A fraction of the movies & tv shows created are made in California anymore. I'm from Milwaukee & here are is a list of what we have had shot in the State:
American Movie: Most people have heard of this movie and its weird stars by now. But if you haven't seen this yet, shame on you. Run to the video store nearest you now and see one of the funniest films ever made.
Amityville Horror: The remake of this classic horror tale had Silver Lake acting as the residence for the Amityville House's exterior while the interior was created in Buffalo Grove, Ill. in 2004.
Back to School: Classic Rodney Dangerfield comedy filmed at UW-Madison.
The Big One: Excellent documentary by UW alum Michael Moore filmed in Madison and Milwaukee.
The Blues Brothers: Elwood and Jake spent some time filming in Milwaukee and the Firstar Building can be spied as a car careens over the then-incomplete 794 freeway spur. Chicago? Who's kidding who?
Chain Reaction: This big budget action thriller starring Morgan Freeman and Keanu Reeves was filmed partly in Madison, Lake Geneva and Williams Bay.
Damien: Omen II and The Final Conflict: Omen III: Two of the sequels to one of the finest horror films ever made were filmed in Lake Geneva, Eagle River and Delafield. St. John's Military Academy got some screen time.
The Deep End of the Ocean: The big screen adaptation of Madison author Jacquelyn Mitchard's bestseller of the same name, which stars Michelle Pfieffer, was partly filmed in Madison.
Dillinger: Starring Mark Harmon, this film about the legendary gangster was filmed in a number of Wisconsin sites, including in Milwaukee's Third Ward.
Fever Lake: The horror movie starring Mario Lopez of "Save By the Bell" fame was filmed at Carthage College in Kenosha and in Twin Lakes.
For Keeps: This '80s classic starring Molly Ringwald was shot partly in Madison.
Hoop Dreams: Roger Ebert's favorite movie of the '90s filmed partly in Milwaukee.
I Love Trouble: Julia Roberts and Nick Nolte star in one of the most famous movies to be filmed in Wisconsin. It was filmed in Baraboo and Madison. According to Stanley Solheim at the Wisconsin Film Office, farmers picketed the film and tried to halt production.
Iron Will: Two-time Oscar winner Kevin Spacey stars in this film that filmed in Superior.
Major League: The team in the movie is the Cleveland Indians, but it should have been the Brew Crew. All of the stadium scenes were shot at our very own County Stadium. There were also outdoor scenes shot in the Third Ward, and a home on the corner of Kilbourn and Cass was used for interior shots.
Meet the Applegates: This dark comedy about a family of alien bugs living in surburbia was filmed in Neenah and Oshkosh.
Milwaukee, Minnesota: A tribute to Milwaukee it's not, but the indie dark comedy was filmed primarily in the Bay View area in Milwaukee. Kinnickinnic Avenue is shown prominently in the 2002 film which released almost three years later in June '05.
Mr. 3000: Comedian Bernie Mac starred in this baseball themed movie in 2003. Scenes were shot at the newly completed Miller Park. In between innings at Brewers games, shots of the movie were filmed.
Mrs. Soffel: One of Mad Max Mel Gibson's first starring roles, opposite Diane Keaton, briefly filmed in Freedom.
Novocaine: This movie filmed in Cedarburg over the summer. It stars Steve Martin, Kevin Bacon, Laura Dern and Helena Bonham Carter.
The Paint Job: The comedy/thriller was filmed in Milwaukee, Kenosha and Racine. The story was about a painter falling in love with his boss' wife.
One Night Stand: Acclaimed director Mike Figgis ("Leaving Las Vegas") filmed parts of this Wesley Snipes movie in Milwaukee, although exactly which parts are unclear.
Reeseville: It's an independent film about a murder set in the Midwest. Several cities were filming locations for the flick like Milwaukee, Madison, Watertown, Jefferson and, the movie's title location, Reeveville.
Rudy: The "Rocky" of college football movies, starring "The Goonies" Sean Astin, was partly filmed in Milwaukee.
Semi-Tough: Burt Reynolds' football movie has some scenes that were filmed in Green Bay.
A Simple Plan: Director Sam Raimi ("Evil Dead" and its sequels) filmed his 1998 masterpiece in Ashland because there wasn't enough snow in Minnesota. It stars Bill Paxton, Billy Bob Thornton and Bridget Fonda.
The Straight Story: Last year's beautiful David Lynch ("Twin Peaks," "Lost Highway") movie, which stars the late Richard Farnsworth, filmed in Mount Zion and Prairie du Chien. If you haven't already, see this movie ASAP.
Uncle Buck: The late, great John Candy filmed parts of this film in Lake Geneva.
Transformers 2: Parts were filmed in Milwaukee.
Some other movies filmed in Wisconsin include Clive Barker's classic horror flick "Hellraiser," Christopher Lambert's action pic "The Hunted," "Angus" and "The Cure." But note, although at least one scene in "This is Spinal Tap" purports to be in Milwaukee, it is not.
The majority of these movies could have been shot in California but luckily for us it ended up being cheaper to shoot in Wisconsin. We got the jobs & money that could have been California's.
