Happy 4th of July — we're doing it differently this year!
Brian and John are joined by returning guest Henry O'Brien (Film Obsessive / Stuff I Watched Substack) to review Oliver Stone's BORN ON THE FOURTH OF JULY (1989) — and make the case that this is not just Tom Cruise's best performance, but one of the most underseen masterworks of American cinema.
In this episode:
• Why Stone's 5-act structure is a deliberate rejection of war film conventions
• Tom Cruise vs. Eyes Wide Shut — where does Ron Kovic rank?
• Willem Dafoe in Mexico: Robert Eggers crazy vs. balls-to-the-wall crazy
• Stone & Sorkin as two sides of the same American myth coin
📬 Follow Henry O'Brien:
• Film Obsessive: filmobsessive.com
• Substack: Stuff I Watched
• Twitter/X: @realHenryOBrien
• Letterboxd: @HenryOBrien23
⏱️ CHAPTERS
00:00 Cold open — is this Cruise's best?
01:54 Celebrating the 4th of July with Controversy
03:06 1. BBQ on the 4th of July
05:21 2. War Movies on the 4th of July
05:44 Discussing Born on the Fourth of July
18:39 Synopsis of Born on the Fourth of July
20:01 The Film's Portrayal of Propaganda and PTSD
25:21 The Use of Music in the Film
28:28 Comparing Born on the Fourth of July to Apocalypse Now
51:05 Audience's Favorite July 4th Movies
51:23 1. Jaws
53:34 2. Independence Day 2
55:48 3. Yankee Doodle Dandy and Hamilton
58:53 Hosts' Social Media and Upcoming Content
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MAIN TITLE: "Red Alert"
AUTHOR: Jack Waldenmaier
PUBLISHER: Music Bakery Publishing (BMI)
WARNING: UNAUTHORIZED USE OF THE MUSIC CONTAINED IN THIS PRODUCTION IS SUBJECT TO CRIMINAL PROSECUTION. All copyrights, licensing, duplication and distribution rights are held exclusively by Music Bakery Publishing (BMI). 214-636-5887
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