Redirected: Redirected: Interactive

The King of South Central: How "End of Watch" Keeps It Real

By Shayna Rose Arnold — Fri, 21 Sep 2012 17:46:00 GMT

With End of Watch, the cop drama starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Pena, writer-director David Ayer solidifies his reputation as a filmmaker who knows—and shows—the LAPD like no other. He also has a knack for revealing the underbelly of Los Angeles. With help from movie location manager (and man-around-South L.A.) Earl West, who also worked with Ayer on Training Day, Harsh Times, and Street Kings, we map some of the real-life homes, buildings, and public spaces featured in the film:

A.) A climactic scene involving the cartel takes place at this South L.A. apartment complex. “This just says ‘inner-city apartment,’” notes West (pictured above). “This area is no breeze.”
B.) Officers Brian Taylor (Jake Gyllenhaal) and Mike Zavala (Michael Pena) kick the door in at this house, which West selected because it is so unwelcoming. “This,” says West, “is a crack house.”
C.) West selected this house as the location for a scene in which the cartel is harboring immigrants. “If you look at it,” explains West, “it doesn’t look like anything is off. It’s a generic house.”
D.) This empty lot just up the street from Pueblo Gardens is where officers Brian Taylor (Jake Gyllenhaal) and Mike Zavala (Michael Pena) discover a burned-out car. It was a great location for filming because access was available to a nearby roof, there’s plenty of street parking, and “it looks so, so desolate,” says West.
E.) Access to a nearby roof and adjacent yards made filming “the killing scene” in this alley easy. “I know everyone in this alley,” says West. “We shot Street Kings here, too.”
F.) West refers to this location as “the Welfare House.” The production shot here for one or two days.
G.) In the movie this house, set apart from others on Woodlawn Avenue, goes up in flames.
H.) This is “Big Evil’s House,” where the villain (Maurice Compte) throws a house party complete with girls dancing on the roof and a custom throne.

Photographs by Israel Lemus

ALSO: Read "The Cop Whisperer," writer-at-large Ed Leibowitz's October profile of filmmaker David Ayer, who grew up in West Adams and now works in Silver Lake.

L.A.’s Newest Bars

By Elina Shatkin — Mon, 25 Jun 2012 07:00:00 GMT

Harvard & Stone. Photograph courtesy Facebook.

Picking the top 15 new bars for our July 2012 nightlife issue was brutal—not the drinking part (that was easy), the choosing part. In the last few years, bar culture has blossomed in Los Angeles. Whether these watering holes cater to cocktail fiends or beer enthusiasts, to dressy drinkers or casual sippers, we’ve seen enough new bars to keep an Angeleno sozzled for the rest of the decade. Next time someone claims this isn’t a drinking kind of town, you’ve got the map to prove them wrong

View new bars in a larger map

101 Cheap Eats on a Map

Thu, 14 Jun 2012 00:16:00 GMT

No. 1
Al-Watan

13619 Inglewood Ave., Hawthorne, 310-644-6395
Indian/Pakistani Cheap Eats

No. 2
Antojitos Carmen

2510 E. Cesar E. Chavez Ave., Boyle Heights, 323-264-1451
Mexican Cheap Eats

No. 3
Attari Sandwich Shop

1388 Westwood Blvd., Westwood, 310-441-5488
Middle Eastern Cheap Eats

No. 4
Bäco Mercat

408 S. Main St., downtown, 213-687-8808
Cheap Eats: Sandwiches

No. 5
Banh Mi My-Tho

304 W. Valley Blvd., Alhambra, 626-289-4160
Southeast Asian Cheap Eats

No. 6
Beba's

6024 Hazeltine Ave., Van Nuys, 818-786-1511
Central/South American Cheap Eats

No. 7
Beijing Pie House

846 E. Garvey Ave., Monterey Park, 626-288-3818
Chinese Cheap Eats

No. 8
Birrieria Flor del Rio

3201 E. 4th St., Boyle Heights, 323-268-0319
Mexican Cheap Eats

No. 9
Bludso's BBQ

811 S. Long Beach Blvd., Compton, 310-637-1342
Barbecue/Southern Cheap Eats

No. 10
Santouka Ramen

3760 S. Centinela Ave., West L.A., 310-391-1101
Cheap Eats: Chef's Picks

No. 11
Boo's Philly Cheesesteaks

4501 Fountain Ave., Silver Lake, 323-661-1955
Cheap Eats: Sandwiches

No. 12
Bruddah’s

1033 W. Gardena Blvd., Gardena, 310-323-9112
Hawaiian/Caribbean Cheap Eats

No. 13
Cenaduria Gumacus

8646 State St., South Gate, 323-566-5522
Mexican Cheap Eats

No. 14
Mexicali Taco and Co.

