Filmed in Hawaii Blog

Here are some photos from the new Princess Kaiulani movie currently being filmed and starring Q’Orianka Kilcher (Pocahontas in The New World).

These were taken at Iolani Palace.

We’ve finally receive a bit of press.  Katherine Nichols of the Honolulu Star-Bulletin recently wrote,

Oahu now has a “Movie Tour Map.” Dubbed “Hawaiiwood,” the fold-out color guide features 150 film locations from a long list of movies and television shows, including “50 First Dates,” “Blue Crush,” “ER,” “Hawaii 5-0,” “Jurassic Park,” “Magnum P.I.,” “Pearl Harbor,” “Tora Tora Tora,” “From Here to Eternity” and, of course, “Lost.”

Each location contains an address and description of the scene filmed there. Manoa Valley Inn, for instance, has played a role in several episodes of “Lost.” It served as Charlie and Liam’s childhood home in England as well as the house of the psychic Claire visits in Australia, and the Australian office where Eko meets with the undertaker. Kualoa Ranch and Kaaawa Valley seem to be the most popular locations, judging from the long list of productions associated with them.

Click here to read the full article.

I had been noticing some new “Lost” promo materials featuring an ominous island scene with a dramatic peaks in the back. Immediately, I sensed that something didn’t look quite like Hawaii. Instead, I thought, it looked more like Bora Bora.

After some searching, it was confirmed. You can see these are the same cliffs of Mount Otemanu, although part of the left hand side seems to be cut off or released.  The above photo was taken from the Intercontinental Le Moana Resort, where you can get “lost” in 5 star luxury.

The French Polynesia experiences different topography and weather patterns than in the North Pacific.  Hawaii has clear windward and leeward sides, where one is weathered more than the other.  Thus we have the steep Koolau backside on Oahu and Na Pali coast on Kauai, while the south sides remain more habitable. French Polynesia had eroded uniformly for a much longer time, carving razor sharp peaks in the center of its islands and forming coral atolls offshore. While strikingly beautiful, this has confined habitation to a narrow ring around along the coast.  Also this leads to a lack of beaches directly on the island, instead you have to travel to the atolls to find nice white sand.

Derek Paiva of the new Hawaii Magazine blog has posted a list of his top five Hawaii flicks. (See my previous post of my own top ten. )

Just returned from a trip to Molokai, a largely undeveloped island, where I was able to hunt down some film locations.

Although the population there is around 50% Native Hawaiian, a large portion of the landscape is prairie-like instead of tropical due to a history of ranching and water shortages. The part that is tropical is nearly impassable and boasts the highest sea cliffs in the world. This makes for a land of great contrasts and extreme vistas.

The western end boast starkly beautiful rock-studded beaches. This is where the love scene (where Will and Elizabeth spend their last day together) from Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End was filmed. You wouldn’t necessarily guess it was Hawaii, eh?

It is at a beach called Pohakumauliui aka Make (dead) Horse Beach, north of the 3-mile-long Papohaku Beach and Kaluakoi condos. I don’t know why it’s called what it is. Didn’t see any horses, dead or alive. (Did see a dead wild turkey at the north end of Papohaku Beach though!)

Hands down the most famous site on Molokai is the isolated Kalaupapa Peninsula to the north, which was the site of a former leper colony. It is now a national park, although you must book an official tour or be invited by one of residents to visit. This historic area boasts the most incredible scenery imaginable. The dramatic cliffs, which back the Kalawao side of the peninsula where the first settlement was built, were seen in opening scenes of Jurassic Park 3.

Also of course, Molokai: The Story of Father Damien, which chronicled the life of the Belgian priest who dedicated his life to caring for the leprosy patients, filmed here. We were told by the tour guide that the whole village of Kalawao was recreated nearby for the film, as it is mostly in ruins.  After the movie wrapped, the Kalaupapa residents asked if they could keep “set” so they could live in it. However, the park officials said the lacked the manpower to maintain the structures, so it was torn down afterward.

I plan to add these locations to the Hawaiiwood Movie Tour map soon. In case you haven’t checked it out yet, the website again is www.filmedinhawaii.com.

This was an extremely difficult list to come up with. These may not necessarily be the best films, but for some reason hold a special place in my heart. As you can see, I tend to favor adventure and kitsch. In alphabetical order, they are:

1. Blue Crush (2002) - I’m kind of embarrassed to admit I like this movie. Yeah, it’s another one of those silly stories where the underdog attempts to win a (insert sport of choice) contest. This time she’s a young female surfer who gets sidetracked by a handsome footballer and the contest is the famed Pipeline Masters. Of course, everything is unrealistically perfect, everyone looks good, and everything turns out OK in the end. But then maybe that’s what I like about it.

