The 2004 film “Cellular” was shot in Southern California. In the film, Jessica Martin, played by Kim Basinger, lives in this home, which can be found in the Holmby Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles.
LOCATION: 527 Loring Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90024
The 1996 Coen Brothers film “Fargo” is set in North Dakota and Minnesota and while some filming did occur in both states, none took place in the titular city of Fargo, North Dakota. The majority of the film was shot around the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul, but due to some unusually low snowfall in the winter of 1995 when filming took place, some shots were done in Northern Minnesota and North Dakota.
Jerry Lundegaard, played by William H. Macy, meets with Carl Showalter and Gaear Grimsrud, played by Steve Buscemi and Peter Stormare, at The King of Clubs, supposedly located in Fargo. The real building was located near 929 NE Central Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55413, but was demolished in 2003.
The home of Jerry Lundegaard is supposedly located in Minneapolis. The real home is located nearby in Eden Prairie.
LOCATION: 6358 Ginger Dr, Eden Prairie, MN 55346
The Blue Ox Motel, where Carl Showalter and Gaear Grimsrud have sex with two prostitutes, was actually a truck stop in South St Paul, which was dressed to look like a motel for the film
LOCATION: 501 Farwell Ave, South St Paul, MN 55075
Police chief Marge Gunderson, played by Frances McDormand, interviews the two prostitutes at the Lakeside Club in Mahtomedi. The building looked nearly identical to how it appeared in the film, but was demolished in 2022. However, we were able to visit while it still stood.
LOCATION: 10 Old Wildwood Rd, Mahtomedi, MN 55115 (now demolished)
According to several sources online, the interior kitchen of the Gunderson house was located at 2215 Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55404. There are real estate listings online and while the garage seen through the kitchen window appears to match up to the current property.
Related articles: The Big Lebowski (1998), No Country For Old Men (2007), Hail, Caesar! (2016)
The 2006 drama “Bobby,” about the day of the assassination of U.S. Senator Robert F. Kennedy, filmed at the former Ambassador Hotel, where the real assassination took place. The film was notable for being the last production to shoot at the Ambassador, before it was demolished. Demolition had actually already begun at the time of filming, but many parts of the hotel had not yet been destroyed yet. So the production filmed in areas they could at the real hotel, then used multiple other locations to stand in as well.
The Ambassador was a staple of film and television, appearing in such films as “The Graduate,” “Forrest Gump,” “True Romance,” “Seven,” “Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas,” “True Lies,” “L.A. Story,” “Catch Me If You Can,” “The Mask” and dozens more. After closing for good in 1989, the Ambassedor was used primarily for filming throughout the 1990s. The film crews were apparently not always considerate of the property, leaving it in poor condition after wrapping. Eventually the hotel was in such disrepair, despite a long struggle to preserve the property, it was eventually settled upon to be demolished. Only this post and statue from the original building remain at the location.
LOCATION: 3400 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90010 (now demolished)
Many more locations were used to composite the hotel, including 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. The interior stood in for portions of the lobby of the Ambassador. It has been featured in many films, such as “Wild At Heart,” “Reservoir Dogs,” “Drive,” “Gangster Squad,” “Tango & Cash,” “The Hidden” and many more.
LOCATION: 607 S Park View St, Los Angeles, CA 90057
The Castle Green Apartments in Pasadena stood in for the hotels gardens area. Castle Green has likewise been featured in countless films, such as “The Little Rascals,” “True Romance,” “The Sting,” “Wild At Heart,” “Deja Vu,” “Sneakers,” “Bugsy,” “The Last Samurai,” “Puppet Master” and many more.
LOCATION: 99 S Raymond Ave, Pasadena, CA 91105
The 2001 film “Jurassic Park III” was filmed in Hawaii and Southern California. Early in the film, Dr. Alan Grant, played by Sam Neill, visits the home of Ellie, played by Laura Dern. Ellie’s house can be found in South Pasadena, California. The same house was featured in the film “Bringing Down the House,” as well as the 1970s TV series “Family.”
LOCATION: 1230 Milan Ave, South Pasadena, CA 91030
Much like the original “Jurassic Park” and the sequel “The Lost World: Jurassic Park,” this third installment also shot scenes at Jurassic Kahili Ranch in Kauaʻi, Hawaii. In Spring 2019, the ranch began offering tours to the public for the first time. However, it is unclear if they are still offering them, as most of their tour information has been removed from their website. It’s difficult to pinpoint specific scenes from the film, as the ranch is quite large and mostly credited for being featured in general outdoor and jungle scenes. The ranch’s movie tour focused primarily on the original film and the 2015 hit “Jurassic World,” with little mention of where scenes from the third film specifically shot. Here are some looks around the grounds of Jurassic Kahili Ranch. Please note that this land is private and unless you have express permission from the owners, it is trespassing to attempt to enter the grounds.
