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Category: Movies

  • 2025 was the year of the Philly crime show, but also so much more

    2025 was the year of the Philly crime show, but also so much more

    Locally filmed crime shows were everywhere, theaters opened but didn’t (thankfully) close, and Colman Domingo was (rightfully) ubiquitous. All that and more, in our roundup of movies in Philadelphia in 2025.

    Year of the Philly crime show

    There’s a good chance 2025 will be remembered as the Year of the Philly Crime Show. Three such shows, HBO Max’s Task, Apple TV’s The Dope Thief, and Peacock’s Long Bright River, aired on streaming services during 2025. Task, the big breakout of the three, was renewed for a second season.

    The year was lighter on Hollywood movie productions shooting in town, but among them was a basketball movie with Mark Wahlberg, at various times given the titles Cheesesteak and Weekend Warriors. I Play Rocky, a movie about the making of the original 1976 Rocky, also filmed in the city.

    In Peacock’s “Long Bright River,” Allentown native Amanda Seyfried plays Michaela “Mickey” Fitzpatrick, a Kensington patrol police officer who discovers a string of murders in the neighborhood’s drug market.

    Gearing up for Rocky 50

    It wouldn’t be a year in Philly film without Rocky making its way in.

    I Play Rocky is expected to arrive in theaters in 2026, in what will likely serve as one of many commemorations of the 50th anniversary of Rocky.

    Also, Rocky was among the many movies and area film institutions included in Films Shaped by a City, a new mural by Marian Bailey, that debuted in October on Sansom Street, on the back of the Film Society Center. Mural Arts Philadelphia, BlackStar Projects, and the Philadelphia Film Society had worked on the project for more than two years.

    Outside the filming of “Eraserhead” by David Lynch at the Film Society Center, in Philadelphia, Oct. 5, 2025.

    The Film Society’s big year

    The new mural on the back of its building was part of an eventful year for the Philadelphia Film Society, which completed a big new entrance and lobby renovation of the Film Society Center.

    The Philadelphia Film Festival, in October, welcomed 33,000 attendees, which PFS calls its highest turnout ever, while the three theaters welcomed 200,000 customers throughout the year, also a record.

    Colman Domingo attends the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute benefit gala celebrating the opening of the “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style” exhibition on Monday, May 5, 2025, in New York.

    The very busy Colman Domingo

    It was another eventful year for the Temple alum and West Philly native, who was nominated for the best actor Oscar for the second straight year, for last year’s Sing Sing. In 2025, he was in four movies — Dead Man’s Wire, The Running Man, and voice roles in The Electric State and Wicked: For Good. He also appeared in the TV series The Four Seasons — created by and costarring Upper Darby’s Tina Fey — and Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man. He even guest-judged on RuPaul’s Drag Race and cochaired the Met Gala.

    In 2026, Domingo is set to appear in both the Michael Jackson biopic Michael and Steven Spielberg’s new sci-fi film, Disclosure Day. He’s also at work on his feature directorial debut, Scandalous!, and said at PFF that he hopes to finish the film in time to bring it to next year’s festival.

    This image released by Warner Bros. Pictures shows David Corenswet in a scene from “Superman.” (Warner Bros. Pictures via AP)

    Local actors and filmmakers shine

    The Philadelphia-born Penn alum David Corenswet debuted as Superman this summer, a film that also featured a small appearance by Jenkintown’s Bradley Cooper. Cooper directed and played a supporting role in In This Thing On?

    Mount Airy native and Temple alum Da’Vine Joy Randolph followed up her Oscar win by appearing in three movies, Shadow Force, Bride Hard, and Eternity — the latter of which also starred Downingtown’s Miles Teller — and continuing on Only Murders in the Building.

    Willow Grove’s Dan Trachtenberg directed not one but two films in the Predator franchise, the animated Predator: Killer of Killers and the live-action Predator: Badlands. Penn alum Gavin O’Connor directed The Accountant 2. In addition to creating Task, Berwyn’s Brad Ingelsby wrote the movies Echo Valley and The Lost Bus, both for Apple TV.

    West Philadelphia’s Quinta Brunson continued to star in Abbott Elementary, which had her filming in Citizens Bank Park the night of Kyle Schwarber’s historic four home runs. She also played a voice role in Zootopia 2.

    Exterior entrance to Netflix House, King of Prussia Mall, Tuesday, November 11, 2025.

    No theater loss

    Philadelphia, in a rarity, did not lose any movie screens in 2025.

    The January abandonment of the 76 Place arena project meant that Center City’s only multiplex, the AMC Fashion District, gets to continue in its current location.

    Then, in August, it was announced that the Riverview movie theater on Columbus Boulevard, which has sat empty since 2020, would reopen in 2026 under the auspices of Apple Cinemas, with the city’s only IMAX screen. However, recently it didn’t appear that any construction work had begun there yet, and the Riverview’s impending return had also been announced in 2024.

    In February, an effort was announced to revive the Anthony Wayne Theater in Wayne. Ishana Night Shyamalan, the film director and daughter of M. Night, is a member of the board seeking to bring the theater back.

    In November, the first-ever Netflix House “fan destination” opened in King of Prussia, and it includes a theater that will feature such special events as Netflix’s NFL games on Christmas Day and the Stranger Things series finale on New Year’s Day.

    And about two hours north of the city, in the town of Wind Gap, the Gap Theatre reopened in March after it was closed for five years. The theater shows more than 50 films a month, mostly sourced from the collection of Exhumed Films.

    A still from Mike Macera’s “Alice-Heart,” part of the 2025 Philadelphia Film Festival’s “Filmadelphia” section.

    Indie-delphia

    It was also an eventful year for local independent film.

    Delco: The Movie, which was in the works for several years, had its premiere in January. Two other films, both of which premiered at the 2022 Philadelphia Film Festival, finally saw their release this year: The Golden Voice, directed by Brandon Eric Kamin, and Not For Nothing, from Tim Dowlin and Frank Tartaglia, who died in 2022.

