Top 5 things to watch on the 4th!

Top 5 things to watch on the 4th!

Over here at Staystillreviews we're planning on having a low-key 4th of July celebration due to all of the craziness happening currently in the world. To be safe, I've decided to stock up on food and beverages, and have myself an all day Stranger Things season 3 marathon. Last year I did plow through the entire season in one day, but I also went out to a party, and it prevented me from watching most of the episodes on the actual 4th. This year, due to the pandemic, I'm staying home, cranking the A.C, eatings Eggos, and venturing too Hawkins. As Saturday approaches, I've been prepping by trying to watch as many 4th of July classics since I'm determined to strictly only watch the third season of Stranger Things that day. Here are my top 5 things to watch on the 4th of July to celebrate in style!

Mmmmm that summer body tho!

5) Final Destination 3

- A young girl has a premonition that a group of her friends get killed in a gruesome accident on a rollercoaster. After several of the teenagers get kicked off the ride after the girl causes a scene, they all witness that her hysterical ravings were actually true as the rollercoaster goes off the rails, killing everyone else who stayed on the ride. Weeks following the devestating accident, the same girl begins to get a strange feeling that it really isn't over. That's when she discovers while going through her camera that each snapshot gives clues on how each teenager is supposed to die. Trying everything to save herself and her friends, time begins to run out as a deadly chain reaction begins.

- In my eyes this is the strongest installment in the entire franchise. This was a huge movie that was released my senior year of high school. I'm a really big fan of James Wong (director)  as well as Glen Morgan. This was the perfect duo to make a fun over the top supernatural slasher. The cinematography is absolutely gorgeous (lots of reds and blues used) The cast is hands down one of the best, and the deaths are some of the most stomach turning and gruesome I've ever seen. (Tanning beds anyone?) I love this movie SO much I even got  the characters of Wendy and Ian from the ending scene tattooed on me. Beyond random, but seriously two of my favorite tattoos I have. The ending scene is during a 4th of July celebration. In fact, we get some pretty awesome firework effects, as well as one of the most iconic lines said "Fuck you Ben Franklin."

4) Blow Out

- A movie sound recordist accidentally records the evidence that proves that a car accident was actually murder and consequently finds himself in danger along side a woman who was involved in the accident and maybe very well be the only real witness from what happened. 

- I'm a huge Brian De Palma fan (Carrie, Dressed To Kill, Body Double, etc) this was during the time he was cranking out one brilliant thriller after the next. This is loosely based off the 1960's classic Blow Up (where a photographer captures evidence of a murder with his camera instead of it being sound in this film) This movie is known to becoming quite the classic over the time, as well as being one of director Quentin Tarantino's favorite movies. This is a great modern day thriller, and what makes it a great 4th of July watch is the huge finale, which screams classic Hitchcock. Without spoiling much, the ending heartbreaking scene truly comes full circle with the movie, as well as showing the perfect shot of both John Travolta and Nancy Allen as the entire sky lights up with fireworks. I just watched this movie last night and hands down the opening, and ending are perfect bookends to such a brilliant underrated thriller. 

3) I Know What You Did Last Summer

- Four young friends on the 4th of July accidentally hit a man who's crossing a dark beach side road late that night. Terrified, and filled with panic they decide to dump the body in the ocean and swear never to speak a word of this to anyone. A year later, the four young adults are still riddled with guilt over what happened. When Julie, of the girls from that night return home from college she receives a blank envelope with a note inside. Written on it in big block letters it reads... "I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER!" Frightened, she teams up with the three other teens from the faithful night who find themselves being stalked by a man dressed in a black rain slicker, who has a giant fishing hook, slaughtering anyone who gets in his way.

