Watch: July 4th Movie Marathons to Make You Feel Patriotic
Military Dramas on FXM, Tuesday, July 4, 3/2c, FXM
Ten-hut! These soldiers are ready to impress you with their bravery and gumption this Independence Day. All three films in FXM’s marathon are based on real-life American heroes from World War II to the present. Start with Red Tails, screenwriter John Ridley’s (American Crime) tribute to the fighter pilots of the Tuskegee Airmen, who blazed trails on the ground and in dogfights over Italy and Germany. Tristan Wilds, Michael B. Jordan, Nate Parker, Ne-Yo and David Oyelowo (above, from left) star. Next up, Lone Survivor, the harrowing story of Operation Red Wings, in which a team of Navy SEALs unsuccessfully attempted to take out Taliban leader Ahmad Shah in Afghanistan in 2005. Mark Wahlberg leads a first-rate cast including Taylor Kitsch and Ben Foster. Zero Dark Thirty finishes the run, and stars Jessica Chastain in the decade-long hunt to track down Osama bin Laden. Oscar winner Kathryn Bigelow (The Hurt Locker) directed this tense look at how CIA operatives finally found the most wanted man in American history.
Happy Independence Day Musicals, Tuesday, July 4, 8/7c, TCM
Sing out, patriots—the Fourth is a great day to give your regards to Broadway. James Cagney stars in Yankee Doodle Dandy, the true-life story of George M. Cohan (aka the composer of American wartime classics “Over There” and “You’re a Grand Old Flag”). Next up is 1776, a song-filled ode to the first and second Continental Congresses. Finally, wind down with a trip to the heartland, where ya got trouble with a capital T, in Meredith Willson’s timeless classic The Music Man.
Rocky Marathon, Tuesday, July 4, 3:30/2:30c, Sundance
You’re gonna fly now! Binge the first five Rocky films, beginning with 1976’s Best Picture winner (which also nabbed Sylvester Stallone an Oscar nomination for his screenplay). Rocky III (1982) at 8:30 is the clear highlight of the day (Apollo Creed and Mr. T’s Clubber Lang? Fuhgeddaboutit!), but keep watching through 1990’s underrated Rocky V, which sees our down-and-out boxer training a young new fighter (Tommy Morrison).
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