Reel to Real Filming Locations: February 2018

Saturday, February 24, 2018

Chrisley Knows Best (2014-2023)

Flamboyant father Todd Chrisley knows best when it comes to his southern brood. He reigns supreme in a palatial kingdom with a huge closet.
Hijinks and one liners abound in this screwball reality series as Todd tries not to pull his hair out over the antics of his offspring and his mother. At the end of each episode, the family gathers for a resolution hug followed by the most awkward couple affections since Taylor Lautner and Taylor Swift.

Chrisley Knows Best is filmed in Atlanta, GA and Nashville, TN

Location: The Chrisley House (Season 1)
Address: 5000 Heatherwood Court, Roswell, GA

This 30,000 square foot mansion is nestled in a gated community but luckily it's the first house once you get inside so you get a good view from the road...

Claims of tax evasion surfaced shortly after the series premiered. Season 2 found The Chrisley's "downsizing" to a smaller mansion before heading for the country music capital of the world.

Location Visited: May 2017

Locations Master List

Saturday, February 17, 2018

Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990)

I will never tire of watching Gremlins (1984). It's part of my annual not-a-Christmas movie-but-takes-place-at-Christmas-movie marathon I have every Thanksgiving weekend. I had seen bits and pieces of the sequel sometime in the early 90s. I finally decided to watch it in it's entirety last year, only I couldn't make it through the entire thing. I was not impressed and felt the original deserved better. I didn't consider doing any locations for it but since I was home during the season of giving and a fellow location guru was in need of a few shots, I figured I'd make myself a hero. Location hunting in the winter comes with great responsibility and one should abide by 3 important rules: Never location hunt when when you're recovering from the flu. Never location hunt when it's ten degrees. And never ever forget your gloves with the removable fingers so you can take pictures without getting frostbite!

Gremlins 2: The New Batch was filmed in New York, NY and Burbank, CA

Location: Chinatown (New York)
Address: Canal Street & Mott Street, New York, NY

This is the intersection of Mott Street & Moscow Street...

Location: Chinatown
Address: Warner Brothers Studios - Hennessy Street, Burbank, CA

Some shots of Chinatown were filmed on Hennessy Street on the Warner Brothers Backlot, where the mogwai shop from the original film is...

Location: Time Square
Address: 45th Street between 7th Avenue & Broadway, New York, NY

Billy and Kate cross W 46th Street...

Manhattan's top tourist attraction has been seen in many a film taking place in The Big Apple including The Devil Wears Prada (2006) and Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan (1989).

Location: The Clamp Building
Address: 101 Park Avenue, New York, NY

Billy and Kate first cross E 41st Street...

Location: The Police Station
Address: 138 W 30th Street b/w 6th and 7th Avenue, New York, NY

Locations Visited: October, 2016, December 2017

Related Locations:

Gremlins (1984)

Locations Master List

Thursday, February 8, 2018

Coming To America (1988)

Prince Akeem of Zumunda appears to be living the life - an orchestral alarm clock, showered with rose petals at every step, bathed and brushed by servants. But he longs for a woman who has her own mind. For someone to care, someone to share lonely hours and moments of despair. To be loved! To be loved! To be loved! He travels to Queens, NY with his best friend in pursuit of that someone. After a tireless search and some Sexual Chocolate, he finally finds her under the Golden Arcs.

Eddie Murphy and Arsenio Hall are out of this country ;-) not only playing their characters but several others as well. Rounded out by a stellar supporting cast, Coming To America is a modern day fairy tale for the masses with one of the biggest box office returns of 1988. And with that commercial, who wouldn't want to just let your Soul Glo?

Location: Akeem & Semmi's Apartment Building/The Barbershop
Address: 392 South 5th Street, Brooklyn, NY

The Barbershop, of course, is right downstairs. Due to frigid temperatures and recovering from the flu, I didn't get an exact matching shot...

Or the right angles...

Fuck you too!

Location: McDowells
Address: 85-07 Queens Boulevard, Queens, NY

At the time of filming, McDowells was actually a Wendy's. Sadly, it is now an apartment complex...