The Irishman (2019)

January 11, 2022May 19, 2022 / filmoblivion / Leave a comment

The 2019 Martin Scorsese film “The Irishman” was mostly shot north of New York City, in small towns such as White Plains, Suffern and Hempstead, with a bit of additional filming in New Jersey and Florida. While noted for using de-aging effects on the actors, the film likewise utilized visual effects on several of the locations to make them more period authentic. Sometimes what you see in real life does not immediately match what appears on screen. However, the filmmakers used every tool at their disposal, combining a unique mixture of visual effects, practical set dressing and in some cases, simply finding great locations that didn’t need anything changed to bring about the appropriate look. The production reportedly traveled to over 200 different locations in the film, so we obviously weren’t able visit every spot, but we did as many as we could.

Frank Sheeran, played by Robert De Niro, lives at this home, located in White Plains.

LOCATION: 63 Lincoln Ave, White Plains, NY 10606

After his truck has some mechanical issues, Frank first meets Russell, played by Joe Pesci, at the Texaco gas station, with a Stuckey’s dessert restaurant on the right. The real location is not a gas station at all, rather it is part of Great Hunger Memorial Park, just off the Saw Mill River Pkwy. The gas pumps were added by the production, as well as some set dressing to bring the buildings back to life, but the area is still instantly recognizable from the film. It’s pretty easy to access and open to the public, so we highly recommend visiting the park.

LOCATION: Great Hunger Memorial Park, Saw Mill River Pkwy, Irvington, NY 10533 (GPS coordinates: 41.024472, -73.846028)

Frank works his way up the criminal ranks, meeting Skinny Razor at the Friendly Lounge. Again, the building was repurposed to appear a bit older for the film, but is still recognizable. Several other locations from the film were shot in this same area, including the church in the background.

LOCATION: 880 Woodward Ave, Queens, NY 11385

The baptism scene was shot inside of this church. The exterior of the church appears in a couple scenes as well, but always in the background.

LOCATION: 5815 Catalpa Ave, Queens, NY 11385

Russell collects money and runs some of his operations at Penn Drape & Curtains. This was filmed in the town of Suffern and once again, a couple other locations from the film are on the same street.

LOCATION: 104 Lafayette Ave, Suffern, NY 10901

After Anastasia is killed in a barber shop, Russell is seen exiting Penn Drape & Curtains to talk to a man parked out front and calm things down.

LOCATION: Lafayette Ave / Suffern Pl, Suffern, NY 10901

After a man fails to pay up on a debt owed to Skinny Razor, Frank forces the man into his car in front of this building. This is again located just around the corner from the Friendly Lounge location in Queens, with the same church appearing in the background.

LOCATION: 881 Onderdonk Ave, Queens, NY 11385

Still in the same area, directly across the street from the Friendly Lounge location, is the store where Frank beats the owner on the sidewalk for shoving his daughter. Quite a bit of set decoration was added for this scene, making the storefront look much different in the film.

LOCATION: 885 Woodward Ave, Ridgewood, NY 11385

Whispers offers Frank a side job at “Philadelphia’s Melrose Diner,” which is actually the former Goodfellas Diner in Maspeth. The diner was famous for its appearance in another Scorsese film, “Goodfellas,” changing it’s name from the Maspeth Diner after the success of that film. However, it got damaged by a fire in 2018. Since then, the building has remained closed down and appears in disrepair these days. Only the exterior was revisited for this film, the interiors for the scene were filmed at 106 E 2nd St, Mineola, NY 11501.

LOCATION: 56-26 Maspeth Ave, Maspeth, NY 11378

Back in Suffern, Frank makes the rounds to collect more money for Russell at Fair Furriers. This is located very close to the Penn Drape & Curtains location.

LOCATION: 88 Lafayette Ave, Suffern, NY 10901

Frank begins spending a lot of time working with Jimmy Hoffa, played by Al Pacino. Hoffa eats with Frank’s family at this ice cream stand. It really is called Weir’s and very little of it was altered for the film. The spot is a bit of a distance away from most of the other locations, however, in Salisbury Mills.

LOCATION: 2159 NY-94, Salisbury Mills, NY 12577

Hoffa is once again enjoying ice cream with Frank when they learn of J.F.K.’s assassination on a television inside.

