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ICYMI, it’s the great blizzard/ snopocalypse/ SNOMFG of 2015 and unless your boss has very high expectations, you’re probably staying home for the day tomorrow. And while the pickin’s are kinda slim, there are some Philly shows and movies you can make a Netflix marathon out of.
We’re still reeling about the fact that Netflix doesn’t have any of the Rocky movies (throw us a bone!) but here’s what they do have:
1. It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia, seasons 1-9
I know, I know. People in Philly feel a certain way about It’s Always Sunny and its constant raunchiness. But the sitcom that debuted on FX in 2005 provides some decent laughs, and there are *some* shots of Philadelphia that are actually in the show. Even though the majority of Always Sunny was shot in LA, a street sign outside the pretty unsuccessful bar the crew runs shows it was intended to be located at 3rd and Dickinson in South Philly.
2. Philadelphia (1993)
This early 90s film that takes place in, duh, stars Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington, and centers around a gay man with AIDS who is fired from a law firm because of his condition. The movie won two Oscars — Tom Hanks, who played Andrew Beckett, the man who was fired, won best actor in a leading role, and Bruce Springsteen won best original song for “Streets of Philadelphia,” which was written for the movie. The movie was filmed in Philadelphia, with people from Philadelphia, in part because the city was an early center of AIDS activism.
3. Trading Places (1983)
Eddie Murphy and Dan Aykroyd come together in this comedy in which an investor and a con artist switch places as part of a bet. While parts of the movie were filmed in New York, some portions were filmed here in Philly, including at places like Rittenhouse Square, 30th Street Station and Italian Market.
4. Silver Linings Playbook (2012)
The movie that was set in and filmed in Philadelphia and surrounding areas is basically a chick flick on crack — it’s actually a good movie with award-winning actors. The film stars Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence and Robert DeNiro (and it’s obvi the first two who fall in love.) The movie was filmed largely in Ridley Park, a key scene happens at the Llanerch Diner in Upper Darby, and Cooper himself is from Jenkintown.
5. Philly, episodes 1-22
This TV series ran in 2001 for a full season before it was, womp womp, canceled. Created by Steven Bochco (the guy who created NYPD Blue), the movie centers around a criminal defense attorney who tries to balance how she stands up for her sometimes-guilty clients. The series, some of which was filmed in California and some in Philly, aired on ABC.
6. The Village (2004)
Philadelphia director M. Night Shyamalan has made his share of kinda shitty horror movies. The Sixth Sense is by far his best but, sigh, isn’t on Netflix. The Village is OK — it’s got Joaquin Phoenix and Sigourney Weaver going for it. The supernatural thriller is about a small population of people in Pennsylvania who get really sad because their relationship with some weird forest creatures is coming to an end. The movie was filmed partially in Philly and other locations in the ‘burbs and Jersey.
7. World War Z (2013)
In this action movie, a United Nations employee (played by Brad Pitt) and his family escape the apocalypse in Philly and flee to a much less apocalyptic area: Newark. From there, he goes around the world trying desperately to stop a disease that is mercilessly turning people into zombies. The only actual shots of Philadelphia in this movie were basically B-roll — most of it was filmed in Scotland.
