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America declared independence from Great Britain when the Continental Congress officially adopted the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. Congress debated, revised, and edited the document on July 2-3, meaning America declared independence from the greatest empire in world history more quickly than your manager responds to emails. Good thing the Founding Fathers weren't on Zoom, right? 

Anyway, while the document was finalized and signed over the next few weeks, we have celebrated July 4th as America's Independence Day ever since ... kinda. While Independence Day was celebrated on July 4 as early as 1777, it didn't become a national holiday until 1870. Fortunately, it won't take nearly a century to figure out your plans for the fourth -- watching these 15 star-spangled flicks! 

There's no better way to honor America's birthday than by celebrating one of our greatest industries: The movie business. Since watching 15 movies in one day is all but impossible, feel free to...

Tom Cruise fans are in for some bad news thanks to a streaming purge on Amazon Prime Video. Some of the Oscar-nominated actor's biggest movies will be leaving the platform in July.

Per Collider, six Cruise titles will leave Prime Video on July 1, giving fans less than 24 hours to watch them before they disappear from the streaming service. Of them all, Born on the Fourth of July is perhaps the most underrated. The 1989 biographical drama sees Cruise portray real-life Vietnam War veteran Ron Kovic, with the film detailing his military service, paralysis suffered during the war and transition to anti-war activism. The Oliver Stone-helmed effort was one of Cruise's early successes, earning him a Best Actor Academy Award nomination.

Also leaving Prime Video is Top Gun, which debuted three years before Born on the Fourth of July. The action drama introduces the world to young aviator Lieutenant Pete "Maverick...

This July, Tom Cruise fans are getting an Independence Day blow—but not the Will Smith kind. On July 1, Prime Video is pulling the plug on not one, not two, but six of Cruise’s most iconic titles—including the one that landed him his first Oscar nomination, the one that gave us shirtless volleyball and high-altitude melodrama, and the first four chapters of a franchise that turned him into an unstoppable stunt machine. If you were planning to celebrate America’s birthday by watching Born on the Fourth of July, Top Gun, or revisiting Ethan Hunt’s first impossible missions, you’ve got about 48 hours to hit play before they vanish from Prime’s library.

Long before Cruise was sprinting across rooftops or clinging to the side of a plane, he was earning critical respect as Vietnam veteran Ron Kovic in Born on the Fourth of July. Directed by...

It finally happened. Tom Cruise is getting an Oscar. No, not for sprinting across rooftops in Mission: Impossible or hanging off planes mid-flight. We’re talking about an Honorary Oscar, the kind the Academy gives when they realize someone’s been carrying Hollywood on their back for four decades and somehow still has perfect hair.

At 62, Cruise is a living action figure who’s not just an actor but a full-blown cinematic force. He’s the guy who revived theaters post-pandemic with Top Gun: Maverick, still does his own death-defying stunts, and treats blockbuster filmmaking like high art. Yet, despite four Oscar nominations, the gold statue kept slipping through his fingers until now.

So what finally pushed the Academy to give Cruise his flowers? Was it the box office domination? The industry loyalty? Or just the fact that no one else jumps off cliffs and sells tickets like he does?...

There are songs you sing, and then there are songs that sing you back: tearing through your ribs with every lyric and rewiring your bloodstream. Bruce Springsteen’s Born in the U.S.A. is one of those songs.

Now, before anyone throws a side-eye and asks, “Who is Bruce Springsteen?”- let’s get something straight. If you don’t know ‘the Boss’, you might want to question your music taste. He is a titan of American rock, a storyteller whose songs are woven with the grit and glory of the working class, an E Street Band frontman with decades of sweat and soul behind him.

Springsteen’s early work, Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J. and The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle, didn’t exactly storm the charts, but he shifted gears with Born to Run in ’75, cracking the code to global acclaim. But let’s...

Tom Cruise's next mission, should he choose to accept it, will be to collect an honorary Oscar.

The 62-year-old actor has been announced as one of the recipients of the 2025 Governors Awards alongside choreographer-artist Debbie Allen, production designer Wynn Thomas, and singer-songwriter Dolly Parton, the latter of whom will receive the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award. The awards will be handed out on Nov. 16 in Los Angeles.

Cruise rose to fame in the 1980s as the star of several teen movies before blowing up in Top Gun (1986) and becoming one of Hollywood's most bankable stars. He followed with a string of popcorn films that included Interview With the Vampire (1994), Minority Report (2002), War of the Worlds (2005), and the Mission: Impossible franchise (eight films between 2000 and 2025). While those types of films rarely result in trophy wins, Cruise still has a storied awards history that goes back decades.

The Oscars

Cruise has been...