LOCATION: 84 Hillside Ave, Williston Park, NY 11596

Hoffa’s teamsters headquarters was actually the Hempstead Town Hall.

LOCATION: 1 Washington St, Hempstead, NY 11550

Hoffa gets sentenced to prison, with the exterior scenes filmed at the East Jersey State Prison. A real prison, the location has appeared in numerous films, including “Ocean’s Eleven,” “Malcolm X,” “Rounders,” “He Got Game,” “The Hurricane” and more.

LOCATION: 1100 Woodbridge Rd, Rahway, NJ 07065

Umbertos Clam House, where Frank performs a hit in front of shocked onlookers, made heavy use of CGI to modify the ground level, incorporating what was a set into the interior views of location. The exterior can be found at 90 Orchard St, New York, NY 10002.

After the hit, Russell is seen at a payphone, making a call to an unknown person in front of the Sunoco gas station. Quite a bit of set dressing was added to make it look like vintage gas station. The real building is part of a bagel shop. The business owns a couple buildings side by side. The one used in the film sits off to the left, near the intersection of Park Ave / Orange Turnpike. The building is currently vacant, although the main building to the right is still operational.

LOCATION: 203 Orange Turnpike, Sloatsburg, NY 10974 (to the left, near the intersection of Park Ave / Orange Turnpike)

Frank buys hot dogs for Jimmy at Lum’s, supposedly located in Florida. The scene was actually filmed in Tuxedo Park, New York, just a short distance away from the above Sunoco location. Visual effects were used to erase the mountain and trees in the background, substituting them for palm trees. The building has also since been remodeled, making it even more tricky to match up.

LOCATION: 192 NY-17, Tuxedo Park, NY 10987 (since remodeled)

Hoffa is killed inside of this house, supposedly located in Michigan. The house seen in the film is actually located in White Plains, New York.

LOCATION: 83 Smith Ave, White Plains, NY 10605

Red Dragon (2002)

July 17, 2021March 1, 2022 / filmoblivion / Leave a comment

The 2002 film “Red Dragon” was shot around Baltimore, Maryland, Southern California and the Florida Keys. In the opening scene, Will Graham, played by Edward Norton, successfully captures Hannibal Lector, played by Anthony Hopkins. In the aftermath of those events, Graham has retired to a quiet life in the Florida Keys. Graham’s house is said to be located in Marathon, Florida. The home is actually located about 30 miles north of Marathon, in the village of Islamorada. The house sits far back from the road, behind another property and many trees, so it is not visible from the street.

LOCATION: 183 Carroll St, Islamorada, FL 33036

The other side of the property is briefly seen when Jack Crawford, played by Harvey Keitel, visits to persuade Graham to assist in the pursuit of a serial killer known as Tooth Fairy.

Graham visits the Tooth Fairy’s crime scene at the Leeds family house, which is supposedly located in Atlanta, Georgia. In reality, the home can be found in Long Beach, California. The house, seen under the cloak of night, may not be immediately recognizable to viewers, but it was more famously featured as the home of Ferris in the 1986 comedy “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.” The same home was also featured in the films “Not Another Teen Movie” and “American Dreamer.”

Francis Dolarhyde, played by Ralph Fiennes, picks up a morning newspaper at this corner, where he has a brief confrontation with the man selling the papers. The same alley, which leads to the back of the Los Angeles Theater, can be seen the film “Kiss Kiss Bang Bang.”

LOCATION: Lindley Pl / W 6th St, Los Angeles, CA 90014

Related articles: The Silence Of The Lambs (1991)

Monkey Trouble (1994)

March 25, 2021March 25, 2021 / filmoblivion / Leave a comment

The 1994 comedy “Monkey Trouble,” starring Thora Birch, was filmed in Southern California. In the early scenes of the film, Azro, played by Harvey Keitel, can be seen at Venice Beach performing for the crowd with Dodger the Monkey. This same area was seen in the film “White Men Can’t Jump.”

LOCATION: Dudley Ave / Ocean Front Walk, Venice, CA 90291

Eva, played by Birch, lives at this apartment building with her family.

