The 2006 comedy “Tenacious D in the Pick of Destiny,” starring Jack Black and Kyle Gass, was filmed in Southern California. The film opens at the childhood home of JB, played by Jack Black, supposedly located in Kickapoo, Missouri. The real home can be found in Los Angeles.
LOCATION: 6956 W 85th St, Los Angeles, CA 90045
The exterior of the club the band performs at is located in Long Beach. However, most of the shots of the back area seen in the film can no longer be lined up easily anymore, as the bar has since erected an outdoor seating canopy and surrounded it in fencing.
LOCATION: 2913 E Anaheim St, Long Beach, CA 90804
JB and KG, played by Kyle Gass, stop for food at the Halfway House Cafe in Santa Clarita. The same location has appeared in many productions, such as “Waitress,” “Top Gun: Maverick,” “Space Cowboys,” “The Twilight Zone: The Movie” and “Westworld.” The cafe also appeared in a famous commercial starring Cindy Crawford.
LOCATION: 15564 Sierra Hwy, Santa Clarita, CA 91390
The 2001 Terry Zwigoff film “Ghost World” was shot in Southern California, despite the filmmaker’s best efforts to disguise that fact. The school seen during graduation at the beginning of the film is Los Angeles Center for Enriched Studies (LACES).
LOCATION: 5931 W 18th St, Los Angeles, CA 90035
The home of Enid, played by Thora Birch, can be found in the Baldwin Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles.
LOCATION: 5660 Clemson St, Los Angeles, CA 90016
Later in the film, Enid has a yard sale out front. As she’s taking her items back inside, Rebecca, played by Scarlett Johansson, invites her out, but Enid declines.
Enid has lunch with Rebecca at the former Quality Cafe in Downtown Los Angeles. The location appears in a couple different scenes with the girls. The diner was a one-time staple of film, appearing in “Seven,” “Training Day,” “Catch Me If You Can,” “Another Day In Paradise,” “(500) Days Of Summer” “Million Dollar Baby,” “The Rules Of Attraction,” “What’s Love Got To Do With It,” “The Heartbreak Kid” and many more. However, it was not an actual restaurant open to the public. Instead it was used solely for filming (much like Johnie’s Coffee Shop in mid-town L.A.). Unless the building was being set up for a production, most of the time it was closed up and locked by a large metal door covering the front windows. So catching a glimpse of it was rare. It ceased to function as a filming location and was completely renovated in 2014. The interior of the property no longer bears any resemblance inside to how it appeared in so many films.
LOCATION: 1238 W 7th St, Los Angeles, CA 90017 (since closed and remodeled)
The convenience store where Josh, played by Brad Renfro, works can be found in the Miracle Mile neighborhood. The store has since closed.
LOCATION: 901 S La Brea Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90036
Josh gives the girls a ride through San Pedro. Most of the businesses seen in the street shot are still the same.
LOCATION: Near S Gaffey St / W 5th St, Los Angeles, CA 90731
It is a challenge placing the location of the Wowsville 50s Diner, as very little is seen of the exterior and the interior suggests a different location. What is more identifiable is the outside area where Seymour, played by Steve Buscemi, nearly gets into an accident. This spot can be found in San Pedro.
LOCATION: Centre St / 5th St, San Pedro, CA 90731
While the green building behind Seymour has since been demolished, you can see the curvature of the road and the port in the background still matches. More details of the Northeast corner match up in old street and satellite views as well.
However, the area where the diner appears to be, from the perspective of the characters, would be the Southwest corner, which is now demolished and was a courthouse parking lot prior to that, suggesting the diner was a filmed at a different location.
This corner in Venice appears a couple times in the film, first when Enid and Rebecca discuss what Satanists do, then again near the end of the film, when Enid walks alone.
LOCATION: 2498 Lincoln Blvd, Venice, CA 90291
Enid and Rebecca take an interest in Seymour and follow him to his home, which can be found just around the block from the location used as Enid’s home in the film.