“Thank you for your service.” The words have become a cliché, but Hollywood has tried long and hard to make them matter. The industry has produced countless films about warfare and those who died for their country (whom we remember this week). But it has had a mixed record on presenting characters suffering the after-effects of putting their lives on the line. They may have survived, but lost comrades and innocence. It is their moment, too.

World War II brought the most cinematic treatment, and one of the directors who himself served — William Wyler — later had the guts to depict the challenges soldiers faced when the fighting stopped. Vietnam was likely the most troublesome to depict, it being the one we lost. Right-winger John Wayne was up first, with “The Green Berets,” gung-ho in flavor. It wasn’t until the late ‘70s that a pair of exceptional movies focused less...

We’ve assembled a list of the best titles to stream to honor fallen soldiers this holiday weekend.

Memorial Day is a time for barbecues, taking time off to relax, and reflection. Most see Memorial Day as the start of summer, and it’s an especially exciting time for school kids who are finally free until late August or early September. But it’s important to remember that Memorial Day is also about more than fun. The holiday was first formalized as a way to remember Civil War soldiers, and ever since, it has been a chance to pause and mourn those who have laid down their lives in service to the United States.

We at The Streamable want to help readers honor Memorial Day by suggesting a list of culturally relevant movies to stream. What better way to spend the time off than to remember why the holiday exists in the first place?...

Tom Cruise is one of Hollywood’s most beloved actors. He has drawn attention to himself due to his action-packed roles and interest in doing his own stunts, no matter how absurd and dangerous they might get—from hanging from a flying plane, jumping a bike off a cliff, and taking a huge leap from one building to another, which even broke his foot.

Despite the dangers, he has not backed away from adding authenticity to his films. Due to this quality, he has become the symbol of great cinema. If he is acting in a movie, viewers consider it a must-watch, expecting top-tier performances and thrilling stories.

He gained a lot of fame after his role in Tony Scott’s film Top Gun (1986), and since then, he has gained a reputation for acting in action-packed movies. However, there are a lot of great underrated movies that have flown under the audience’s radar,...

Tom Cruise might be best known for his action roles in films like Top Gun and Mission Impossible, but that doesn’t mean he’s limited to high-speed chases and explosive stunts. And 36 years ago, Cruise took on a role that was as far removed from his usual persona as possible. In Born on the Fourth of July, directed by Oliver Stone, Cruise delivered a performance that would not only redefine his career but also strengthen the film's legacy as one of the greatest war films ever made.

Born on the Fourth of July is the true story of Ron Kovic’s transformation from a patriotic soldier to an anti-war activist. The film dives into the emotional costs of war, showing Kovic’s struggle with guilt, trauma, and anger after his return home. And at the center of it all is Cruise, with a performance that’s stripped of the...

War movies concerning the Vietnam War encompass the specific traits that make them easily distinguishable from other films within the war genre. The majority of Golden Era war movies, which heavily depicted World War II, feature propagandistic angles and hero-worshipping sentiments that reflected the nation's attitudes at the time. While World War II movies may dominate the genre, there are plenty of stunning films about the Vietnam War, from the unconventional Good Morning, Vietnam to the landmark Apocalypse Now.

Vietnam War movies are more reflective of the counter-culture era, containing anti-establishment views, addressing the psychological effects war has on soldiers, and preaching anti-war themes. Internationally, countries such as Hong Kong have produced important works about the Vietnam War that provide an added perspective toward fully understanding the implications of the conflict worldwide. Some of the best movies about the Vietnam War rank among cinema's greatest war films, and many publications...

Tom Cruise, undoubtedly, continues to be one of the biggest enigmas in Hollywood. Arguably the biggest action star and one of the leading lights in Hollywood, the actor has given us some truly wonderful projects.

Yet, he remains without an Academy Award. The same has been brought to light by Léa Seydoux, star of James Bond’s Spectre and No Time to Die. Seydoux, while appearing on Konbini, expressed her admiration for Cruise’s diverse talent and lamented his lack of recognition from the Oscars.

Seydoux was all praise for Cruise’s versatility Tom Cruise as Frank Tj Mackey in Magnolia [Credit: New Line Cinema]

While exploring a video store in France, Seydoux selected Brian De Palma’s Mission: Impossible as one of her favorite films, marveling at Tom Cruise’s ability to excel in both action-packed roles and nuanced dramas.

She remarked:

To do something as subtle as Eyes Wide Shut...

Tom Cruise was nominated for four Oscars and three of the nods were for his acting performances. It is sad to see his losing streak at the Academy Awards, especially since he bagged the Golden Globes for these three roles.

There were also a couple of other performances from the actor that truly deserved all the recognition in the world.

