Movie Guide 2024

PHILLY’S BEST MOVIES

and the 49 other best Philly movies

Wwill be doing deeper dives into some of the filmmakers on the list. So if you’re a little miffed at the paucity of Rockys and M. Night Shyamalans, worry not and keep an eye out.

This more approachable version succeeds largely because of the steady hand of its new chef.

ragù and extraordinary breads that defined the bold debut of the original High Street on Market as a creative agent of culinary evolution as well as Philly’s pioneer of next-guard baking. If its original Old City location beside Fork had previously suffered from little sibling syndrome (it was, after all, previously called Fork Etc.), chef-partner Eli Kulp and then-baker Alex Bois were determined to make High Street into the most inventive, boundary-bending member of co-owner Ellen Yin’s growing restaurant family. A decade later and half a dozen blocks west of its first location, High Street’s reinvention at the corner of Ninth and Chestnut has a much

different, soothing tone. Gone are the daring impulses of the squid ink bialy and broccoli rabe-bittered cocktail that drove some to label the initial High Street “esoteric squared” — a phrase from my original review that Yin says now gives her “stabbing sensations” when she re-reads it. Today’s High Street 2.0 is more like a warm embrace, an antidote of polished hospitality and refined comforts for our post-pandemic phase, with cozy church pew window nooks for a seasonally inspired pizza and roast chicken supper. And perhaps, that’s just what this moment, and that particular neighborhood, needs.

Clockwise from top left: “Philadelphia,” 1994, Tristar / Getty Images; “12 Monkeys,” 1995, Alamy Stock Photo; “The Blob,” 1958, Paramount / Getty Images; “Trading Places,” 1983, Paramount / Getty Images; “Rocky,” 1976, United Artists; “The Philadelphia Story,” 1940, Cineclassico / Alamy Stock Photo; “The Sixth Sense,” 1999, Getty Images; “Creed,” 2015, Pictorial Press Ltd. / Alamy Stock Photo. Anton

/ Staff

‘There’s no edge like Philly.’ Why some of the city’s talented entertainers say they won’t leave

Philly-born and bred stars Tierra Whack, Charlie

and others proclaim their love of Philly.

By Earl Hopkins Staff Writer

Philly’s “got major talent,” as entertainment mogul Charles “Charlie Mack” Alston says. “There are some remarkable people and talent that have come out of Philly, and the city has a surplus of it.”

But the demands of the industry often pull artists, musicians, and actors away from their beloved hometown, forcing them to pack their bags and migrate to cities like New York, L.A., Atlanta, and Miami.

But for Mack, who was Will Smith’s long-term bodyguard and personal assistant before becoming a notable Hollywood power broker, there’s only one place he calls home — and that’s Philly. And he is not alone.

Some entertainers born and bred in the region can’t seem to leave the city behind. We asked them why. Responses have been lightly edited for clarity.

DJ Jazzy Jeff

DJ and hip-hop pioneer; West Philly native

Where do you live?

I’ve lived in Delaware for almost 20 years, but I never had a desire to move far away. It’s what I know. This is home.

Does the Philly area’s affordability play a factor?

It’s true – Philly isn’t as expensive as New York or L.A., and I know the city so I feel more comfortable here. I know how to navigate Philly; I don’t know how to navigate New York or L.A. In Philly, I know my surroundings.

Why do you think some Phillyborn entertainers choose to leave the city?

Philly is a tough town. It prepares you to go off into the rest of the world because Philly doesn’t show love to those who don’t deserve it. Nothing comes easy, and it prepares you to go to places like New York and do a good job.

I think the people who move out of Philly never lose the love for Philly. What does Philly’s future as an entertainment hub look like?

If you look at the history, [the Philly scene was lively] with Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, then it left. That was the neo soul movement and [then came] The Roots, it all goes in cycles. I tell a lot of inspiring musicians to just be ready when it comes back because it’s coming back.

Tierra Whack

Rapper; North Philly native

What’s inspired you to stay in Philly?

I love to travel, visit new places, and experience new things but nothing feels better than waking up in my hometown, with people that look and feel just like me.

Did you always see yourself staying in Philly?

I am Philly [and] Philly is me. I love my city and everything it has to offer. I want to put my city on the map. I’m not sure why other people leave, but I’m here to stay.

In a past interview, you talked about pouring back into the city. What does that look like for you?

My goal is to build a creative space here in Philly. Not only where I can go and be creative, but where others can, too. I love what’s happening in our city right now, [and] I want to be a positive light for everyone coming up after me.

Eugene ‘ManMan’ Roberts

Producer and musical director; South Philly native

Why do you think so many popular entertainers from Philly prefer to live in Philly?

A lot of people pull from Philly.

Every major album, tour, and every band — someone from Philly is in the mix. And sometimes when we leave home and go to these other places, you’re filling them up with your energy, your presence, and your sound, but they can’t refill that cup. You got to go back home to get that vibe, inspiration, and aesthetic that makes home, home.

What’s stopped you from leaving the city?

We got rich history here. We have amazing producers, songwriters, and artists. We’re really good, and I never wanted to turn my back on the place that made me who I am. I’ll always be that no matter where I go.

Do you see Philly becoming a renewed musical hub?

Philly used to have Philly International, Sigma Sound, and all these other studios, and people came here to cut records. But when the world went digital, it took away needing studios. Until we build up an empire of entertainment with studios and rehearsal facilities, I don’t think any city can [become a musical hub].

L.A. is all that because that’s where all the celebrities live, and there’s good weather but I think the pandemic made it a level playing field for everybody.

Charlie Mack

Entertainment mogul and community leader; Southwest Philly native

Why do you think big-name entertainers from Philly choose to venture elsewhere?

Philadelphia is like a character, and people that used to come here admired it, but admired it from afar. If you don’t feel safe, you can’t relax and let your hair down. Right now, we’re in a place where we’re hemorrhaging and going through a very horrific transition, and I hope and pray that the kids here have an opportunity to experience Philly the same way I did.

I love my city, but the reality is people don’t feel safe. And home is supposed to be just that: a place you feel safe and welcome. How can Philly go back to being what it used to be?

The natives of Philadelphia are in a space where they don’t love themselves. That’s the harsh reality, and it’s hard for someone to stay put when they’re not received or revered from their own people. Artists need validation and love, it’s a part of their makeup. Philly is real and harsh, it will hit you right in your face. Residents won’t give you fanfare if you’re not tapping into the things that make them move.

How can we better retain the talent that comes out of Philly?

I feel like the men of the city of Philadelphia have to restore safety. Women are stepping up in major ways, but men have to restore everything that is amazing about Philadelphia: the artistry, the streets, the sports, the politics, city government, and everything that it’s about.

Adam Blackstone

Multi-instrumentalist and songwriter; Trenton native What does being close to Philly mean as an entertainer?

One thing is the culture of Philadelphia. There’s a go-getter and hustler’s spirit. For me, no other city has embraced the arts like Philly.

In Philadelphia, we just want to see each other win and we represent our city from all over the world, no matter where we’re from. That’s always a plus we have that maybe other cities don’t.

Are there certain Philly spots that give you inspiration?

When we go to any sports event, whether it’s the Philadelphia Eagles, Sixers, or Flyers, I feel a sense of oneness and a feeling that we’re all fighting for the same thing.

ehopkins@inquirer.com

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Mack,

Jeffrey Allen Townes, better known as DJ Jazzy Jeff, in the recording studio at his home in Bear, Del. Heather Khalifa / Staff Photographer

Tierra Whack at Matthias Baldwin Park in Philadelphia. Heather Khalifa / Staff Photographer

Charles Alston, better known as Charlie Mack, inside the recording studio at DJ Jazzy Jeff’s home in Bear, Del. Heather Khalifa / Staff Photographer

Musician Adam Blackstone at his studio in Middletown, Del. Monica Herndon / Staff Photographer

Musician and Philly native Eugene “ManMan” Roberts has worked with the biggest names in the industry, including Lil Durk, Tyga, YG, J. Cole, Wiz Khalifa, and others. Courtesy of Eugene ‘Manman’ Roberts

15 concerts to warm up the Philly winter

Madonna, Rosanne Cash, Lucius, and more to play the region.

By Dan DeLuca Music Critic

The winter concert schedule in Philly is heating up, with intimate shows in cozy clubs and theaters, plus one pop superstar bringing a career-spanning spectacle to South Philly.

Here’s a chronologically ordered calendar of shows to get music lovers through the dead of winter, with Madonna, plus 14 others.

Madonna (Jan. 25, Wells Fargo Center)

How to stay warm during a frigid Philly winter? Go to a Madonna show. The last time the legendary pop star was in town, playing four shows at the Met Philly on her “Madame X Tour” in 2019, she kept the temperature turned up in the neighborhood of a toasty 80 degrees and had audience members stripping down as the evening progressed. She’ll have a bigger room to heat up this time, as her greatest hits plus deep cuts “Celebration Tour” comes to the South Philly sports arena. wellsfargocenterphilly.com

Rosanne Cash (Jan. 26, World Cafe Live)

This show by the emotionally acute storytelling songwriter Rosanne Cash is subtitled “Reinventing The Wheel.” That’s because it focuses on The Wheel, the 1993 album that was her first after the breakup of her marriage to Rodney Crowell. It marked the beginning of a creative partnership with her now-husband John Leventhal. worldcafelive.com

Marshall Allen’s Ghost Horizons (Jan. 28, Solar Myth)

The Sun Ra Arkestra bandleader has a big birthday coming up: he’ll be 100 in May. The sax and experimental wind instrument player stays busy: he regularly plays dates at the Solar Myth with rotating collaborators.