    Mike Macera’s Alice-Heart, featuring a cast and crew full of Drexel and Temple alumni, premiered at PFF and won the Filmadelphia Best Local Feature Film Award.

    To mark the 40th anniversary of the 1985 death of Flyers goalie Pelle Lindbergh, the documentary “The Swede of Philadelphia” opened in area theaters in November.

    Documenting sports stars

    There were, once again, several prominent sports documentaries about Philadelphia athletes of the past and present. CNN aired Kobe: The Making of a Legend, about Lower Merion’s Kobe Bryant, to coincide with the fifth anniversary of his death. To mark the 40th anniversary of the 1985 death of Flyers goalie Pelle Lindbergh, the documentary The Swede of Philadelphia opened in area theaters in November.

    Amazon’s Prime Video premiered Saquon, which followed the Eagles’ Saquon Barkley for several years, in October. This year’s Eagles team is featured on HBO’s Hard Knocks for the first time as part of the currently-airing Hard Knocks: In Season with the NFC East.

    David Lynch appears at the Governors Awards in Los Angeles on Oct. 27, 2019.

    Remembering David Lynch

    The January death of David Lynch, who lived in Philadelphia as a young art student and was inspired by the city in his work, was commemorated locally with everything from a new mural in the “Eraserhood” to showings of his movies at most area theaters that feature repertory fare.

    When the Film Society Center reopened after the renovation, the first showing was a 35mm screening of Lynch’s Callowhill-inspired Eraserhead.

  • The Bryn Mawr Film Institute turned 20 this year. Here are 20 iconic movies from its history.

    The Bryn Mawr Film Institute turned 20 this year. Here are 20 iconic movies from its history.

    There are few facades more iconic in Bryn Mawr than the marquee of the Bryn Mawr Film Institute (BMFI), an enduring Main Line institution and watering hole for cinephiles from across the region.

    BMFI has turned 20, marking two decades of the nonprofit community theater founded by Juliet Goodfriend in 2005. In the early 2000s, Goodfriend found herself dismayed when a historic movie theater in neighboring Ardmore was converted into a short-lived gym. To protect Bryn Mawr’s historic Seville Theatre from the same fate, Goodfriend rallied a team of local stakeholders around the theater. In December 2004, BMFI purchased the Seville, and in March 2005, the film institute opened its doors. Today, BMFI screens new and historic films, hosts lectures, teaches courses for children and adults, and celebrates the art of the film.

    “It means a lot … to see what this place has become through the generous support and engagement of the community,” said Andrew J. Douglas, deputy director of the film institute who has worked at BMFI since it first opened.

    To celebrate BMFI’s 20th anniversary, its staff compiled a list of 20 of the most iconic films the theater has screened, from Philly-based flicks to beloved musicals:

    ‘Blue Velvet’

    If there’s an iconic filmmaker with a Philadelphia connection, it’s the late David Lynch, said Jacob Mazer, BMFI’s director of programs and education.

    Blue Velvet is Lynch’s 1986 mystery thriller. It follows college student Jeffrey Beaumont after he discovers a severed ear in a vacant lot in his suburban hometown and is drawn into a dark world of crime.

    “When we look at this arc of [Lynch’s] career, it’s really the film where he finds his way,” Mazer said.

    Lynch began his filmmaking career in Philadelphia at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and regularly discussed basing his landmark debut Eraserhead on the city in the 1970s. When Lynch returned to Philly for a retrospective of his work at PAFA in 2014, he visited BMFI for a screening of his films and a Q&A session with the audience. Blue Velvet was the first film BMFI played to commemorate Lynch after his death in January.

    ‘The Philadelphia Story’

    There’s a lot of local love for The Philadelphia Story, George Cukor’s 1940 romantic comedy set on the Main Line and based on the life of socialite Helen Hope Montgomery Scott, said Gina Izzo, BMFI’s communications director.

    Plus, Izzo added, “It’s funny. It holds up.”

    ‘Lawrence of Arabia’

    The annual summer screening of David Lean’s 1962 film Lawrence of Arabia is the oldest-running BMFI tradition. It’s a movie that is just “not done justice on a small screen,” said Mazer.

    ‘The Sound of Music’

    Each December, lovers of The Sound of Music descend on BMFI for what Izzo describes as an “interactive screening” of the 1965 musical directed by Robert Wise. Over the course of three hours and many songs, The Sound of Music tells the World War II-era story of Maria (Julie Andrews), a young woman who becomes a governess for the von Trapps, an aristocratic Austrian family.

    At the annual Christmastime screening at BMFI, moviegoers sing along from their seats and, each year, wear increasingly elaborate costumes. Last year, there were nuns, goats, and “brown paper packages tied up with strings” (a la the song “My Favorite Things”). The showings sell out months in advance.

    As Izzo put it, “It’s sort of our Rocky Horror Picture Show equivalent.”

    ‘Harold and Maude’

    Hal Ashby’s Harold and Maude has been a mainstay at the Seville Theatre since it was released in 1971. It was the last movie shown on the Seville’s single screen before the theater was twinned (split into two screening rooms) in the 1980s.

    “Harold and Maude just comes back again and again and again” in the theater’s history, said Mazer. “It’s one of the quintessential cult movies.”

    A view from one of the projection booths inside the Bryn Mawr Film Institute in Bryn Mawr on March 8, 2018.

    ‘Casablanca’

    Michael Curtiz’s 1942 romantic-drama Casablanca is “one of the great examples of the difference [between] seeing a movie in a theater with other people versus by yourself at home,” said Douglas.

    BMFI screens Casablanca every summer, and Douglas teaches an annual lecture on the film. When he watches Casablanca at BMFI, Douglas says he regularly hears people sniffling at sad moments or guffawing at funny ones, a stark comparison to the muted reactions one often has from the comfort of their own couch.

