Saturday, April 27, 2013

Crash (2004)

dir. Paul Haggis

Vine Street looking south toward Hollywood Boulevard, Los Angeles, California. The Capitol Records Tower is one of the city's landmarks, often used in establishing shots to indicate where the action takes place. According to local lore, the building was designed to resemble a giant stack of records with a stylus on top. The red light atop the spire continuously flashes the word "Hollywood" in Morse code.

DA Rick Cabot (Brendan Fraser) and his wife (Sandra Bullock) are carjacked by Anthony (Chris "Ludacris" Bridges) and Peter (Larenz Tate) – 1036C-D Broxton Avenue, Los Angeles, California

Detectives Graham Waters (Don Cheadle) and his partner Ria (Jennifer Esposito) arrive at a shooting scene – 1014 Wilmington Avenue, Wilmington, California.

DA Cabot’s house – 342 10th Street, Santa Monica, California. This was writer/director Paul Haggis’ house at the time. The filmmaker decided to use it when the budget was running out.

LAPD officer John Ryan (Matt Dillon) makes a phone call from a diner – Carney’s, 12601 Ventura Boulevard, Studio City, California.

Ryan and his partner Tom Hansen (Ryan Phillippe) pull over a car, and subject the owners, TV director Cameron Thayer (Terrence Howard) and his wife Christine (Thandie Newton), to a pat-down – Radford Avenue at Hoffman Street, Studio City, California. CBS Studio Center at 4032 Radford Avenue is seen on the right.

The Iranian store – N. Avalon Boulevard at E. C Street, Wilmington, California. The filmmakers used the vacant premises and dressed them as a shop.

Anthony and Peter run over a Korean man – E. C Street at N. Broad Avenue, Wilmington, California

Ventura Boulevard at Laurel Terrace Drive looking east, Los Angeles, California.

The DA’s office – Los Angeles City Hall, 200 N. Spring Street, Los Angeles, California.

Anthony and Peter visit their criminal associate - 13107 Venice Boulevard, Los Angeles, California

Anthony and Peter argue about taking a bus – 12819 Venice Boulevard, Los Angeles, California.

The TV studio where Cameron works – Raleigh Studios, 5300 Melrose Avenue, Los Angeles, California.

The police station – 6850 Van Nuys Boulevard, Van Nuys, California.

Officer Ryan rescues Christine from a burning car – S. Gaffey Street at W. 36th Street, San Pedro, California.

Cameron is carjacked by Peter and Anthony – Ranchito Avenue at La Maida, Sherman Oaks, California.

The confrontation between Cameron and the police – 5177 Costello Avenue, Sherman Oaks, California.

Cameron drops off Anthony – Rhodes Avenue at Ventura Court, Los Angeles, California.

Daniel’s (Michael Peña) house – 6317 Elgin Street, Eagle Rock, California.

Tom Hansen torches his car – C Street at N. Broad Avenue, Wilmington, California

Anthony sets the Asian captives free – N. Broadway at Ord Street, Los Angeles, California

Saturday, April 20, 2013

Miracle Mile (1988)

dir. Steve De Jarnatt

La Brea Tar Pits, 5801 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, California. About 35,000-40,000 years ago, oil deposits rose here to the earth’s surface. The crude oil gradually thickened into sticky asphalt, and prehistoric animals would get trapped in it and drown. The remains of these hapless creatures were first discovered in the early 1900s, and such findings continued ever since. Modern visitors can walk around the area and see the tar pits adorned by life-size models of prehistoric pachyderms.

Harry (Anthony Edwards) meets Julie (Mare Winningham) – George C. Page Museum, 5801 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, California. The museum tells the story of the tar pits and features fossil reconstructions and a working paleontology lab.

Julie and Harry set lobsters free - Santa Monica Pier, Santa Monica, California. The white-and-blue building on the beach is the Sea Castle Apartments. Once a luxury hotel, it was irreparably damaged by the Northridge Earthquake and stood abandoned until its fate was finally sealed by a fire in 1996. The new Sea Castle Apartments building now stands in its place.

Harry’s band plays – Pan Pacific Park, 7600 Beverly Boulevard, Los Angeles, California. The Streamline Moderne structure with four stylized towers and flagpoles is the Pan-Pacific Auditorium. Sadly, this was its last cinematic appearance. The building was destroyed in a fire on May 24, 1989.

The former May Company department store at the corner of Wilshire Boulevard and Faifrax Avenue, which now serves as the Los Angeles County Museum of Art western building (LACMA West).

LACMA East, 5905 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, California.

Julie’s apartment complex – Park La Brea, 6200 W. 3rd Street, Los Angeles, California.

The coffee shop where Julie works as a waitress – Johnie’s (now closed), 6101 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, California.

Harry’s hotel – Chateau Marmont, 8221 Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles, California. Thanks to Robert from Movie Locations and More for pointing that out.

The view of Wilshire Boulevard at Fairfax Avenue, looking east.

The gas station – It stood at the corner of Wall and Boyd Streets, Los Angeles, California. It has since been demolished.

Julie’s apartment building – 535 S. Curson Avenue, Los Angeles, California

Harry transporting the sleepy Julie in a shopping cart – Art of the Americas Building (formerly the Robert O. Anderson Building), LACMA, 5905 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, California.

The steps leading to the Art of the Americas and Hammer Buildings.

5900 Wilshire as seen from the LACMA entrance. It’s the tallest structure in the Miracle Mile district, known as the Mutual Benefit Life Building at the time, but it’s now called the Variety Building.

Harry goes looking for someone who can fly a helicopter – 6010 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, California.

The department store - 6060 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, California. The building how hosts the Petersen Automotive Museum.