LOCATION: 3449 Carmona Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90016
Seymour holds a garage sale next to his apartment building, where Enid purchases a used LP.
The man waiting for the bus that never comes sits at a bench in front of this wall in San Pedro.
LOCATION: 406 W 6th St, San Pedro, CA 90731
The location is seen again at the end of the film.
The fictional Zine-O-Phobia shop can also be found in San Pedro.
LOCATION: 365 W 6th St, San Pedro, CA 90731
Enid visits Seymour at an outpatient clinic. As she exits, Rebecca is sitting on a bench outside waiting for her. This location can be found in Santa Clarita, a bit of a distance from most of the other filming locations.
LOCATION: 22607 6th St, Santa Clarita, CA 91321
Enid walks alone past a Radio Shack store and looks across the street to see the man waiting for the bus that never comes. In reality, the two locations are nowhere near one another.
LOCATION: 5786 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90038 (facing Arden Pl)
The final shot was filmed on the Sixth Street Viaduct in Downtown Los Angeles. The original bridge was demolished in 2016, due to a flaw in the original concrete used to build the bridge, which gave it a high likelihood of eventual collapse. A new bridge was built in its place and opened in 2022. The original bridge appeared in countless films, including “Terminator 2: Judgment Day,” “Drive,” “Repo Man,” “Grease,” “Blade,” “Swordfish,” “Double Dragon” and dozens more.
LOCATION: Sixth Street Viaduct, E 6th St, Los Angeles, CA 90013 (rebuilt and remodeled)
The 2016 Kevin Smith comedy “Yoga Hosers” was filmed in Southern California. The Eh-2-Zed store where the two Colleens, played by Harley Quinn Smith and Lily-Rose Depp, work can be found in Santa Clarita. The same location appears in John Carpenter’s “Christine.”
LOCATION: 22925 Lyons Ave, Santa Clarita, CA 91321
The home of Colleen Collette, played by Lily-Rose Depp, can be found in Whittier.
LOCATION: 6017 Friends Ave, Whittier, CA 90601
The girls attend school at the Terry Fox Preparatory School, which could be found on the grounds of The Fred C. Nelles School, a former juvenile corrections center in Whittier. The building seen in the film is the Chapel and Training Center. Despite heavy redevelopment in this area, with new homes and shopping plazas, the building still stands. Smith previously filmed elsewhere on these grounds for “Red State.”
The 2022 Jordan Peele film “Nope” was shot in Southern California. We’ll try to limit spoilers as much as possible, but its best to read this article after seeing the film. The majority of the movie takes place at the Haywood Ranch, which was actually filmed at Firestone Ranch in Santa Clarita. There OJ and Em Haywood, played by Daniel Kaluuya and Keke Palmer, train horses for film and television. The house seen in the film was a set built specifically for the production and dismantled after filming. It was located in the area to the right of the horse stables. Both the corral and the stables appear several times throughout the film.
LOCATION: 35100 Anthony Rd, Santa Clarita, CA 91390 (the house was built at 34°32’43.6″N, 118°17’39.2″W)
The property is located down a long stretch of dirt road near the Sierra Pelona Mountains, where the ranch is gated and inaccessible to the general public. The same ranch appeared in the film “Red State.”
Here is a more precise look at where the house was built. Angel, played by Brandon Perea, stops by to help install cameras around the property, including one on the roof of the horse stable. The house stood just behind the lamppost, which still exists at the property.
Screenshot
This view is seen many times in the film as the Heywoods try to capture evidence of a presence in the sky. The cloud that doesn’t move was located just above the mountains at the end of the road.
As OJ and Emerald return home with their horse, they are seen driving down CA-14, Santa Clarita, CA 91390 (GPS coordinates: 34°26’15.4″N, 118°22’17.9″W), before it cuts to them taking the Agua Dulce Canyon Rd exit (GPS coordinates: 34°27’58.3″N, 118°20’06.5″W).