    “You’re reminded how funny it is, you’re reminded how moving it is, and you’re reminded, in a sense, how human it is,” he said.

    ‘The Grand Budapest Hotel’

    Why include Wes Anderson’s 2014 film The Grand Budapest Hotel? Put simply, people just love Wes Anderson, Izzo said.

    ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’

    Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey was the first film shown at the theater after it developed the capacity to screen 70 mm film. Mazer called the 1968 movie an “iconic film” in cinematic history.

    ‘Silver Linings Playbook’

    In a way, Silver Linings Playbook is a “modern-day Philadelphia Story,” said Douglas. The 2012 film, directed by David O. Russell, follows Pat Solitano Jr. (Bradley Cooper), recently released from a psychiatric hospital who works to win back his estranged wife, and Tiffany Maxwell (Jennifer Lawrence), a young widow also struggling with mental illness, as she prepares for an upcoming dance competition.

    Philadelphia’s favorite rom-com is an homage to Delco, Eagles fans, and the Montgomery County-born-and-raised Cooper. It’s a “local guy makes good” story, Douglas said, referring to Cooper. It’s also the highest grossing main attraction in BMFI history.

    “For our community, it was an enormously meaningful movie‚” Douglas said.

    ‘La La Land’

    Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, known as Pasek and Paul, are a composing and songwriting duo responsible for the lyrics in La La Land, the acclaimed 2016 musical directed by Damien Chazelle.

    Pasek is “Bryn Mawr’s son,” Izzo said. The composer graduated from Friends Central, the Wynnewood Quaker school, and is a longtime supporter of BMFI. When Pasek and Paul won an Oscar for the movie, everybody at home “had a little piece,” said Izzo.

    ‘Barbie’

    Greta Gerwig’s 2023 Barbie felt like the “big wave back after the pandemic,” Izzo said. People dressed in pink and flocked to the movies after months of isolation and uncertainty.

    ‘Oppenheimer’

    Same with Christopher Nolan’s 2023 Oppenheimer. Remember “Barbenheimer”?

    ‘Parasite’

    Parasite, Bong Joon Ho’s 2019 South Korean Oscar winner, was the third-longest running main attraction in BMFI history with a 16-week run.

    “We were proud to show that one,” Izzo said. “It was very popular here.”

    ‘Rocky’

    Rocky, the 1976 film directed by John G. Avildsen about boxer Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone), may seem like an obvious addition to any Philly-area iconic movies list. But the local history behind the movie is deeper than meets the eye, Mazer said.

    Rocky was one of the first to be filmed with the Steadicam, a revolutionary invention of Garrett Brown, a Haverford High School graduate and prolific Philadelphia inventor. The Steadicam, created by Brown in 1975, is a camera stabilizing device that revolutionized the movie industry, allowing filmmakers to shoot scenes without having to mount cameras onto cranes or dollies.

    In testing out his new invention, Brown shot various scenes around Philadelphia, including one of his future wife running up the steps of the Philadelphia Art Museum. That scene would later become an iconic motif of Rocky, shot by Brown.

    “It’s this place where film history and Philadelphia history really connect,” Mazer said.

    Brown is a friend of BMFI and has given numerous lectures at the theater, including for the 40th anniversary of Rocky.

    ‘Superman’

    James Gunn’s 2025 Superman is another story of a local hero. David Cornswet, who played Superman, was raised in Lower Merion and graduated from the Shipley School, a Bryn Mawr private school. Cornswet hosted a friends and family debut of Superman at BMFI.

    ‘Brooklyn’

    Brooklyn, John Crowley’s 2015 period drama, stars Saoirse Ronan as Ellis Lace, a young Irish immigrant to New York City. The movie was immensely popular at BMFI, said Izzo.

    ‘On the Waterfront’

    Elia Kazan’s 1954 crime drama On the Waterfront helped revolutionize BMFI’s educational programming. The film was the first of the theater’s one-night seminars, during which moviegoers listen to a short lecture, sit for a screening, and then stay for a discussion. Now, they’re a popular part of the theater’s educational menu.

    ‘RBG’

    RBG, Julie Cohen and Betsy West’s 2018 documentary about late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, was the highest-grossing documentary screening in BMFI history. It’s also in the top 20 of the highest-grossing screenings in the theater’s history (including movies and documentaries).

    National Theatre Live: ‘The Audience’

    Though movies are at the core of BMFI’s work, the theater has expanded its repertoire to include cinematic presentations of ballet, theater, opera, and behind-the-scenes tours of art museums, all filmed and fit for the movie screen. BMFI’s most popular alternative program to date was a screening of The Audience, a 2013 play starring Helen Mirren as Queen Elizabeth II. BMFI sold out 13 showings of the show.

    Izzo and Douglas said the screenings help transport locals to places that can be difficult to get to — New York City’s Broadway, London’s West End, or European museums.

    “Even at current prices, it’s still a tremendous bargain for access to the arts,” said Douglas.

    ‘Metropolitan’

    To commemorate the 30th anniversary of Whit Stillman’s 1990 movie Metropolitan, the director visited BMFI in 2022 for a screening of the film and Q&A with the audience. Metropolitan follows the Sally Fowler Rat Pack, a group of young Manhattan socialites in the throes of debutante season.

    Stillman’s visit to BMFI “was the beginning of a really nice friendship,” Mazer said.

    This suburban content is produced with support from the Leslie Miller and Richard Worley Foundation and The Lenfest Institute for Journalism. Editorial content is created independently of the project donors. Gifts to support The Inquirer’s high-impact journalism can be made at inquirer.com/donate. A list of Lenfest Institute donors can be found at lenfestinstitute.org/supporters.

  • The Oscars will move to YouTube in 2029, leaving longtime home of ABC

    The Oscars will move to YouTube in 2029, leaving longtime home of ABC

    In a seismic shift for one of television’s marquee events, the Academy Awards will depart ABC and begin streaming on YouTube beginning in 2029, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced Wednesday.

    ABC will continue to broadcast the annual ceremony through 2028. That year will mark the 100th Oscars.

    But starting in 2029, YouTube will retain global rights to streaming the Oscars through 2033. YouTube will effectively be the home to all things Oscars, including red-carpet coverage, the Governors Awards, and the Oscar nominations announcement.

    “We are thrilled to enter into a multifaceted global partnership with YouTube to be the future home of the Oscars and our year-round Academy programming,” said academy chief executive Bill Kramer and academy president Lynette Howell Taylor. “The Academy is an international organization, and this partnership will allow us to expand access to the work of the Academy to the largest worldwide audience possible — which will be beneficial for our Academy members and the film community.”

    While major award shows have added streaming partnerships, the YouTube deal marks the first of the big four — the Oscars, Grammys, Emmys, and Tonys — to completely jettison broadcast television. It puts one of the most watched non-NFL broadcasts in the hands of Google. YouTube boasts some 2 billion viewers.

    The Academy Awards will stream for free worldwide on YouTube, in addition to YouTube TV subscribers. It will be available with audio tracks in many languages, in addition to closed captioning.

    Financial terms were not disclosed.

    “The Oscars are one of our essential cultural institutions, honoring excellence in storytelling and artistry,” said Neal Mohan, chief executive of YouTube. “Partnering with the academy to bring this celebration of art and entertainment to viewers all over the world will inspire a new generation of creativity and film lovers while staying true to the Oscars’ storied legacy.”

    The Walt Disney Co.-owned ABC has been the broadcast home to the Oscars for almost its entire history. NBC first televised the Oscars in 1953, but ABC picked up the rights in 1961. Aside from a period between 1971 and 1975, when NBC again aired the show, the Oscars have been on ABC.

    “ABC has been the proud home to The Oscars for more than half a century,” the network said in a statement. ”We look forward to the next three telecasts, including the show’s centennial celebration in 2028, and wish the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences continued success.”

    The 2025 Academy Awards were watched by 19.7 million viewers on ABC, a slight increase from the year before. That remains one of the biggest TV broadcasts of the year, though less than half of Oscar ratings at their peak. In 1999, more than 55 million watched James Cameron’s Titanic win best picture.

    The film academy, in choosing YouTube over other options such as Netflix or NBC Universal/Peacock, selected a platform with a wide-ranging and massive audience but one without as much of an established production infrastructure.

    Still, more people — especially young people — watch YouTube than any other streaming platform. According to Nielsen, YouTube accounted for 12.9% of all television and streaming content consumed in November. Netflix ranked second with an 8.3% market share.

  • Spielberg’s ‘Disclosure Day,’ filmed in New Jersey, drops first trailer

    Spielberg’s ‘Disclosure Day,’ filmed in New Jersey, drops first trailer

    Steven Spielberg wanted New Jersey drivers this year — now they’ll get to see the fruits of their labor on the big screen.

    The first trailer for Disclosure Day, the lauded filmmaker’s new UFO movie starring Emily Blunt, Josh O’Connor, and West Philly’s own Colman Domingo, is out. The production was filmed in parts of South Jersey and Middlesex County earlier this year.

    (Spielberg himself has roots in South Jersey; he spent his early years in Haddon Township.)

    The premise: “If you found out we weren’t alone, if someone showed you, proved it to you, would that frighten you? This summer, the truth belongs to seven billion people. We are coming close to … Disclosure Day.”

    The trailer shows Blunt as a meteorologist who shudders as she experiences some sort of encounter live on air. It includes all the other good stuff: crop circles, deer who are absolutely shook by whatever extraterrestrial activity they’re dealing with, car chases, you know the deal.

    Steven Spielberg spotted filming in South Jersey, seeks extras for Middlesex County scene

    “They tell me the movie is primarily about UFOs and some railroad scenes and car chases,” Woodbine Mayor William Pikolycky told 6abc during filming this spring.

    The film worked under the code name Non-View while filming around Jersey. The original Spielberg sci-fi film has a screenplay penned by his longtime collaborator David Koepp (Jurassic Park, War of the Worlds).

    Disclosure Day was spotted filming scenes in multiple locations, including Tuckahoe, Woodbine, Buena Vista, and Upper Township. Some scenes took place near railroad tracks in Tuckahoe, with state troopers shutting down roads near production sites at the time. Spielberg was also spotted directing a scene with stunt doubles. Locals observed production crews setting up with a large blue screen, likely for special effects work.

    Steven Spielberg’s new UFO movie will film at the Jersey Shore this March

    Producers sought locals to work as paid extras, working as background actors in their own cars in Middlesex County in March. The production brought a reported economic boost to the area, with over 150 crew members in town, some who visited local businesses. The New Jersey Motion Picture and Television Commission told 6abc at the time that major film productions are increasingly choosing the state as a location, citing its diverse scenery and financial incentives.

    Just last month, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro announced HBO’s Task was awarded a $49.8 million tax credit for filming locally.

    Universal will release Disclosure Day on June 12. It’ll mark Spielberg’s 37th directed film.

    Watch the trailer for Disclosure Day below:

  • How Rob Reiner’s career kicked off in New Hope and what we know about his death

    How Rob Reiner’s career kicked off in New Hope and what we know about his death

    Before he came to be a beloved actor on All in the Family or celebrated for directing hits like The Princess Bride and When Harry Met Sally, Rob Reiner was just a teenager training in New Hope, Pa.

    The late filmmaker — who was found dead alongside his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, on Sunday in their Los Angeles home — got his start at the Bucks County Playhouse.

    In a 2016 interview with the Hollywood Reporter, Reiner said his senior year at Beverly Hills High School sparked a career path in acting because drama class felt “familiar and comfortable.”

    After graduating at 17, he apprenticed at the Playhouse in 1964. As noted by Philadelphia Magazine, the Playhouse was one of a short list of regional theaters where Broadway plays would be workshopped. In turn, a lot of famous — or in Reiner’s case, soon-to-be famous — people came to New Hope, including Liza Minnelli and Robert Redford.

    Reiner’s time working on shows as a Playhouse Apprentice meant he rubbed elbows with Alan Alda, Merv Griffin, and Shelly Berman, a spokesperson said. It was the same year Minelli appeared at the Playhouse and Arthur Godfrey was in Our Town.

    “Reiner mentioned often his gratitude for the training he received on our stage, and his fondness for his time in New Hope,” Bucks County Playhouse producing director Alexander Fraser said. “He joins Grace Kelly, Jessica Walter, Robert Redford, Richard Kind and many others in using their experience as an apprentice in launching remarkable careers.”

    Here’s what else we know about the deaths of the Reiners.

    The Reiners were celebrated within the film industry and beyond

    Reiner was long considered one of the most prolific directors in Hollywood, and his work included some of the most memorable movies of the 1980s and 90s, including This is Spinal Tap, A Few Good Men, When Harry Met Sally, and The Princess Bride.

    His role as Meathead in Norman Lear’s 1970s TV classic All in the Family, alongside Carol O’Connor’s Archie Bunker, catapulted him to fame and won him two Emmy Awards.

    The son of comedy legend Carl Reiner, Rob Reiner was married to photographer Michele Singer Reiner since 1989. The two met while he was directing When Harry Met Sally and had three children together.

    The couple continued to collaborate on both film and advocacy projects. In 1997, they founded the I Am Your Child Foundation for early childhood development. In 2004, they established the Parents’ Action for Children nonprofit focused on public policy and early learning initiatives.

    Reiner was regarded as a liberal activist and praised for his work as a cofounder of the American Foundation for Equal Rights, which initiated the court challenge against California Proposition 8, which banned same-sex marriage in the state.

    The couple was found dead in their home and a homicide investigation is underway

    A spokesperson for the couple confirmed the Reiners’ death to reporters.

    Police said they were investigating the case as an apparent homicide after a family member discovered them dead. The couple had stab wounds.

    As of Monday morning, the couple’s son, Nick Reiner, 32, was in custody on unspecified felony charges. His bail is set at $4 million, records show.

    Tributes are pouring in for the Reiners

    Tributes for the Reiners have been pouring in across Hollywood and beyond.

    Relatives of Norman Lear, the legendary producer who died in 2023, released a statement about Lear’s relationship with Rob Reiner.

    “Norman often referred to Rob as a son, and their close relationship was extraordinary, to us and the world,” the statement said. “Norman would have wanted to remind us that Rob and Michele spent every breath trying to make this country a better place, and they pursued that through their art, their activism, their philanthropy, and their love for family and friends.”

    The Obama family released a tribute praising the couple’s art and advocacy work.

    “Together, he and his wife lived lives defined by purpose,” Barack Obama’s statement said. “They will be remembered for the values they championed and the countless people they inspired.”

    Kathy Bates, who starred in Misery, the thriller directed by Rob Reiner and based on Stephen King’s writing, released a statement.

    She praised the late director as “brilliant and kind” and someone who “fought courageously for his political beliefs.” She also highlighted Singer Reiner‘s photography work, including promotional photographs for Misery.

    King posted a tribute on X, calling Reiner a “brilliant filmmaker.”

    President Donald Trump criticized for his remarks about Reiner’s death

    President Donald Trump wrote a statement about Reiner’s death in a post on Truth Social that has been classified as “incendiary,” “deranged,” and “inappropriate” by reports and critics — including GOP members.

    The long-winded statement suggested Reiner and Singer Reiner’s death arose from “Trump derangement syndrome.”

    Rep. Don Bacon, R-NE, tells me, regarding the president‘s truth social post about the Reiners being murdered,”I’d expect to hear something like this from a drunk guy at a bar, not the President of the United States. Can the President be presidential?”

    [image or embed]

    — Jake Tapper, long-suffering Philly sports fan (@jaketapper.bsky.social) December 15, 2025 at 12:26 PM

    Reiner, who was known for his liberal activism, often publicly criticized Trump and his policies.

    Trump continued in his post, “[Reiner] was known to have driven people CRAZY by his raging obsession of President Donald J. Trump.”

    Republican lawmakers including Rep. Thomas Massie and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene criticized Trump’s statement Monday morning in X posts, calling him out of line.

    The Associated Press contributed to this article.

  • A new South Philly crime drama debuts on the big screen and Amazon Prime

    A new South Philly crime drama debuts on the big screen and Amazon Prime

    Frank Joseph Tartaglia and his older brother, Joseph Frank Tartaglia, long dreamed of leaving the family fruit stand for Hollywood stardom.

    Back in 2006, when they first opened a live music venue on Ninth Street, Connie’s Ric Rac, Frankie and Joe Tartaglia — and their best friend and business partner, Peter Pelullo — would sit for hours after closing, spitballing script ideas. The brothers wanted to tell a South Philly story that captured the neighborhood they knew and that could make their dreams real.

    Frank Tartaglia, 45, South Philly writer, director, artist and musician, died suddenly at home on Thanksgiving Day.

    Then they were gone.

    First, Joe, a filmmaker, a musician, and a father of three, died in 2013 at age 44 of brain cancer. Then, Frankie, a comedian, a writer, an actor, and a true South Philly original, died in his sleep of heart failure in 2022, just a month after his first feature film, Not for Nothing, headlined the Philadelphia Film Festival to positive reviews.

    Now, Frankie and Joe Tartaglia’s big-screen dreams are finally becoming a reality.