- This was a big movie that scared the absolute shit out of me as a kid. I was growing up in the Scream era where those movies were huge and suddenly horror was "cool" again, but these movies were all slick, with all star casts from TV, and posters that all basically looked the same. I myself was a massive Scream fan (I still remember dressing up a ghost face with my sister for Halloween, and how excited we were that the Scream 2 teaser was released that we taped it and would watch it over and over again.) I Know What You Did Last Summer fit perfectly with these slick cool looking horror movies (Scream, Urban Legends, the Faculty, H20, ect.) This movie is actually pretty decent, with a great cast, and the use of the events of the film taking place of the 4th. I think the best use of this is with the best chase scene ever shown in a slasher film with Sarah Michelle Gellar's character  and how she limps away from the killer, only to see fireworks going off in the sky. I'm sure lots of people are wondering why Uncle Sam (1997) didn't make the list, but I stuck with films I always try to watch on the actual holiday (sorry Return Of The Living Dead I always watch on the 3rd not the 4th!) And as for Uncle Sam...well that movie is fucking terrible!

2) Stranger Things season 3 

- It's the summer of 1985. The kids of Hawkins are all growing up, and reaching a crossroads with friends and relationships. Unknown to them there is a secret beneath the brand new shopping mall. A secret that will change everything forever. A secret that's slowly taking over Hawkins, possessing a new host, and building an army. 

- Yes this isn't a movie, but an actual whole season of a show. Still in my eyes, this is really one big giant movie, all taking place during the days leading up till the 4th with one of the biggest most legendary endings in The Battle Of Starcourt. Like I said before, I'm planning on re-watching in my eyes the strongest season yet on the 4th since any massive plans have been canceled. Wanting to play it safe, I stocked up on beer and Eggos, and plan on mental venturing to Hawkins. Everything about this season screams summer as well as the 4th of July. I'm sure I'm not alone in saying, I get chills whenever the teens and kids team up in the mall with fireworks ready to defeat the Mind Flayer and it's army. Billy is my favorite character, playing a complicated villain, who unfortunately is taken over by the Mind Flayer as it builds it's army throughout the town. We have the group of kids, who are all becoming teenagers and dealing with stupid long drama such as boys trying to understand girls, and girls...like Eleven becoming her own person as a pre-teen. There's poor Will, who's still stuck enjoying childish things, and watching his friends move on as they grow up dating girls and no longer wanting to play games. Steve, who wears a sailor uniform at his new job at the mall scooping ice cream with his co-worker Robin. Dustin, who stumbles upon a secret message being broadcast in Russian, and of course Joyce and Hopper who stumble upon the massive secret that could put everyone back in danger all over again. This season was 5 stars all across the board with me with it's storytelling, as well as I mentioned capturing summer perfectly. Let it be sampling ice cream at Scoops Ahoy, watching the hottest lifeguard that's ever existed, or sneaking in to see Day Of The Dead at the movies. Everything about this season perfectly captures summer fun, and I honestly can't wait to sit down and watch it all in one sitting all over again Saturday! *Cracks open beer* And away we go!

1) Jaws  

- A sheriff, scientist, and crazed fisherman all team up to venture out and try and capture and kill a massive man eating great white shark who's been terrorizing a small island off the East coast one summer. Here this massive creature kills several swimmers in the area, before a young child is killed and his mother sets up a huge bounty for whoever kills it first. Madness follows, and in the end the three men take a ship out to try and destroy this beast once and for all.

- Jaws really is the ultimate 4th of July movie. For me, it's always been a top favorite of mine. This action adventure is filled with great writing, likable characters, and some of the scariest moments ever featured on the ocean. In fact, as I'm writing this, I have Jaws cranking in the background. I'm sure I'm not alone in saying this is a staple to watch every 4th. With my Stranger Things marathon planned, I have this movie on as tradition. It's truly not July until you see that damn shark blow up!

- Honorable mentions to watch at the beginning of this month are...

• Return Of The Living Dead
• Uncle Sam
• The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2
• Jaws 2, 3, and The Revenge.
• Everybody Wants Some
• and of course Piranha!

Happy 4th everyone! Stay safe!!!