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Celebrate the 4th of July with patriotic movies exploring US history, culture, and values. Hollywood offers a wide variety of genres and narratives to choose from to watch on the American holiday. Movies like "Born on the Fourth of July," "Independence Day," and "Glory" showcase the American spirit, solidarity, and commitment to liberty.

To get into the patriotic spirit, these are the best 4th of July movies to celebrate life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. America's War of Independence to divest 13 colonies from the British Empire established the United States of America in 1776, and there are more than a few ways to celebrate the nation's birth. Countless movies explore not only the pivotal founding of the United States but life in America through the centuries by the generations of people who have settled in the country and continue to make it one of the most diverse places in the world.

By Fred Blosser

In Michael Cimino’s “Year of the Dragon” (1985), now available in a handsome Blu-ray edition from the Warner Archive Collection, gang war threatens to erupt in New York’s Chinatown when the city’s elderly Triad kingpin is spectacularly murdered by a young Chinese thug. Police Captain Stanley White (Mickey Rourke) is brought in to crack down before more blood is spilled, as long as he doesn’t crack down too hard. As far as the NYPD and the neighborhood elders are concerned, things are fine the way they are in Chinatown under the Triad. All that’s needed is to bring the suddenly upstart youth gangs under control. But Stanley knows that the only way to really clean up Chinatown is to wipe out the underlying corruption of the Triad itself. To that end, he plunges into his assignment with a zeal that even Dirty Harry Callahan might find excessive.

Blu-ray and DVD Release Date: July 3, 2012

Price: DVD $14.98, Blu-ray/DVD Combo $19.99

Studio: Universal

Tom Cruise if Ron Kovic in Born on the Fourth of July.

Tom Cruise (Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol) delivers an Oscar-nominated performance in Oliver Stone’s (Platoon) acclaimed 1989 biographical war drama Born on the Fourth of July. concerning one man’s experiences during and after the Vietnam War.

Based on a true story, the film follows Long Island-born Ron Kovic (Cruise) from a zealous teen who eagerly volunteers for the Vietnam War, to an embittered veteran paralyzed from the mid-chest down. Deeply in love with his country, Kovic returns to an environment vastly different from the one he left, and he struggles before emerging as a new voice for the disenchanted.

Co-starring Raymond Barry (Falling Down), Caroline Kava (Year of the Dragon) and Kyra Sedgwick (Gamer), the movie was nominated for eight Academy Awards and went on...

Winner of two Academy Awards®, including Best Director, and four Golden Globes®, including Best Picture, the award-winning classic Born on the Fourth of July will be available on July 3, 2012 on Blu-ray. Combo Pack with DVD and Digital Copy featuring perfect hi-def picture and sound. Born on the Fourth of July stars Tom Cruise (Mission: Impossible . Ghost Protocol, Minority Report) who delivers a riveting and unforgettable portrayal of Vietnam veteran Ron Kovic in Oliver Stone.s (Savages, Platoon) Academy Award®-winning masterpiece.

Based on a true story, the acclaimed film follows Kovic from a zealous teen who eagerly volunteered for the Vietnam War, to an embittered veteran paralyzed from the mid-chest down. Deeply in love with his country, Kovic returned to an environment vastly different from the one he left, and struggled before emerging as a brave new voice for the disenchanted. Also starring Kyra Sedgwick (.The Closer.) and Willem Dafoe...

There's something extremely unsettling about hearing stories of spies and espionage set outside of the realm of fiction. In case you haven't heard, eleven men and women have been arrested in the United States as suspected members of a deep cover Russian spy ring with an untold long-term mission in the country. We're not just talking government officials or members of the press — some of these spies were average Joes living right next door to you.

Like I said, pretty unsettling, isn't it? The developing story is reminiscent of a high octane espionage thriller, where the main character slowly realizes that these men and women he's known his entire life are secretly enemies of the state. In fact, this story has played out several times on the big screen. After the jump, check out some of the most stunning spy betrayals in cinema history.

Alec Trevelyan

Dubbed 006 by the MI...