TOP 10 FOURTH OF JULY MOVIES OF ALL TIME!!!

June 29, 2001

Fireworks! Hot Dogs!! Parades!!! Baseball!!!! But most fundamentally, patriotism. The flag. Remembering our freedom, and how important -- and how tenuous -- it is. Frankly, for reasons that are beyond me, there simply aren't that many true 4th of July movies, and not all of these movies have Independence Day as their prime focus. But all remind me in some way of what the 4th of July is all about, and all are worth a look. So here are the Top 10 4th of July Movies of All Time:

	10.	Jaws (1975): What could be better than a nice, warm 4th of July weekend at the shore -- with a gigantic, man-eating Great White Shark? Roy Scheider, Richard Dreyfuss and the almost-always wonderful Robert Shaw star in one of the scariest movies ever made. Guaranteed to keep you out of the ocean on the 4th.
	9.	The Sandlot (1993): 4th of July just wouldn't be 4th of July without a little baseball. And there's no purer -- or rarer --form of baseball than that played by little kids without any adult supervision. And this movie actually has a 4th of July picnic in it. One of the Top 10 Baseball Movies ever, and a fine film for anyone.
	8.	Independence Day (1996): A completely silly movie, but patriotic as heck. It's us against the aliens on Independence Day! Bill Pullman stars as a POTUS who can actually do something, with Jeff Goldblum and Will Smith as the semi-nerdy and semi-studly saviors of the world.
	7.	1776 (1972): Well a lot of e-mailers included this as the only 4th of July movie on their list. And frankly, I have no idea why. But far be it from me to deny the cries of my limited but loving public. A mediocre movie of a semi-decent musical with a less than stellar cast. But , hey, what do I know?
	6.	Young Mr. Lincoln (1939): A fine John Ford movie. Henry Fonda plays Abraham Lincoln as a young lawyer, hired to defend a man accused of a shooting at a -- you guessed it !-- 4th of July picnic. Don't let the cover fool you -- it's as patriotic a movie as you're going to find.
	5.	Stars and Stripes Forever (1952): A pretty silly movie, but perfect for the 4th of July. Clifton Webb stars as the legendary John Philip Sousa in this musical about his passion for marching bands. Parades, remember??
	4.	Avalon (1990): Not a movie that leaps to mind when one thinks of the 4th of July, but it should be. The third installment of Barry Levinson's Baltimore Trilogy (along with Diner andTin Men) stars Armin Mueller-Stahl as Sam Krichinsky, who has his first view of America on the 4th of July. A fine film.
	3.	The Patriot (2000): You knew it had to be on here. One of the most virulently patriotic movies of recent years does more to remind us of the sacrifices the founding fathers and mothers made than almost anything. Mel Gibson and Heath Ledger star, but it's Jason Isaacs as the evil Colonel William Tavington that really sets the movie's mood.
	2.	Glory (1989): A simply wonderful movie, and one of the most difficult to watch more than once. Matthew Broderick stars as Colonel Robert Gould Shaw , the titular leader of the first all -black volunteer regiment in the Union Army during the War Between the States. But the real stars are Denzel Washington and Morgan Freeman. Emphasizes for me how great the price of freedom is, and how the battle to preserve it never ends.
	1.	Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942): Before I saw this movie I only thought of James Cagney as a tough-guy-gangster type. This movie changed all that. The man can dance!! His performance as George M. Cohan is simply stunning. Great music, great dancing, great story, great film. If you don't watch this on the 4th of July -- and if you have cable, you'll have every opportunity to do so -- you're really missing out.

One sparkler short: