Every week, Kristopher Pollard from Milwaukee Film and Radio Milwaukee’s Dori Zori talk about movies — because that’s what you do when you’re Cinebuds.
When you’ve been around for almost 250 years, people are bound to have complicated feelings about you. This is the boat America finds itself in — something that’s reflected in the variety of movies we dropped into our hand-picked selections for the Fourth of July.
You want an iconic musical? We’ve got modern classics like Hamilton and classic classics like Yankee Doodle Dandy. Or maybe you want to knock the ball around with The Sandlot and A League of Their Own. Then there’s … Cape Fear?
OK, not entirely sure how that last one got lodged in the collective brains of our Cinebuds hosts, but you can hear their argument — and more rational ones for the likes of Glory and An American Tail — in the full episode. Listen via the player at the top of the page or wherever you get your podcasts about holiday-themed movie lists.
Fourth of July movies
Musicals
Hamilton (2020): The filmed version of the original Broadway smash hit Hamilton combines the best elements of live theater, film and streaming in a blend of hip-hop, jazz, R&B and Broadway. Presenting the tale of American founding father Alexander Hamilton, this revolutionary moment in theater is the story of America then, told by America now.
Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942): Brought to the White House to receive a Congressional Gold Medal from President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Broadway legend George M. Cohan (James Cagney) reflects on his life. Flashbacks trace Cohan's rise, from a childhood performing in his family's vaudeville act to his early days as a struggling Tin Pan Alley songwriter to his overwhelming success as an actor, writer, director and producer known for patriotic songs like “Yankee Doodle Dandy,” “You're a Grand Old Flag” and “Over There.”
The Music Man (1962): Con man "Professor" Harold Hill arrives in River City, Iowa, intending to swindle the townspeople by selling them expensive instruments and uniforms for a boys' band he has no intention of leading. His scheme is jeopardized when he falls for Marian, the local librarian, who suspects his fraudulent ways. Ultimately, Hill is transformed by love and community, choosing to stay and face the music, leading the band in a surprisingly heartfelt performance.
Sports
A League of Their Own (1992): During World War II, the Rockford Peaches step up to the plate in the new All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Guided by their cynical manager Jimmy Dugan (Tom Hanks), the Peaches — including star catcher Dottie Hinson (Geena Davis) and her kid sister Kit (Lori Petty) — battle societal prejudice, personal conflicts and fierce opponents.
The Sandlot (1993): When Scottie Smalls (Thomas Guiry) moves to a new neighborhood, he manages to make friends with a group of kids who play baseball at the sandlot. In the process, nine boys become a team, and their leader becomes a legend by confronting the terrifying mystery beyond the right-field wall.
Fish out of water
An American Tail (1986): After their home is destroyed by cats, a young mouse named Fievel Mousekewitz and his family emigrate from Russia to the United States. When a storm throws Fievel from the ship and he loses contact with his family, he navigates New York City with help from a few friends as he searches for his loved ones.
Coming to America (1988): In one of his most memorable roles, Eddie Murphy plays Prince Akeem, who escapes an arranged marriage in his native country of Zamunda and travels to New York in search of someone who will love him without his title.
Blockbusters
Independence Day (1996): Perhaps the quintessential Fourth of July blockbuster, Independence Day starts as strange phenomena surface around the globe. The skies ignite, terror races through the world's major cities, and it becomes increasingly clear that a force of incredible magnitude has arrived. Its mission: total annihilation. The last hope to stop the destruction is an unlikely group of people united by fate and unimaginable circumstances.
Captain America-themed Marvel movies: While containing plenty of the “red, white and blue” themes befitting the Fourth of July, the films in this series also deal with the more complicated aspects of America — blind patriotism, the perils of trusting those in power and the difficulties that sometimes come with doing what’s right.
Jaws (1975): Set over the Fourth of July, Jaws is set in motion when a young woman is killed by a shark near the New England tourist town of Amity Island. Police chief Martin Brody (Roy Scheider) wants to close the beaches but is overruled by the mayor, leading Brody to team up with ichthyologist Matt Hooper (Richard Dreyfuss) and grizzled ship captain Quint (Robert Shaw) in an epic battle of man vs. nature.
Cape Fear (1991): In Martin Scorsese's remake of the classic 1962 thriller, attorney Sam Bowden (Nick Nolte) knowingly withholds evidence that would acquit violent sex offender Max Cady (Robert De Niro) of rape charges. After 14 years in prison and knowing of Sam’s deceit, Max devotes his life to stalking and destroying the Bowden family.
Military
Born on the Fourth of July (1989): In the mid-1960s, Ron Kovic (Tom Cruise) enlists in the Marines, fulfilling what he sees as his patriotic duty. During his second tour in Vietnam, he accidentally kills a fellow soldier during a retreat and later becomes permanently paralyzed in battle. Returning home to an uncaring Veterans Administration bureaucracy and to people on both sides of the political divide who don't understand what he went through, Kovic becomes an impassioned critic of the war.
Glory (1989): Col. Robert Gould Shaw (Matthew Broderick) takes command of the United States' first all-Black regiment, the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, and puts together a strong unit that includes the escaped slave Trip (Denzel Washington) and the wise gravedigger John Rawlins (Morgan Freeman). At first limited to menial manual tasks, the regiment fights to be placed in the heat of battle.
Da Five Bloods (2020): Four Black veterans battle the forces of man and nature when they return to Vietnam looking for the remains of their fallen squad leader and the gold fortune he helped them hide.
Top Gun (1986): When hotshot fighter pilot Maverick (Tom Cruise) is sent to the Top Gun Naval Fighter Weapons School, his reckless attitude and cocky demeanor put him at odds with the other pilots, especially Iceman (Val Kilmer). But Maverick isn't only competing to be the top fighter pilot, he's also fighting for the attention of flight instructor Charlotte Blackwood (Kelly McGillis).
Iron Eagle (1986): When Col. Ted Masters' plane goes down in an Arab country and he's sentenced to death for trespassing, his 18-year-old son Doug is determined to save him. Unfortunately, Doug isn't the best fighter pilot, so he enlists the help of Col. Chappy (Louis Gossett Jr.) to borrow a couple of F-16 planes, fly across the Atlantic and start a rescue mission.
Politicians
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939): When the idealistic young Jefferson Smith (Jimmy Stewart) is appointed to the U.S. Senate, he gains the mentorship of Senator Joseph Paine (Claude Rains), who isn't as noble as his reputation would indicate and becomes involved in a scheme to discredit Smith. Determined to stand up against Paine and his corrupt peers, Smith takes his case to the Senate floor.
Air Force One (1997): The presidential aircraft, Air Force One, is hijacked by Russian communist radicals demanding the release of the Kazakhstani leader. With the First Lady and her family trapped on board, the hijackers threaten to kill one hostage every half-hour until their demands are met. What they don't know is that the president himself is hiding in the hold and formulating a plan to save his family.