LOCATION: Jurassic Kahili Ranch, 5-1771D, Kuhio Hwy, Kilauea, HI 96754
One scene that can be matched up comes late in the film is when Dr. Grant and the survivors ride a barge along the water and pass herds of dinosaurs standing along the banks. This was filmed at the Pu’u Ka Ele Reservoir. After a breach of the nearby Ka Loko Reservoir in 2006, located about 2 miles east of the ranch, the owners decided to decommission the Pu’u Ka Ele Reservoir in 2009 and downsize it into a lake. This is how it appears now. This is the same area where Grant sees the dinosaur herds at the lake in the original film.
Related articles: Jurassic Park (1993), Jurassic World (2015), Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018)
Paul Thomas Anderson’s 1999 film, “Magnolia,” named after a street that spans the San Fernando Valley, was shot mostly, as you might expect, around the Valley. However, some additional scenes were also filmed in Los Angeles, Big Bear Lake and Reno, Nevada.
In the opening “coincidences” sequence, a man is scuba diving and gets accidentally picked up out of the water by an aeriel firefighting plane. These scenes were filmed at Big Bear Lake in California. This photo of the general area was kindly provided to us courtesy of Christian Hernandez.
LOCATION: Big Bear Lake, CA 92315
There is another coincidence scene in which an attempted suicide becomes an accidental homicide. That scene was actually a composite of a couple different locations. The rooftop shot was done in Hollywood, with both the Griffith Observatory and the Hollywood sign visible in the distance. Also visible is the top of the North Kingsley Apartments, which puts the roof at Hollywood Blvd, facing north up N Kingley Dr. It still looks pretty much the same as it did in the film.
LOCATION: 5217 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90027
The view of the man falling was shot at the Bryson Apartments in Los Angeles. The same apartments were seen in the film “The Grifters.”
LOCATION: 2701 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90057
Early in the film, Quiz Kid Donnie Smith, played by William H. Macy, crashes his car into this liquor store in Winnetka. The same liquor store also appeared in Kevin Smith’s “Jay And Silent Bob Strike Back” and The Smashing Pumpkins’ music video for “1979.”
LOCATION: 20001 Roscoe Blvd, Winnetka, CA 91306
Officer Jim Kurring, played by John C. Reilly, investigates a crime scene at this apartment complex in North Hills. As he walks back to his police car, he is approached by a young boy.
LOCATION: 15150 Parthenia St, North Hills, CA 91343
As the two stand on Burnet Ave, the boy performs a rap for him.
Frank T.J. Mackey, played by Tom Cruise, gives his memorable seminar inside this hotel in Valencia. The hotel is only featured from interior views in the film. The same hotel appears in the films “Twilight” and “Little Miss Sunshine,” as well as numerous TV shows, including “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation,” “CSI: New York,” “NCIS,” “Big Love,” “Las Vegas,” The Unit,” “Make It or Break It” and more.
LOCATION: 24500 Town Center Dr, Valencia, CA 91355
Linda, played by Julianne Moore, gets upset with a pharmacist after he insinuates she may be abusing the medications. These scenes were filed at the A to Z Pharmacy in North Hollywood, although it is only seen from interior views in the film.
LOCATION: 12626 Riverside Dr # 100, North Hollywood, CA 91607
Donnie visits the Foxfire Room, located on the titular Magnolia Blvd in Valley Village. In a slight bit of movie trickery, Donnie parks in the lot at the rear of the building, but is seen entering through the door facing the street on opposite side.
LOCATION: 12516 W Magnolia Blvd, Valley Village, CA 91607
The Firefox Room is a staple of the San Fernando Valley and in the two decades since filming took place, it still looks nearly identical. The bar opens at 7AM daily and it’s dark and inconspicuous. Yet the staff is friendly and the vibe is welcoming. Donnie enters through the door on the right.
Donnie sits at this corner booth. The lighting in the bar is so dark, any brightness quickly overexposes a shot, so photography can be a challenge inside.
He sits and admires Brad the bartender.
Donnie then sits at the corner of the bar and talks to a mysterious older man, credited as Thurston Howell.
Officer Jim approaches the corner of this building, when shots are fired.
LOCATION: 4055 Tujunga Ave, Studio City, CA 91604
He then slides down this embankment on the side of the building.