LOCATION: 109 N Sycamore Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90036

Dodger can be seen running up this ramp into the building.

Here is the location of the pet store Eva visits in the film.

LOCATION: 12112 Venice Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90066

Eva’s father lives at this house in Venice.

LOCATION: 925 Harding Ave, Venice, CA 90291

Sister Act (1992)

September 17, 2020September 17, 2020 / filmoblivion / Leave a comment

In the opening of the 1992 comedy “Sister Act,” a flashback scene is shown at “Saint Anne’s Academy” in 1968. A young Deloris, Goldberg’s character, is seen misbehaving in a Catholic school. The building can be found in Reno, Nevada.

LOCATION: 310 W 2nd St, Reno, NV 89503

An adult Deloris is now a singer in Reno, Nevada. Early in the film, the famous Reno Arch is prominently featured.

LOCATION: 155 N Virginia St, Reno, NV 89501

After witnessing a murder, Deloris goes to a police station. They agree to put her under witness protection until she can testify in court.

LOCATION: 50 S Virginia St, Reno, NV 89501

The exterior of the church where Deloris becomes a nun is the St Paul’s Catholic Church, which can be found in San Fransisco.

LOCATION: 221 Valley St, San Francisco, CA 94131

From Dusk Till Dawn (1996)

August 30, 2020June 28, 2022 / filmoblivion / Leave a comment

The 1996 Robert Rodriguez film “From Dusk Till Dawn,” written by Quentin Tarantino, is set in Texas and Mexico. Production actually took place at neither, however. Instead, the film was shot primarily in California.

In the opening scene, the Gecko Brothers, Seth and Richie, played by George Clooney and Quentin Tarantino respectively, visit Benny’s World of Liquor. The same location also appeared in “Terminator 2: Judgement Day” and still stands today. The building can be found in Lancaster, California.

LOCATION: 46551 140th St E, Lancaster, CA 93535

Here is the area next to the building, where Texas Ranger Earl McGraw, played by Michael Parks, first arrives, much in the same way he does (as the same character) in “Kill Bill.” The church he visits in that film is also located in Lancaster, just minutes away from this location.

Seth and Richie speed off down 140th St E as the opening credits begin.

The Dew Drop Motel where the Gecko Brothers meets Jacob, played by Harvey Keitel, can be found in Mojave. The same motel, actually called the Budget Inn Motel, was featured in the film “Nocturnal Animals.” Other than some slight renovations to the front of the motel, it still looks similar to how it appeared in the film.

LOCATION: 16698 Sierra Hwy, Mojave, CA 93501

The restaurant where Jacob eats with his daughter Kate and son Scott, played by Juliette Lewis and Ernie Liu respectively, has since been demolished. It was formerly located in Victorville, on I-15 Frontage Rd, just off Interstate 15. Here is where the building once stood.

LOCATION: GPS coordinates: 34.557037, -117.287256 (nearest address is around 16801 I-15 Frontage Rd, Victorville, CA 92394)

The Titty Twister bar and strip club is not located in Mexico, as depicted in the film. It was a set built on a dry lake bed in Yermo, just off Interstate 15, near Calico Blvd and Ghost Town Rd. There are, of course, no longer any remnants of the set. However, the mountains in the background allow the ability to coordinate where the sets approximately stood. Facing west on the lake bed, looking towards Ghost Town Rd is where the Titty Twister was located.

LOCATION: GPS coordinates: 34.915563, -116.876034 (near Calico Blvd / Ghost Town Rd, Yermo, CA 92398)

Looking the opposite direction is where the dirt path up to the bar was located. There is of course no Aztec temple to be found there, which was a visual effect.

The whip used by Sex Machine, played by Tom Savini, could be found on display at the Museum of Pop Culture in Seattle, Washington as part of their horror exhibition, “Scared to Death: The Thrill of Horror Film.”

LOCATION: 325 5th Ave N, Seattle, WA 98109

Point Of No Return (1993)

July 17, 2020July 17, 2020 / filmoblivion / Leave a comment

The 1993 action film “Point Of No Return,” a remake of “La Femme Nikita,” was filmed in a variety of locations, including New Orleans, Washington D.C. and Southern California.