Jupe, played by Steven Yeun, operates a small Western theme park known as Jupiter’s Claim, which was another set, built at Agua Dulce Movie Ranch, which is in very close in proximity to Firestone Ranch, so much so that portions of one ranch can be seen from the other between the hills dividing them. At the completion of filming, the entire set was dismantled and rebuilt at Universal Studios Hollywood, where it can be seen as part of their studio tour. While the overall layout of Jupiter’s Claim has been condensed, it is in fact the same, screen used facades from the film.
LOCATION: 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, CA 91608 (originally built for the film at 34855 Petersen Rd, Agua Dulce, CA 91390, GPS coordinates: 34°31’35.1″N, 118°19’20.5″W)
A replica of the Haywood’s Hollywood Horses truck and trailer is also on display next to the entrance of Jupiter’s Claim at Universal Studios Hollywood. Universal Studios Hollywood itself is another location featured in the film, when one of OJ’s horses is startled and aggressively reacts. The scene was filmed at Stage 25 of Universal Studios Hollywood, where OJ can be seen exiting.
There is also a destroyed replica version of the Star Lasso Experience on display in the Jupiter’s Claim area. The original set also stood at Agua Dulce Movie Ranch (GPS coordinates: 34°31’39.6″N, 118°19’11.6″W).
OJ and Em purchase video equipment from Fry’s Electronics in Burbank, which had already closed down prior to filming. The interior scenes were likewise filmed at this location.
LOCATION: 2311 N Hollywood Way, Burbank, CA 91505
OJ speculates on possible animal behaviors from the presence at the ranch while he eats with Em and Angel at the fictional Copperpot’s Cove restaurant. The real building can be found in North Hollywood.
LOCATION: 7441 Lankershim Blvd, North Hollywood, CA 91605
The Haywoods steal some tube men from a car dealership. The building can be found in Santa Clarita.
LOCATION: 29753 Bouquet Canyon Rd, Santa Clarita, CA 91390
The 2022 sequel “Top Gun: Maverick,” much like the original film, shot all around Southern California, from San Diego to Los Angeles. This article contains some minor spoilers for those who haven’t seen the film.
The movie made use of numerous Military Operating Areas (MOAs), closed off from the general public, including Naval Air Station North Island (NASNI) in Coronado, California, Naval Air Station (NAS) Fallon in Nevada, NAS Lemoore in Central Valley, California, Naval Air Facility (NAF) in El Centro, California, Naval Air Weapons Station (NAWS) China Lake near Ridgecrest, California and Naval Air Station (NAS) Whidbey Island near Oak Harbor, Washington. The film’s third act was largely filmed in the Cascade Mountain Range.
Maverick, played by Tom Cruise, tests high-hypersonic speed and destroys a prototype jet. Afterwards, he roams into a roadside cafe. These scenes were filmed at the Halfway House Cafe in Santa Clarita, California. The same location has appeared in many productions, such as “Waitress,” “Tenacious D In The Pick Of Destiny,” “Space Cowboys,” “The Twilight Zone: The Movie” and “Westworld.” The cafe also appeared in a famous commercial starring Cindy Crawford.
LOCATION: 15564 Sierra Hwy, Santa Clarita, CA 91390
The Hard Deck Bar where Penny, played by Jennifer Connelly, works was a set, built at Naval Air Station North Island (NASNI) in Coronado, California. It was dismantled at the end of filming.
The private hanger of Marverick was filmed at Inyokern Airport in Inyokern, California (1669 Airport Rd, Inyokern, CA 93527).
The home of Penny can be found in San Pedro.
LOCATION: 391 W 40th St, San Pedro, CA 90731
Here is a wider view of Penny’s house.
Maverick is seen approaching on his motorcycle with Penny from Bluff Pl and turning right onto W 40th St. The production altered several elements of the neighborhood, such as swapping out the street sign for a lamp post and adding numerous palm trees.
The scene where Maverick meets with Admiral Beau ‘Cyclone’ Simpson, played by Jon Hamm, was filmed inside the First Baptist Church Pasadena. The building is only see from interior views in the film.