702 N. Figueroa St., downtown, 213-613-0416
Mexican Cheap Eats

No. 15
Chego

3300 Overland Ave., Palms, 310-287-0337
Korean Cheap Eats

No. 16
Earlez Grille

3630 Crenshaw Blvd., L.A., 323-299-2867
Cheap Eats: Burgers/Hot Dogs

No. 17
Eastside Market Italian Deli

1013 Alpine St., Chinatown, 213-250-2464
Cheap Eats: Sandwiches

No. 18
888 Seafood Restaurant

8450 Valley Blvd., Rosemead, 626-573-1888
Chinese Cheap Eats

No. 19
The Escondite

410 Boyd St., downtown, 213-626-1800
Cheap Eats: Burgers/Hot Dogs

No. 20
Fisherman's Outlet

529 S. Central Ave., downtown, 213-627-7231
Barbecue/Southern Cheap Eats

No. 21
Flavors of Belize

1271 S. La Brea Ave., Mid City, 323-937-7710
Hawaiian/Caribbean Cheap Eats

No. 22
Flor de Yucatan

1800 S. Hoover St., L.A., 213-748-6090
Mexican Cheap Eats

No. 23
Foo Chow Resaurant

949 N. Hill St., Chinatown, 213-485-1294
Chinese Cheap Eats

No. 24
C&O Trattoria

31 Washington Blvd., Marina del Rey, 310-823-9491
Cheap Eats: Chef's Picks

No. 25
Fundamental LA

1303 Westwood Blvd., Westwood, 310-444-7581
Cheap Eats: Sandwiches

No. 26
Gish Bac

4163 W. Washington Blvd., Mid City, 323-737-5050
Mexican Cheap Eats

No. 27
Vito's Pizza

846 N. La Cienaga Blvd., Los Angeles, 310-652-6859
Cheap Pizza

No. 28
Pitfire Pizza

2018 Westwood Blvd., West L.A., 310-481-9860, (Multiple Locations)
Cheap Pizza

No. 29
Two Boots

1818 W. Sunset Blvd., Echo Park, 213-413-2668
Cheap Pizza

No. 30
Stella Rossa Pizza Bar

2000 Main St., Santa Monica, 310-396-9250
Cheap Pizza

No. 31
800 Degrees

10889 Lindbrook Dr., Westwood, 424-239-5010
Cheap Pizza

No. 32
Pizzanista!

