Born on the Fourth of July (1989) | Tom Cruise's Best Performance?

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 🚨 Subscribe to our newsletter!- https://the-cinema-psychos-show.kit.com/9e9a267e76   Find The Cinema Psychos Show on Youtube - 🔴 \* SUBSCRIBE on YOUTUBE and SMASH THAT BELL TO OBLIVION!  — https://www.youtube.com/@cinemapsychospod?Sub\_Confirmation=1 \* Watch more episodes here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLmrw92zmCK5VBHWrF0807eeUEypGRd9bW \* J Dub's Video Nasties (John's awesome movie channel)  - https://www.youtube.com/@JDUBSVIDEONASTIES/   Follow The Cinema Psychos Show on Socials ❤️‍🔥: \* Discord: https://discord.gg/mXBaS5bTKg \* Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@cinemapsychosshow \* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cinemapsychospod \* Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cinemapsychospod \* Threads: https://www.threads.net/@cinemapsychospod   Listen to The Cinema Psychos Show on: \* Spotify: https://rebrand.ly/0v6eeno \* Apple: https://rebrand.ly/j5nrkp7 \* Amazon: https://rebrand.ly/5x5hzng \* Goodpods: https://rebrand.ly/picstv6 OR LISTEN ON YOUR FAVORITE PODCAST APP! https://cinemapsychosshow.com/follow   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 musicbakery.com