Memorial Day 2015 – Top 10 Movies to Stream and Watch over the Holiday Weekend

Memorial Day isn't all about barbeques and pool parties.

Nothing could be further from the barbaric idea of war, one that's simultaneously shown the worst and best humanity can offer. War movies especially show the impact a single person can have in the line of duty.

Sure, it marks the unofficial start to summer, but Memorial Day also honors the men and women who have died in military service. It is meant to celebrate their contributions, whether it comes by visiting a national cemetery or simply streaming a film.

From fictional heroes to vivid depictions of real-life battles, Hollywood's never shied away from the horrors of combat. Let's take a look at some of best war pictures ever made.

Saving Private Ryan

Cast: Tom Hanks, Matt Damon, Tom Edward Burns, Vin Diesel, Paul Giamatti

Fun fact: Steven Spielberg cast Matt Damon because he wanted an unknown actor with an "All-American look."

Platoon

Cast: Charlie Sheen, William Dafoe, Tom Berenger, Forest Whitaker, Johnny Depp, John C. McGinley

Fun fact: Oliver Stone sent the first draft to Jim Morrison in hopes he would play Charlie Sheen's character. Morrison had the script on him when was found dead in Paris.

Full Metal Jacket

Cast: Matthew Modine, R. Lee Ermey, Vincent D'Onofrio, Arliss Howard, Adam Baldwin

Fun fact: Denzel Washington was considered for the role of Eightball and says he regrets not being cast.

Black Hawk Down

Cast: Ewan McGregor, Josh Hartnett, Eric Bana, William Fichtner, Orlando Bloom, Tom Hardy, Jeremy Piven

Fun fact: Some of the scenes are actual images of the battle in Somalia.

Patton

Cast: George C. Scott, Karl Malden, Stephen Young, Michael Strong

Fun fact: The revolvers George C. Scott wears in the opening speech are actual guns George S. Patton used.

Apocalypse Now

Cast: Marlon Brando, Martin Sheen, Robert Duvall, Laurence Fishburne, Harrison Ford, Dennis Hopper

Fun fact: Clint Eastwood turned down Martin Sheen's role because he thought the film was too dark.

Flags of our Fathers

Cast: Ryan Phillippe, Jesse Bradford, Adam Beach, Paul Walker

Fun fact: Actual Marines were used as extras during scenes aboard ship as well in training scenes.

Gettysburg

Cast: Tom Berenger, Martin Sheen, Stephen Lang, Sam Elliott

Fun fact: This is officially the longest film ever made, clocking in at 271 minutes.

All Quiet on the Western Front (1979)

Cast: Ernest Borgnine, Richard Thomas, Donald Pleasence, Ian Holm

Fun fact: This was one of the first U.S. films shot in what was a Communist bloc, being filmed largely in Czechoslovakia.

Glory

Cast: Denzel Washington, Morgan Freeman, Matthew Broderick, Cary Elwes, Jane Alexander

Fun fact: Several excerpts from Colonel Shaw's letters to his mother were taken from "Army Life in a Black Regiment," a book written by Civil War commander Thomas Wentworth Higginson.