Instagram tour of iconic movie locations in California
How many of you would want to see where favorite movies were shot when traveling to Hollywood? Today I would like to introduce to you a video content producer for Chemical Guys, Phil Grishaev, who made it a hobby.
About six years ago Phil moved to Los Angeles from Poland and at first he wanted to check out all those places he’ve seen in the American films from the 80’s. He wanted to see how they changed and how much of it was actually real. From then on his curiosity slowly changed into an addictive and fun hobby, which Phil Grishaev shares with everyone on his Instagram.
What is your favorite location so far?
I would probably say “Pat & Lorraine’s coffee shop”, I go there at least twice a month. Quentin Tarantino fans would remember it as the coffee place from “Reservoir Dogs”. It looks virtually the same as it was in 92 and the owner is my friend.
Do you do research to find locations from your favorite movies or do you sometimes just drive around and recognize places by accident?
I did recognize some places just by driving near them but I always try to learn as much of the area and its history as possible. It became sort of a habit and whenever I’m invited to a house party in Hollywood Hills I would do a background check of the house. You never know when you’ll be there again.
Are you planning in a future to go beyond Los Angeles to explore other cities where movies were made?
Yes, there is so much to explore, I have a huge list of NY locations and let’s not forget about other countries. It’s a great way to explore places.
What is the location and from what movie are you dreaming to find but couldn’t so far?
Surprisingly there hasn’t been a location that I couldn’t find. Sometimes you really have to dig deeper into history of a certain movie or a historic place.
I highly recommend everyone to try out that “hobby”. It might sound very strange, but once you try it (ie. visit a place from your favorite movie) you will be hooked for life.
When you come to location you found do you just ask random people to take photo of you or do you always go to explore with a friend?
I always go with a friend since it takes time to properly position yourself and get the right angle. Very rarely I would ask random people (it happened when I was at the Home Alone house in Chicago).
What is your other biggest passion beside movies?
Probably everything that’s 80’s (music, movies, cars). Also I’m a history buff, anything in the 20th century fascinates me.
Apart from that, I create visual effects for short movies, ads and music videos.
What 5 movies of all the time would you recommend to everyone to watch and why?
I keep a list of movies that I’ve seen throughout my life and to this day it’s 1,414 films. The ones I could watch countless of times are definitely “Back to the Future”, “Ghostbusters”, “Die Hard”, “Terminator” and of course “Pulp Fiction”. All of these were shot more than 25 years ago but they still look fresh and equally entertaining.
Any secret places you would recommend to LA guests?
I would recommend checking out “New Beverly Cinema”, a small theater owned by Quentin Tarantino. On some days you can see him working inside the film projector booth. As for dining options and a taste of “Old Hollywood” I would suggest “The Prince” in Koreatown. It was used in Roman Polanski’s “Chinatown” and the design of the place is simply amazing.