LOCATION: 75 N Marengo Ave, Pasadena, CA 91101
The home of Admiral Tom ‘Iceman’ Kazansky, played by Val Kilmer, was filmed at Wattles Mansion and Gardens in Los Angeles. The home is owned by the City of Los Angeles and is open to the public, regularly hosting special events. It is only seen from interior views in the film. The mansion has appeared in many films, including “Troop Beverly Hills,” “Rain Man,” “Babylon,” “Queen of the Damned,” “My Family” (“Mi Familia”), “Ghoulies,” “Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa,” “The Lost Empire,” “A Better Life,” “Knock Knock 2” and many more. It has also appeared in the TV shows “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” “The O.C.” and “Scandal,” as well as the Diana Ross music video for “Eaten Alive”.
LOCATION: 1824 N Curson Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90046
The 2011 Kevin Smith film “Red State” was shot in Southern California. In the opening scene of the film, Travis and his mother, played by Michael Angarano and Anna Gunn, drive past this fire station, located in Whittier.
LOCATION: 10630 Mills Ave, Whittier, CA 90604
They then pull up in front of Trinity Lutheran Church of Whittier, where they see a group protesting at a funeral. The church has since been remodeled and the buildings in the background have been demolished.
LOCATION: 11716 Floral Dr, Whittier, CA 90601
The home of Travis could be found on the grounds of The Fred C. Nelles School, a former juvenile corrections center in Whittier. The building seen in the film is the Superintendent’s Residence. Despite heavy redevelopment in this area, with new homes and shopping plazas, the building still stands. This property also appears in the films “Suburban Gothic” and “L.A. Paranormal.” Smith later filmed elsewhere on these grounds for “Yoga Hosers.”
LOCATION: 7008 Walnut Grove Dr, Whittier, CA 90601 (GPS coordinates: 33°58’38″N, 118°02’57″W)
Much of the film takes place at the Five Points Trinity Church, which is headed by the fanatical Pastor Abin Cooper, played by Michael Parks. The Five Points Trinity Church exterior scenes were filmed at Firestone Ranch in Santa Clarita. The property is located down a long strech of dirt road near the Sierra Pelona Mountains. The Spanish style property was once owned by mobster Bugsy Siegel from 1911 until 1932. The same ranch appeared in the film “Nope.”
LOCATION: 35100 Anthony Rd, Santa Clarita, CA 91390
The 1984 film “The Last Starfighter” primarily takes place at a trailer park and general store. These scenes were filmed in Santa Clarita, California. The trailer park area to the left is now gated off and private, but the store on the right remains open to the public.
LOCATION: 9411 Soledad Canyon Rd, Santa Clarita, CA 91390
The 2014 Clint Eastwood film “American Sniper,” starring Bradley Cooper is set in Texas and Iraq. However, much of the filming took place in Southern California, with some additional filming in Morroco. Early in the film, a young Chris attends church with his family at this location in Highland Park. An additional scene moments later shows Chris helping his brother in a fight on a playground. This was also shot on the same property.
LOCATION: 6338 N Figueroa St, Los Angeles, CA 90042
Chris Kyle, played by Cooper, enlists in the military at this building, which can be found in Acton.
LOCATION: 33318 Santiago Rd, Acton, CA 93510
While deployed in Iraq in search of a sadistic killer known as “The Butcher,” Chris assembles a team to capture or kill him. After his team learns the suspected location of The Butcher, they enter a family’s home directly across from the targeted building, to gather information and run a stakeout. These scenes were filmed on a set at the Blue Cloud Movie Ranch in Santa Clarita, California. The ranch features many Middle Eastern sets, with quite a number of different productions filming there, such as “Iron Man.” The Americans subdue the man who owns the home on this floor. After things settle down, the family, who claims they don’t know anything, serve dinner to the team in the dining room in the background.