As Jim is disoriented in the rain, a kid approaches and steals his gun, running up the stairs to escape undetected. While there are still stairs up to the street at the location, they have been remodeled since filming.
The police arrive to assist in the search for the gun, with the L.A. river and overpass visible next to the building.
Late in the film, as a biblical storm hits, Officer Jim finds himself at the intersection of Reseda Blvd and Sherman Way in Reseda. This is located right beside the “Hot Traxx” night club from “Boogie Nights.”
LOCATION: Sherman Way / Reseda Blvd, Reseda, CA 91335
He makes an emergency stop at a gas station, only see Donnie climbing on a pole, where he has just attempted to rob his workplace. Donnie then falls to the ground. The pole and payphone are both still standing at the location.
LOCATION: 7222 Reseda Blvd, Reseda, CA 91335
The two take shelter at the gas station.
LOCATION: 7208 Reseda Blvd, Reseda, CA 91335
Related articles: Hard Eight (1996), Boogie Nights (1997), Punch-Drunk Love (2002), There Will Be Blood (2007), The Master (2012), Inherent Vice (2014), Licorice Pizza (2021)
Paul Thomas Anderson’s epic portrayal of the 1970s and 1980s porn industry, “Boogie Nights,” was shot all around Southern California, but like many of his early works, was primarily based around the San Fernando Valley.
The opening shot of the Reseda Theater can be found on Sherman Way in Reseda, California. The theater has long since closed, but plans are underway to reopen the property as a mutiplex.
LOCATION: 18443 Sherman Way, Reseda, CA 91335
Just down the street is the “Hot Traxx” nightclub, which is now a church. Also right around the corner is the workplace of Quiz Kid Donnie Smith in “Magnolia.”
LOCATION: 18419 Sherman Way, Reseda, CA 91335
Dirk Diggler’s parents’ house is located far south of the Valley, down in Torrance, California.
LOCATION: 3503 187th St, Torrance, CA 90504
Jack Horner takes Dirk out for a meal with Amber Waves and Rollergirl at Du-Pars Restaurant and Bakery in Studio City. The same restaurant was featured in the film “Valley Girl.” The location has since closed down and the building has been heavily remodeled.
LOCATION: 12036 Ventura Blvd, Studio City, CA 91604 (now closed)
Jack Horner’s house is tucked away in the city of Covina. The property is not easily visible from the street.
LOCATION: 19515 E Cameron Ave, Covina, CA 91724
The side of the house, where Little Bill, played by William H. Macy, witnesses his wife having sex outside, while a group of party guests watch.
The back of Jack Horner’s house, with the patio and swimming pool, where the party takes place.
Later in the film, Dirk Diggler moves into his own house, located in Woodland Hills.
LOCATION: 4214 Lobos Rd, Woodland Hills, CA 91364
Amber Waves makes a documentary about Dirk Diggler, which itself is based on the documentary “Exhausted: John C. Holmes, the Real Story.” The bridge Dirk stands in front of is the Colfax Ave footbridge in Studio City. It can be found near the intersection of Colfax Ave and Ventura Blvd. Once you spot the overpass on Colfax, the bridge is just beneath it and can easily be accessed by foot.
LOCATION: Near the intersection of Colfax Ave / Ventura Blvd, Studio City, CA 91604 (nearest address is 4028 Colfax Ave, Studio City, CA 91604)
Towards the end of the film, things take a darker turn as Dirk solicits himself to perform sexual acts for money. The alley where he meets the man in the truck is still there, but the buildings to the left has since been demolished. The church in the background can still be seen. This location is very close to the donut shop in the film.
LOCATION: 18128 Sherman Way, Reseda, CA 91335
Buck Swope picks up some donuts at the aforementioned Miss Donuts. This is in Reseda, near the church seen above and the “Hot Traxx” location.
LOCATION: 18231 Sherman Way, Reseda, CA 91335
The drug dealer robbery is planned from the El Royale Hotel in Studio City.
LOCATION: 11117 Ventura Blvd, Studio City, CA 91604
Things reach a crescendo with a drug deal gone bad, at this house in Encino. Sadly, the house has since been demolished and a new home build in it’s place. Luckily, we we able photograph it prior to it’s demolition.
LOCATION: 16801 Encino Hills Dr, Encino, CA 91436
Related articles: Hard Eight (1996), Magnolia (1999), Punch-Drunk Love (2002), There Will Be Blood (2007), The Master (2012), Inherent Vice (2014), Licorice Pizza (2021)
Film Oblivion 