Tangerine (2015)

October 21, 2018October 18, 2022 / filmoblivion / Leave a comment

Sean Baker’s 2015 film “Tangerine” made waves at the Sundance Film Festival for being shot entirely with iPhones. The film depicts the life of a transgender Los Angeles prostitute, Sin-Dee, played by Kitana Kiki Rodriguez, as she discovers her boyfriend and pimp has been cheating on her.

The opening scene, as well as later scenes, were filmed at the former Donut Time on Santa Monica Blvd. The filmmakers aimed for authenticity in their choice of locations, as this section of Hollywood is widely known for prostitution. The Donut Time has since been replaced by Trejo’s Coffee and Donuts, owned and operated by actor Danny Trejo.

LOCATION: 6785 Santa Monica Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90038

Sin-Dee makes her way down to the Vermont / Santa Monica Metro Station.

LOCATION: 1015 N Vermont Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90029

She sits at this bench in front of the station, considering her next moves.

Sin-Dee makes her way to a motel full of drug addicts and prostitutes, in search of another prostitute, whom she believes is cheating with her boyfriend. This is the former Grand Motel, which has since closed. Amy Winehouse also filmed scenes for her music video for “Tears Dry On Their Own” at the motel.

LOCATION: 1479 S La Cienega Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90035

Another view of the former motel property, which is now fenced off until it is either remodeled or demolished.

Related articles: Starlet (2012), The Florida Project (2017)

The People Under The Stairs (1991)

October 14, 2018September 18, 2024 / filmoblivion / Leave a comment

The house featured prominently in the 1991 Wes Craven horror film “The People Under the Stairs” can be found in the West Adams neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. The home is known as the Thomas W. Phillips Residence.

LOCATION: 2215 S Harvard Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90018

The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button (2008)

October 11, 2018October 12, 2022 / filmoblivion / Leave a comment

The 2008 David Fincher film “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” shot mostly in the New Orleans area, with some additional sequences filmed in Quebec, Canada and the Los Angeles County area.

Benjamin Button, played by Brad Pitt, is born at this house, known as the Lanaux Mansion Bed and Breakfast in New Orleans. In the film, the house belongs to Benjamin’s father, played by Jason Flemyng, who, upon seeing Benjamin at birth, grabs him and takes him away from the home. Later in the film, an adult Benjamin returns to the home to visit his ailing father.

LOCATION: 547 Esplanade Ave, New Orleans, LA 70116

The house where Benjamin lives for much of the film and where he meets Daisy, played by Cate Blanchett, is known as the Nolan House. The shrubs lining the property have grown much higher since filming completed, making portions of the house and yard unfortunately more difficult to see.

LOCATION: 2707 Coliseum St, New Orleans, LA 70130

Mr. Oti, played by Rampai Mogadishu, takes Benjamin to this peristyle, where they sit and talk as they look out onto the water. The peristyle can be found at the New Orleans City Park.

LOCATION: 42 Dreyfous Dr, New Orleans, LA 70119

Another view of the peristyle.

Daisy dances for Benjamin at the Newman Bandstand in Audubon Park. Some extra decor was added to the bandstand for the film.

LOCATION: Newman Bandstand, Golf Club Dr, New Orleans, LA 70118

We leave you with some props from the film. One of the aged, prosthetic masks worn by Brad Pitt can be seen on the Paramount Studio Tour.

LOCATION: 5555 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90038

Also located in the Paramount prop room is the clock that runs backwards in the film.

Halloween II (2009)

October 6, 2018October 1, 2022 / filmoblivion / 4 Comments

For Rob Zombie’s 2009 sequel, “Halloween II,” various towns in Georgia were used as a composite for the fictional town of Haddonfield, Illinois. The opening scenes of the film, however, used footage from the first film for Smith’s Grove Sanitarium. The location is a Veteran’s Hospital in North Hills, California. There are quite a number of buildings on site and it can be tricky finding the exact spot used in the film. To locate it, you must first turn onto Puller Rd. Each building has a large number on it. A bit down Puller Rd, you’ll see the building from the film, which is building 4. It can be easily identified by the long wall surrounding the yard in front of it.

LOCATION: 16111 Plummer St, North Hills, CA 91343

The story picks up moments after the first film, even though the two productions took place far across the country from one another. Laurie walks the streets of the town square of Covington, Georgia, which has been seen in dozens of productions, such as “Doctor Sleep,” “Cannonball Run,” “The Dukes of Hazzard,” “The Vampire Diaries” and many more. This shot is from Covington Square, looking toward the courthouse.