Other cool Solar Myth shows: Mary Halvorson on Feb. 8 and Nels Cline on Feb. 9-10. solarmythbar.com

Lucius (Jan. 29, Brooklyn Bowl Philadelphia)

The duo of Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessig have collaborated with The War on Drugs and toured with Roger Waters, as well as building a following over the course of four studio albums. On this

tour, the indie pop band will be celebrating their breakthrough Wildewoman brooklynbowl.com/philadelphia

Mitski (Feb. 6 and 7, the Met Philly)

On the surface, Mitski sounds becalmed on The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We, the indie rock hero’s sixth album, which roils with tension beneath its assured exterior. She’s gone from playing PhilaMOCA in 2016 to playing two nights a few blocks north on Broad Street at the Met. themetphilly.com

DJ Shadow (Feb. 8, Union Transfer)

It’s been nearly 30 years since DJ Shadow released Endtroducing..... his almost entirely sample-based cinematic funk-soul masterpiece. He’s never equaled it since, but that’s like saying Orson Welles never equaled Citizen Kane. He still sounds creatively restless on last year’s Action Adventure utphilly. com

Jaime Wyatt (Feb. 8, World Cafe Live)

Country singer Jaime Wyatt’s new Feels Good succeeds in a walking a line between country and old-school R&B, thanks in part to the production by Adrian Quesada of Black Pumas. Also worthy at World Cafe Live: Sarah Jarosz on Feb. 2 and Las Cafeteras on March 9. worldcafelive.com

Tinashe (Feb. 10, Brooklyn Bowl)

Tinashe will makes her first Philadelphia appearance since playing Made in America in 2021. The Fishtown club show is in support of the pop-R&B singer’s 2023 seven song mini-album, which is pronounced “Baby angel.” brooklynbowl.com/ philadelphia

Stevie Nicks (Feb. 10, Hard Rock Hotel & Casino)

The last time the first woman to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice played Philly was last summer on a not perfectly matched double bill with Billy Joel at the Linc. The “Rhiannon” and “Edge of Seventeen” singer will be the sole focus this time, when she plays Hard Rock’s Etess Arena in Atlantic City. Hardrockhotelatlanticcity. com

Michael Shannon and Jason Narducy & Friends play R.E.M.’s ‘Murmur’ (Feb. 12, Ardmore Music Hall)

Actor Michael Shannon, who played George Jones alongside Jessica Chastain in George & Tammy and just finished an off-Broadway run in Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot, is also a musician. He’s teaming with Bob Mould guitarist Narducy, and the band includes Harleysville native and Philly Boy Roy creator Jon Wurster on drums. ardmoremusichall.com

Cat Power Sings

Dylan (Feb. 13, Keswick Theatre)

The singer Chan Marshall — who performs as Cat Power — writes her own songs, but she’s always excelled at singing other people’s songs too, going back to The Covers Record in 2000. Now Marshall has gone full Dylan: Her new album Cat Power Sings Dylan: The 1966 Royal Album Hall Concert is a 15-song set that recreates a historic half-acoustic, half-electric Dylan show. KeswickTheater. com

Pink Sweat$ (Feb. 15, Fillmore Philly)

The romantic R&B and soul singer David Bowden — a.k.a. Pink Sweat$, so named because of his preferred attire — grew up in Philadelphia and South Jersey. The now-Los Angeles-based love man isn’t making it home for his birthday on Valentine’s Day, but he’ll play his biggest Philly show yet when his acoustic tour comes to Fishtown. fillmorephilly.com

Boyz II Men (Feb. 17, the Met Philly)

It’s a Valentine’s Day week North Broad Street tradition. This year, the trio of Shawn Stockman, Nate Morris, and Wanya Morris is celebrating the 30th anniversary of their second album, II, which contained the hits

“I’ll Make Love To You” and “On Bended Knee.” And I’m betting they’ll also give their

fans a taste of their version of “I Want My Baby Back,” from their recent Chili’s ad. themetphilly.com

Jess Williamson (Feb. 22, World Cafe Live)

Texas-born songwriter Jess Williamson raised her profile by teaming with Katie Crutchfield of Waxahatchee as Plains, whose 2021 album I Walked With You A Ways was an unexpected highlight of 2021. Then last year, she released the solo album Time Ain’t Accidental, a subtly produced breakup album full of memorable songs that linger. worldcafelive.com

Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit (Feb. 23, the Met Philly)

Every Jason Isbell release plays like a songwriting master class. Last year’s Weathervanes is the latest example in the winning streak that began in earnest with 2013 s Southeastern — not coincidentally, the first album recorded after he quit drinking. Don’t be late: Aimee Mann opens. themetphilly. com

ddeluca@inquirer.com

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CécileMcLorinSalvant FEB3

“Thefinestjazzsingertoemergein thelastdecade,”three-timeGrammy® AwardwinnerCécileMcLorinSalvant combinesher“elusivelybeautifulvoice” andprismaticgiftforlyricalstorytelling inthismust-seeliveperformance. (TheNewYorkTimes)

Mitski plays two shows at the Met Philly in February. Matias Delacroix

Madonna will be at the Wells Fargo Center on Jan. 25. Ricardo Gomes

By Dan DeLuca Music Critic

Back before what would turn out to be (maybe) Jason Kelce’s final season as an Eagle, the future Hall of Fame center who reportedly told teammates after the team’s loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday that he plans to retire, talked about his favorite Philly movie. The offensive lineman who’s the leader of the singing trio known as the Philly Specials responded to a query in connection with The Inquirer’s list of Philly’s 50 favorite “philms.” Kelce made a popular choice in naming a Rocky movie as his favorite, but he didn’t pick the Sylvester Stallone’s 1976 series debut that topped The Inquirer list. Instead, Kelce chose one whose resonance for him seems especially poignant now.

What’s your favorite Philly movie?

The cheesy answer is Rocky. But as an athlete, in particular it’s Rocky III. I think growing up, Rocky IV was probably the favorite in our house. Rocky is by far the best cinematic experience. But there’s something about Rocky III that when you rewatch that as a professional athlete, it hits a little bit different and you can relate to themes a lot more.

Why is that?

In Rocky III [from 1979, directed by Stallone] he fights Clubber Lang [played by Mr. T]. There’s Thunder Lips with Hulk Hogan. Rocky’s reached the mountaintop. He’s won the championship in Rocky II and now the sponsors are coming on board. Everybody’s loving him up. Everybody’s telling him how great he is. Other than Mick [Burgess Meredith], who finally confronts him, letting him know that he’s been basically having easy fights and the only reason he’s still a champion is because Mick’s been protecting him with the fights they choose.

a much different movie, watching this, this time around. ddeluca@inquirer.com t delucadan Eagle Jason Kelce names his favorite Philly movie. It’s ‘Rocky,’ but not the one you’d think

And Clubber Lang is the hungry guy that’s up and coming, waiting to get that trophy. He doesn’t have anything to his name yet, and he’s got a different level of intensity to him than Rocky does at the beginning of

the movie. And it takes him losing and being humbled to realize what really makes a fighter and makes you successful in life. It’s not the cars, the shiny things, the nice house. It’s the desire, the purpose

with which you attack things. It’s just the themes of it, especially as a guy who’s been in the league for a long time — I watched that maybe five or six years ago, and I was like: Oh my gosh, man, this is

Is a rom-com with Quinta Brunson in the stars?

“We should do something together,”

Daniel Radcliffe said of the “Abbott Elementary” star when asked about his future. We have some suggestions.

By Emily Bloch Staff Writer

If it were up to Daniel Radcliffe, his next project would be a romantic comedy starring him and Philly’s hometown hero, Quinta Brunson. And who can blame him? The duo already worked together on the set of Weird: The Al Yankovic Story , where Radcliffe played Yankovic and Brunson portrayed Oprah Winfrey, as well as on the third season of the TBS comedy Miracle Workers. Radcliffe revealed his dream scenario while on the Emmy Awards red carpet Monday night when asked by a Variety reporter what he hopes to work on next. “I’d love to do more rom-coms,” he said. “I did one of them once, and it was super fun. So yeah, something like that.”

When asked as a follow-up question who his leading lady would be, Radcliffe could barely contain his enthusiasm, quickly blurting out: “Quinta Brunson!” “We should do something together,” he continued. “And we’re a perfect height match, so really there’s a future in this.”

As Philadelphians, we understand and respect Radcliffe’s eagerness. Brunson, who became the first Black woman to win the Emmy for best actress in a comedy in over 40 years Monday night, has shared her love for her hometown of West Philadelphia with the masses by creating Abbott Elementary.

In 2022, she won a Peabody Award as the show’s creator, and was also the focus of a Philadelphia City Council resolution that honored her for creating the series.