Maggie, played by Bridget Fonda, relocates to this “apartment” in Venice Beach. The actual building is not a residential property. The same location appeared as the Colonic Institute in the 1991 Steve Martin comedy, “L.A. Story.”

LOCATION: 523 Ocean Front Walk, Venice, CA 90291

Maggie is instructed to blow up a hotel room. These scenes were filmed at a hotel in Century City, located next to the “Nakatomi Plaza” from “Die Hard.”

LOCATION: 2151 Avenue of the Stars, Los Angeles, CA 90067

Reservoir Dogs (1992)

June 13, 2018April 21, 2022 / filmoblivion / Leave a comment

The 1992 Quentin Tarantino film “Reservoir Dogs,” like much of his work, was filmed around Los Angeles, California, with many of the locations found in close proximity to one another around the Eagle Rock neighborhood of East L.A. The opening restaurant scene, which establishes all of the characters, was filmed at Pat And Lorraine’s in Eagle Rock. The restaurant is still alive and well and more or less looks the same as when it appeared in the film.

LOCATION: 4720 Eagle Rock Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90041

Here is the general area where the guys sat. The circular table was added by the production.

The restaurant is very welcoming to fans of the film and has a still photo from the movie on their wall.

They also have a poster for the film on another wall.

The parking lot where the cast walks in the opening credits does still exist. However, the brick wall is no more. It is part of a bowling alley and has been remodeled a bit. This is what the wall looks like now, in the approximate area where the cast walked.

What can be matched up better is the ending shot of the opening credits sequence. The buildings across the street still appear identical. However, a fence and gate have since been added along the street.

LOCATION: 4459 Eagle Rock Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90041

The most famous location from the film was the warehouse where the men rendezvous after the heist. The majority of the film takes place there, but sadly, it no longer exists. The property was formerly a mortuary, which was incorporated into the production design, with upright caskets visible and a hearse under a tarp. The area where Mr. White, played by Harvey Keitel, talks to Mr. Pink, played by Steve Buscemi, was intended to look like an embalming room.

Once located at 59th Ave and Figueroa St in Highland Park, the building sustained damage from an earthquake and was later demolished. The apartment of Mr. Orange, played by Tim Roth, was also located above the warehouse in the same building, so that too is gone. Here is what the area looks like today, with a different building and parking lot now occupying the space.

LOCATION: 5860 N Figueroa St, Los Angeles, CA 90042 (now demolished)

One element from the original film can still be matched up at the location. This building across from the parking lot can be seen as Mr. White first brings Mr. Orange into the warehouse. It can be seen again as Mr. Blonde walks to his car outside.

The film cuts in non-linear form to a jewelry store robbery gone wrong. Mr. Pink is seen running along the north side of York Blvd, with police chasing close behind him.

LOCATION: 5025 York Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90042

He drops his briefcase right in this area, then picks it up and continues running.

In a bit of movie magic, Mr. Pink suddenly switches sides of the street, running on the south side of York Blvd to the intersection of N Avenue 50, where a car hits him. In reality, he would’ve been running back the direction he began. In the film, a gas station is seen at the intersection, but it is now a small park.

LOCATION: Intersection of N Avenue 50 and York Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90042 (nearest address is 5000 York Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90042)

The police catch up and Mr. Pink opens fire on them at this same corner. Mr. Pink is standing on N Avenue 50, firing towards York Blvd.

Mr. Pink escapes by vehicle up N Avenue 50, with a cop shooting at him from behind in the intersection. Overall, while this area has changed some since filming, a lot of it is still recognizable from how it appeared in the film

The office of Joe, played by Lawrence Tierney, could be found in an upstairs office space at Chapman Market, located in Koreatown. There’s a few different second floor sections of the plaza, but here’s a look at the general area. The office is of course only seen from interior views in the film.

LOCATION: 3465 W 6th St, Los Angeles, CA 90020

The restaurant where Mr. Orange tells another officer all of the intel he’s collected is Johnie’s Coffee Shop Restaurant in midtown Los Angeles. The restaurant closed many years ago, but still operates as a filming location. It has appeared in “The Big Lebowski,” “American History X,” “Miracle Mile,” “Gone in Sixty Seconds” and many more.