LOCATION: 2101 Washington St SW, Covington, GA 30014

The Myers house can also be found in Covington, not far from the town square.

LOCATION: 2166 Conyers St SE, Covington, GA 30014

Sheriff Brackett’s house can be found over in Newborn, Georgia. The house sits far back from the road.

LOCATION: 1981 Broughton Rd, Newborn, GA 30056

Back in Covington, Laurie comes across a new book by Dr. Loomis at a local bookstore.

LOCATION: 1113 Floyd St NE, Covington, GA 30014

The Haddonfield Police Department is actually a courthouse, located in Madison, Georgia.

LOCATION: Morgan County Court House, Madison, GA 30650 (at the corner of Hancock St / Jefferson St)

Last, but not least, we leave you with Rob Zombie’s star paver, located in Covington, Georgia. Sometimes referred to as the “Hollywood of the South,” Covington began their own walk of fame, lining the sidewalks with engraved pavers noting the many stars and productions that have graced the town.

Bully (2001)

October 1, 2018March 5, 2023 / filmoblivion / 2 Comments

Larry Clark’s overlooked 2001 masterpiece “Bully” shot mostly in the suburban towns of Pembroke Pines and Hollywood, Florida. The film is based on true events, using the real neighborhoods (but not the actual locations) where the tragic events unfolded as a backdrop. These areas are relatively small and most of the filming locations are actually within minutes of each other.

Lisa, played by Rachel Miner, lives at this lakeside residence, when she begins dating Marty, played by the late Brad Renfro.

LOCATION: 2251 Dogwood Ct, Pembroke Pines, FL 33026

Lisa’s concerned friend Claudia works at this Pizza Hut, which is still in business.

LOCATION: 11091 Sheridan St, Hollywood, FL 33026

Donny, played by Michael Pitt and Derek, played by Daniel Franzese, hang out at this store, which was depicted as an arcade in the film. It can be found behind the Pizza Hut in the same shopping plaza.

LOCATION: 2505 N Hiatus Rd, Hollywood, FL 33026

Bobby, the titular bully played by Nick Stahl, lives at this house.

LOCATION: 1820 NW 113th Ave, Pembroke Pines, FL 33026

Derek, Lisa’s cousin, lives at this residence, which is similar looking to Lisa’s place.

LOCATION: 11080 Redwood Ave, Pembroke Pines, FL 33026

Birdman (2014)

September 29, 2018October 9, 2022 / filmoblivion / Leave a comment

In the 2014 Alejandro G. Iñárritu film “Birdman,” Michael Keaton plays Riggan Thomas, a former superhero actor who is trying to breathe new life into his career by putting on a Broadway play.

The theater where Riggan stages his comeback, and where much of the film takes place, is the St. James Theatre, which really is located right in the heart of Broadway. Although crafted to look like a single take, the film was in fact shot in many different takes across several locations, which are not always as close together as depicted in the film. Some of the interior shots of the St. James Theatre, for example, were actually sets built at Kaufman Astoria Studios (34-12 36th St, Astoria, NY 11106).

LOCATION: St. James Theatre, 246 W 44th St, New York, NY 10036

During a couple scenes in the film, Sam, played by Emma Stone, sits on the rooftop of the neighboring Helen Hayes Theatre (240 W 44th St, New York, NY 10036), where she is joined by Mike, played by Edward Norton.

The Majestic Theatre, which sits across the street, can also be seen many times throughout the film.

LOCATION: 245 W 44th St, New York, NY 10036

The Florida Project (2017)

September 22, 2018October 18, 2022 / filmoblivion / Leave a comment

Sean Baker’s excellent 2017 film “The Florida Project” was shot almost entirely on location in Kissimmee, Florida, along the outskirts of Disney World in Orlando. The vast majority of the film takes place at the Magic Castle Inn & Suites, where a slice of life story unfolds about a mother, Halley, and her daughter, Moonee, played by Bria Vinaite and Brooklynn Prince.

The Magic Castle Inn is a real, operational hotel in Kissimmee and still appears exactly as it did in the film.

LOCATION: 5055 W Irlo Bronson Memorial Hwy, Kissimmee, FL 34746

Halley and Moonee stay in room 323 for most of the film.