Tom Cruise as Les Grossman in Tropic Thunder | Credits: DreamWorks/Paramount Pictures

There was an accusation that Cruise was intentionally pushed out of the competition one time. Fans hope that his upcoming project with Alejandro G. Iñárritu will finally break his losing streak. Iñárritu had a hand in Leonardo DiCaprio’s first Oscar win after he was snubbed of the award for years.

5. Born on the Fourth of July (1989)

Oliver Stone, who is often associated with controversial films centered around American politics, directed this masterpiece starring Tom Cruise. The Jack...

Both Val Kilmer and Tom Cruise are two of the greatest actors in Hollywood, famous for a lot beyond just their acting performances. Even when they joined hands to work on the Top Gun film series which saw them going from rivals to friends, both actors brought to the tables commendably iconic gigs. But appreciation for their onscreen performances isn’t all the pair share.

Val Kilmer and Tom Cruise. | Credits: Top Gun / Paramount Pictures.

As it turns out, Kilmer also shares a rather heartbreaking tragedy with Cruise on losing the Academy Award despite giving one of his best performances to date in The Doors. If anything, his not getting recognized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for the same wasn’t something just noticed by fans worldwide; it was even admitted to by filmmaker Oliver Stone.

Oliver Stone admits Val Kilmer was snubbed at the Oscars...

Tom Cruise has delivered some of the best dramatic acting throughout his extensive Hollywood career. The action movie star made a name for himself with films like Rain Man, Magnolia, Eyes Wide Shut, Jerry Maguire, and Vanilla Sky before becoming nearly synonymous with action, stunt work, and the Mission: Impossible franchise. But of all his films, Born on the Fourth of July stands out as a rare gem.

Tom Cruise in A Few Good Men [Credit: Columbia Pictures, New Line Cinema]

Despite his penchant for delivering constant box office hits, Cruise invited controversy with some of his more prominent films like Valkyrie and Interview With the Vampire. In the case of Born on the Fourth of July, however, it was not the film’s stance on the subject of war itself but Cruise’s acting that captivated the audience and caused sensationalism.

Tom Cruise Does Right By Born on the Fourth...

Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning is almost here, and here is a full breakdown of the main cast of characters that will appear in the film. The upcoming eighth Mission: Impossible film will continue the story of Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One, bringing back many of the franchise's iconic cast members. There are plenty of returning characters from throughout the series, as well as a few new ones, making Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning the biggest one yet.

The first trailer for Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning is out now, giving a look at the latest Mission: Impossible movie. The eighth film will see Ethan Hunt and the Imf continue their fight against the dangerous AI known only as the Entity, picking up right where Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One left off. So, here is everyone who is on the Imf team, who is on the Entity's team,...

Quick Links Vanilla Sky Exists Between Dreams and Reality Tom Cruise's 1999 Erotic Thriller Is an Excellent Companion Piece to Vanilla Sky Vanilla Sky Has to Be Seen More Than Once

Tom Cruise has consistently shown a willingness throughout his career to apply his stardom to challenging projects and roles, beginning with his Oscar-worthy performance as Vietnam veteran Ron Kovic in the 1989 biographical drama film Born on the Fourth of July. With his performances as misogynistic dating guru Frank T.J. Mackey in the 1999 drama film Magnolia and cold-blooded assassin Vincent in the 2004 thriller film Collateral, Cruise also proved that he was unafraid to subvert audience expectations by playing unsympathetic characters.

This ambitious career approach is perhaps most clearly embodied in the 2001 psychological thriller film Vanilla Sky, in which Cruise plays a hedonistic New York playboy whose carefree lifestyle, along with his sense of reality, is completely upended after his handsome character,...

Shout Factory and Kino Lorber have been releasing a bevy of titles for new 4K physical media and Blu-ray.com has now announced that the Tom Cruise film Born on the Fourth of July, which was directed by Oliver Stone, is now set for a new Collector’s Edition Ultra High-Definition Blu-ray. The remastered film is due to hit retailers the day after Veteran’s Day on November 12.

The movie stars Tom Cruise, Kyra Sedgwick, Raymond J. Barry, Jerry Levine, and Frank Whaley. The description reads, “Tom Cruise delivers a riveting and unforgettable portrayal of Vietnam veteran and activist Ron Kovic in Oliver Stone’s 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...

Tom Cruise is undoubtedly one of Hollywood’s most successful and enduring actors whose career spans over four decades! A feat that only a few could accomplish in a cut-throat industry. His early roles in the 1980s made him the face of blockbuster franchises and he’s delivered several memorable performances.