2019 E. 7th St., Downtown, 213-627-1430
Cheap Pizza

No. 33
Hollywood Pies

1437 S. Robertson Blvd., Los Angeles, 323-337-3212
Cheap Pizza

No. 34
Green Island

500 N. Atlantic Blvd., Monterey Park, 626-289-7788
Chinese Cheap Eats

No. 35
Grill 'Em All

12020 Chandler, North Hollywood , grillemalltruck@yahoo.com (Multiple Locations)
Cheap Eats: Burgers/Hot Dogs

No. 36
Gui Rim Korean BBQ

3977 6th St., Koreatown, 213-387-5459
Korean Cheap Eats

No. 37
Guisados

2100 E. Cesar E. Chavez Ave., Boyle Heights, 323-264-7201
Mexican Cheap Eats

No. 38
Hakata Ramen Shin-Sen-Gumi

132 Central Ave., Little Tokyo, 213-687-7108
Japanese Cheap Eats

No. 39
Chick-fil-A

6750 W. Sunset Blvd., Hollywood, 323-464-2455
Cheap Eats: Chef's Picks

No. 40
Ham Ji Park

3407 6th St., Koreatown, 213-365-8773
Korean Cheap Eats

No. 41
Han Bat Shullungtang

4163 W. 5th St., Koreatown, 213-388-9499
Korean Cheap Eats

No. 42
Henry's Tacos

11401 Moorpark St., North Hollywood, 818-769-0343
Mexican Cheap Eats

No. 43
His Lai Temple

3456 S. Glenmark Dr., Hacienda Heights, 626-961-9697
Chinese Cheap Eats

No. 44
In-Chan

15333 Sherman Way, Van Nuys, 818-781-1234
Southeast Asian Cheap Eats

No. 45
India Sweet House

5992 W. Pico Blvd., Mid City, 323-934-5193
Indian/Pakistani Cheap Eats

No. 46
Ink. Sack

8360 Melrose Ave., Ste. 107, West Hollywood, 323- 655-7225
Cheap Eats: Sandwiches

No. 47
Johnnie's Pastrami

4017 Sepulveda Blvd., Culver City, 310-397-6654
Cheap Eats: Sandwiches

No. 48
Juquila Truck

Corner of Santa Monica Blvd. and Barrington Ave., West L.A, 424-250-5181
Mexican Cheap Eats

No. 49
Kabab Mahaleh

8762 W. Pico Blvd., Pico-Robertson, 310-275-3000
Middle Eastern Cheap Eats

No. 50
La Cevicheria

3809 W. Pico Blvd., Mid City, 323-732-1253
Central/South American Cheap Eats

No. 51
Mar Azul Truck

4700 N. Figueroa St., Highland Park
Mexican Cheap Eats

No. 52
Mendocino Farms

7100 Santa Monica Blvd., West Hollywood, 323-512-2700 (Multiple Locations)
Cheap Eats: Sandwiches

No. 53
Mini Kabob

313 Vine St., Glendale, 818-244-1343
Middle Eastern Cheap Eats

No. 54
Momed

233 S. Beverly Dr., Beverly Hills, 310-270-4444
Middle Eastern Cheap Eats

No. 55
Pailin Thai Cuisine

5621 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood, 323-467-6775
Cheap Eats: Chef's Picks