    On Thursday, Not for Nothing, a gritty crime drama set in the heart of South Philly and written by Frankie Tartaglia and Philly-born filmmaker Tim Dowlin, debuted at the Film Society Bourse in Old City. On Friday, the movie, acquired for worldwide distribution last year by the independent film studio Buffalo 8, premiered on Amazon Prime and other major streaming services. It will be available on other cable platforms later this month.

    “It’s emotional,” said Pelullo, executive producer on the film. “It’s very rewarding for everyone involved to see it reach this place and get across the finish line. But it’s bittersweet. Joe would have been really proud of Frankie, and Frankie would have been excited for what was next.”

    He added, “That’s the painful part. This wasn’t supposed to be the end. It was supposed to be the beginning.”

    Family photo of Joseph and Frank Tartaglia

    The film has been a journey.

    Starring actor Mark Webber and praised by critics as a gripping tale infused with heart and humor, Not for Nothing follows a group of neighborhood friends who set out to uncover the truth behind a young woman’s mysterious overdose. The search for justice soon unravels into a confrontation with the ghosts of South Philly’s past.

    It’s just the type of authentic South Philly tale Frankie and Joe Tartaglia long strove to share. One that found its first roots in an independent film Joe and Frankie filmed in South Philly in 1998, called Punctuality (a quirky neighborhood film they described as Clerks meets A Bronx Tale). And one that continued to take shape during those long-ago, late-night brainstorming sessions at the Ric Rac, a grungy, glorious haven for South Philly artists and musicians that closed permanently during the pandemic.

    Carrying on the dream after Joe Tartaglia’s death, Frankie Tartaglia had reconnected with Dowlin by 2017. The pair had first become friends at the Philadelphia High School for Creative and Performing Arts. Dowlin, who had already made films with Webber, another high school friend, approached Frankie Tartaglia about making a modern-day South Philly mob flick.

    From the start, Dowlin recalled, Frankie wanted to tell something more.

    “He immediately was like, ‘I don’t think that’s real,’” Dowlin recalled. “He wanted to explore something more authentic to the world he grew up in on Ninth Street, and at the bar at Connie’s Ric Rac.”

    Their script became less about the neighborhood goodfellas and more about an exploration of South Philly corner bar culture — and the friendships formed there.

    Still in the process of selling the film at the time of Frankie Tartaglia’s death, Dowlin and Pelullo worked for three years to make sure that his vision reached audiences.

    This summer, Connie Tartaglia, 76, an artist who ceaselessly encouraged her sons — and was the namesake of their old club — died from an illness. She had hoped to live long enough to see the film released, Dowlin said.

    Before Thursday’s packed premiere, Dowlin told the crowd about the friend and collaborator he had lost — and that Philly had lost, too.

    “He was an unstoppable force of love and art,” he said of Frankie Tartaglia. “He embodied every artist everywhere. He was a champion for the unseen and unheard.”

    Frankie had planned on dedicating the film to the older brother he looked up to, Dowlin said.

    Now, he hoped the film would live in both of their memories.

    “I would like to dedicate this film to both of the Tartaglia brothers,” he said.

  • Chris Emmanouilides, award-winning filmmaker, has died at 63

    Chris Emmanouilides, award-winning filmmaker, has died at 63

    Chris Emmanouilides, 63, of Rutledge, Delaware County, digital media director, award-winning filmmaker, TV executive producer, cameraman, teacher, and mentor, died Saturday, April 26, of a heart attack at his home.

    Born in Philadelphia and reared in Los Angeles, Mr. Emmanouilides followed his then-girlfriend back to the city in the 1980s, earned a master’s degree in radio, TV, and film at Temple University, and crafted a 36-year career as an independent filmmaker, vice president of programming for Banyan Productions, cofounder and chief content officer of the VuNeex video marketing platform, and director of digital media at the King of Prussia-based American College of Financial Services.

    He specialized in independent documentary films, commercials, and early forms of reality TV, and cofounded Parallax Pictures in the 1990s. His films were screened at the Philadelphia Festival of World Cinema, the Sundance Film Festival, and elsewhere around the world.

    His 40-minute film Archive premiered at the Los Angeles Greek Film Festival in 2013 and earned the Audience Choice Orpheus Award. His 1989 film Suelto! earned first prize at the 1990 Sundance Slice of Life Film Festival.

    In 1994, Inquirer movie critic Desmond Ryan called Mr. Emmanouilides’ film Remains “especially noteworthy.” In 1997, The Ad and the Ego earned the top prize at the San Francisco International Film Festival.

    In 2001, critic Damon C. Williams reviewed Talk Fast for the Daily News. Mr. Emmanouilides was the film’s director of photography. Williams said: “It does an incredible job in detailing the desire, dedication and heartbreak that go with pursuing a dream. It also shows that some do indeed find success in chasing their dreams.”

    From 1997 to 2014, Mr. Emmanouilides was an executive producer, director of special projects, and vice president of programing at Philadelphia-based Banyan Productions. Working with the Discovery Channel, the Travel Channel, the Food Network, TLC, Lifetime, and other TV outlets, he and his colleagues created thousands of hours of popular award-winning programming. Among his series credits are Travelers, Reunion, Trading Spaces, Deliver Me, Cruises We Love, and A Wedding Story.

    “What we pull off in four days — the emotions and the intimacy — is extremely rare on television,” he told The Inquirer in a 1998 story about the Reunion series. “It’s a constant push, trying to make a high-quality show on a limited budget, with limited time. And the question is, will it find an audience?”

    He worked with Reader’s Digest and Hope Paige Designs on video marketing projects at VuNeex in 2015, and spent the last 10 years as a senior producer and director of digital media at the American College of Financial Services. “Chris was relentless in the pursuit of quality,” Jared Trexler, senior vice president at American College, said in an online tribute. “He was inquisitive, introspective, and always learning. Most importantly, he was kind, caring, and funny.”

