s larger-than-life direction, The Untouchables is pure, over-the-top fun from beginning to end. This Prohibition-era gangster movie stars Kevin Costner as real-life agent Elliot Ness who, along with his crew of “untouchable” special agents, seek to put an end to the criminal dealings of one Al Capone. Now, I will never argue that The Untouchables is more well-crafted than a film like The Godfather, though I will argue that it is considerably more rewatchable. For starters, you have a top-notch ensemble cast featuring a baby-faced Andy Garcia, Sean Connery in his only Oscar-nominated (and Oscar-winning) role, and a wonderfully over-the-top portrayal of Capone from Robert De Niro. The reason to watch this film, however, is for its stylish visual flair. De Palma directs The Untouchables like it’s nobody’s business, and the train station sequence is one of the most brilliantly tense scenes in cinema history. Combine that with one of the all-time great film scores from the one and only Ennio Morricone, and you have got a winner of a film on your hands. It may be one of the pulpier gangster flicks out there, but that is precisely what makes The Untouchables such a joy to watch. (Foster Harlfinger)
This Clint Eastwood western would not be as interesting if everyone were forgiven, would it? When the early 1990s rolled around, the western was dying, and Eastwood was its king. Here, he decides to finally pull the trigger on the story of William Munny. Formerly the most dastardly and violent brute in the frontier, he is a lowly pig farmer trying to raise his kids. But when action calls, Munny rides! This revisionist western targets the mythos of the west and tears it down at every point. Eastwood’s towering western reframes the genre and delivers a harrowing and poignant cinematic experience. Eastwood is joined by the likes of Morgan Freeman, Gene Hackman, and Richard Harris (who all deliver fantastic performances). But don’t expect to have a heroic and happy ending. You will be sorely disappointed. Unforgiven delivers one of the most suspenseful face-offs in film during its finale and shows Eastwood in his most brutal and terrifying form. This western “hero” certainly doesn’t see himself that way, nor does this film see itself in the glorious legacy of this genre. (Shane Conto)
Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story
You know what’s one of the greatest feelings in all of cinema? When you see a movie that you have low expectations for, but it blows you away. This is how I felt watching Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story. It was one of those theater-going experiences where the entire audience is cracking up with non-stop laughs. Dodgeball is not only one of the best sports movies of all time, but a funny movie with a great message about being an underdog and winning together. The Average Joes team is a powerhouse of comedy with everyone contributing from fearless leader Peter Le Fleur, played by height of his powers Vince Vaughn. Christine Taylor, Chris Williams, Stephen Root, and national treasure Alan Tudyk round out the team as each has a moment to shine. The perfect foil to Average Joes, Ben Stiller’s Globo Gym team is a great villain and provides some of the best one-liners in the last 20 years. My favorite part is great cameos from commentators Gary Cole and Jason Bateman, who have some of the funniest moments in the movie. Rip Torn playing coach Patches O’Houlihan nearly steals the show with his hilarious practices and lessons. Dodgeball combines all the things we love about movies and mashes them together perfectly to showcase one of the funniest feel-good sports movies ever made. (Mike Hilty)
Uncle Buck
Director John Hughes kept his run going in the ‘80s with this classic gem, Uncle Buck. The late, great John Candy stars in another Hughes comedic hit. Candy plays the titular character, who goes to the Chicago suburbs to take care of his brother’s kids while the parents are away. Hilarity ensues as Buck uses his own techniques on how to watch his rebellious niece, Tia (Jean Louise Kelly in her film debut), and her younger siblings: Miles (Macaulay Culkin before the Home Alone success) and Maisy (Gaby Hoffmann). Along with being a guardian towards the kids, he has to deal with the nosy neighbor Marcie Dahlgren-Frost (Laurie Metcalf, with a hilarious performance), who’s looking for some attention. It’s not an easy feat, practically being the family’s last resort, but he makes the best of it. While being a fun uncle for the younger kids, Buck bumps head with Tia, who finds him not to be a pushover. Uncle Buck is about family, accepting and loving family as they are, and not taking yourself seriously. I have a soft spot for this film — it’s one of my favorites. Every family has its antics and dysfunction, but is still filled with love. Every family has this kind of uncle. Every family has anUncle Buck. (Chantal Ashford)
Unsane