No. 56
Mom's Burgers

336 W. Alondra Blvd., Compton, 310-632-6622
Cheap Eats: Burgers/Hot Dogs

No. 57
Mottainai Ramen

1630 Redondo Beach Blvd., Ste. 9, Gardena, 310-538-3233
Japanese Cheap Eats

No. 58
Nem Nuong Khanh Hoa

1700 Valley Blvd., Alhambra, 626-943-7645
Southeast Asian Cheap Eats

No. 59
Neri's Bakery

534 S. Occidental Blvd., Filipinotown, 213-738-1263
Southeast Asian Cheap Eats

No. 60
Noodle Boy

8518 E. Valley Blvd., Rosemead, 626-280-8963
Chinese Cheap Eats

No. 61
Otomisan Suehiro

2506 E. 1st St., Boyle Heights, 323-526-1150
Japanese Cheap Eats

No. 62
Pa-Ord

5301 W. Sunset Blvd., Hollywood, 323-461-3945
Southeast Asian Cheap Eats

No. 63
Pho Filet

9463 Garvey Ave., South El Monte, 626-453-8911
Southeast Asian Cheap Eats

No. 64
The Slaw Dogs

720 N. Lake Ave., Pasadena, 626-808-9777
Cheap Eats: Burgers/Hot Dogs

No. 65
Dinah's

6521 S. Sepulveda Blvd., Westchester, 310-645-0456
Cheap Chicken

No. 66
Farmshop

225 26th St.,Santa Monica, 310-566-2400
Cheap Chicken

No. 67
Honey's Kettle

9537 Culver Blvd., Culver City, 310-202-5453
Cheap Chicken

No. 68
Jim Dandy

11328 S. Vermont Ave., South L.A.,323-779-5567
Cheap Chicken

No. 69
KyoChon Chicken

3833 W. 6th St., Koreatown,213-739-9292
Cheap Chicken

No. 70
Louisiana Fried Chicken

1401 W. Manchester Ave., South L.A.,323-759-8771
Cheap Chicken

No. 71
MP's Soulfood Eatery

5643 Lankershim Blvd., North Hollywood, 818-506-2930
Cheap Chicken

No. 72
Plan Check

1800 Sawtellen Blvd., West L.A., 310-288-6500
Cheap Chicken

No. 73
Roscoe's House of Chicken 'n Waffles

5006 W. Pico Blvd., Mid City, 323-934-4405
Cheap Chicken

No. 74
Puro Sabor

6366 Van Nuys Blvd., Ste. A, Van Nuys, 818-908-0818
Central/South American Cheap Eats

No. 75
Raspados NoHo

6102 Vineland Ave., North Hollywood, 818-310-5415
Mexican Cheap Eats

No. 76
Ricky's Fish Tacos

6102 1400 N. Virgil Ave., Los Feliz, 323-906-7290
Mexican Cheap Eats

No. 77
Rincon Chileno Deli

15418 Hawthorne Blvd., Lawndale, 310-349-2091
Central/South American Cheap Eats

No. 78
R&R Soul Food

18427 Avalon Blvd., Carson, 310-715-6716
Barbecue/Southern Cheap Eats

No. 79
Sattdown Jamaican Grill

11320 Ventura Blvd., Studio City, 818-766-3696
Hawaiian/Caribbean Cheap Eats

No. 80
Savoy Kitchen

138 E. Valley Blvd., Alhambra, 626-308-9535
Chinese Cheap Eats

No. 81
Cole's

118 E. 6th St., Downtown, 213-622-4090
Cheap Eats: Chef's Picks

No. 82
Shaanxi Gourmet

8518 E. Valley Blvd., Rosemead, 626-283-5188
Chinese Cheap Eats

No. 83
Shaka Shack

1701 Ocean Park Blvd., Santa Monica, 310-450-5551
Cheap Eats: Burgers/Hot Dogs

No. 84
Shanto's Bakery

3747 Foothill Blvd., La Crescenta, 818-330-9835
Middle Eastern Cheap Eats

No. 85
Tacos Leo

Corner of Venice Blvd. and La Brea Ave., Mid City
Mexican Cheap Eats

No. 86
Ta-eem Grill

7422 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles., 323-944-0013
Middle Eastern Cheap Eats

No. 87
Tinga

142 S. La Brea Ave., Mid City, 323-954-9566
Mexican Cheap Eats

No. 88
Tsujita LA Artisan Noodle House

2057 Sawtelle Blvd., West L.A., 310-231-7373
Japanese Cheap Eats

No. 89
Wako Donkasu

2904 Olympic Blvd., Koreatown, 213-387-9256
Japanese Cheap Eats

No. 90
Yu Chun Chic Naeng Myun

3185 Olympic Blvd., Koreatown, 213-382-3815
Korean Cheap Eats

No. 91
Zam-Zam Market

11028 Washington Blvd., Culver City, 310-841-2504
Indian/Pakistani Cheap Eats

No. 92
Cecconi's

8764 Melrose Ave., West Hollywood, 310-432-2000
More Deals

No. 93
Delphine

6250 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood, 323-798-1355
More Deals

No. 94
Katsuya

6300 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood, 323-871-8777
More Deals

No. 95
Lazy Ox Canteen

241 S. San Pedro St., Los Angeles, 213-626-5299
More Deals

No. 96
Mercato di Vetro

9077 Santa Monica Blvd., West Hollywood, 310-859-8369
More Deals

No. 97
Mezze

401 N. La Cienega Blvd., Los Angeles, 310-657-4103
More Deals

No. 98
Osteria Mozza

6602 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles, 323-297-0100
More Deals

No. 99
The Spare Room Bar

7000 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood, 323-769-7296
More Deals

No. 100
The Larder at Tavern

11648 San Vincente Blvd., Brentwood, 310-806-6464
More Deals

No. 101
Wilshire

2454 Wilshire Blvd., Santa Monica, 310-586-1707
More Deals

Mapping Helmut Newton

By Marielle Wakim — Mon, 11 Jun 2012 17:06:00 GMT

German-Australian photographer Helmut Newton, whose images have appeared in Vanity Fair, Vogue, and Harper’s Bazaar, is being honored in not one but two ways this month. On June 26, forty of Newton’s provocative nudes and high-contrast landscapes go on display at Perry Rubenstein Gallery’s inaugural exhibition, titled Helmut Newton: Sex and Landscapes. On June 14, Three Boys From Pasadena: A Tribute to Helmut Newton opens at the Art Center College of Design. The latter features the work of George Holz, Just Loomis, and Mark Arbeit, all of whom studied under Newton in the 1970s while attending ACCD. Using L.A. as a backdrop is a common theme in the men’s work. Below you’ll find a few of the stunning images from the Three Boys exhibit plus a few behind-the-scenes photos of Newton on set, complete with a map revealing where each was shot in L.A.