The kids often sit underneath these stairs near the front entrance of the hotel, including the film’s opening scene.

The hotel manager, Bobby, played by Willem Dafoe, comes over to the pool to tell an elder guest, who is sunbathing topless, to cover herself up.

The kids are playing around these picnic tables when a child predator approaches them and strikes up a conversation. Bobby, seeing what’s happening from afar, quickly intervenes.

In the open field behind the picnic tables, helicopters regularly take flight. Lacking the funds to control this, the filmmakers instead incorporated the helicopters into the film.

Another view of the hotel, which was filmed from nearly every angle imaginable over the course of the film. We won’t attempt to document them all.

Jancey stays at the former Futureland Inn. The hotel has since changed ownership and is currently known as the Paradise Inn. Gone are the distinctive rockets from the front sign. What does appear the same, other than a paint job, is the room where Jancey and her mom stay, which the kids visit early in the film, spitting on the car from the second level.

LOCATION: 4501 W Irlo Bronson Memorial Hwy, Kissimmee, FL 34746

Related articles: Starlet (2012), Tangerine (2015)

Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)

September 20, 2018December 10, 2022 / filmoblivion / Leave a comment

Spider-Man finally took center stage as part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe in 2017’s “Spider-Man: Homecoming.” While set in Queens, New York, most of the film was shot around Atlanta, Georgia.

Spider-Man, played by Tom Holland, returns a stolen bike in front of the Rainbow store in downtown Atlanta.

LOCATION: 62 Peachtree St SW, Atlanta, GA 30303

Peter discovers Adrian Toomes, played by Michael Keaton, is selling weapons to Aaron Davis, played by Donald Glover, underneath the Park Drive Bridge in Piedmont Park.

LOCATION: Underneath Park Drive Bridge, Park Dr NE, Atlanta, GA 30309

Liz lives with her family at this unique glass house in the Ansley Park Sherwood Forest neighborhood of Atlanta. The same home appeared in the 2016 film “Mother’s Day.” Alex’s house from “Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle” can also be found in the same neighborhood.

LOCATION: 229 Little John Trail NE, Atlanta, GA 30309

American History X (1998)

September 17, 2018March 1, 2026 / filmoblivion / Leave a comment

In the 1998 Tony Kaye film “American History X,” Derek, played by Edward Norton, lives at this house in Venice, California. After a racially motivated assault in front of the house, Derek is sent to prison.

LOCATION: 2206 Meade Pl, Venice, CA 90291

Derek and his friends play a basketball game at the Venice Beach Recreation Center in order to determine which race wins rights to play on the court.

LOCATION: 1800 Ocean Front Walk, Venice, CA 90291

Derek and his skinhead crew vandalize the former Archie’s Ranch Market in North Hollywood, which has since closed and is now a gym. This angle seen in the film is from the rear parking lot. The same market appeared in the film “10 Items Or Less.”

LOCATION: 7500 Lankershim Blvd, North Hollywood, CA 91605

Danny, played by Edward Furlong, attends school at the famous Venice High School, most well know for its use in the film “Grease.” It also appears in such films as “Matchstick Men” and “Heathers.”

LOCATION: 13000 Venice Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90066

Derek escapes a confrontation with his former supremacist friends and disposes of a gun in a dumpster at this intersection. This is located just one block up from the basketball court seen earlier in the film.

LOCATION: 18th Ave & Speedway, Los Angeles, CA 90291

Derek’s family moves into this apartment later in the film.

LOCATION: 1250 Gordon St, Los Angeles, CA 90038

Derek and his brother Danny visit 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 “Reservoir Dogs,” “The Big Lebowski,” “Miracle Mile,” “Gone in Sixty Seconds,” the 1983 film “Suburbia” and many more.

LOCATION: 6099 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90048

The Gift (2000)

September 8, 2018October 19, 2022 / filmoblivion / Leave a comment

In the 2000 Sam Raimi film “The Gift,” Cate Blanchett plays Annie, a gifted psychic who is asked to help find a missing woman. Annie lives at this home in in Thunderbolt, Georgia, not far from Savannah. The front yard has since been covered with some shrubs that obscure the front view of the house a bit.

LOCATION: 3216 Bannon Ave, Thunderbolt, GA 31404

Later in the film, after the woman’s body is found, a trial is held at the Effingham County Superior Court in Springfield, Georgia.

LOCATION: 901 N Pine St, Springfield, GA 31329

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