But what would their romcom look like? We have a few suggestions.

1. Harry Potter visits Abbott Elementary

In this extended episode, visiting Hogwarts professor Harry Potter comes to Abbott Elementary for a semester-long residency on fantasy literature. He runs into Brunson’s Janine Teagues in the hallway and is immediately enchanted. She trips and almost eats it, but Potter catches her and — unbeknownst to her — puts an antiklutz spell on her. But without her clumsiness, Teagues doesn’t feel like herself and tries to figure out why. She’s also worried about how this will impact her situation-ship with her colleague, Gregory Eddie. But Eddie and Potter become fast friends, bonding over gardening.

2. A very Philly romance

Noah and Mia (two of Pennsylvania’s top baby names) just met at a Philadelphia pitch event for singles. Mia’s friends made a PowerPoint presentation on why she’d be a great girlfriend and Noah decides to shoot his shot. They go to a Flyers game and accidentally sit in Gritty’s Chaos Corner. The Muppet-like mascot puts these two through the ringer, repeatedly putting them on the Kiss Cam and teasing them on their suddenly very public first date. There’s a sweet scene where the couple walks through the Italian Market together. They get into an argument about who makes the best cheesesteak: Noah is team

Dalessandro’s, while Mia is here for Angelo’s all the way. Can they learn to compromise?

3. Two newspaper reporters fall in love

We’re The Philadelphia Inquirer, of course one of these rom-coms has to take place in a newsroom. An exhaustingly common trope for movies, Lucas and Ava meet as reporters. Both are new to The Inquirer. Lucas was a big-shot reporter at a glossy magazine overseas. Ava’s been working her way up the ranks as an education reporter. They hate each other when they meet at orientation. Ava doesn’t think Lucas is a team player. Lucas thinks Ava is too

squeaky of a wheel. But when the two get paired on a big investigative story, they’re suddenly forced to see a lot of each other. They decide to make the best of it, and grab a drink after work one day. You can guess what happens next. While we won’t exactly be waiting by the phone for Radcliffe and Brunson to take us up on any of these ideas, we do hope a movie starring the pair comes to fruition sometime soon. ebloch@inquirer.com

Actors Hulk Hogan (left) and Sylvester Stallone in “Rocky III.” Getty Images

Quinta Brunson (left) and Daniel Radcliffe in “Weird: The Al Yankovic Story.” Aaron Epstein / Roku Channel

PHILLY’S

TOP 50 MOVIES

Yes, we’re including “Philadelphia” and “The Sixth Sense,” but there is more to our list of favorites. Some were filmed here, some were just set in the city, but all have that Philly “vibe.”

1. ‘ROCKY’

(JOHN G. AVILDSEN, 1976)

Like we needed a poll for this! Rocky is inescapable. On Dec. 3, 47 years to the day the fictional, hoagie-mouthed palooka first charmed his way into our city’s soul, Sylvester Stallone helped open a Rocky shop next to the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The occasion marked Philly’s first-ever “Rocky Day.” But it doesn’t require the well-worn wisdom of ringside announcer Bill Baldwin to understand why Rocky is the best Philly movie ever. The simple and perfect truth that fuels the rooted heart of Rocky is one that burns inside every Philadelphian: Underestimate us and our superhuman ability to withstand ridiculously absurd barrages of punches and you’ll end up hobbled and humbled at the final bell (and eventually defeated in a less superior sequel). Yo, everyone! Happy Rocky Day! Which, here in Philly, is every day.

Mike Newall

2. ‘TRADING PLACES’ (JOHN LANDIS, 1983)

“In Philadelphia, it’s worth 50 bucks.” So says Bo Diddley’s pawnbroker to Dan Aykroyd’s down-andout rich guy trying to selling him a $7,000 watch. That’s one of many memorable lines in John Landis’ slapstick comedy about class and race that retells Mark Twain’s nature vs. nurture Prince and the Pauper parable. As Eddie Murphy goes from begging on Rittenhouse Square to hobnobbing at the Union League with conniving commodities brokers played by Ralph Bellamy and Don Ameche, Trading Places leans into its Philly backdrop, from Delancey Street and the Italian Market to City Hall and the Clothespin. The movie is dated — Aykroyd briefly wears blackface, homophobicand racist slurs are heard, and Jamie Lee Curtis plays a cliched hooker with a heart of gold. But it’s a Philly comic classic and a revenge fantasy that makes it points about privilege stick.

— Dan DeLuca

3. ‘THE SIXTH SENSE’

(M. NIGHT SHYAMALAN, 1999)

Timeless, terrifying, and touching, The Sixth Sense still leaves me in goose bumps and makes me ugly cry quite like no other film can. It’s a fantastic Philly movie not just because it was set and filmed here and written and directed by Chester County resident M. Night Shyamalan, but because it’s one of the greatest ghost stories and psychological thrillers ever told. In contrast to the film’s dark subject matter, Philly looks beautiful through Shyamalan’s lens, from an overhead shot of St. Albans Place to the Swann Memorial Fountain. Nods to Acme, the Eagles, and Peco pop up, and while the actors don’t use Philly accents, they do feel genuinely Philly, especially when Bruce Willis’ character calls someone a “cheesed—.” He also suggests displaying a citation he received from the Philadelphia Mayor’s Office in his bathroom. — Stephanie Farr

4. ‘PHILADELPHIA’

(JONATHAN DEMME, 1993)

The court drama tearjerker that earned Tom Hanks his first Oscar remains essential viewing for its portrayal of the scorn and stigma people with AIDS faced in the ’80s and ’90s. It broke ground as one of the earliest mainstream films about the epidemic, focusing on Hanks’ character Andrew Beckett, a lawyer fired after his bosses saw lesions on his face. Denzel Washington’s Joe Miller, an unapologetic homophobe, represents Beckett in a wrongful termination suit against the firm and the two forge an unlikely friendship. Director Jonathan Demme filmed all over the city, from Penn’s Fine Arts Library to the actual offices of a local firm, but the warmest scene is at Beckett’s childhood home in Lower Merion, where his family says they’ll stand by him no matter what. — Rosa Cartagena

5. ‘BLOW OUT’

(BRIAN DE PALMA, 1981)

John Travolta is gathering sounds for use in a slasher flick on Lincoln Drive when he records a deadly car accident he suspects is a political assassination. Friends Central grad Brian De Palma’s movie is a retake on Michelangelo Antonioni’s 1966 Blowup with Travolta’s sound man standing in for David Hemmings’ fashion photographer. Nancy Allen, Dennis Franz, and an evil John Lithgow costar in a still-timely Hitchcockian thriller about the manipulation of reality and justifiable paranoia. Philly stars in a big way, with Reading Terminal, 30th Street Station, and Penn’s Landing location shots and a car chase with Travolta driving his Jeep through the City Hall courtyard. — Dan DeLuca

6. ‘12 MONKEYS’

(TERRY GILLIAM, 1995)

A fake-mustachioed Bruce Willis disguised in a stoner wig, Brad Pitt’s best supporting actor role (besides Fight Club’s Tyler Durden), and one of the most climactic slow-mo run scenes in film history — 12 Monkeys is a ’90s sci-fi darling that happens to use Philly as a partial backdrop to the postapocalyptic thriller. Directed by Monty Python legend Terry Gilliam, the movie begins with James Cole (Willis) incarcerated in an underground facility beneath Philadelphia in 2035. This is where most of humanity lives now after a deadly manmade virus wiped out the majority of Earth’s population 40 years earlier. Cole is sent back in time to find the Army of the Twelve Monkeys, the clandestine group theorized to have released the virus and to help create a cure. In a post-pandemic world, this movie will hit close to home. — Henry Savage

7. ‘CREED’

(RYAN COOGLER, 2015)

Sylvester Stallone admitted it himself: The Rocky franchise made a mistake killing off Apollo Creed in Rocky IV. Still, the champ died so that Adonis Creed could rise. Spin-offs rarely capture the same energy as the original, but Creed infused a fresh, new life into Rocky’s legacy. Ryan Coogler didn’t just represent the city authentically, he also ensured Black Philadelphians could see themselves on screen through the underdog boxer played by an unrelenting Michael B. Jordan. He overcomes enormous obstacles with coaching from Unc, a.k.a. the Italian Stallion, who becomes his Mickey and his chosen family. Getting snubbed at the Oscars only cemented its Phillyness. Thankfully, Creed IV is in the works. — Rosa Cartagena

8. ‘THE PHILADELPHIA STORY’

(GEORGE CUKOR, 1940)

Katharine Hepburn starred as Main Line socialite Tracy Lord in The Philadelphia Story on Broadway before buying the film rights to Philip Barry’s play inspired by Main Line socialite Helen Hope Montgomery Scott. The setting for the wickedly witty rom-com is based on the 850-acre Villanova estate Ardrossan, but the film was shot on a Hollywood sound stage. The wedding at the center of the plot makes headlines in the Philadelphia Chronicle and is covered by Spy magazine journalists Ruth Hussar and Jimmy Stewart (who won a best actor Oscar); Cary Grant charms as Hepburn’s ex-husband, scheming to get her back. In 1956, The Philadelphia Story was remade as High Society, a musical with reallife Philadelphian Grace Kelly, plus Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, and Louis Armstrong. — Dan DeLuca