LOCATION: 20019 Blue Cloud Rd, Santa Clarita, CA 91390
After noticing scrapes on the skin around the homeowner’s elbows, Chris becomes suspicious the man is hiding something and begins searching the bedrooms. He discovers a large hole in the floor concealing a major weapons stash. The hole and the metal sheet covering it are still there.
Here is the area in the living room where the team watches out the window, photographing who is coming and going from the adjacent building.
The shot of Chris crossing the Texas border line is on E Ave K in Lancaster, just past 85th St E.
LOCATION: GPS coordinates: 34°40’31.8″N 117°58’28.7″W (Near E Ave K / 85th St E, Lancaster, CA 93535)
Chris Kyle’s house in the film can be found in Sherwood Forest, near Northridge in the San Fernando Valley.
LOCATION: 8843 Newcastle Ave, Sherwood Forest, CA 91325
The 2019 Steven Soderbergh film “The Laundromat,” which tells the story about the Panama Papers scandal, was filmed in numerous locations, including Las Vegas, Los Angeles and the Florida Keys. After a boat capsizes, Ellen Martin, played by Meryl Streep, finds she is unable to get compensation from the accident, as the insurance company has been bought out by a mysterious company in Nevis, a small island in the Caribbean Sea.
When Ellen’s attempts to contact the Nevis-based company are unsuccessful, she travels there to confront manager Malchus Boncamper, played by Jeffrey Wright. These scenes were actually filmed in Key West, Florida. The area is first seen in a dream sequence as Ellen crosses this street.
LOCATION: 109 Fitzpatrick St, Key West, FL 33040
As Ellen approaches the area, named Hunkins Waterfront Plaza in the film and Kino Plaza in reality, it becomes a CGI composite of a couple different locations. We first see this strip of the actual plaza.
As the camera continues to pan over, a massive building is shown. This is actually the Sunkist Headquarters building in Sherman Oaks, California. The building has been featured in several films, such as 2004’s “Paparazzi” and 2017’s “The Hero.” It has also been seen in such TV series as “Too Old To Die Young,” “Alias,” “Knight Rider” and more.
LOCATION: 14130 Riverside Dr, Sherman Oaks, CA 91423
Back at Kino Plaza in Key West, the scene plays again, this time no longer a dream as Ellen approaches the plaza. However, it is again modified, this time with a facade set built over part of the plaza. Here is what the area actually looks like without the facade.
Ellen bumps into Malchus, not knowing who he is, and asks questions about his firm’s location. Malchus lies to her and walks away. This area is mostly the same, but the wall is depicted with dozens of PO boxes lining a brick facade. Here is how it actually appears.
The view of the plaza as Ellen and Malchus speak is relatively unchanged.
Jürgen Mossack, played by Gary Oldman, becomes concerned when he hears one of his clients has been arrested. The film then cuts to a scene in Mexico with Will Forte and Chris Parnell, credited as Doomed Gringo #1 and #2, drinking at a bar. These scenes were filmed at the Melody Ranch Studio Backlot in Santa Clarita, California, also commonly known as the Veluzat Movie Ranch. The ranch, which is available for tours, has been featured in countless films, such as “3 From Hell,” “Dante’s Peak,” “Friday The 13th Part III,” “Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter,” “Last Man Standing,” “Chaplin,” and many more. It was also featured in the TV show “Westworld” as the Mexican town of “Las Mudas.”
LOCATION: Melody Ranch Studio Backlot (a.k.a. Veluzat Movie Ranch), Forest Rte 5N28, Santa Clarita, CA 91390 (GPS coordinates: 34°29’03.5″N 118°30’25.1″W)
The interior of the bar the men drink at is the same building seen in the above shot, on the right side.
Forte’s character makes the mistake of going to what he thinks is the bathroom, but turns out to be a private office space of some criminals in the middle of business.
