"Yankee Doodle Dandy" (1942): George M. Cohan (James Cagney) finds his place in musical theater history, writing "Over There," "The Yankee Doodle Boy," and "You're A Grand Old Flag" over the course of his life.
"1776" (1972): Benjamin Franklin and John Adams (William Daniels) peer-pressure Thomas Jefferson — in song and dance — to write the Declaration of Independence days before the Fourth.
"All The President's Men" (1976): Reporters Bob Woodward (Robert Redford) and Carl Bernstein (Dustin Hoffman) investigate the Nixon administration's Watergate scandal for The Washington Post.
"Raiders of the Lost Ark" (1981): The US government tasks adventurous archaeologist Indiana Jones with acquiring the Ark of the Covenant before the Nazis can get their hands on it.
"Rocky IV" (1985): After his friend dies fighting the Soviet Union's top boxer in the ring, World Champion Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) goes to Russia to avenge his friend and defend his country's honor.
"Top Gun" (1986): A talented and recluse pilot (Tom Cruise) steps on the toes of other students in his quest to be the best at the Navy's elite fighter weapons school.
"Born on the Fourth of July" (1989): A veteran paralyzed in the Vietnam War (Tom Cruise) becomes an anti-war, pro-human political activist.
"Glory" (1989): Colonel Robert Gould Shaw (Matthew Broderick) leads the all-black 54th Regiment of the Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry during the Civil War.
"A League Of Their Own" (1992): During World War II while men are fighting overseas, baseball opens its doors to women. A rag-tag team (Geena Davis, Madonna, Rosie O'Donnell) fights to be taken seriously.
"A Few Good Men" (1992): A military lawyer (Tom Cruise) defends Marines accused of murder who argue they were acting under the orders of a colonel (Jack Nicholson).
"The Sandlot" (1993): During the summer of 1962, a group of young baseball players help the new kid on the block assimilate and teach him about the menacing, 300-pound dog who guards the lot beyond the fence.
"Forrest Gump" (1994): A slow-witted but athletically gifted and warm-hearted Alabama native (Tom Hanks) experiences the defining events of the latter half of the 20th century.
"Apollo 13" (1995): Three astronauts (Tom Hanks, Kevin Bacon, and Bill Paxton) must devise a strategy to return to Earth safely from an ill-fated mission bound for the moon.
"Independence Day" (1996): Will Smith leads a group of humans against a troupe of alien invaders threatening to destroy Earth.
"Air Force One": Harrison Ford shows Russian terrorists (led by Gary Oldman) why you should never take the president and his family hostage aboard his own plane.
"Saving Private Ryan" (1998): A World War II soldier (Tom Hanks) makes it his mission to rescue Private Ryan (Matt Damon), the sole survivor among four military sons.
"The Patriot" (2000): After his son Gabriel (Heath Ledger) is captured, farmer Benjamin Martin (Mel Gibson) forms a group of Carolina patriots to rise against the British troops during the American Revolution.
"Remember The Titans" (2000): A forcibly integrated football team becomes a unifying symbol for their community as the players and coaches (Denzel Washington and Will Patton) learn to lean on each other.
"Black Hawk Down" (2001): After two helicopters are shot down in Somalia, a team of soldiers is sent on an epic and dangerous rescue mission.
"Miracle" (2004): The 1980 United States Ice Hockey team and their coach (Kurt Russell) unite a nation under an impossible dream: to shred the Soviets at the Olympic Games.
"National Treasure" (2004): An intense historian (Nicholas Cage) goes on the hunt for a treasure hidden by the founding fathers of the United States.
"Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby" (2006): NASCAR driver Ricky Bobby (Will Ferrell) stays atop the heap thanks to his hardcore American work ethic.
"Argo" (2012): On an undercover mission, a CIA agent (Ben Affleck) poses as a movie producer in order to rescue six Americans during the 1980 U.S. hostage crisis in Iran.
"Lincoln" (2012): As the Civil War continues to rage on, President Lincoln (Daniel Day-Lewis) struggles with many inside his own cabinet on the decision to emancipate the slaves.
"Captain America: The Winter Soldier" (2014): The First Avenger (Chris Evans) tries to start a new life in D.C., when he discovers that S.H.I.E.L.D. is overrun by an organization that wants to cleanse the world of millions of people.
Time to brush up on some history.