Sylvester Stallone (left) and Talia Shire in “Rocky.” United Artists

Tom Hanks (left) and Denzel Washington in “Philadelphia.” TriStar / Getty Images

PHILLY’S TOP 50 MOVIES

9. ‘MANNEQUIN’

(MICHAEL GOTTLIEB, 1987)

This late ’80s rom-com is if Weird Science met Macy’s, sprinkled with some Night at the Museum high jinks. Follow a recently dumped and down-on-his-luck mannequin sculptor, Jonathan Switcher (Brat Pack star Andrew McCarthy), as he fulfills his true artistic vision of creating the most beautiful retail store dummy possible. The mannequin then to comes to life as Kim Cattrall, who falls head over heels for her creator — debatably the best possible outcome. For a love story that opens in Ancient Egypt, involves an unlucky dude dating a plastic doll come to life, and ends with the foiling of a department store feud involving fraud and conspiracy, this movie reeks of weird ’80s cinema. And what better setting than Philadelphia! — Henry Savage

10. ‘THE BLOB’

(IRVIN YEAWORTH AND RUSSELL DOUGHTEN, 1958)

The film technically stars Steve McQueen, but the movie’s real hero is the ever larger mass of silicone and red dye as it absorbs a couple dozen Chester County residents. The Blob is part of the wave of lowbudget sci-fi shockers released in the 1950s, but it is not among the finest of those offerings. It does, however, have the distinction of being the only one set in the Philadelphia area, and the gelatinous monstrosity gets to ooze over a lot of redbrick structures that should look awfully familiar. The movie’s two leads are both interesting to watch, if in very different ways. McQueen probably didn’t even look like a teenager when he was 18, and here he’s almost 30 — lending unintended comedy to a scene where he sneaks out of his parents’ house. But it’s worth the price of admission to see the Blob’s attack on the Colonial Theatre in Phoenixville. It’s not scary, per se, but it sticks with you.

— Jake Blumgart

11. ‘THE IRISHMAN’

(MARTIN SCORSESE, 2019)

This Martin Scorsese classic sees Oscar-winner Robert De Niro play Irish American Frank Sheeran, a no-nonsense union truck driver who becomes a hit man in the 1950s for mobster Russell Bufalino (Joe Pesci), head of the Northeastern Pennsylvania crime family. He begins “painting houses,” or taking up contracted execution jobs for the Bufalinos and members of the South Philly underworld. De Niro’s Frank is later introduced to the powerful Teamster Jimmy Hoffa, played by the incomparable Al Pacino. After becoming Hoffa’s bodyguard, Frank later struggles to face a difficult “paint job.” The 2019 film marked the ninth collaboration between De Niro and Scorsese, and the first between the director and Pacino. — Earl Hopkins

12. ‘SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK’

(DAVID O. RUSSELL, 2012)

This multidimensional dramedy from 2012 is part love story, part ode to the idiosyncrasies of Eagles nation, and part commentary on the reality of getting — and coping with — a mental illness diagnosis. The film adaption of a novel by the same name from South Jersey son Matthew Quick, Silver Linings Playbook follows Bradley Cooper as Pat Solitano, a high school gym teacher who returns home to the Philly suburbs after a stint in a mental institution as he tries to reconcile with his cheater of an ex-wife.

From there, Solitano’s plan unravels as the people in his life — from Solitano’s Eagles-obsessed parents to his therapist — push him toward Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence), a widow who just wants a dance partner for a ballroom competition.

Shot in different locations across Upper Darby and Ridley, the film delivered Lawrence an Oscar for best actress, but the real magic is in Silver Linings Playbook’s sharp dialogue and unromanticized capture of devout Philly sports fandom, down to Solitano Sr.’s superstition that the way he stores his remotes can cost the Eagles a W. Beatrice Forman

13. ‘HUSTLE’

(JEREMIAH ZAGAR, 2022)

This Adam Sandler Netflix movie was the first big Hollywood production to shoot locally after the onset of COVID-19, and it resulted in a movie that was as Philly as Philly gets. Sandler plays a former Temple basketball player-turned-scout for the Sixers, mentoring Spanish street-ball player Bo Cruz (Juancho Hernangómez).

Recognizable city locations are all over the film, from the Loews Hotel to the Wells Fargo Center, while the Rocky-style training montage is set in Manayunk. Sandler’s character at one point sums it up, declaring that Philly has the “best sports fans in the world. Actually the worst, but that’s what makes them the best.” — Stephen Silver

14. ‘THE WATERMELON WOMAN’

(CHERYL DUNYE, 1996)

This underrated Black lesbian classic provides a time capsule of the ’90s queer scene in and around Philly through the lens of Cheryl Dunye, the Liberia-born actor-director who graduated from Merion Mercy Academy. In the razor-sharp mockumentary — the first narrative feature film by an out Black lesbian — Dunye plays a version of herself working as a video store clerk and aspiring filmmaker. She searches for an unnamed and uncredited Black actor who played racist “mammy” characters during the 1930s and 1940s and her journey includes a cameo from notorious UArts professor Camille Paglia (who defends the stereotype, to hilarious effect). It was a total triumph for Dunye’s debut, and the revealing sex scene made headlines when pearl-clutching members of Congress cited it as a reason to cut the National Endowment of the Arts’ budget. — Rosa Cartagena

15. ‘FANTASIA’

(SAMUEL ARMSTRONG, JAMES ALGAR, BILL ROBERTS, PAUL SATTERFIELD, BEN SHARPSTEEN, DAVID D. HAND, HAMILTON LUSKE, JIM HANDLEY, FORD BEEBE, T. HEE, NORMAN FERGUSON, WILFRED JACKSON; 1940)

To some classical insiders, Fantasia warps its composers’ intentions. But the 1940 Walt Disney-Leopold Stokowski collaboration has also been one of the biggest ambassadors for classical music — and for Philadelphia. The music for seven of the film’s eight animated segments was recorded by the Philadelphia Orchestra in sessions at the Academy of Music, sending the trademark Philadelphia Sound around the world. ”Grotesquely kitschy,” sniffed film critic Pauline Kael of Fantasia, one segment of which has hippos in pink tutus dancing to the music of opera composer Amilcare Ponchielli. But kitsch was partially the point. The silliness factor took down a perceived barrier between Stravinsky, Bach, and Beethoven and millions. — Peter Dobrin

16. ‘MIKEY AND NICKY’ (ELAINE MAY, 1976)

Gangster film Mikey and Nicky is the opposite of a crime epic. It’s about two small-time crooks bound together by a lifelong relationship that neither of them get much out of anymore. Mikey (Peter Falk) and Nicky (John Cassavetes) are based on people that May knew growing up in Philadelphia, from a family that was connected to the Mafia but many rungs below the equivalent of a Michael Corleone. The movie was filmed over 60 days in Philadelphia — with the city looking exceptionally ragged and derelict at its 1970s nadir — and then a further 60 days in Los Angeles when Falk had to return to keep shooting Columbo. Mikey and Nicky is little known, but it should be a classic Philadelphia movie. It explores a gritty and grimy side to the city, with characters that are underdogs — but not likable or morally superior ones like Rocky. Sometimes losers are just that.

Jake Blumgart

17. ‘WITNESS’

(PETER WEIR AND MARIYA MUAT, 1985)

What do you do when the sole witness of a Philly police officer’s brutal murder is an 8-year-old Amish boy from Lancaster? You get Detective Harrison Ford on the case. This is one of the most unique crime thrillers, of not just the ’80s, but of all time as it primarily takes place in a Pennsylvania Amish community — which wasn’t without controversy. The cast is stacked, including a young Lukas Haas in his breakout role, and the themes of corruption and crime in Philadelphia are as poignant as ever.

— Henry Savage

18. ‘BEST IN SHOW’

(CHRISTOPHER GUEST, 2000)

This mockumentary about a dog show in Philadelphia, and the quirky humans who participate in it, is a brilliant satire that always leaves me howling with laughter. It’s so doggone good it gets a place on this list, despite not actually being filmed here. While the Mayflower Dog Show in the movie is fictional, having been to the Philadelphia Kennel Club’s National Dog Show, I can attest that it feels very familiar. In fact, the local show has the movie to thank for it becoming a holiday staple on NBC. When a network executive saw the film, he wanted to air a dog show after the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and Philly’s made a good fit. — Stephanie Farr

19. ‘INVINCIBLE’

(ERICSON CORE, 2006)

Boston-born Mark Wahlberg does his best South Philly accent in this real-life Rocky story. Wahlberg plays Vincent Papale, a 30-year-old substitute teacher and bartender who, in 1976, attended open tryouts for the Philadelphia Eagles, and actually made the squad. The real-life Papale had considerably more football experience than Wahlberg’s untrained-but-doggedly-determined mug. But why let the truth get in the way of a crowd-pleasing story? Beyond being a homegrown heartwarmer, Invincible also inspired a classic episode of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, in which several of the sitcom’s core group attend Eagles open tryouts, and are roundly humiliated. Fun fact: Invincible includes a cameo by local steak sandwich scion Tony Luke Jr. — John Semley