Jürgen and Ramón Fonseca, played by Antonio Banderas, speak to the camera about privacy and secrecy while shopping at Fields Market in Canoga Park, California. The store is a staple of film and television, appearing in such films as “Bird Box,” “Lady Bird,” “Matchstick Men” and “Birds Of Prey: And The Fantabulous Emancipation Of One Harley Quinn,” as well as such television shows as “Desperate Housewives,” “American Horror Story” and dozens more. It has also been seen in countless commercials and music videos.
LOCATION: 23221 Saticoy St, Canoga Park, CA 91304
Gu Kailai, played by Rosalind Chao, tells a story of a Chinese police chief targeting a Falun Gong temple, where people engage in a spiritual practice deemed illegal. The temple is supposedly located in China, but was actually filmed at the Huntington Library, Art Museum and Botanical Gardens in San Marino, California.
LOCATION: 1151 Oxford Rd, San Marino, CA 91108
The Huntington Library is a very popular filming location, with hundreds of productions shot around the vast, kaleidoscopic grounds. We can’t name them all, but “Mank,” “Memoirs of a Geisha” and “A Cinderella Story” are just a few among them.
The 1990 David Lynch film “Wild At Heart,” starring Nicolas Cage and Laura Dern, filmed in Southern California, New Orleans, Louisiana and El Paso, Texas. The opening scenes were filmed at the MacArthur in Los Angeles, 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. However, it is under renovation with apparent plans to open a portion up once again as a hotel in 2022. While we have been inside the hotel, the Grand Staircase seen in the opening was crowded at the time and we weren’t able to get photos the way we wanted. You can find plenty of shots of it online, the staircase is located just through the lobby doors of the main entrance.
LOCATION: 607 S Park View St, Los Angeles, CA 90057
We did get better shots inside the restroom of the MacArthur, where Marietta Fortune, played by Diane Ladd, makes a pass at Sailor Ripley, played by Nicolas Cage. The same bathroom has appeared in such films as “Reservoir Dogs” and “Barton Fink.” It has since been remodeled a bit, but remains largely recognizable.
The Pee Dee Correctional Institution, where Sailor is released from prison, is actually the property of the city’s Department of Water and Power.
LOCATION: 1630 N Main St, Los Angeles, CA 90012
Lula, played by Laura Dern, picks up Sailor and they take off down Main Street.
Sailor and Lula drive past this restaurant as they travel across the country. The same restaurant was featured in the film “Duel,” as well as the TV series “Sharp Objects.”
LOCATION: 12625 Sierra Hwy, Santa Clarita, CA 91390
As Sailor and Lula arrive into New Orleans, they are seen driving past Antoine’s Restaurant, which still operates today.
LOCATION: 713 St Louis St, New Orleans, LA 70130
They stay at the Hotel Brazil, also located in New Orleans.
LOCATION: 532 N Rampart St, New Orleans, LA 70112
The interiors of Mr. Reindeer’s home were filmed at the Castle Green Apartments in Pasadena. Castle Green has been featured in countless films, such as “True Romance,” “The Sting,” “The Little Rascals,” “Deja Vu,” “Sneakers,” “Bugsy,” “The Last Samurai,” “Puppet Master” and many more.
LOCATION: 99 S Raymond Ave, Pasadena, CA 91105
Lula nearly gets into an accident at the intersection of E 4th Pl and Mateo St.
LOCATION: E 4th Pl / Mateo St, Los Angeles, CA 90013
Sailor tells Lula he’s leaving near the intersection of Naud St / Wilhardt St. This is located very close to the Pee Dee Correctional Institution location.
LOCATION: 1709 Naud St, Los Angeles, CA 90012
As Sailor is walking, some gang members approach him. He insults them and gets attacked.
LOCATION: E 2nd St / S Santa Fe Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90012
Sailor runs back to Lula, jumping on top of cars in a traffic jam along Banning St, very close to the above location. The large building behind him is no longer there. Sailor sings “Love Me Tender” to Lula near the intersection of Banning St and N Vignes St.
LOCATION: Near Banning St / N Vignes St, Los Angeles, CA 90012
To see our “Wild at Heart” location page, click here.
Film Oblivion 