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, 2018September 3, 2019 / filmoblivion / Leave a comment

The most famous location from Quentin Tarantino’s 1992 film “Reservoir Dogs” is of course the warehouse, where the majority of the film takes place. Sadly, it no longer exists. Once located on 59th Avenue near Figueroa Street in the Highland Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, the building was originally a mortuary. It was later demolished, with a parking lot built it it’s place. Mr. Orange’s apartment was also located above the warehouse in the same building, so that too is gone.

The opening “Like a Virgin” scene, which establishes all of the characters, was filmed at Pat And Lorraine’s in Eagle Rock. The restaurant is still alive and well, serving up food daily to locals and film fans alike.

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

The parking lot where the gang walks along in the opening credits does still exist. However, the brick wall is no more. The parking lot belongs to a bowling alley. This is what the wall of the building looks like now, approximately where the cast walked.

What can be matched up better is the ending shot of the opening credits sequence. In the shot from behind of the group, the buildings across the street look identical. However, a fence and gate has since been added along the street.

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

The jewelry store where the robbery is set can be found in Burbank.

LOCATION: 2612 W Burbank Blvd, Burbank, CA 91505

After the robbery goes wrong, Mr. Pink makes a run from the cops, stealing a car from a driver he encounters far from Burbank, at the corner of N Avenue 50 and York Blvd in Highland Park, Los Angeles.

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.

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 tells “the commode story,” about being stuck in side a bathroom while carrying drugs with a group of police officers and a dog. This was filmed in the men’s bathroom on the ground floor of the MacArthur. 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

Pulp Fiction (1994)

July 29, 2017September 3, 2019 / filmoblivion / Leave a comment

One of the most critically acclaimed films of the 1990s, Quentin Tarantino’s “Pulp Fiction” took audiences by storm in 1994. The unique, non-linear timeline, combined with Tarantino’s snappy dialogue, gave audiences something fresh they’d never quite seen before.

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 (now closed)

A lot of confusion still exists that Pann’s Restaurant in Los Angeles (6710 La Tijera Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90045) was the restaurant seen in the film. While it does indeed look somewhat similar to the old Hawthorne Grill and even goes so far as to have pictures from the film mounted on their walls, it is not the restaurant from the film. However, Pann’s has been seen in other films, such as “Matchstick Men,” “xXx,” “Bewitched” and “Next.”

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

Butch picks up Fabienne from a hotel riding Zed’s chopper. The real building is not a hotel at all.

LOCATION: 2934 Riverside Dr, Los Angeles, CA 90039

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

Film Oblivion

Movie and TV locations, points of interest.

Harvey Keitel

Point Of No Return (1993)

Reservoir Dogs (1992)

Pulp Fiction (1994)