20. ‘NATIONAL TREASURE’

(JON TURTELTAUB, 2004)

OK, so there are really only a handful of scenes from National Treasure shot in Philadelphia. But I stand firm in endorsing it as a classic Philly film. I’ll admit that may be because of a story I know from behind the film’s scenes. It’s not my story; it’s my fiancé’s. A Northeast Philly boy born and raised, he witnessed history being made one fine afternoon when he was in grade school. While on a school trip to the Convention Center, my fiancé went to the bathroom and bumped into Nicolas Cage during the filming of the sequel to the masterpiece we now know as National Treasure . And Cage was a class act. He looked that little kid in his face and signed a paper towel for him to treasure for the rest of his life (my fiancé lost it that very afternoon). We don’t have that paper towel enshrined on our wall as it should be, but knowing that story makes watching the action-packed National Treasure a little harder to pass up when it pops up on TV. — Sam Ruland

Tierra Whack (left) and Juancho Hernangomez in “Hustle.” Netflix Disney’s “Fantasia.” Walt Disney Pictures/TNS

Christopher Guest in “Best In Show.” Photo by Warner Brothers/Getty Images

21. ‘AMERICAN HUSTLE’

(DAVID O. RUSSELL, 2013)

This dark comedy crime flick stars Christian Bale as Irving Rosenfeld, a con artist that dabbles in forgery and loan-sharking. Then he falls in love with Amy Adams’ Sydney Prosser. The two grifters go on a scamming rampage until they are caught by FBI agent Richie DiMaso (Bradley Cooper). Bale and Adams’ Irving and Sydney, who pose as English aristocrats, are forced to work undercover for DiMaso in order to avoid being arrested. Together, they devise a plan to catch the fictional Camden, N.J., mayor Carmine Polito (Jeremy Renner) — inspired by Angelo Errichetti — in a sting operation. The rest of the film is a mind-bender, with viewers questioning who’s being truthful and who’s playing the con game. The film, inspired by the FBI Abscam operation of the late 1970s, went on to receive 10 nominations at the 86th Academy Awards, including best picture and best director. — Earl Hopkins

22. ‘CONCRETE COWBOY’

(RICKY STAUB, 2020)

In Philadelphia we ride bikes, we ride four-wheelers, and we definitely ride horses. Concrete Cowboy , the Idris Elba-starring Netflix drama is a moving story based on the legacy of the Fletcher Street Urban Riding Club, a famous equestrian club based out of North Philadelphia’s Strawberry Mansion neighborhood. Since 2004, the Fletcher Street riders have added to the novelty of Philadelphia, inspiring films and books along the way. What makes Concrete Cowboy an essential Philly film is not the use of the word jawn, but the surrealness of Black cowboys riding around a heavily concreted North Philadelphia, a common and almost magical site. — Kiersten Adams

23. ‘DAWN OF THE DEAD’

(GEORGE A. ROMERO, 1978)

George A. Romero revolutionized the zombie genre with his outrageously bloody franchise that began with 1968’s Night of the Living Dead . The second installment centers on four Philadelphians, two TV journalists and two cops, who manage to escape the blue-skinned monsters long enough to find shelter in a shopping mall (Monroeville Mall outside of Pittsburgh and near Romero’s alma mater, Carnegie Mellon). The site becomes a home, playground, and battlefield as they scramble to stay alive. Beyond the gore, Romero infuses an offbeat humor killing off scores of glassy-eyed, chomping extras — 124 deaths, total — while keeping viewers on edge till the end.

— Rosa Cartagena

24. ‘IN HER SHOES’

(CURTIS HANSON, 2005)

On its face, this Cameron DiazToni Collette flick seems like a lighthearted enemies-to-best friends story about two extremely different sisters: the impulsive, selfish blond, Maggie, and the uptight, overachieving lawyer, Rose. This adaptation of a novel by Jennifer Weiner (a former Inquirer columnist) provides more layers. The two meet a long-lost grandmother (Shirley MacLaine) and uncover their bougie Main Line family’s toxic history while balancing the cheeky tone of an early-aughts comedy. It wasn’t a box-office hit, due to poor marketing according to critics at the time, but it earned extra points for its portrayal of Philadelphia as a foodie destination and beautiful place to dog-walk.

— Rosa Cartagena

25. ‘CONFESSIONS OF A DANGEROUS MIND’

(GEORGE CLOONEY, 2002)

Just when you thought you’d met every kind of man from Philly — Chicken Man, the four-wheelers on Broad Street, Jason Kelce — along comes Chuck Barris. Confessions of a Dangerous Mind is a biographical espionage film starring Sam Rockwell as the host, producer, and alleged spy Chuck Barris — a Drexel University grad with a real knack for storytelling. The film is based on Barris’ 1984 autobiography of the same name, where the author writes about his life as an assassin for the CIA, killing 33 people in the 1960s and ’70s (all claims the CIA adamantly denied). Raised in Lower Merion, Barris, who died in 2017, will always be remembered for his memoirs, his single “Palisades Park,” and his column in the Drexel newspaper, the Triangle. Thanks for the stories, Sloppy Chuck Barris. Kiersten Adams

26. ‘MARNIE’

(ALFRED HITCHCOCK, 1964)

We first meet Marnie (Tippi Hedren) on the run, stealing from her bosses from city to city with stylish flair. In Philadelphia, she meets Mark (Sean Connery), a patronizing businessman who decides it’s his job to put her on the right track — by marrying her, old boy! Filmed in Chester County and billed as a “suspenseful sex mystery,” the Alfred Hitchcock classic was one of his many attempts to understand the female inner psyche, with cinematic but catastrophic results. Hedren delivered a masterful performance as the unraveling victim of childhood trauma enduring a domineering man whose lust knew no bounds, but behind the camera, the cost weighed heavily: She later said Hitchcock sexually assaulted and abused her on set. Her terrified expressions onscreen reflected that blurred boundary between fictional and real violence. — Rosa Cartagena

27. ‘HARRIET’

(KASI LEMMONS, 2019)

Cynthia Erivo stars in this 2019 Oscar-nominated biopic about Harriet Tubman, the 19th-century abolitionist who escaped bondage in Maryland and shepherded dozens of the enslaved to freedom. Tubman arrived in Philadelphia in 1848 — Old City’s cobblestone streets figure prominently in the film — only to return to Maryland in an attempt to rescue her husband. He, however, was remarried and chose to remain in captivity with his new wife.

Heartbroken, Tubman returned North with friends from neighboring plantations through the Underground Railroad, the first in a series of journeys earning her the title “Moses.” Leslie Odom Jr. is William Still, a free Black man and Underground Railroad conductor worried that Tubman’s determination placed abolitionists’ efforts in jeopardy. Yet, Erivo’s Tubman proved that neither heartbreak nor whip could stop Tubman from her mission to save her people.

Elizabeth Wellington

28. ‘MARLEY & ME’

(DAVID FRANKEL, 2008)

Marley & Me took the world by storm and is still one of the best dog movies ever (and there are a lot out there). Fun fact: Before there was a best-selling book or blockbuster movie, Marley & Me was a column in The Philadelphia Inquirer, written by former columnist John Grogan. It’s not just a movie about a dog named Marley, it’s a family story following the passage of time through the chapters of Marley’s life as it relates to the growth of the Grogan family. It’s a must-watch, and then never-watch-again type of movie.

— Henry Savage

29. ‘LAW ABIDING CITIZEN’

(F. GARY GRAY, 2009)

After his family’s murderer is let off lightly on a plea bargain, Gerard Butler as Clyde Shelton, a genius engineer, takes matters into his own hands in one of the best revenge-vigilante plots in cinema. This movie is so legendary that it has an action sequence take place among the headstones and mausoleums of Laurel Hill Cemetery, where a remote-controlled machine gun on wheels tears through granite, marble, and police SUVs. Jamie Foxx plays a Philadelphia prosecutor aiming for the assistant district attorney spot. This deadly game of cat and mouse also highlights the beautiful skylines and river views of Philly. — Henry Savage

30. ‘1776’

(PETER H. HUNT, 1972)

What’s more Philly than a shot of the Liberty Bell in the first five minutes of a movie? Someone complaining about being in Philadelphia in the first 10 minutes of getting here. 1776 , the film version of the Broadway musical-comedy, tells the story of the Continental Congress’ long and heated debates over the country’s future, leading up to the signing of the Declaration of Independence. While it’s hard to recreate the magic of early Philadelphia, the Oscar-nominated film does capture the essence of Old City with cobblestone streets, Colonial brick buildings, and, of course, the history of America woven into the very fabric of Philadelphia.

— Kiersten Adams

31. ‘DAVID AND LISA’

(FRANK PERRY, 1962)

Fourteen years before the original Rocky, the Philadelphia Museum of Art played a key role in a very different movie. This film, starring Keir Dullea and Janet Margolin, is set mostly in a psychiatric treatment center, where David (Dullea) fears physical touch, while Lisa (Margolin) has what today would be called dissociative identity disorder. It was shot in the Philadelphia area, although mostly at interior locations. The exception is the film’s climax, which has David finding Lisa on the steps of the Art Museum. There’s even a statue at the museum that’s important to the plot, and it’s not Rocky’s, which wouldn’t go up for another 20 years.