Torso #2 by Mark Arbeit was shot in the Hollywood Hills above the Chateau Marmont in 2011.
Dinah’s 24-hour Diner by Just Loomis was shot at Dinah’s Restaurant on South Sepulveda in 2006.
Mark Arbeit shot this portrait of Helmut Newton in Manhattan Beach in 1979.
Helmut Newton shooting for Stern Magazine at a private home in Hollywood. Photograph by George Holz.
Helmut Newton photographs Lisa Lyons in Santa Monica. Photograph by George Holz.
George Holz photographed Cameron Diaz for Los Angeles magazine’s March 1995 issue at the Old Mission Santa Barbara.
Dora With Airstream by George Holz was shot in Silver Lake in 2011.
Krisha With Seagulls by George Holz was shot at Point Dume State Beach.
Legs by Just Loomis was shot at the Santa Monica Pier.

Map: The Artist

By Chris Nichols — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 01:55:00 GMT

Movie scene: Home of Peppy Miller
Real place: 56 Fremont Place, Los Angeles

This 1915 Beaux Arts estate is off-limits behind the gates of Fremont Place, but was once home to silent stars Mary Miles Minter and Mary Pickford, who lived there before she and Douglas Fairbanks built their dream home Pickfair in Beverly Hills.

Movie scene: Home of George Valentin
Real place: Home of Shane Black
104 Fremont Place, Los Angeles

The chateau of screenwriter Shane Black (Lethal Weapon, Last Action Hero) was designed by the same architect that created the Pasadena Playhouse and features a detached chauffeur's quarters and a third floor dance hall.

Movie scene: Kinograph Studios (Exterior)
Real place: RED Studios
846 North Cahuenga Boulevard, Los Angeles

Movie fans might remember this location as the Maroon Cartoon studio in Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, but it was the real-life location of Desilu, home of I Love Lucy.

Movie scene: Peppy’s bus ride
Real place: Beachwood Canyon
N. Beachwood Drive and Belden Drive, Los Angeles

Peppy arrives in Hollywood aboard a city bus traveling through Beachwood Canyon. The angle of the street prevented the hillside from being in the scene, so the hills and the “Hollywoodland” sign were added digitally.

Movie scene: La Reina Theater
Real place: Orpheum Theater (Interior), Warner Bros. backlot (Exterior)
842 S. Broadway, downtown

Peppy and George both have premieres at the Orpheum downtown. The French baroque auditorium, including the distinctive side boxes, is packed with adoring fans. The restored movie house now hosts live concerts. Watch for a scene where actors rehearse Romeo and Juliet. It takes place in an upstairs hallway.

Movie scene: Kinograph Studios (Interior staircase)
Real placee: Bradbury Building
304 S. Broadway, downtown

You might recognize the Victorian futurist Bradbury building from Blade Runner, but that spectacular staircase has never been as abuzz as when portraying the interior of Kinograph studios.

Movie scene: Unnamed Theater
Real place: Los Angeles Theater
615 S. Broadway, downtown

Peppy sees George’s film Tears of Love from a loge seat inside Broadway’s most opulent movie palace. The Los Angeles was the last theater built on Broadway and opened with Charlie Chaplin’s City Lights in 1931.

Movie scene: Unnamed Restaurant
Real place: Cicada Restaurant
617 S. Olive Street, Los Angeles

Peppy does a radio interview in one of the finest art deco rooms in the city. Cicada occupies the former Alexander and Oviatt men’s store at the Oviatt Building. George and Peppy would feel right at home here when Maxwell Demille hosts dining and dancing at the Cicada Club every Sunday night.

Movie scene: Auction house / Hospital / Executive Office
Real place: Ebell Club of Los Angeles
4401 W. 8^th Street, Los Angeles

The historic clubhouse of the Wilshire Ebell was transformed into a hospital, an auction house and the offices of a studio executive played by John Goodman. The philanthropic club was founded in 1894 and built this complex in 1927.

Movie scene: Hospital Exterior
Real place: American Film Institute
2021 N. Western Avenue, Los Angeles

The site of the AFI was a Catholic high school and college starting in 1906. By 1979 the nuns of Immaculate Heart College in 1979 revolted and dissolved the order. The following year it was purchased and renovated by the film school at a cost of $10,000,000.

Movie scene: Police chase
Real place: Neighborhood in Hancock Park
Oakwood Avenue near June Street, Los Angeles

George’s dog Uggy flags down a cop on Oakwood Avenue in this neighborhood just west of the Wilshire Country Club.

