WHERE TO STREAM THE TOP WAR MOVIES FOR THE 4TH OF JULY WEEKEND

This week I decided to do a bit of a change up. It’s a long weekend and the weather should be great for outside activities. If you’re sitting indoors over the 4th Of July weekend it’s probably mostly to just cool down or get away from your drunk friend that won’t stop yelling “‘Murica!” at the top of their lungs and insists they can pull you on water skis even thought they’ve never driven a boat. However, if you need some down time, the air quality is too poor, or if you’re working or on call and can’t enjoy the outdoors here is a list of some patriotic movies to check out and where to find them. Movies that show that without great sacrifice we wouldn’t have the freedom we all enjoy. These are some of my favorites and they cover all the eras and one that hasn’t happened and probably never will. I’m just listing where you can watch them as part of the service, but most can be rented at Amazon or YouTube for a price.

Saving Private Ryan – This will always be at the top of my list when it comes to war movies. When it came out so many veterans opened up about what happened in WWII. It was so close to what several people saw and experienced and Steven Spielberg caught everything perfectly. The mix of action and conversation was perfect and makes you feel everything happening on screen. The cinematography is exceptional and the casting is beyond perfect. Stream – Paramount+

The Patriot – Or what I often call “Braveheart, but in America”. Mel Gibson as the anguished father that hasn’t been the best man when he was involved in war and now feels those sins are coming back to haunt him. While it’s not as Oscar worthy as Saving Private Ryan it is a great film in it’s own right. Heath Ledger was just starting to become a Hollywood name and it reminds you of what he could still be bringing to the world of entertainment. Stream – Tubi (free with ads)

Glory – The story of one of the first all black regiments in the Civil War. It is based on Mathew Broderick’s character, Colonel Shaw and his personal letters. The cast is filled with talent with Morgan Freeman, Denzel Washington, Carey Elwes, and Andre Braugher and is a powerful story that reminds us what they were fighting for still had it’s problems with the people that were fighting the good fight still not showing everyone as equal. Stream – Amazon – Tubi – Hulu

We Were Soldiers – After all the 80s movies about the Vietnam war that took a look at the dirtier side of the war and some of the humorous takes this is based on real life. Mel Gibson plays real life Colonel Hal Moore in a movie based on a book he co-wrote about the first troops dispatched in the war and the first few days of fighting. The cast is powerful and interesting. The movie is almost entirely about the battle. However, it does a great job showing what was going on back home with the soldiers’ wives. To know that this movie os based on real life events give a vivid perspective on how much those soldiers gave and never got the welcome home they deserved. Stream – Paramount+

American Sniper – Another movie based on on the real life of American hero, Chris Kyle. He was one of the most efficient snipers in military history. He protected his fellow soldiers with deadly accuracy. Bradley Cooper put on an performance that was Oscar nominated not just for being a tough, rugged, soldier, but for quietly showing vulnerability as he suffers from PTSD and readjusting to life back home. The sad end to Chris Kyle’s life is even more powerful at the end of the film because everything finally feels normal. Stream – Amazon

Independence Day – Everyone needs to just disappear from real life and all it’s troubles and this movie does just that for you. Seen as the movie that ignited the “Summer blockbuster” with it’s glut of action and sci-fi wizardry it is truly escapist theater. Will Smith and the rest of the cast are perfectly placed to simply sit, watch, remove all reality based thinking, and zone out. Stream – Starz – Apple TV