— Stephen Silver

32. ‘STATE PROPERTY’

(ABDUL MALIK ABBOTT, 2002)

State Property is a Philly movie in the sense that Philly rapper Beanie Sigel plays a Philly gang leader named Beans who aspires to be a big-time crime boss. He aims to rule “this city called Brotherly Love” while also astutely observing: “There ain’t no love here.” The body count builds as Beans orders rivals to “get down or lay down” and the women’s bodies are rarely fully clothed. Is this what Philadelphia looked like in 2002? No. The movie was filmed in New Jersey and Yonkers, save for one shot outside City Hall. Worth watching for Sigel’s performance, and

a hostage in a riot at the notorious Holmesburg Prison, which closed just months before the film crew arrived. — Rosa Cartagena

34. ‘FALLEN’

(GREGORY HOBLIT, 1998)

Denzel Washington drives this thriller as John Hobbes, a stylish gum-chewing Philadelphia police detective confronting a serial killer who won’t stay dead, even after facing the

chamber. He and his partner (John Goodman) investigate a potential copycat killer, but the reality is more paranormal than true crime. Filmed almost entirely in

Fallen includes recognizable shots of the late-night scene at Geno’s, the Ben Franklin Bridge, and rowhouses in Manayunk. Due to a lackluster box-office performance, it’s underrated in Washington’s catalog, but it has resurfaced as a cult classic in recent years, even earning an homage in season one of Loki. — Rosa Cartagena

Bradley Cooper (left) and Christian Bale in “American Hustle.” Columbia Pictures Zachary Levi (left) and Jack Dylan Grazer in “Shazam!” Warner Bros. Entertainment

Idris Elba (left) and Caleb McLaughlin in “Concrete Cowboy.” Aaron Ricketts/Netflix

PHILLY’S TOP 50 MOVIES

37. ‘CLEAN AND SOBER’

(GLENN GORDON CARON, 1988)

This 1988 drama stars Michael Keaton in an early, noncomedic role. He plays Daryl Poynter, a Philadelphia real estate agent who swindles a considerable sum of money from his employer to feed his snowballing cocaine addiction. When a woman ODs in his bed, Daryl lays low in a sober living facility. Initially contemptuous of the hospital and its patients (he spends most of the AA meetings trying to pick up eligible women), Daryl eventually commits to sobriety under the tutelage of a grizzled addict (M. Emmet Walsh). Released the same year as his breakout Beetlejuice Clean and Sober showed that Keaton was talented beyond his more edgy, manic energy. That said, that same energy is on full display in the film’s early scenes, as he plays the smug, sleazy, ever-scamming addict driving around Philly downing beers to soothe his throbbing hangovers.

John Semley

38. ‘DOWNTOWN’ (RICHARD BENJAMIN, 1990)

Sure, the film not only uses a term — downtown — that no local ever uses, the word is the movie’s title. And it acts as though Bryn Mawr is a neighborhood of Philadelphia, served by the Philadelphia Police Department, rather than a suburb. And it treats police gunplay and violence with a nonchalance that hasn’t aged especially well.

But this buddy cop movie starring Anthony Edwards and Forest Whitaker filmed (mostly) locally and benefited from strong chemistry between the two lead actors. Downtown offered a slightly more mature take on the buddy cop comedy genre amid the Police Academy era. — Stephen Silver

39. ‘A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE’

(DAVID CRONENBERG, 2005)

A History of Violence did not film at all in Philadelphia, opting instead for the director’s native Canada. But, it costars Norristown native and Villanova alum Maria Bello, and its most memorable line is “I should have killed you back in Philly.”

Based on the graphic novel by John Wagner and Vince Locke, A History of Violence has a great hook: Viggo Mortensen plays Tom, a mild-mannered family man and diner owner in a small Indiana town who foils a robbery. The attendant publicity exposes his past life and draws out old enemies from the Philadelphia underworld, led by his brother (William Hurt). — Stephen Silver

40. ‘FOXCATCHER’

(BENNETT MILLER, 2014)

Besides the Kellys, very few families have been as influential in Philadelphia as the du Ponts. In 2014’s Foxcatcher, Steve Carell portrays infamous chemical company heir and sports enthusiast John du Pont. The Foxcatcher Wrestling team coach and founder’s enigmatic ways and substance-induced paranoia eventually led to the murder of Olympic wrestler David Schultz (Mark Ruffalo). The film offers a glimpse into the unsettling sports compound du Pont created on a 1,000-acre farm in Newtown Square and the man’s extreme wealth and unhealthy obsessions.

Kiersten Adams

41. ‘NIGHT CATCHES US’

(TANYA HAMILTON, 2010)

Filmed locally in the summer of 2009, the 1970s-set Night Catches Us followed the story of a former member of the Black Panther Party (Anthony Mackie) who returns to Philadelphia after many years away. Here, he must deal with the fallout of the past, which includes the belief among many of his former compadres that he had snitched on them. It’s a quiet but thought-provoking character study.

In addition to the Philadelphia locations, Night Catches Us features a musical score by Philly’s own The Roots, as well as a supporting performance by Roots member Tariq “Black Thought” Trotter. The cast also includes Kerry Washington, as well as Wendell Pierce and Jamie Hector, both from The Wire. — Stephen Silver

42. ‘PRIDE’

(SUNU GONERA, 2007)

In a film loosely based on the life of Philadelphia swim coach James “Jim” Ellis, Terrence Howard plays Ellis, who, while facing racism, violence, and deteriorating conditions in 1970s Philadelphia, rehabilitates an abandoned pool building with hopes of inspiring a new crop of competitive swimmers. He is helped by a janitor named Elston, played by the late Bernie Mac. But when the two are faced by a hostile public official, who marks the building for demolition, Jim founds the city’s first all-black swim team. The team is named “PDR,” both for “Pride, Determination, Resilience” and the Philadelphia Department of Recreation. The group of swimmers competes against racist and more experienced teams, and with Ellis’ mentorship and guidance, they find themselves neck and neck with their opponents.

— Earl Hopkins

43. ‘PRIDE OF THE MARINES’

(DELMER DAVES, 1945)

Based on the true story of Al Schmid, Pride of the Marines tells the story of the World War II veteran from before his service and after coming home blinded from combat. The film is also a love story as Al (John Garfield) finds an unexpected romance with Ruth Hartley (Eleanor Parker), culminating in grand gestures at 30th Street Station. The whole Philadelphia skyline consumes the screen as they express their passion for one another. The film was nominated for an Academy Award for best adapted screenplay.

Kristal Sotomayor

44. ‘THE YOUNG PHILADELPHIANS’

(VINCENT SHERMAN, 1959)

This 1950s melodrama is saturated with local connections, from casual references to Rittenhouse Square and South Philly to the familiar bulk of City Hall outside Paul Newman’s law office window. The Young Philadelphians is anchored in a version of the city that feels about as distant as the colonial era, with high society toffs ignoring the huddled masses south of South Street — no matter how powerful or rich the Italian and Irish elites become. This movie is surprisingly convoluted — it bristles with subplots — but Newman and the rest of the cast are compelling enough to devote an evening to, even if his famous baby blues are nullified by the blackand-white cinematography. — Jake Blumgart

45. ‘TWIN PEAKS: FIRE WALK WITH ME’

(DAVID LYNCH, 1992)

David Lynch’s 1992 feature-length prequel to his hit ABC series Twin Peaks polarized critics and audiences. Many felt that the film — darker, more depressive, and franker in its depiction of domestic abuse — felt at odds with the soapy, madcap vibe of the TV series. Like any worthwhile film maudit, Fire Walk With Me has earned a cult of admirers, many of whom hail it as a masterpiece. The film’s Philadelphia connections are sparse but important: an extended scene in a Philly FBI office (where beloved Twin Peaks characters Gordon Cole, Albert Rosefield, and Dale Cooper are all stationed) featuring David Bowie describing his encounters with a group of ghost-demons who live above a supernatural convenience store. However brief, this scene would become a core component in the grander Twin Peaks mythos, introducing characters and ideas explored further in both The Missing Pieces (a collection of Fire Walk With Me deleted scenes recut by Lynch himself), and 2017’s Showtime revival miniseries Twin Peaks: The Return. — John Semley

46. ‘10TH & WOLF’ (ROBERT MORESCO, 2006)

Can a film be a great Philly film without being a great film? 10th & Wolf offers evidence that, indeed, it can. Based on the Philly Mob Wars of the early 1990s, the film stars James Marsden as an ex-Marine and proud son of South Philly coerced by federal agents into informing on some gangster pals he grew up with (including Giovanni Ribisi, playing real-life local mobster Joey Merlino). Yes, it’s rote and a bit cheesy, and the fact that it was released the same year as Martin Scorsese’s Oscar-winning undercover-mob flick, The Departed, probably didn’t help its reputation. Still, 1 0th & Wolf abounds with South Philly rowhouses, walk-and-talks through the Italian Market, conspicuous signs marking Catharine Street, and a general, rough-and-ready attitude that feels distinctly Philly. — John Semley

47. ‘MONEY FOR NOTHING’