2. “The Brady Bunch: Hawaii Bound, Pass the Tabu, The Tiki Caves” (1972) - The gold-standard for a sitcom’s “very special Hawaii episode”. Mike takes the family to Hawaii while he checks on the a job site. While they are there, Bobby finds a tiki which seems bring bad luck to the family. Don Ho and Vincent Price make appearances. This 3-parter was parodied in A Very Brady Sequel (1996) which was also filmed in Hawaii.

3. “The Byrds of Paradise” (1993-4) - This short-lived, but much loved Steven Bochco series featured a relatively unknown Seth Green and Jennifer Love Hewitt as siblings dragged to Hawaii from Connecticut by their widowed father (Timothy Busfield) who accepts a position as headmaster of private school. The show featured many local actors and is still considered one of the most honest Hollywood depictions of Hawaii.

4. The Even Stevens Movie (2003) - I came across this movie one night on the Disney channel, not having been familiar with the series. Sure it was hokey. But was amused by the premise: the Stevens family is tricked into taking an all-expenses paid vacation to the island of Mandelino where they are unknowingly the stars of reality show and beset with one disaster after another. Much like The Truman Show or “The Joe Schomo Show”, which I found hilarious.

5. 50 First Dates (2004) - Although I’m neither a big fan of Adam Sandler or Drew Barrymore, this one’s kind of sweet and the scenery is beautiful. Womanizing Henry falls in love with Lucy, a woman who has suffered a brain injury where she can’t remember anything from the day before. Against her family’s protests, Henry tries to woo Lucy anew every day to make her fall in love with him. Little local culture here though, and Rob Schneider’s pidgin accent is just horrendous.

6. “Flight 29 Down” (2005-7) - I’ve discussed this show in a previous post so I won’t go into it here.

7. Jurassic Park (1993) , The Lost World (1997), Jurassic Park III (2001) - Who wasn’t wowed the first time the first time they saw those CGI dinosaurs against the backdrop of those incredible mountains? Based on the popular Michael Crichton novels, this sci-fi adventure told the story of genetically created beasts for a new theme park gone awry. This franchise ushered in a whole new era of movie-making. Although set on islands off of South America, the films featured Oahu, Kauai, and Molokai.

8. “Lost” (2004-present) - A plane full of extremely attractive and multicultural people with dark secrets and daddy issues crashes in the middle of the Pacific on it’s way from Sydney to LA. Superbly acted and packed with more mysteries than you can shake a stick at. Notwithstanding that I’m a big fan of the stranded on a deserted island genre, this show rocks. Can’t wait for the new season.

9. North Shore (1987) - Arizona wavepool surfer Rick Kane heads to Oahu’s North Shore to surf the big waves. Along the way, he learns to surf the right way, gets beat up by natives, romances an island girl, and competes in the “Pipeline Classic” competition. Cliche, but classic ’80s flick. Songs by Pseudo Echo. Gotcha and Maui & Sons fashions. Famous quotes like, “Plenty haole surfers, but we’ll blow them away, brah!”

10. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) - I will also go out on a limb already and include the new yet-to-be released Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull film which filmed scenes in Hilo on the Big Island. It doesn’t matter how bad the movie is. Almost nothing is as bad-ass than seeing Harrison Ford as Indy hunt the world for archaeological treasures and narrowly escape bad guys. I was hooked from the opening scenes set in Peru, but filmed in Kauai, where Indy is almost crushed by that famous giant stone ball and chased by Quechua Indians through the jungle. This franchise set the gold standard for adventure films.

Honorable Mentions:

1. Aloha, Scooby-Doo! (2005) - This feature length cartoon manages to bastardize Hawaiian culture pretty thoroughly, but the background scenery is so lush and dreamy I’m willing to overlook its faults. Plot involves the gang traveling to Hawaii to attend the Big Kahuna of Hanahuna Surfing Contest when the evil Wiki-Tiki spirit and its little demons begin driving the villagers away. The meddling kids split up and investigate… To its credit, Ray Bumatai and Tia Carrere lend their voice talents.

2. Blue Hawaii (1961) - I could not, not mention this very famous Elvis film which epitomized ’60s tiki culture. Elvis plays Chad Gates who has just gotten out the Army and returned to Hawaii. His father wants him to get a respectable job, but he ends up working for at his girlfriend Maile’s travel agency where he must entertain a group of visiting teenage girls. Hilarity and mixup ensues.

3. Lord of the Flies (1990) - I actually have not seen this second adaptation of the William Golding novel which filmed on Kauai. However, I did see the first one filmed in 1961, and I loved the book. The original story of bunch of kids stranded on a deserted island, forced to survive and govern themselves.

I’ve been receiving a lot of hits regarding the wedding scene in You, Me & Dupree

(yes, it is a lovely scene) so I thought I’d put together a little post regarding other weddings filmed in Hawaii for those thinking of tying the knot in Hawaiiwood. Note: spoiler warnings here…

Perhaps the most famous wedding scene between Chad and Maile is the one from Blue Hawaii. It was filmed in Kauai at the Coco Palms Resort which closed after Hurricane Iniki in 1992. The site has recently been redeveloped as a luxury condo and spa. Here is the link to find out how can buy your own piece of cinematic history, only for $1 million+.