Tom Cruise | Photo by Gage Skidmore, licensed under Cc By-sa 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Despite his impressive body of work, the actor never won an Academy Award. This glaring omission was enough for him to switch gears and revamp his filmography. Cruise’s journey reflects his decision to prioritize his longevity over traditional accolades, enabling him to secure his legacy in cinema.

Tom Cruise’s Decade-Long Iconic Performances Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman in Rain Man | United Artists

The late 1980s and 1990s were perhaps the most critical years of Tom Cruise’s career in terms of success because,...

Ah, it’s Hollywood—where the big screen becomes a needlepoint of dreams and the Oscars are the golden yardstick of excellence. But it is actually sad when Tom Cruise’s fans clamor for the actor to flex his dramatic chops more often, yet they can’t help but recall how the Academy Awards passed him by to adorn Michael Caine with the honorary statuette.

Cruise, a powerhouse with four Oscar nominations under his belt, for stellar roles in Born on the Fourth of July, Jerry Maguire, Magnolia, and the box office juggernaut Top Gun: Maverick, hasn’t yet bagged an Oscar.

Tom Cruise in Magnolia | New Line Cinema

As blockbusters and critical darlings rock through his filmography, it’s quite an Oscar tale to tell—of nominations without culmination. And notably, Cruise’s star turn in Magnolia lost in a twist of Oscar fate to Michael Caine’s performance in The Cider House Rules.

In Hollywood, where dreams are made and broken with the toss of a coin, sometimes it seems like the deck is stacked against even the most deserving actors. Take Tom Cruise, for example, who has charmed audiences with his megawatt grin and natural charisma. Yet, according to director Oliver Stone, the actor was unfairly denied the chance to clutch an Academy Award in his hands.

Cruise’s role in Born on the Fourth of July truly mirrored his acting chops. And thus, it seemed like he was destined for greatness and the coveted ‘Best Actor’ award at the Oscars. However, as fate would have it, the actor found himself up against a fierce competition that included the likes of Kenneth Branagh, Morgan Freeman, Robin Williams, and Daniel Day-Lewis. The latter ultimately took home the Oscar for his role in My Left Foot.

Tom Cruise in Born on the Fourth of July...

While most may prioritize new additions to streaming apps each month — something we here at IndieWire take great pride in — viewers should also not neglect the fact that with each new property added, another must go. Though some apps do concentrate these expiring selections in a row on one of their menu pages, they aren’t always the easiest to find. Thankfully, we’ve done the work for you. Scouring each major platform and discovering what’s about to disappear from our watchlists, IndieWire has gathered a few selections worth your time before they go from major streamers like Netflix and Prime, as well as apps on the rise like Tubi and Kanopy.

In honor of the political conventions being hosted this summer, for our Netflix selection we’ve gone with “Born on the Fourth of July,” directed by Oliver Stone and starring Tom Cruise in an Academy-Award nominated performance...

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.

10 Best Patriotic Films You Should Watch To Celebrate The 4th Of July. (Photo Credit – Instagram)

Independence Day calls for celebrations, and once all the festivities and fireworks are over, all one wants to do is take off their shoes and relax with their family and friends in the comfort of their homes.

And what better way to have a good time with your loved ones, than grabbing a bucket of popcorn and putting on a good movie? To help you out, here is a list of 10 best patriotic films, perfect to celebrate the 4th of July.

1. Apollo 13 (1995)

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Directed by Ron Howard, Apollo 13 is a historical drama based on the captivating true story of the Apollo 13 lunar mission. Featuring Tom Hanks, Kevin Bacon, and Bill Paxton, the film depicts the astronauts’ fight for survival following an oxygen...

Historian Bill Allison praises Tom Cruise's performance in Born on the Fourth of July and gives the film an 8 out of 10 for its depiction of the potential devastation of war. The film highlights the tragic consequences of combat and the impact on soldiers, including wrongly targeting civilians and the loss of innocent lives. Born on the Fourth of July accurately portrays the emotional toll of warfare, demonstrating the consequences of military mistakes and the toll on civilians.

Tom Cruise's 1989 anti-war movie Born on the Fourth of July gets an impressive score from historian Bill Allison. Based on Ron Kovic's biography of the same name, the film depicts his life and Marine experience, exploring how he became paralyzed in the Vietnam War and eventually turned his focus towards activism. Along with Cruise, who portrays Kovic, the cast of Born on the Fourth of July includes Kyra Sedgwick, Raymond J. Barry,...

At sixty-one years old, Tom Cruise is now approximately the same age as the late Paul Newman was when a younger Cruise co-starred with Newman in the 1986 drama film The Color of Money, which brought Newman his first and only competitive Academy Award win after seven previous unsuccessful nominations. However, while The Color of Money reveals a Newman who had embraced the old man persona, with gray hair, prescription glasses, and a tired body, Cruise doesn’t seem ready to make such a transition.