    Mr. Emmanouilides won the 2013 Audience Choice Orpheus Award in Los Angeles.

    In tributes, colleagues called him “an amazing man and incredible coworker” and “very passionate about our field.” One said: “He always brought genuine fun and energy to whatever we were doing.”

    Gregarious and energetic, Mr. Emmanouilides taught film and production courses at Temple, the University of Toledo, the Scribe Video Center, and the old University of the Arts. He lectured at Drexel and Villanova Universities, spoke at conferences and seminars, and taught English-language classes in Greece and Spain.

    He was a longtime member and onetime board president of the Philadelphia Independent Film and Video Association, and he mentored production novices at Scribe Video in Center City and elsewhere. “These newcomers don’t respect the conventions of film that much,” he told The Inquirer in 1993. “They’re trying to find their own voice. So they’re finding new ways to tell stories.”

    Christopher George Emmanouilides was born Aug. 31, 1961. His family moved from Philadelphia to Los Angeles when he was young, and he earned a bachelor’s degree in philosophy at Colorado College in 1983 and a master’s degree at Temple in 1992.

    Mr. Emmanouilides was a talented cameraman and photographer.

    He met Sandra Enck at an independent film event in Philadelphia, and they married in 2004 and had a daughter, Isabella. He doted on his family, and especially enjoyed seeing films with his wife and decorating his daughter’s breakfast pancakes with eyes, nose, and mouth cut from fresh fruit.

    “We took their pictures, and we eventually had hundreds of faces from countless mornings together,” his daughter said on her website facethemorning.com. “None were the same, and each seemed to have something to say.”

    His wife said: “We’d see a film and then talk about it for three days.”

    Mr. Emmanouilides was an avid reader and photographer. He liked to fly-fish, ski, hike, and cook.

    This article about Mr. Emmanouilides (left) appeared in the Daily News in 1997.

    He had an infectious laugh, performed magic tricks, listened to the Grateful Dead, and followed the Eagles and Phillies. “He was a big thinker,” his wife said. “He was buoyant and a powerful life force. You never forgot that you met him.”

    In addition to his wife and daughter, Mr. Emmanouilides is survived by three sisters, a brother, and other relatives.

    Celebrations of his life were held earlier.

    Donations in his name may be made to the Bryn Mawr Film Institute, 824 W. Lancaster Ave., Bryn Mawr, Pa. 19010.

    Mr. Emmanouilides doted on his family.
  • Doctor who sold ketamine to ‘Friends’ star Matthew Perry gets 2 1/2 years in prison

    Doctor who sold ketamine to ‘Friends’ star Matthew Perry gets 2 1/2 years in prison

    LOS ANGELES — A doctor who pleaded guilty to selling ketamine to Matthew Perry in the weeks before the Friends star’s overdose death was sentenced to 2 1/2 years in prison on Wednesday.

    Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett handed down the sentence plus two years of probation to 44-year-old Dr. Salvador Plasencia in a federal courtroom in Los Angeles.

    The judge emphasized that Plasencia didn’t provide the ketamine that killed Perry, but told him, “You and others helped Mr. Perry on the road to such an ending by continuing to feed his ketamine addiction.”

    “You exploited Mr. Perry’s addiction for your own profit,” she said.

    Plasencia was led from the courtroom in handcuffs as his mother cried loudly in the audience. He might have arranged a date to surrender, but his lawyers said he was prepared to do it today.

    Perry’s mother and two half sisters gave tearful victim impact statements before the sentencing.

    “The world mourns my brother,” Madeleine Morrison said. “He was everyone’s favorite friend.”

    “My brother’s death turned my world upside down,” Morrison said, crying. “It punched a crater in my life. His absence is everywhere.”

    Plasencia was the first to be sentenced of the five defendants who have pleaded guilty in connection with Perry’s death at age 54 in 2023.

    The doctor admitted to taking advantage of Perry, knowing he was a struggling addict. Plasencia texted another doctor that Perry was a “moron” who could be exploited for money, according to court filings.

    Prosecutors had asked for three years in prison, while the defense sought just a day in prison plus probation.

    Perry’s mother talked about the things he overcame in life and the strength he showed.

    “I used to think he couldn’t die,” Suzanne Perry said as her husband, Dateline journalist Keith Morrison, stood at the podium with her.

    “You called him a ‘moron,’” she said. “There is nothing moronic about that man. He was even a successful drug addict.”

    She spoke eloquently and apologized for rambling before getting tearful at the end, saying, “this was a bad thing you did!” as she cried.

    Plasencia also spoke before the sentencing, breaking into tears as he imagined the day he would have to tell his now 2-year-old son “about the time I didn’t protect another mother’s son. It hurts me so much. I can’t believe I’m here.”

    He apologized directly to Perry’s family. “I should have protected him,” he said.

    Perry had been taking the surgical anesthetic ketamine legally as a treatment for depression. But when his regular doctor wouldn’t provide it in the amounts he wanted, he turned to Plasencia, who admitted to illegally selling to Perry and knowing he was a struggling addict.

    Plasencia’s lawyers tried to give a sympathetic portrait of him as a man who rose out of poverty to become a doctor beloved by his patients, some of whom provided testimonials about him for the court.

    The attorneys called his selling to Perry “reckless” and “the biggest mistake of his life.”

    Plasencia pleaded guilty in July to four counts of distribution of ketamine. Prosecutors agreed to drop five different counts. The agreement came with no sentencing guarantees, and legally Garnett can give him up to 40 years.

    The other four defendants who reached deals to plead guilty will be sentenced at their own hearings in the coming months.

    Perry died at age 54 in 2023 after struggling with addiction for years, dating back to his time on Friends, when he became one of the biggest stars of his generation as Chandler Bing. He starred alongside Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc and David Schwimmer for 10 seasons from 1994 to 2004 on NBC’s megahit.