Movie scene: George’s Apartment
Real place: Apartment Building
4056 21^st Street, Los Angeles

This 1924 Spanish style fourplex sits on a tidy street of two-story apartments just behind St. Paul’s Catholic Church on Washington Blvd.

Movie scene: Peppy’s premiere
Real place: Warner Bros. Backlot
3400 W. Riverside Drive, Burbank

Eager filmgoers fill the street in front of a theater featuring an enormous billboard for Beauty Spot, Peppy’s film within the film.

Movie scene: George visits a tailor shop
Real place: Paramount Pictures backlot
5555 Melrose Avenue, Los Angeles

George sees his reflection atop a tuxedo at a tailor shop built into one of the storefronts on Paramount’s famous New York Street. All of the scenes featuring downtown exteriors and city streets were shot here.

Talk of the Town

Thu, 15 Sep 2011 07:00:00 GMT

The Name Game

Alternative content

Open Wallets, Open Hearts?

Alternative content

A Grande Dame

Alternative content

"But for the Grace of God"

Alternative content

Photograph by Art Streiber

Map: A Better Life

By Shayna Rose Arnold — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 07:00:00 GMT

Olympic Building Supply
"It’s a nursery that we hired out to create a workers corner. We repainted the fencing because our director of photography is a perfectionist and didn’t like it bright yellow, but basically it looks like a fairly generic corner where you might see workers hanging out. We’ve all driven past them. What we didn’t do was use Home Depot because places like that are not keen to associate themselves with any illegality, so we had to make our own. I noticed after we filmed it that the locations of the street corners throughout the city where day laborers congregate are seemingly arbitrary. All of the guys who were there were listed with a [film] extras company but I can almost guarantee you they have worked as day laborers in the past or are still doing so."

Taco Truck
"In this case we were in Beverly Hills. It’s a real taco truck. The tacos were really good. Sometimes instead of recreating something it’s easier to use the real thing. There’s a tremendous sense of nostalgia for the food from home for Mexican-American immigrants and so it had to be a taco truck. There’s no way it could have been anything else."

Locke High School
"Locke High School has a really interesting story. It was turned from one of the more dangerous schools in the city into a place where kids are really quite safe to learn. It was an interesting place to shoot because it is on a pretty strict lockdown. We use it to represent a school that is in much worse shape than Locke actually is, but it provided us with a prison-like building to use. Some high schools, unfortunately, appear too cheerful, and we wanted to show a high school that’s in trouble. We had to shoot around a very beautiful grove of trees and flowers that I believe Cameron Diaz gave to Locke High School to make it look worse than it is."

Club Premier Fiesta
"It’s a family-oriented mariachi nightclub that’s in Bell, which of course has its own problems. We really didn’t change the interior at all. We just used it as is. The only difference is the music that’s being played—it’s about drugs and gang violence. To me, that place in the movie represents hell and although on the surface it seems like all the people are having fun and the music sounds very pleasant, it is in fact a place where people go to drink themselves out of their sorrows. Something tells me it’s an ex strip club. I didn’t ask, but there are mirrors where you wouldn’t expect them."

Ramona Gardens
"There aren’t that many housing projects left in Los Angeles. Ramona Gardens is interesting because families live there and they live with a lot of joy and, because it’s kind of a Mexican American neighborhood, a lot of life is lived outside. Then at night the authorities crack down, sometimes unnecessarily. For example there are huge lights that are placed on these poles pointing down that are turned on so that you see these vast pools of greenish illumination. It’s enough light to bother people.

We had a totally delightful time shooting at Ramona Gardens. We were always surrounded by children looking at the monitors; it was like being the Pied Piper with thirty or forty kids out on the street asking if they were going to end up on TV or in the movies, that kind of thing. There was a kid about five years old who really wanted to show me his fish. He took me into his unit past his parents who were, I think, bemused, and showed me his Siamese fighting fish. It was, to me, like someone saying, You might be shooting this movie here, but I’ve got this fish."

The Religious Goods Store
"This particular store is on Cesar Chavez Ave., one of the greatest streets in L.A. They have everything from icons of saints to special wish candles that are closer to something like Santeria or Voodoo than anything else, so it shows the folk culture in full bloom and the beliefs that people bring with them to new cultures. The store is where Carlos goes when he gets his truck because the first thing he is going to do is put a scapular around his rearview mirror. We chose it because it was close to a liquor store that we wanted to shoot in front of that has a sign that reads BROOKLYN LIQUORS. And the reason the sign says BROOKLYN LIQUORS is because what is now Boyle Heights used to be a Jewish neighborhood. The population that arrived there from the east named streets and businesses with names that they were used to, so it adds another layer of meaning."