Indeed, as Cruise seems to be intent on maintaining the action hero persona that Cruise first cultivated in 1986 with Top Gun, which was released just several months prior to Color of Money, it’s as if Cruise exists in a time warp, and as Newman appears old beyond his years in The Color of Money, Cruise presently doesn’t appear to be a day over fifty.

This Veterans Day, we’re celebrating the importance of Veterans as storytellers. Film Independent is inviting 100 U.S. Military Veteran (working or aspiring) filmmakers or actors in the entertainment industry to receive a Film Independent Membership, for a contribution of just $1.00!

Veterans Day is a federal public holiday that always falls on the 11th of November – but why is that? The day’s origins date back to World War I. At 11:00 am Paris local time on November 11, 1918, the Armistice of Compiègne was signed to officially end WWI. In honor of this special day, we’ve curated 10 films (and one limited series!) that embody the values and spirit of the service members across all five branches: the Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marine Corps and Navy.

Patton (1970)

Branch: U.S. Army

Director: Franklin J. Schaffner

Cast: George C. Scott, Karl Malden, Stephen Young, Michael Strong, Carey Loftin

Where to Watch: VOD rental,...

In the summer of 1996, Tom Cruise and director Brian De Palma achieved something that Hollywood would spend much of the next decade trying to replicate: a genuinely great movie adaptation of a popular television show that blew up at the box office. The first Mission: Impossible movie was somehow both an ode to the face-swapping, hi-tech hijinks of the original 1960s series while also serving as the perfect star vehicle for Cruise. Even De Palma was at the peak of his powers as an auteur, having just made his most underrated movie in Carlito’s Way.

In the years that followed, other big screen updates of small screen favorites would try to repeat the formula with often disastrous results. Film versions of shows like Wild Wild West, Lost in Space, The Avengers (not that one), and The Mod Squad all amounted to miserable trips to the multiplex. Meanwhile Mission: Impossible’s...

The Fourth Of July is always an exciting holiday here in the United States. It’s summer and people look to get together, have a cook-out, and watch some fun fireworks. If you’re young, then you love having the summer off and can’t wait to eat some hot dogs and play some baseball. If you’re older, then this time of the year brings back memories of frolicking through the summer with few cares. Either way, it’s a great time and you’re ready for it to get here. To pump yourself up for the summer fun let’s watch some of the best Fourth of July movies to get ready for those fireworks.

The Sandlot (1993)

If there was a movie that felt exactly like summer, then it has to be The Sandlot. They mention that the only night of the year they played a night game...

Al Pacino, the man who has played ambitious gangsters, tough cops, and even the Devil, could have been even more famous had he not rejected some iconic roles. The Oscar winner is synonymous with legendary characters like mafioso Michael Corleone in The Godfather trilogy, druglord Tony Montana in Scarface and bank robber Sonny Wortzik in Dog Day Afternoon. The method actor has not just played criminals as he has also delivered memorable performances like the cranky retired Army lieutenant colonel Frank Slade in Scent of a Woman, notorious McCarthy-era lawyer Rob Cohn in Angels in America and profane real estate salesman Richard Roma in Glengarry Glen Ross.

The long list of Al Pacino roles is also diverse enough to include critical duds like Jack & Jill in which he played a fictionalized version of himself, and Gigli in which he played the cartoonish mob boss Starkman. His filmography, however, could...

Until the 1980’s, Hollywood had a strange relationship with the Vietnam War. While the war was actually being fought, movies, typically, did not depict the war unless they were something like John Wayne’s The Green Berets. If the war was dealt with, usually it was done metaphorically, or by using another war as a stand-in, such as what happened with 1970’s Mash. This started to change after the war finally ended, with the late seventies seeing the release of three major films – The Deer Hunter, Apocalypse Now and Coming Home, Despite their popularity, during the first half of the eighties, when the war was dealt with on-screen it was typically as wish fulfillment, where action stars such as Chuck Norris and Sylvester Stallone single-handedly refought the war, and won, to the delight of audiences.

That all changed when Oliver Stone made Platoon. For the first time, a Vietnam War...

This article contains references/discussions to the loss of a child

The Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One cast sees several new dynamics form as old faces partner up with the newest additions for this next adventure. The seventh installment of the Mission: Impossible franchise sends Tom Cruise’s Ethan Hunt and his Imf team on their most daring adventure to date, facing both existing villains from previous films and fresh threats. Writer-director Christopher McQuarrie, who previously worked on Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation and Mission: Impossible – Fallout, is back at the helm for Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning. The movie sees McQuarrie reuniting Tom Cruise with several cast members from his earlier Mission: Impossible entries for the (possibly) penultimate entry in the franchise.

Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One was shot back-to-back with Dead Reckoning Part Two. Together, this two-part action epic will act as a send-off for...

Ah, Tom Cruise. The man, the myth, the eternal leading man of Hollywood. With a career spanning over four decades and a filmography full of iconic roles, it’s no wonder Cruise is a household name. But with so many Tom Cruise movies out there, it can be tough to decide which ones are worth your time. That’s where we come in!

In this article, we’ll be counting down the top 21 films from the legendary actor’s career, starting with the very best and ending with the ones that didn’t quite make the cut. Get ready to see which Tom Cruise movies come out on top (and which ones fall to the bottom) as we delve into the world of one of Hollywood’s biggest stars.

So sit back, relax, and get ready to see which of Cruise’s films made the cut (and which ones didn’t). Without further ado,...

Following “Top Gun: Maverick”‘s big year, which saw Tom Cruise return as Captain Pete “Maverick” Mitchell in the highly anticipated sequel to 1986’s “Top Gun”, the actor did not receive a Golden Globe nomination for the upcoming annual awards show.

Although the film was nominated in the best drama category upon Monday’s announcement of this year’s nominees for the 80th annual Golden Globes Awards, Cruise’s performance was overlooked.

Read More: 2023 Golden Globes To Be Hosted By Jerrod Carmichael

The actor’s snub comes after he returned his three Golden Globes statues last year amid the controversy that the show’s governing body- the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA)- was up against.

The organization was under fire after a report by the L.A. Times detailed that the HFPA did not include a single Black journalist amongst its then-87 members. Numerous actors, including Mark Ruffalo, and companies,...

Chances are if you've seen an American war film in the last 30 years, the name Dale Dye might ring a bell. Dye is a former Marine captain whose brief cameos and appearances are peppered throughout action films like "Under Siege," "Mission: Impossible," "Starship Troopers," and "Saving Private Ryan." After his first onscreen appearance in Tobe Hooper's "Invaders from Mars," Dye played Captain Harris in Oliver Stone's semi-autobiographical war epic "Platoon." The concept of actor boot camps is nothing new, and the intense soldier training that goes on at these grueling sessions does tend to bond the players together. The experience can also add some verisimilitude that pays respect to the actual soldiers that had to go through actual boot camp. Dale Dye's actor boot camps are legendary in the business. Apparently, the one that Charlie Sheen and the other actors went through during the making of "Platoon" in 1986 was particularly brutal.

When a topic gets the Oliver Stone treatment, it typically means that it's a controversial subject getting a cinematic deep dive into its origins. He's seemingly left no stone unturned, exploring topics like 1980s greed ("Wall Street"), the Vietnam War ("Born on the Fourth of July" and "Platoon"), the Kennedy assassination ("JFK"), and illegal surveillance ("Snowden").

For two decades, the director had professional football on his radar, dating back to an early 1980s project titled "The Linebacker," which would have starred Charles Bronson. In 1999, Stone's vision of the NFL finally came to fruition with "Any Given Sunday." By then, the game had changed exponentially from the time Charles Bronson was an A-lister in Hollywood. Player side hustles were replaced by multi-million-dollar advertising deals. The allure of "Monday Night Football" was supplanted by around-the-clock coverage on cable and SportsCenter highlights almost on the hour. What did that exposure mean for the modern athlete?...

Starring Oscar winner Jennifer Lawrence, the psychological drama Causeway is already stirring up awards-season buzz and is the latest hit from Apple TV+. Tackling issues like post-traumatic stress and veteran reintegration, Causeway's execution of its heady themes elevates it among the ranks of excellent films that broach the same subjects.

Whether it is Hollywood classics like The Best Years of Our Lives or understated gems like Johnny Got His Gun, Causeway isn't the first film to attempt to capture the veteran experience at a personal level. Though plenty of movies have taken a stab at the topics, only a small group are worth watching after seeing Apple TV+'s newest exclusive film.

Born On The Fourth Of July (1989) Rent From Apple TV And Amazon Prime Video

Coming years after the end of the Vietnam War, the Tom Cruise-led anti-war flick Born on the Fourth of July helped to...

This November sees the release of the Apple/A24 collaboration Causeway, in which Afghanistan veteran Lynsey (Jennifer Lawrence) must readjust to civilian life after suffering a traumatic brain injury. The film is the feature debut of theater director Lila Neugebauer and its hard-hitting material and top-tier performances may make it an Oscar hopeful.

When audiences think "war movie," the image that comes to mind is typically that of visceral combat, but some of the best movies in the genre focus on what happens when the troops come home. Those who find that Causeway piques their interest may also wish to check out the following films.