  • ‘I Play Rocky’ filmed at the Philadelphia Art Museum steps with Anthony Ippolito

    ‘I Play Rocky’ filmed at the Philadelphia Art Museum steps with Anthony Ippolito

    The Philadelphia Art Museum steps closed temporarily on Wednesday for the filming of I Play Rocky.

    The forthcoming Sylvester Stallone biopic has been filming in Philadelphia and New Jersey in recent weeks. Of course, no film about the making of Rocky could be complete without the legendary running shot up the museum stairs.

    Star Anthony Ippolito, who plays Stallone, donned the signature black beanie and gray tracksuit as he bounced around, arms in midair, on the chilly fall afternoon.

    The Rocky statue atop the steps — a duplicate of the one at the base from sculptor A. Thomas Schomberg — was moved to accommodate the filming.

    (Yes, there are two Rocky statues on view. Yet another will be installed at Philadelphia International Airport, a fact that’s been hotly debated among Philadelphians who find the fixation on the fictional boxer tiring, particularly given Stallone’s support of President Donald Trump.)

    Some tourists on Wednesday were disappointed that they couldn’t re-create the moment themselves on their trip to the city. But they did get to see behind-the-scenes of the film, which is expected to hit theaters in 2026, marking the film’s 50-year anniversary.

    It follows the real-life journey of Stallone in the 1970s, then a struggling actor, as he pitched the script he wrote about a boxing underdog — but only on the condition that he play the star himself.

    Peter Farrelly (Green Book) directs the Amazon MGM film, which also features Matt Dillon as the actor’s father, Frank Stallone; If Beale Street Could Talk’s Stephan James as Carl Weathers, the legend behind Apollo Creed; and AnnaSophia Robb (Little Fires Everywhere) playing Stallone’s first wife, Sasha Czack.

    Stallone is not involved with the production.

  • ‘Wicked’ lights during Eagles broadcast mark Boathouse Row’s first movie promo

    ‘Wicked’ lights during Eagles broadcast mark Boathouse Row’s first movie promo

    Those watching the Eagles’ winning matchup against the Detroit Lions on Sunday may have caught a glimpse of something absolutely “thrillifying.”

    As the NBC Sunday Night Football broadcast headed to a commercial break, hosts pointed out a flyover view of Philadelphia’s iconic Boathouse Row. Only this time, the boathouses along the Schuylkill were lit up in pink and green.

    Announcers said the special color treatment was brought to viewers by Wicked: For Good, the anticipated musical-to-film finale starring Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande (plus West Philly’s own Colman Domingo as the Cowardly Lion).

    On social media, viewers were surprised and delighted by the marketing play.

    “What do you mean ‘Wicked: For Good’ sponsored by Boathouse Row?” one X user wrote. “Boathouse Row being lit up in Wicked colors is HUGE for my brand,” said another.

    It marks the latest effort in the film’s megamarketing campaign, which has ranged from Wicked dolls, to deodorant, to laundry detergent, to make up kits, to Swiffers, to cereal, and everything in between. Truly, no stone has been left un-greenified. And now that approach appears to extend to extremely hyperlocal stops, like Boathouse Row.

    It also appears to be Boathouse Row’s first foray into paid movie promotions.

    So how did this all pan out? And does it mean Wicked has paid the Fairmount Park Conservatory and Boathouse Row a boatload of sponsorship dollars?

    Here’s what we know.

    How do the Boathouse Row lights work?

    The Boathouse Row lights debuted in 1979 and quickly became a beloved feature along the stretch of 19th-century historic homes. The strip is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

    In 2005, the homes transitioned to LED lights, according to the Fairmount Park Conservancy, which manages Boathouse Row. In 2023, the homes temporarily went dark as part of a $2 million refurbishing project. They were re-lit in March 2024.

    According to the conservancy’s website, 6,400 individual LED lights are installed along 10 of the historic boathouses. The light configurations, which were installed by Philly-based firm The Lighting Practice can make 16 million color combinations.

    Can anyone make a Boathouse Row light change request?

    Surprisingly, yes.

    After the homes’ lighting upgrades, Boathouse Row announced that seemingly anyone could become a “Boathouse Row Lighting Partner,” and make a special request in exchange for payment to the Fairmount Park Conservancy.

    Of course, the conservancy gets first right of refusal, and there are some exceptions. According to its website, political events and observances, campaigns that conflict with City of Philadelphia laws, religious figures or organizations, and campaigns or events deemed “inappropriate” will not be considered.

    You can also check on Boathouse Row’s website to see what color the lights are each day.

    How much does a special lighting request cost?

    It depends on the level of razzle-dazzle and its duration.

    According to Boathouse Row’s website, prices range from $750 to $2,500 per day, depending on the display’s complexity. Fees go directly to the Boathouse Row’s ongoing maintenance. The limit for a display is one week.

    How much did Wicked pay Boathouse Row to go green and pink?

    It’s unclear exactly how much the Wicked display costs. The lighting scheme aired during Sunday’s broadcast. In reality, that B-roll was filmed in advance on Friday evening, a spokesperson with the Fairmount Park Conservancy said. It lasted about 20 minutes.

    The conservancy declined to disclose the exact amount NBC paid. Wicked is a Universal film, which is under the NBC and Comcast umbrella. NBC also broadcasts Sunday Night Football.

    Have other movies or marketing campaigns worked with Boathouse Row before?

    It looks like this is the first movie campaign.

    “We don’t think it’s ever been done before,” conservancy spokesperson Cari Feiler Bender said.

    But there are no other mentions of entertainment-related tributes. (This week’s Wicked tribute did not make the row’s Instagram feed, which posts light color updates.)

    Boathouse Row has traditionally lit up in color schemes to celebrate local teams or to observe special causes like breast cancer, Alzheimer’s awareness, and Pride months.

    The spokesperson added that Boathouse Row would welcome future marketing partnerships to “help keep the lights on.”