LOCATION: 6099 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90048

Mr. Orange rehearses “the commode story,” about being stuck in side a bathroom with a group of police officers and an agressive dog, while in possession of drugs. Several locations appear as he rehearses and then tells the story. He is first seen rehearsing on the rooftop of this building in Hollywood, with the top of the Hollywood First National Bank Building visible behind him. The roof area has changed a bit since filming took place.

LOCATION: 6751 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90028

He continues telling the story in front of a graffiti covered wall. This was a platform that was part of the city’s original metro train line. The area has since been razed entirely and a large apartment complex, named the Belmont Station Apartments, now stands in it’s place.

LOCATION: 1304 W 2nd St, Los Angeles, CA 90026

The scene then jumps to Mr. Orange actually telling Joe, Nice Guy Eddie and Mr. White the story inside a club. These scenes were filmed inside a former club located in North Hollywood. While the building is still there, the interior is now completely changed from how it appeared in the film. The same building appeared in the TV show “Pam & Tommy.”

LOCATION: 4923 Lankershim Blvd, North Hollywood, CA 91601

Finally, the scene ends up with the rehearsed scenario actually playing out inside a bathroom. This was filmed in the men’s bathroom on the ground floor of the MacArthur, formerly known as the Park Plaza Hotel. No longer a functioning hotel, the MacArthur today serves primarily as a property for hosting filming and special events. David Lynch’s “Wild At Heart” and the Coen Brothers’ “Barton Fink” also filmed in this exact restroom, which as since been remodeled a bit, but remains largely recognizable.

LOCATION: 607 S Park View St, Los Angeles, CA 90057

Mr. Orange leaves his apartment and gets in a car with Nice Guy Eddie, Mr. White and Mr. Pink at the intersection of S Ave 59 and Figueroa St. This is accurate to where his apartment was formerly located, just out of frame to the left.

LOCATION: S Ave 59 / Figueroa St, Los Angeles, CA 90042

The jewelry store exterior can be found in Burbank. Mr. White and Mr. Orange go over the robbery plans as they are parked outside.

LOCATION: 2612 W Burbank Blvd, Burbank, CA 91505

Mr. Brown, played by Quentin Tarantino, crashes his car in this alley. It is located near Marmion Way, but it’s actually at the intersection of two unnamed alleys. We’ve provides the exact GPS coordinates below.

LOCATION: GPS coordinates: 34.109187, -118.195118, near 5522 1/2 Marmion Way, Los Angeles, CA 90042

This house can be seen in the background behind the crashed car.

As the police arrive, Mr. White opens fire on them from here, with this building visible behind him.

Mr. White and Mr. Orange walk up the alley toward Marmion Way.

They hijack a car right where the alley meets Marmion Way. While not obvious in the film, in person it is very noticeable that the lanes of the road are split down the center by a railway track, so the car in the scene would’ve been driving along the wrong side of the street. We’ve again provided exact GPS coordinates, as it can be slightly confusing if you don’t know the area.

LOCATION: GPS coordinates: 34.109680, -118.195474, near 5522 Marmion Way, Los Angeles, CA 90042

Pulp Fiction (1994)

July 29, 2017October 25, 2021 / filmoblivion / Leave a comment

One of the most critically acclaimed films of the 1990s, Quentin Tarantino’s “Pulp Fiction,” was shot in Southern California. The restaurant that opens and closes the film was the Hawthorne Grill in Hawthorne, California. Unfortunately, the restaurant closed in 1996 and is now an AutoZone.

LOCATION: 13763 Hawthorne Blvd, Hawthorne, CA 90250 (demolished)

Butch discusses throwing a boxing fight with Marsellus Wallace at Starz, a former strip club in Gardena. This location was identified by Rayen Belchere after he spoke with the former management, who confirmed the club was used in the film. The location is only seen from interior views in the film, but photography was not permitted inside and the club has since permanently closed. Here is what the exterior looked like.