The Best Years Of Our Lives (1946) Stream On Kanopy

World War II was the biggest armed conflict in world history, so it's no wonder that filmmakers took an interest in it even while it was still ongoing. The Best Years of Our Lives was an...

Thirty years sure can make a difference. In a newly resurfaced Playboy interview with Tom Cruise, the Oscar nominee shut down a possible sequel to “Top Gun.” Now, on May 27, the sequel “Top Gun: Maverick” will open in theaters.

Cruise previously shared criticisms over the portrayal of war in “Top Gun,” telling Playboy that the film was received in a variety of different ways.

“Some people felt that ‘Top Gun’ was a right-wing film to promote the Navy. And a lot of kids loved it,” Cruise said at the time, via Gizmodo. “But I want the kids to know that that’s not the way war is — that ‘Top Gun’ was just an amusement park ride, a fun film with a PG-13 rating that was not supposed to be reality.”

He added, “That’s why I didn’t go on and make ‘Top Gun II’ and III and IV and V.

Tom Cruise’s long-delayed “Top Gun: Maverick” is finally set to blast off in theaters later this month, but making a follow-up to his classic 1986 action drama was not always of interest. A 1990 interview Cruise gave to Playboy magazine during the publicity tour for “Born on the Fourth of July” has resurfaced from Gizmodo and finds the A-list star calling the idea of making a “Top Gun” sequel “irresponsible.” Cruise was responding to the interviewer calling “Top Gun” a “Nintendo game and a paean to blind patriotism” in comparison to “Born on the Fourth of July.”

“Some people felt that ‘Top Gun’ was a right-wing film to promote the Navy. And a lot of kids loved it. But I want the kids to know that that’s not the way war is — that ‘Top Gun’ was just an amusement park ride, a fun film with a PG-13 rating that was not supposed to be reality,...

"Something began on that day that cannot be reversed." Area 23a + Iambic Dream Films have released the official US trailer for an indie documentary film titled We Are Many, made by Iranian filmmaker Amir Amirani. This originally premiered way back in 2014 at the Sheffield DocFest, and while it did open in the UK, it has never been released in the US. Perhaps because it talks about a big movement and demonstration against the war in Iraq, which has always been a very sore subject for America. The doc film tells the never-before-told story of the biggest demonstration in human history, which took place on February 15, 2003, against the impending war on Iraq. Up to 30 million people, many of whom had never demonstrated before, came out in nearly 800 cities around the world to protest. The film features interviews with Noam Chomsky, Ron Kovic, Medea Benjamin, Bill Fletcher Jr., Mark Rylance, John le Carré,...

Bruce Springsteen discusses the origins of “Born in the U.S.A.” and how it was misconstrued as an overtly patriotic song in a clip from the final episode of his podcast with Barack Obama, Renegades: Born in the USA.

In the clip, Springsteen says he started working on “Born in the U.S.A.” after meeting and befriending two Vietnam veterans, including Ron Kovic, author of Born on the Fourth of July. In a surreal twist of fate, Springsteen says he met Kovic at a motel in Los Angeles a few weeks after...

When Oliver Stone interviewed for a Deadline The Film That Lit My Fuse timed with the release of his memoir Chasing the Light: Writing, Directing, and Surviving Platoon, Midnight Express, Scarface, Salvador and the Movie Game, the three-time Oscar-winning filmmaker gave Deadline permission to provide our readers with a few passages from the book that was recently published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

A dishy coming of age of a filmmaker tale, Chasing the Light is a lively read that describes how the idyllic childhood of a boy raised in privilege was fractured by the divorce of his beloved parents. It sends him on a mission of self discovery that leads him to the jungles of Vietnam, from which he brought back an intensity that served him in the classrooms of NYU Film School, learning from formative influences like Martin Scorsese. The book is rich in anecdotes about a period when...

As Americans prepare to take a well-deserved day off from work to remember the servicemen and women who have sacrificed their lives for this country during times of war, TheWrap remembered their favorite movies tackling the tough topic.

Some are fun, some are sad, but all are classics that are worth watching this Memorial Day weekend if readers haven’t already. From waging war with aliens to women raging against the military for justice, here are our favorite war stories of all time:

“Independence Day”

While many people pan “ID4” as a cheesy, big-budget Will Smith vehicle, I consider it one of my personal favorite feel-good, proud-to-be-an-American films. I always tear up when Randy Quaid sacrifices his life so his kids can live free from extraterrestrial tyranny. Bill Pullman’s patriotic speech should also be required viewing for High School civics classes.

“The Hurt Locker”

This film deserved a fate...

