Memorial Day weekend isn't exactly a time where you'd sit at home and watch movies. But there is bad weather in certain parts of the country—and yours truly will catch up on a few films I missed this year—so why not fire up something after your barbecue? We assembled the 25 best movies to watch this holiday weekend. There's plenty you probably haven't seen on this list, but I won't judge if you end up clearing time for your sixth rewatch of Top Gun: Maverick. —Brady Langmann, senior entertainment editor
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From Platoon to Flags of Our Fathers, here are the best movies to watch over the holiday weekend.
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It's too easy to forget what Memorial Day weekend is really about. Although it's become the de facto kick-off to summer with backyard barbecues, weekend beach trips, and killer shopping deals, the weekend is meant to remember something much greater. First observed in 1868, Memorial Day is dedicated to those who've died in service to the United States Armed Forces. It's a tradition that's truly American, even if we've lost sight of what counts. Thankfully, you can always fire up a good movie to keep the spirit of the weekend alive.
For decades, filmmakers have paid tribute to America's troops, with movies that celebrate their valor or challenge the political institutions that force them to sacrifice at all. Some of the greatest directors ever like Oliver Stone, Stanley Kubrick, Edward Zwick, and Steven Spielberg have centered their best films on the tremendous cost of war.
Keep the more explosive movies for Independence Day. Below are 25 movies that actually feel right for Memorial Day.
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Last week, I was privileged to travel all the way to Tokyo to have my horological preconceptions thoroughly reorganized by Citizen, a 108-year-old Japanese watch brand that thinks in a wholly different way from other brands.
At Citizen, you see, power is everything.
If you think of solar power as futuristic it may surprise you to find out that it’s been around—in concept, at least—for almost 200 years. The principle of the science goes back to 1839, when French physicist Edmond Becquerel discovered the photovoltaic effect. Selenium-based cells capable of storing electrical power gathered from the sunlight appeared in the 1880s. The first viable photovoltaic cell arrived in 1954, and the first solar-powered watches hit the market—courtesy of Citizen—in 1976.
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In his first minute onscreen, Homelander killed someone. It’s easy to forget because it’s played off as a joke to lay down the show’s satirical tone and it was seven long years ago when The Boys premiered on Prime Video. But over five long seasons, The Boys repeatedly, relentlessly, incessantly, made it clear that Homelander—played by a memorable Anthony Starr in a career-defining performance—was not aspirational nor sympathetic. He’s a careless and callous asshole whose bulletproof body, super strength, and laser vision are all pieces of a preciously thin armor for a fragile ego incapable of genuine human connection.
No one is supposed to think Homelander is cool. You can maybe see him as tragic, and the circumstances behind his origins as a manufactured product abhorrent. But he’s the closest thing in the show to an inhuman monstrosity. He’s a testosterone-driven menace with a pathetic insecurity that his powers cannot afford him all he actually craves, like love and validation. So it’s alarming and incredibly stupid that a few too many people who watched The Boys didn’t get it. At all.
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