(RAMÓN MENÉNDEZ, 1993)

This film, which recently marked its 30th anniversary, retold one of Philadelphia’s most famous crime stories: the time down-on-his-luck South Philly longshoreman Joey Coyle found a bag with $1.2 million and then went on the run for five days, committing numerous mistakes along the way. The film was based on reporting by Mark Bowden, the then-Philadelphia Inquirer writer who later turned his reported series into a book called Finders Keepers

Money for Nothing, shot briefly in Philadelphia but mostly elsewhere, was not a big success, due in part to an uneven tone, the miscasting of John Cusack as Coyle, and Coyle’s death shortly before its planned release. But it’s the cinematic immortalizing of a uniquely Philly story. — Stephen Silver

48. ‘BABY MAMA’

(MICHAEL MCCULLERS, 2008)

This raunchy comedy follows successful 37-year-old Kate Holbrook (Tina Fey) on her journey to becoming a mother. When it becomes difficult to conceive, she looks for a surrogate in Angie Ostrowski (Amy Poehler), an obnoxious and infantile South Philadelphian who offers the service cheap. Baby Mama came at the peak of Tina Fey-Amy Poehler powerhouse comedy, coming fresh off their dynamic tag team of Saturday Night Live’s “Weekend Update,” Fey’s 30 Rock, and right before Poehler’s iconic run as Leslie Knope in NBC’s Parks and Recreation

— Henry Savage

49. ‘CHRISTMAS ON DIVISION STREET’

(GEORGE KACZENDER, 1991)

This is the quintessential heartwarming Philadelphia Christmas story. The film opens with the Atwood family moving to Gladwyne and passing through Center City for the first time. Young Trevor starts school at an all boys school, similar to the Haverford School, called “Brynwood” (a portmanteau of the real town names of Bryn Mawr and Wynnewood). When his teacher assigns him to write an essay about the city, Trevor goes to the Central Library of the Free Library of Philadelphia where he strikes up a friendship with Cleveland Meriwether, an elderly homeless man. The film serves as a moving reminder to help one another in the City of Brotherly Love.

— Kristal Sotomayor

50. ‘RUSTIN’

(GEORGE C. WOLFE, 2023)

This biopic of Bayard Rustin, the civil rights legend who organized the March on Washington, isn’t filmed or set in Philadelphia, but it does spotlight local stars in LGBTQ+ history. West Philly-raised actor Colman Domingo shines in his first lead role after decades as a skilled character actor. Rustin, who grew up in a Quaker household in West Chester, gets his long-overdue recognition as a pivotal adviser to the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and so does Rustin’s grandmother: Bayard often quotes Julia Rustin’s wise words preaching pacifism and love, highlighting the family’s impact on the racial justice movement. — Rosa Cartagena

Keir Dullea and Janet Margolin in “David And Lisa.” Continental Distributing / Getty Images

Michelle Pfeiffer in “Up Close and Personal.” Getty Images

Steve Carell in “Foxcatcher.” Scott Garfield/MCT

Colman Domingo (left) and Johnny Ramey in “Rustin.” David Lee/Netflix

Conspiracy-laden notes are popping up in cereal boxes and Pennsylvania state parks, confusing officials

By Jason Nark Staff Writer

Neatly folded notes crammed with just about every conspiracy theory and internet buzzword imaginable keep popping up in rural Pennsylvania, some illegally tucked inside cereal boxes and others pinned to pine trees in state and local parks. Unfolded, the notes are mostly indecipherable, containing a coded run-on sentence of secret societies, sci-fi movie mentions, and name drops like “Musk”, “Bill Gates,” and “Oprah.”

“It’s tied to Saturn, Lord o/t Rings/time,” one line reads.

The FBI, the Federal Drug Administration, and elected officials in Pennsylvania are all aware of the notes, but no one’s been caught in the act of actually planting them.

Philly had its own strange “note” phenomenon with its Toynbee Tiles, which were found embedded into city streets and, eventually in other states, with messages about Stanley Kubrick and Jupiter, mostly in the 1990s and 2000s.

While the Toynbee Tiles had an art house vibe, the Schuylkill Notes feel a bit darker. Some notes mention international conflicts and hate groups, and are often riddled with intentional misspellings and out-of-place apostrophes, making them all the more confusing.

“Secret society (SS) ties to terror’m, shoot’gs, staged confront’ns & other crises aren’t report’d but JFK/Lincoln warn’d of SS,” another reads.

Amateur web sleuths have taken up the case, mostly on Reddit, and they’ve dubbed the bizarre messages the “Schuylkill Notes” because so many, initially, were found in Schuylkill and surrounding counties.

“The content of the notes themselves, it’s clear they’re warnings, not threats,” a founder of the Reddit group r/schuylkillnotes said.

The notes, which often differ slightly in content, have also been

EditedbyWillShortz ACROSS

found in Huntingdon and Lycoming Counties. One Reddit user mapped out dozens of specific locations where notes have been found, including Walmarts, Goodwills,

and various locations on the Appalachian and other trails. The bulk of the discoveries appears to be situated between Allentown and State College.

Zachary Zimmerman, 23, was hiking in Lebanon County’s Swatara State Park while squirrel hunting last month when he discovered a handful of the notes attached to trees and wrapped around stones.

“I picked it up and read it and it really doesn’t make any sense to me,” Zimmerman, a Lebanon County native who lives in the Adirondacks, said.

Zimmerman said he thought about calling the Pennsylvania Game Commission or Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, but didn’t. He kept a few notes and left others in the woods.

“It’s just a bunch of crazy stuff,” he said.

It’s unclear exactly when the notes began appearing in Pennsylvania. Some posts say 2015 and at least one recalled something similar happening in the 1980s, in the Poconos. In December, a Luzerne County man named Joe Miller found a note in a sealed box of Lucky Charms.

“It’s the note that really bothers me,” Miller told WBRE/WYOU out of Scranton. “These notes are found inside food like kids’ food.”

While elected officials have notified the FBI, Carrie Adamowski, a spokesperson with the agency in Philadelphia, said she could neither confirm nor deny the existence of an investigation.

Wendy Wilson, a spokesperson for Rep. Matt Cartwright in northeastern Pennsylvania’s 8th Congressional District, said an officer received an anonymous call reporting that 20 notes had been found on state game lands in Mainville, Columbia County.

“So far, there have been no reports of people getting sick from these notes, but we don’t want to take any chances and we want to find out who is doing this,” Wilson said.

The FDA, according to a spokesperson, is aware of the situation, and said the agency “evaluates product defects and

other complaints that it receives.” Tampering with food products, the spokesperson said, is a federal crime. On Reddit, at least one discussion asked whether the note’s original creator or copycats could be in the group. Zimmerman said it seemed like a lot of work for one person and he wondered whether people were copying them and putting them out for attention.

Anyone who finds a note, particularly in a food item, is asked to call Pennsylvania’s FDA Consumer Complaint Coordinator at (877) 689-8073. Notes

jnark@inquirer.com

215-854-5916

t jasonnark

One of the “Schuylkill Notes” found by Lebanon County native Zachary Zimmerman in a Pennsylvania state park last month. Zachary Zimmerman

A Toynbee Tile embedded in the pavement at 12th and Chestnut Streets in 2011. Eric Mencher / File Photograph

Some of the notes Zachary Zimmerman found in Lebanon County’s Swatara State Park last month. Zachary Zimmerman

salad, but smart modern tweaks keep them from being boring. There’s black garlic laced into the buttery glaze that takes garlic knots to an umami zone where garlic knots have rarely gone. Tahini lends a nutty richness to the Caesar dressing. That roast chicken is superbly tender from its 24 hours in a buttermilk brine, then served over a thick slice of sourdough glossed with schmaltz.

High Street’s excellent pizzas are appealing showcases for seasonal whims, from delicata squash with Calabrian oil, burrata, and honey, to a pie layered with roasted chestnut cream topped with charred kale leaves and cipollini onion petals.

So much here is anchored by an exceptional bakery. No surprise, given that elevating local grain has always been a cornerstone of High Street’s concept. So many dishes are accented with crunchy bread bits here, they might have just as well renamed it High Street Crumbs. But this more approachable new version of High Street succeeds largely because of the steady hand of its new chef, Christina McKeough.

McKeough was a veteran of Fork from the early 2000s before moving to the Finger Lakes for over a decade, where she ran her own place, Hazelnut Kitchen, and worked for Cornell University and Gimme! Coffee. She is a self-professed lover of the classics who showcases great ingredients with crisp technique in simple combinations. While High Street’s identity may no longer be quite cutting-edge, it can be just

as impactful if it manages to succeed in its mission — as I think it will — to revitalize this quiet and sunny corner as a destination restaurant. It follows decades of other forgettable projects in this space in the Franklin Residences, the massive 99-yearold building designed by Horace Trumbauer that was once the Ben Franklin Hotel.

Between the daytime traffic of Jefferson Health’s thriving medical campus and Market East’s rapid growth as a residential neighborhood, there’s a niche for an all-purpose dining hub here to be filled. Along with longtime design collaborator Marguerite Rodgers, Yin and her partners have energized a once lackluster location by reorienting the 14-seat bar front and center toward the Ninth Street entrance, wrapping the bakery end of the kitchen behind showcase glass, adding a beautiful private dining room in back, and maximizing every awkward nook behind the room’s massive support columns into seating for 35 that feels intimate.