My new book, Bruce Springsteen: The Stories Behind the Songs, tells the tales behind every officially released studio recording of Bruce Springsteen’s career so far. In addition to my years of Springsteen reporting, including five interviews with the man himself, the book draws on over 60 hours of brand-new interviews with musicians, producers, and other collaborators from throughout his career (including Max Weinberg, Roy Bittan, Nils Lofgren, Soozie Tyrell, Tom Morello, David Sancious and many, many more). I’m proud to debut this exclusive excerpt here at Rolling Stone, where...

With three films already in release this year and another coming, Melissa McCarthy has been wallowing in worshipful media coverage. “Has anyone ever worked so hard to make us laugh?” the New York Times Magazine asked in this week’s cover story. Having established that she “owns” comedy, however, McCarthy, in true movie star fashion, has now switched to high drama. Mirthless Melissa’s new film, appropriately titled Can You Ever Forgive Me?, is best described by the New Yorker as “a mournful film suffused with an air of doom.”

I don’t want to pick on Melissa McCarthy, but the compulsion of stars to shed their true persona has always intrigued me. The pages of Hollywood history are steeped in examples of famed actors who want to prove that they can “stretch” — code for self-destruct.

On occasion, of course, the results have been inspiring: Remember how Tom Hanks, obviously...

For the Fourth of July, let’s get into the All-American spirit with good old-fashioned patriotic movies? Whether you’re an astronaut, a Congressman, a mathematician or a hockey player, you typify the kind of best Americans that the movies want to celebrate on Independence Day.

The theme of our photo gallery above is all about the American spirit, which can be a rah-rah film (like “Miracle” or “Top Gun”), fighting for the people back home or even going against the grain to fight for what’s right in society. Our gallery also includes “The Right Stuff,” “Field of Dreams,” “Forrest Gump,” “Hidden Figures” and more. James Cagney, Kevin Costner, Tom Cruise, Sally Field, Tom Hanks, Taraji P. Henson, James Stewart and Denzel Washington are some of the big names in starring roles.

Enjoy a hot dog and sit back to peruse (or even watch again) these 15 wonderful movies that...

Jodie Foster could hardly hold back her feelings when announcing the Best Actor winner at the 1990 Oscars ceremony. Watch above as she swoons in saying the name of Daniel Day-Lewis for “My Left Foot,” his first ever victory at the Academy Awards.

In the 1980s, Day-Lewis was a young actor known mostly for British stage work and television, but he was building a reputation as an immersive method actor. He had received good notices for his performances in “A Room with a View,” as the wealthy suitor of Helena Bonham Carter, and as a romantic Czech doctor in “The Unbearable Lightness of Being.”

SEEDaniel Day-Lewis movies: Top 12 greatest films ranked from worst to best

In 1988 he was offered a screenplay based on the memoirs of Christy Brown, an Irish poet and painter born with cerebral palsy. When he read the opening scene where Christy puts on a record using only his left foot,...

Triumph over adversity is drama defined, and Oscar nominations often go to actors whose characters find victory over physical or mental afflictions. The earliest example goes back to 1947; that was the year that non-pro Harold Russell won Best Supporting Actor and a special award for “The Best Years of Our Lives.” Russell was a WWII veteran who lost both of his hands while making a training film. Of note: Of the 59, 27 of these nominations went on to a win. This year’s roster of stars playing afflicted characters includes Jake Gyllenhaal as bombing victim Jeff Baumer in “Stronger,” Andrew Garfield as polio survivor Robin Cavendish in “Breathe,” Bryan Cranston as a millionaire quadriplegic in “The Upside,” and Sally Hawkins in two roles, as an arthritic painter in “Maudie” and a mute lab worker in “The Shape of Water.”

Check out Oscar’s rather astonishing legacy of afflicted contenders below.

Blind...

Triumph over adversity is drama defined, and Oscar nominations often go to actors whose characters find victory over physical or mental afflictions. The earliest example goes back to 1947; that was the year that non-pro Harold Russell won Best Supporting Actor and a special award for “The Best Years of Our Lives.” Russell was a WWII veteran who lost both of his hands while making a training film. Of note: Of the 59, 27 of these nominations went on to a win. This year’s roster of stars playing afflicted characters includes Jake Gyllenhaal as bombing victim Jeff Baumer in “Stronger,” Andrew Garfield as polio survivor Robin Cavendish in “Breathe,” Bryan Cranston as a millionaire quadriplegic in “The Upside,” and Sally Hawkins in two roles, as an arthritic painter in “Maudie” and a mute lab worker in “The Shape of Water.”

Check out Oscar’s rather astonishing legacy of afflicted contenders below.

Blind...