Last Updated on December 17, 2025 by Daily News Staff

Harkins Theatres Announces Rob Reiner Tribute Screening of The American President

Harkins Theatres has announced a special one-day tribute screening honoring acclaimed filmmaker Rob Reiner, celebrating his life’s work and cinematic legacy.

On December 17, select Harkins locations will screen Reiner’s 1995 political romance The American President, with all proceeds benefiting the Human Rights Campaign. Tickets are priced at $5, making the event both an accessible film experience and a charitable fundraiser.

The tribute was announced via Harkins’ official, verified social media accounts and is positioned as a legacy celebration, not a memorial.

🎥 Why The American President?

Released in 1995 and written by Aaron Sorkin, The American President stars Michael Douglas and Annette Bening and remains one of Rob Reiner’s most politically resonant films. The movie blends romance, idealism, and civic responsibility — themes that have consistently appeared throughout Reiner’s career.

The film later served as a creative blueprint for The West Wing, cementing its place in modern political storytelling.

📌 Event Details at a Glance

• Event: Rob Reiner Tribute Screening

• Film: The American President (1995)

• Date: December 17

• Price: $5

• Where: Select Harkins Theatres

• Beneficiary: Human Rights Campaign

• Host: Harkins Theatres

🔗 Official Event Page:

https://www.harkins.com/movies/the-american-president-a-rob-reiner-tribute

🎞️ Rob Reiner’s Lasting Impact

  Rob Reiner’s career spans more than five decades, including landmark films such as:

• This Is Spinal Tap

• Stand By Me

• The Princess Bride

• When Harry Met Sally…

• Misery

• A Few Good Men

His work is often praised for balancing entertainment, empathy, and social conscience, making tribute events like this especially meaningful to longtime audiences.

Hollywood vs. Reality: How LA’s Wilshire Subway Was Really Built

https://stmdailynews.com/wilshire-subway-tunneling-hollywood-vs-reality/

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Last Updated on December 16, 2025 by Daily News Staff

Director Rob Reiner participates in a discussion following a screening of the film LBJ at the LBJ Presidential Library in Austin, Texas on Saturday October 22, 2016
On Saturday evening October 22, 2016, the LBJ Presidential Library held a sneak peek of Rob Reiner’s new filmÊLBJ, starring Woody Harrelson as the 36th president. The film, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September, chronicles the life and times of Lyndon Johnson who would inherit the presidency at one of the most fraught moments in American history.
Following the screening, director Rob Reiner, actor Woody Harrelson, and writer Joey Hartstone joined LBJ Library Director Mark Updegrove on stage for a conversation about the film.
LBJ Library photo by Jay Godwin
10/22/2016

Hollywood Legend Rob Reiner and Wife Found Dead; Son in Custody

December 15, 2025

Renowned filmmaker and actor Rob Reiner, 78, and his wife Michele Singer Reiner, 68, were found dead in their Brentwood, Los Angeles home on Sunday, authorities say. Emergency responders were called to the residence Sunday afternoon, where both were discovered with fatal wounds consistent with a stabbing. Police are treating the case as a double homicide. 

Los Angeles police arrested the couple’s 32-year-old son, Nick Reiner, in connection with the deaths. He is being held in custody as investigators continue to piece together the circumstances surrounding the incident. 

2016 SAMHSA Voice Awards

Reiner was one of Hollywood’s most influential figures, known for his work as a director, producer and actor. His career spanned decades, from early television fame to directing beloved films that shaped American cinema. 

Friends, colleagues and public figures have begun sharing tributes and reactions to the news as the investigation is ongoing. 

More details will be updated as they become available.

The Inspiring Legacy of Raymond E. Fowler: A Journey into the Unknown

When the 1997 disaster film Volcano depicted lava erupting along Wilshire Boulevard and referenced blasting during Red Line subway construction, it delivered gripping cinema — but not accurate engineering.

In reality, Los Angeles Metro did not rely on large-scale blasting to construct subway tunnels beneath Wilshire Boulevard and the Miracle Mile. Instead, engineers used tunnel boring machines (TBMs) specifically to avoid the very risks Hollywood dramatized.

Why Blasting Was Avoided

The Wilshire Corridor sits atop historic oil fields, making methane gas pockets a known and serious concern. A deadly methane explosion near Fairfax Avenue in 1985 led to heightened scrutiny of underground construction in the area. Blasting in such conditions could have caused unpredictable gas releases, ground instability, or damage to surface structures.

As a result, Metro engineers chose pressurized, closed-face tunnel boring machines, which allow for:

• Controlled excavation in dense urban environments

• Continuous ground support to prevent settlement

• Integrated gas detection and ventilation systems

These machines grind slowly through soil and rock while installing precast concrete tunnel linings, creating a sealed, gas-resistant structure as they advance.

The Real Engineering Feat

Although Volcano took creative liberties for dramatic effect, the true story of tunneling under Wilshire is no less impressive. Advances in TBM technology and methane mitigation ultimately allowed the Metro D Line (formerly the Red Line/Purple Line) to safely pass through one of Los Angeles’ most geologically complex corridors — without explosions, collapsing streets, or cinematic chaos.

Bottom Line

Volcano remains a memorable piece of 1990s disaster cinema, but its portrayal of subway construction is fiction. The real achievement lies in decades of careful planning, modern tunneling technology, and engineering solutions that quietly reshaped Los Angeles beneath its busiest boulevard.

Related Links:

• LA Metro – D Line (Purple Line) Extension Project
• Engineering News-Record: Tunneling Through Gas and Tar in LA
• Los Angeles Times Archive: Methane Risk and Subway Construction

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