Steven Soderbergh is one of the bravest directors in modern history. Unsane was shot entirely on an iPhone 8, which seems bonkers, but he pulls it off. Surprisingly, the film never looks bad, and if anything, the medium adds positively to the tone of this slow-burn creeper. Claire Foy is great as our protagonist who is committed to a mental institution against her will. Becoming an investigative plot, the viewer is tasked to decide whether what she is seeing and feeling is real or not. For me, any film fan or student of film should add this to their must watch list, as the experiment alone is worthy of your time. The bonus is you get a decent story thrown in for good measure. (Adam Ritchie)
A Series of Unfortunate Events
I am truly sorry, because the film I am covering this week is one filled with very unfortunate events in the lives of the Baudelaire orphans, and in true Lemony Snicket fashion, I must warn you of these things. A Series of Unfortunate Events tells the story of three clever children, the Baudelaire orphans, who became orphans after a mysterious fire burns down their family home. Violet (Emily Browning), Klaus (Liam Aiken), and Sunny (Kara Hoffman) are informed of this unfortunate event and then sent to live with their distant relative Jim Carrey— oh wait, no, I mean Count Olaf. This film adapted the first three books in the book series of the same name, so there are many people who show up in the unfortunate lives of the Baudelaire orphans. This story needed to be told, and director Brad Silberling and writer Robert Gordon bring these unfortunate events to light. The film is set with a stacked cast and a depressed sense of narrative that will pull you in to see how it all ends. I assure you that there is still time to watch a movie about a happy little elf. (Austen Terry)
Underworld
It’s undeniable that to leave Underworld unseen on your list of underrated movies would be unconscionable and unheard of in many circles. Unlike those unbalanced individuals, I unapologetically have seen the events of the movie unfold countless times! I didn’t see it until it was unavailable in theaters, as it was unbeknownst to me before its unveiling on DVD. Understandably, when my brother unleashed this work of undead action and adventure on my unsuspecting, unconscious mind, to say I was unaffected would be untrue. My unrequited love for Kate Bekinsale’s performance as Selene is unparalleled, unless you want to count my unique fondness for Bill Nighy, who was quietly unhinged in his role as Victor. His unceremonious unboxing scene where Selene transfers her memories through her blood is the kind of world building that I undoubtedly enjoy. When Selene uncovers the vampire/werewolf conspiracy and learns the unabridged truth, it perfectly concludes the story while simultaneously setting up untold sequels that will no doubt provide further understanding. If you had any uncertainty, I hope this unbridled recommendation is enough to check out the unbelievably epic battle between werewolves and vampires dressed in outfits that are unmistakably an homage to Matrix. (Nick Ferro)
Unhinged
In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic had an enormous impact on virtually every aspect of our world, and cinema was no exception. When scholars look back on this time, it won’t be No Time to Die or Top Gun: Maverick (which still hasn’t come out, dang it) that will be remembered for bringing America back into movie theaters, but rather the insane romp of a flick that is Unhinged. Well, besides Tenet, I guess. Meh. In the film, Tom (Russell Crowe) meets a mother and her son when he blocks traffic at a green light. The mother, Rachel (Caren Pistorius), honks her horn, and Tom doesn’t take it well. What follows is an entire ordeal of violence and revenge when she fails to apologize for the incident. The film can be rote and convoluted at times, but what really makes it interesting is the lead performance. Crowe is going for it in a film that would fall flat without him. The Oscar-winning Aussie brings plenty of his signature gravitas and lots of menace to what would have been a silly role in an even more bonkers film. (Jacob Kinman)
The Uninvited
The Uninvited, directed by Charles and Thomas Guard, is psychological horror film that keeps the viewer gripped until the closing moments. Emily Browning as Anna captures that sense of skepticism throughout her performance and makes it easy to empathize with her throughout her ordeal. While she can come off as an unreliable narrator based on her interactions with others, there is strong plausibility to how she feels about events that take place. The untrusting nature that she has towards her deceased mother’s former nurse/new stepmother Rachel (Elizabeth Banks) is warranted when gazing through Anna’s lens. With Anna, the viewer spirals down the rabbit hole of Rachel having a nefarious nature and her being involved in the death of her mother. The crux of the film is the discussions that Anna has with her sister Alex (Arielle Kebbel), as Alex provides the only real sense of comfort that she has and is a sounding board for her worries. Another aspect of this film that is highly effective is the dark and terrifying visuals that are spliced throughout. The Uninvited is a film that keeps the viewer guessing until it’s chilling conclusion. (Joe Vargas)
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