LOCATION: 2528 Rosecrans Ave, Gardena, CA 90249

Vincent Vega takes Mia Wallace to the memorable “Jack Rabbit Slims,” which is not a real restaurant. The interiors were built on a studio stage. However, the exterior is in fact a real place, albeit not a restaurant. Located in Glendale, California, the building was originally a bowling alley called Grand Central Bowl, which has long since closed. Today, the building is owned by The Walt Disney Company, which owned Miramax, the company which released “Pulp Fiction.” The building is part of Disney’s larger Grand Central Business Center, which consists of numerous buildings in the area used as business offices. The building is actually tucked away behind a wall and fencing, but the wall is not very tall and it’s easy to get a view over top of it. What is not so easily accomplished is getting a closer view of the building. The property is only open to business staff, so the closest the public can get is the sidewalk.

LOCATION: 1435 Flower St, Glendale, CA 91201

Vincent Vega pays a visit to his friend Lance, played by Eric Stoltz, early in the film, in order to purchase some heroin. After Mia Wallace mistakes Vega’s heroin for cocaine, she overdoses and is rushed to this house in the Atwater Village neighborhood of Los Angeles, for a very tense scene in which they give her an adrenaline shot.

LOCATION: 3519 La Clede Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90039

The building where Butch’s boxing match takes place can be found in Pasadena. The marquee has since been changed. The same building was also used in “This is Spinal Tap.”

LOCATION: 129 N Raymond Ave, Pasadena, CA 91103

Later in the film, after Butch has double-crossed Marsellus Wallace, he sneaks back to his apartment, located in North Hollywood, to retrieve his gold watch.

LOCATION: 11813 Runnymede St, North Hollywood, CA 91605

After a violent confrontation at his apartment, Butch is leisurely driving away, when a chance encounter with Marsellus occurs at this intersection of Fletcher Dr. and Atwater Ave., also located in Atwater Village. Butch is facing NW on Atwater Ave. when he spots Marsellus crossing Fletcher Dr.

LOCATION: Intersection of Atwater Ave. / Fletcher Dr., Los Angeles, CA 90039

Butch quickly floors it and hits Marsellus, before getting in a car collision in the intersection. Marsellus awakens and begins firing his gun at Butch, when a bystander is hit in front of Fosters Freeze, which is at the same intersection. Forsters Freeze was also featured on the television show “GLOW.”

LOCATION: 2760 Fletcher Dr, Los Angeles, CA 90039

Marsellus chases Butch on foot SW down Fletcher Dr. from the same intersection.

LOCATION: Fletcher Dr., just past Atwater Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90039

Marsellus fires one last shot in the distance at Butch, who is standing at the corner of this building in Canoga Park. This location is far away from the earlier shots in Atwater Villiage. It is actually the corner alley next to the Zed’s Pawn Shop, in which both characters make a grave mistake in entering.

LOCATION: The alley left of Crown Pawn Shop at 20933 Roscoe Blvd, Canoga Park, CA 91304

Zed’s Pawn Shop is where things take a bizarre, ugly turn for Butch and Marsellus. The real building actually is a pawn shop.

LOCATION: 20933 Roscoe Blvd, Canoga Park, CA 91304

The motel where Butch and Fabienne stay was demolished in 1996. Formerly known as the River Glen Motel, this building now stands in it’s place. Only the exteriors were used in the film. The interior of the motel was a set, albeit designed to resemble the River Glen Motel rooms.

LOCATION: 2934 Riverside Dr, Los Angeles, CA 90039 (now demolished)

What can be better lined up at the location is the view down Riverside Drive, seen as the couple leaves the motel on a chopper. Everything here still matches how it appeared in the film, with the Glendale-Hyperion Bridge visible in the distance. The same bridge was seen in the film “Who Framed Roger Rabbit?”

Near the end of the film, Jules and Vincent find themselves in “The Bonnie Indecent,” in which they are in sudden, urgent need of getting rid of a body. They arrive here at Jimmy’s house, played by Quentin Tarantino. It is here they meet “The Wolf,” played by Harvey Keitel.

LOCATION: 4145 Kraft Ave, Studio City, CA 91604

The site of Monster Joe’s Truck and Tow can be found in Sun Valley. The area has changed some since filming took place.

LOCATION: 12143 Branford St, Sun Valley, CA 91352

Film Oblivion

Movie and TV locations, points of interest.

Harvey Keitel