The grand irony is that it’s Canada Day and we’re writing a 4th of July feature, not to mention that two key Playlisters are Canucks (for shame, you hosers). And yes, we lament that one of us (Rodrigo!) wasn’t able to write a 10,000-word appreciation essay of “Strange Brew,” but such is the complex paradox that is The Playlist. And there’s always next year, eh?
As we approach July 4th weekend, it’s time for the usual: BBQs; beer; fireworks; American flags; blind patriotism; and perhaps, in some corners of the country, some kind of desperate hope that Donald Trump doesn’t destroy this country that many of us have called their adopted home.
The country stands for so many values, including liberty, pride, perseverance, and resilient spirit, all while offering the American dream that continues to transform and inspire the lives of so many that have traveled here from afar to fulfill this vision. And while those dreams have been extremely perverted of late, especially during this recent political cycle — with its profoundly anti-intellectual bent seemingly right out of “Idiocracy” — the core principles are ideals to strive for even when a buffoon tries to lead the country into ruin and actually believes random planes from above could be Mexicans attacking.
Sorry for that brief digression, but back to the task at hand. We’ve decided to look at some 4th of July-themed movies that allow us to look at liberty, patriotism and the American dream and hopefully not from the most jingoistic of POV — though sometimes that’s difficult with 4th of July movies. Regardless, here are 11 films that capture American knowhow, bombs bursting in the air and all that good stuff.
“All The President’s Men” (1976)
The granddaddy of all procedurals, “All The President’s Men” is a seminal American drama about muckraking, truth-seeking and the dogged, persistent integrity of two professionals who themselves were emblematic of a kind of print journalism that has all but vanished from our national consciousness. The story of Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward, two Washington Post journalists whose investigation into Watergate took them into waters more treacherous than those that lapped at Amity Island the year before (see: “Jaws” below), “All The President’s Men” is not afraid of exposing the long history of hypocrisy and deception that has been an ugly but undeniable part of our American journey. As Woodward and Bernstein, Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman give career-best performances: The former radiates his untouchable movie-star cool; while Hoffman, all agitated cynicism, quietly breaks your heart in what is among the best of his titanic ’70s performances. Alan J. Pakula’s engrossing picture deservedly took home some Oscars, including one for the the lived-in, sophisticated art direction of George Jenkins and George Gaines; and also Best Supporting Actor for Jason Robards, who played former Post editor Ben Bradlee (how Gordon Willis’ gorgeously understated cinematography failed to land a nod remains a mystery). “All The President’s Men” is an American masterwork, and one that implores viewers to look beneath the surface of our nation’s history.
“Captain America: The First Avenger” (2011)
It’s easy to think of Captain America as being just another member of the increasingly populous Marvel/Avengers gang, given how crazy-popular and culturally prevalent these kinds of superhero properties have become over the last couple of years. Still, it’s not hard to see the appeal of Steve Rogers as a character. Unlike, say, his pal Tony Stark, Rogers a.k.a. Captain America is an old-school, unabashedly romantic composite of can-do American chivalry. There’s absolutely nothing reluctant about his heroism, which is definitely more than you can say for Christopher Nolan’s Batman. And of course, casting the square-jawed, affable Chris Evans turned out to be a stroke of inspiration beyond what could have been anticipated. Still, “Captain America: The First Avenger” wasn’t a total sure shot upon its initial release back in 2011. Being a phase one Marvel film, “The First Avenger” is scaled down compared to, say, this year’s ‘Civil War.’ Joe Johnston’s film is also flush with a sense of pulpy, heightened nostalgia for our nation’s past, one that’s as informed by WWII adventure films as it is by Saturday-morning cartoons. Like its “aw, shucks” hero, the first “Captain America” film feels oddly innocent, at least when compared to the recent trend for dour “gritty” superhero films. Of course, “Captain America” is no more indicative of the real America than “Iron Man” was of the ‘real’ Middle East, but, rather, a colorful superhero epic about how we’d like to see ourselves as a country: decent, noble, hunky, and quick with a quip.
“Independence Day” (1996)
Before disaster movie maestro Roland Emmerich set his sights on New York City in his ill-fated “Godzilla” remake, or, um, the entire earth in “The Day After Tomorrow,” his goals as a filmmaker were decidedly more modest: All the dude wanted to do, seemingly, was simply blow up the White House. Granted, this is only one of the memorable moments from Emmerich’s slam-bang space invasion thriller “Independence Day” — another is Will Smith sucker-punching a scaly-headed alien beastie before hilariously snarling “Welcome to Earth” — but hey, it’s what was immortalized on the movie’s VHS cover. So what makes “Independence Day” so uniquely American, aside from evoking one of our nation’s most sacred holidays in its title? Well, for one, it features perhaps Jeff Goldblum’s definitive turn from his great run in the ’90s playing acerbic, slightly nutty scientists. There’s also an undeniable, vicarious rah-rah thrill to hearing the President (Bill Pullman) basically say to the enemy, “This is AMERICA, and we’re not going anywhere!” Cue explosions, one-liners and general city-leveling destruction. And yet, in spite of the many clichés sprinkled liberally throughout the movie’s hefty runtime, “Independence Day” remains a seminal popcorn movie of its time, and undeniably superior to its recent sequel ‘Resurgence.’