The Malibu Estate Where Carlos Works
"We wanted a view of the ocean. The script called for Carlos to work at putting up trees to obscure the one sight that mars a beautiful vista, and there’s a parking lot at Zuma Beach that you can see from this house. So we had him placing the final tree that was going to make this view perfect for these people who have a seemingly perfect life that you never really see. There was also something very aquamarine and light about the home. A lot of the locations we used have earth towns, and this provided a nice contrast in color and architecture."

The Spot Where Galindo is Pulled Over By the Police
"We filmed this in San Pedro. It’s right smack between a BP refinery and a Toyota storage lot for all the cars coming out of San Pedro. Essentially, it’s a place of intense loneliness, and it stands for the loneliness of that moment."

LAX
"There is one transitional shot where a plane flies overhead and behind it is the airport. We found the one place that’s right under the flight line and so we got this really impossible-to-manufacture shot by standing in just the right place with a handheld camera. It was partly my favorite place because it was right next to an In-N-Out, and afterwards everybody got burgers."

See more of A Better Life's filming locations on this map:

View "A Better Life" Shooting Locations in a larger map

ALSO READ: Be sure to check out our Cut! column about the do-gooder producers behind A Better Life in the June issue on newsstands now

The Long & Wining Road

By Larissa Puro — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 07:00:00 GMT

The Beach: Sweet Spots

Tue, 20 Jul 2010 07:00:00 GMT

The Beach Survey: Results Are In

By Larissa Puro — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 07:00:00 GMT

Down
the Middle

82% are between 21 and 45 years old

Singles'
Stomping
Ground

2:3 - The ratio of singles to
married beachgoers

2:7 - The ratio of single women
to single men

Ocean
Blue

The number of political conservatives who took the survey: 2

If Only…

40% of readers would go to the beach more if there were less people

Skin
Exposure

Only 10 readers—mostly women— reported visiting a nude beach

Oddly enough, 12 revealed whether or not they wore bathing suits at a nude beach (10 did, 2 didn't)

Off With
the Hoff

Even though it was filmed at Santa Monica Beach, 67% aren’t Baywatch fans

Finders
Keepers

7 very lucky people found money

Only 4 people found jewelry

Chill Out

75% go to the beach to relax. Not one person cited long walks on
the beach

Seaside
Scares

Most point to Speedos and tourists as the most frightening things about the beach.

5 men were more afraid of fish
and seagulls.

Sand Trap

Only 18% know how to hang ten. (Ahem! Find local surf instructors in
the July issue on
newsstands now)

Summer
Lovin'

43% report having been
hit-on at the beach

2 men admitted to scoping people out on the sand. Both said they have never been hit-on at the beach

The Favorite
LA Beach?

Venice Beach, with a whopping 19% of the vote

Beachy
Behavior

8% visit the beach daily
33% visit weekly

Redirected: Redirected: Interactive

The King of South Central: How "End of Watch" Keeps It Real

L.A.’s Newest Bars

101 Cheap Eats on a Map

Mapping Helmut Newton

Torso #2 by Mark Arbeit was shot in the Hollywood Hills above the Chateau Marmont in 2011.

Dinah’s 24-hour Diner by Just Loomis was shot at Dinah’s Restaurant on South Sepulveda in 2006.

Mark Arbeit shot this portrait of Helmut Newton in Manhattan Beach in 1979.

Helmut Newton shooting for Stern Magazine at a private home in Hollywood. Photograph by George Holz.

Helmut Newton photographs Lisa Lyons in Santa Monica. Photograph by George Holz.

George Holz photographed Cameron Diaz for Los Angeles magazine’s March 1995 issue at the Old Mission Santa Barbara.

Dora With Airstream by George Holz was shot in Silver Lake in 2011.

Krisha With Seagulls by George Holz was shot at Point Dume State Beach.

Legs by Just Loomis was shot at the Santa Monica Pier.

Map: The Artist

Talk of the Town

Map: A Better Life

The Long & Wining Road

Sonoma

Napa

Picnic Spots

The Beach: Sweet Spots

The Beach Survey: Results Are In