UPDATE: Actually, the owners shelved plans for redevelopment in September 2007 after they were denied a permit to build a spa and listed the property for sale. Recently, a bill was introduced for the state to purchase the land and turn it into a cultural park and education center.

Next on the list is 50 First Dates. This wedding scene was seen only briefly in the videotape Lucy watches everyday near the end of the film. This was shot at Kualoa Ranch’s “secret beach”. You can see the backside of Chinaman’s Hat in the background.

Then there is the “surprise” wedding between C.J. and a random waiter in Baywatch, Hawaiian Wedding. This was shot at Turtle Bay Resort, where C.J.’s Bar & Grill is also supposedly set.

Finally, there is Jack and Sarah’s wedding on “Lost”. This was filmed at The Kahala Resort. My cousin got married at the same spot and it was very lovely.

That’s all I can think of for now. Actually, it seems rather few. Will try to think if there’s any more.

The map can now be ordered through the Island Heritage website. However, I can’t link directly to the item, so you just have to look under New Arrivals. The item is #08130000.

I have also been told that the map is available at Borders Hawaii locations. But I did not see it out when I checked at Ward Center last week. Possibly wasn’t on the floor yet.

More retail locations are coming. I’ll continue to post them here.

Soon, I will begin updating the archive by utilizing a database format. It will also include maps and photos for each location. I’ve never done anything like this before, so we’ll see how it goes.

And on a side note… I really wasn’t going to post anything about “Lost” actor Daniel Dae Kim (Jin) getting arrested for a DUI last week, as I feel this just falls into the gossip category and that’s not what this site is about. But as the 4th traffic related violation to befall the cast and another in line of “cursed”events to happen, i.e. Evangeline Lilly’s house burning down, Josh Holloway’s house being broke into, I just wanted to say that Oahu is still a nice, safe, and friendly place. None of these were personal attacks on the cast. In fact the fire was ruled an electrical fault. Cops aren’t out to get you, but we have had a increased number of pedestrian accidents in early 2007, so they may be more vigilant now. In any case, never drive if you’ve had too much to drink!

Do now that I’ve said that, how about if I included all the locations of these arrests/events.  Let’s see S. King St., Kalanianaole Hwy., Waikiki, Kailua, Hawaii Kai…  Just kidding.

The first in a regular series featuring popular filming locations as seen in various film and television productions over the years.

The first stop on our tour is the strip of Kalakaua Ave. at the ewa end of Kuhio Beach. It’s near the Hyatt Regency and the Duke Kahanamoku statue, by the banyan tree.
Here is Kalakaua Ave. at the intersection of where Liliuokalani Ave. is now, as seen in Blue Hawaii. You can see the banyan tree and the Sheraton Moana Surfrider in the background of the 2nd photo. I can’t get over how different Waikiki looked in 1961.

This is the opening scene where Maile drives to the airport to pick up Chad, played by Elvis.

Here is almost the same spot, although from high rise looking down, between Liliuokalani Ave. and Uluniu Ave., as seen in Saved by the Bell: Hawaiian Style. This is from 1992. Waikiki looks more or less the way it does now. The major highrises are in place including the Hyatt in the 2nd photo. The banyan tree is still there in the lower left corner. However, this was before major renovation of the beach area took place. Also, remember when they had those flowers painted in the crosswalks which meant you could cross in any direction?

This scene was used as an establishing shot for Waikiki in the film.

I recently watched “Flight 29 Down” in its entirety on YouTube. It was probably one of the best “homegrown” productions I’ve seen. And although, I found some of the characters terribly annoying, its storyline of a bunch of teenagers trying to survive and govern themselves (a la Lord of the Flies) brought up some interesting points which got me questioning the realism of its adult counterpart, “Lost”.
SPOILER ALERTS! A major issue which eventually divides the kids is whether they should continue to build a settlement while they wait for rescue or take action to get rescued. On the other hand, on “Lost” island, it seems everyone gave up on trying to get rescued! Sure, there are a few Losties who don’t want to leave the island, and they’ve been busy fighting the Others, AND there’s the issue of some sort of “force” preventing the island from ever being found. But apart from a building failed raft and attaching a message on a migratory bird, they’ve done nothing considering how long they’ve been there. That I find hard to believe. Meanwhile, those crafty Hartwell High kids, well, actually one of those kid’s preteen brother, is able to build a blinking signal light and get them rescued within a few weeks. Geniuses!
I think even Gilligan tried harder. Oh well, suspension of disbelief. I still will enjoy “Lost” and look forward to it when it resumes in February.

“Name That Location” requests for “Flight 29 Down”:

• Hartwell High - looks like Waialua Elementary, but I need to confirm
• Beach Abby’s group walk along when they set out to find the others in the final episode (not Makaleha Beach which was where their campsite was)
• Hotel Tango ruins - possibly on the mainland??