The bar does its part to stay on message, eschewing once jarringly bitter cocktail combos of the old High Street for polished riffs on familiar drinks that incorporate novel savory touches from the kitchen in subtle ways, like a fresh dill garnish for the gimlet, or a sesame tincture for the banana-cocoa

take on an old-fashioned. There’s a focus on American producers for the wine list, including a well-rounded chambourcin that was the most impressive thing I’ve tasted yet from Kensington’s Mural City Cellars. There is also a thoughtful zero-proof cocktail program full of satisfying options (try The Other Pink Skies) that’s been a hit with the medical lunch crowd.

Considering the potentially strong lunch scene, this was one service where the kitchen execution was less than stellar. An otherwise delicious burger was slightly overcooked. High Street’s house-smoked pastrami was too lean and dry; the Reuben’s seeded rye sliced far too thick.

Our dinners, though, were beautifully cooked. A juicy citrus salad of vibrant purple blood orange segments burst against shaved fennel, black olive puree, and caper leaves for a sweet-and-savory beam of Mediterranean sunshine. A fluffy brandade of salt cod and potatoes made for a hearty nibble over crisped polenta. Earthy lamb meatballs paired with a celeriac tzatziki.

McKeough’s determination to gently cook the seafood for her starters — lightly poached shrimp with salsa verde and pistachios; grilled-kissed baby squid for garlicky white beans and broccoli rabe — preserved the delicacy of those ingredients.

The house pastas are solid, but not particularly dynamic in their more traditional Italian presentations, like the tonnarelli with clams, or the small but stunningly rich crock of Romanstyle semolina gnocchi discs in sage-infused pecorino cream. But when McKeough

takes a more contemporary American approach, the pastas suddenly become memorable.

Her rye-flavored creste di gallo noodles topped with soulful brisket ragù, freshgrated horseradish, and caraway bread crumbs is a clever pasta nod to a beef on weck sandwich from her former stomping grounds in upstate New York. The tubular spaccatelli are a spectacular showcase for mushrooms — royal trumpets and dried black trumpets in deep mushroom stock — topped with an egg yolk that enriches the bowl carbonara-style when you mix it in and lends extra resonance to the crunch and earthiness of toasted buckwheat and crispy leeks on top. The pastas and pizzas could make a perfectly filling entree for an affordable $18 to $24, but there are a handful of shareable entrees, too, that bring both mass appeal and solid values in the mid-$30s. Aside from the half chicken, there is a tasty hanger steak with Worcestershire aioli and crispy root vegetables for a winterized steak frites. My favorite, though, was less common, a half-pound hunk of monkfish tail still on the bone that was butter-roasted

like an oceanic osso buco, then laid into a bowl of bouillabaisse-like saffron broth with roasted fennel and toast, topped with fermented pepper rouille. If the old High Street’s penchant for inventive combinations persists anywhere, it’s most evident in pastry chef Kate Hughes’ desserts. There’s honey ice cream steeped with sesame semolina bread. A moist sticky toffee pudding whose molasses-maple sweetness is tempered by smoked malt, plus the tartness of pomegranate syrup and kataifi shreds dusted in sumac-sugar. Hughes’ most inspired dessert, though, is a caffeinated-rye twist on a cannoli. The paper-thin crispy tube is made from ground caraway and rye bread. The chocolate mousse piped inside is spiked with coffee and spiced chai. Black tea caramel, apple butter, cocoa nibs, and rye crumbs complete the dish that deftly rides the sweet-and-savory line. When this finale ultimately lands gracefully on the sweet side of that divide, the time and place for such a creative gamble is always right.

TheNewsdayCrossword

byBillieTruitt.EditedbyStanleyNewman

The ‘forced togetherness’ of boyfriend’s family is exhausting

Question: We did Thanksgiving with my boyfriend’s extended family, who are intensely close. They were very nice to me, but I found all the forced togetherness exhausting. My own family doesn’t gather for Thanksgiving (my parents aren’t American, siblings live too far away), so I didn’t mind doing it, but I think I would like to opt out in future years.

When is the right time to broach this with my boyfriend, who seemed to really enjoy the visit? Do I wait until next year and then suggest that he go without me? I wouldn’t mind if maybe we alternated and spent every other year separately; I just don’t want it to be expected that I burn a whole week’s vacation on it in perpetuity.

Answer: Don’t hold on to

this until next November, because it isn’t really about Thanksgiving. Which is a good thing for me, because I flagged your question weeks ago to answer in a column, then forgot about it and am now publishing it in January. It’s important to talk about feelings like this as they come up because they’re about compatibility. Someone with an “intensely close” family who clears an entire week for a one-day holiday and “seemed to really enjoy the visit” deserves to know if his partner is not as thrilled about these things as he is. He especially needs to know that the scene he loved through his eyes looked like “forced togetherness” through yours. You can respect his family affections while also busting any illusions he has about you. If he wants to be with someone who values the same things he does, then you’re not the right person for him. You likewise deserve to know whether he’s ungrudging and liberal with his blessings for you to opt out of his cherished family rituals. If he’s constantly hoping you’ll join him or wishing you’d

BYFRANKSTEWART

change — or, tougher, if he foresees caring more about this over time — then he’s not right for you, either. Forget just “blessings”; you want him to want you to do your own thing, to see it as the best possible partnership luck. It’s not a crazy idea. He will never have to sacrifice his Thanksgivings (and maybe other holidays?) for your family’s to appease you. You’re a perfect mismatch, in a way.

But I digress. The point is, you both deserve to be loved fully for who you are, and to be with someone who feels so lucky to have you. If you hold back how you really feel, then neither of you will get to see the truth about the person you’re dating — at least, not until you’re so invested that it will feel easier to keep being disappointed in each other than to do the awful work of a breakup.

Don’t do that to yourself or to him. Say how you feel. Hold out for the person who likes you more after you tell the truth than he did before. That’s how you find the right person for you.

Question: My partner and I have been together 12 years

and resided together for 10. She likes to sleep on the edge of the bed and have half of it for her territory, which I have no trouble respecting.

However, she is not demonstrative physically, not even to hold hands other than very occasionally, hug (except with her two grown kids), or initiate cuddling, like when we’re on the sofa watching TV.

I’d like to have some sincerely felt physical closeness, even just hugs, regularly. However, it doesn’t seem right to ask her or even to initiate hugging regularly, because I’d like it to be sincere and don’t want to have her act in ways she doesn’t find comfortable. I’m also not real assertive physically. So how do I approach this with her?

Answer: A partner who does not make sincere shows of affection will not give you sincere shows of affection. Wanting that combination of traits in your current partner will only disappoint you. You can have affection, perhaps — or sincerity. So it’s up to you to pick your priority. If you want hugs, then talk to your partner.

Find out whether she’s undemonstrative because she doesn’t want to be touched, period, or doesn’t want to initiate touch. They’re very different things.

If her answer is “no touch,” then your options are to agree to that or break up. If it’s “no initiating,” then say you’d like to initiate, ask whether that’s OK, then try it on those terms. See how you both feel.

If assertiveness feels too wrong, then please ask yourself why you picked the exact partner to guarantee your privation.

If your priority instead is the sincerity — she has to want affection or you’re not interested — then you keep living as you are or you break up. It’s a hard emotional situation but very simple math. Your 1 + 1 with her will never get you to 3. The question to ask yourself now is, how do you feel about 2? Chat with Carolyn Hax online at noon Fridays at www.washingtonpost.com.

“Accordingtoallthe experts,”CytheCynicsaid tomeintheclublounge, “atrumpisthetextbook openingleadwhenyour opponentssacrifice againstyourgameor slam.”

“Insuchacase,”Isaid warily,“yoursidewillhold moreofthepoints,and youropponentswillhave bidbasedonatrumpfit anddistribution.Atrump leadmaystopthemfrom winningextratrumptricks andprotectyourhigh cards.”

“Wellthen,”theCynic growled,“whathaveyou tosayaboutthisdeal?”

Cydisplayedtoday’s layout.

“IwasWestinapenny game,andNorthsacrificedagainstEast’svulnerablefourspades.Ileda trump,asperyourexpert advice.”

Southwonwithdummy’snineandled...the queenofclubs!When East’skingcovered,South tooktheace,ledatrump todummyandreturned thetenofclubs,ruffing East’sjack.Hewentback todummy’saceoftrumps andrantheclubs,pitchingallfourofhishearts. Henextledaspade.East putuptheace,andSouth claimed,makinganovertrick.

“Eastmightnothave madefourspades,”Cy grumbled.“Ouropponents’`sacrifice’turned outtobeworthplus650.” Cy’strumpleadwas fineintheory.IfEasthad figuredouttoplaylowon thequeenofclubs—do youthinkheshouldhave? —Southwouldhavegone downalot.Still,aprincipleofdefense—even againstasacrifice—is “First,beatthecontract.” IfCy’sopeningleadhad beenaspadeorthequeen ofhearts,hewouldhave avoidedadisaster.

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