25 more potential film-based real estate investments

I went missing. Yep, when you buy your first home you tend to be a little preoccupied. And in honor of that big move, I’m bringing back one of my personal favorite posts here on the blog. Here are 25 more film-based real estate investments (see part one here). Sure, some of them are fixer-uppers and some are somewhat haunted, but who wouldn’t want to get into this structural gloriousness? Let’s dig in…

25. The Bishop House, Moonrise Kingdom (2012)

24. Madeline Ashton’s Mansion, Death Becomes Her (1992)

23. The Addams Estate, The Addams Family (1991)

22. The Whitaker House, Far From Heaven (2002)

21. Elsa’s Castle, Frozen (2013)

20. Tottington Manor, Wallace & Gromit: Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005)

19. The Recchi House, I Am Love (2010)

18. Norma Desmond’s House, Sunset Blvd. (1950)

17. Virginia Woolf’s House, The Hours (2002)

16. Howl’s Moving Castle, Howl’s Moving Castle (2005)

15. Mother Gothel’s Cottage, Tangled (2010)

14. The Inventor’s Mansion, Edward Scissorhands (1990)

13. The House in the Catalog, A Miracle on 34th Street (1994)

12. The Banks House, Father of the Bride (1991)

11. Miss Honey’s House, Matilda (1996)

10. The House in Connecticut, Baby Boom (1987)

9. Jane’s House, It’s Complicated (2009)

8. The Carter Mansion, John Carter (2012)

7. Jackie’s House, Stepmom (1998)

6. The Parrish Estate, Meet Joe Black (1998)

5. The Ludlow House, Legends of the Fall (1994)

4. The Rochester House, Jane Eyre (2011)

3. The Parrish House, Jumanji (1995)

2. The Stewart House, The Others (2001)

1. The Tallis Estate, Atonement (2007)

50 best film casts, part 2

The cast listing continues with the second half. Here are my top 25 best casts in film – not by quantity alone but quantity of quality!

25. The English Patient (1996)

Ralph Fiennes, Kristin Scott Thomas, Juliette Binoche, Colin Firth,

Naveen Andrews, Willem Defoe

24. For Your Consideration (2006)

Catherine O’Hara, Parker Posey, Harry Shearer, John Michael Higgins,

Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, Ricky Gervais, Eugene Levy,

Fred Willard, Jane Lynch, Ed Begley, Jr., Jennifer Coolidge, Larry Miller

23. The Hours (2002)

Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman, Julianne Moore, Ed Harris,

Toni Collette, Miranda Richardson, Stephen Dillane,

John C. Reilly, Margo Martindale

22. Arsenic and Old Lace (1944)

Cary Grant, Josephine Hull, Jean Adair, Raymond Massey,

Peter Lorre, Priscilla Lane, John Alexander

21. Ghostbusters (1984)

Bill Murray, Sigourney Weaver, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis,

Rick Moranis, Ernie Hudson, Annie Potts, Alice Drummond

20. Fargo (1996)

Frances McDormand, William H. Macy, Steve Buscemi, Peter Stormare,

Kristin Rudrud, Harve Presnell, Larissa Kokernot, Melissa Peterman

19. The First Wives Club (1996)

Diane Keaton, Goldie Hawn, Bette Midler, Dan Hedaya,

Eileen Heckart, Marcia Gay Harden, Stephen Collins, Victor Garber,

Sarah Jessica Parker, Maggie Smith, Elizabeth Berkley

18. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)

Jim Carrey, Kate Winslet, Mark Ruffalo, Tom Wilkinson,

Elijah Wood, Kirsten Dunst, Jane Adams, David Cross

17. L.A. Confidential (1997)

Russell Crowe, Guy Pearce, Kim Basinger, Kevin Spacey,

Danny DeVito, James Cromwell, David Strathairn

16. Little Miss Sunshine (2006)

Greg Kinnear, Toni Collette, Alan Arkin, Paul Dano, Abigail Breslin,

Steve Carell, Beth Grant, Bryan Cranston

15. Best in Show (2000)

Catherine O’Hara, Eugene Levy, Christopher Guest, Parker Posey,

Michael Hitchcock, Michael McKean, John Michael Higgins,

Jane Lynch, Jennifer Coolidge, Larry Miller, Fred Willard

14. All About Eve (1950)

Bette Davis, Anne Baxter, George Sanders, Celeste Holm,

Gary Merrill, Thelma Ritter, Marilyn Monroe

13. Brokeback Mountain (2005)

Heath Ledger, Jake Gyllenhaal, Michelle Williams, Anne Hathaway,

Randy Quaid, Roberta Maxwell, Anna Faris, Linda Cardellini,

Kate Mara, David Harbour

12. Singin’ in the Rain (1952)

Gene Kelly, Debbie Reynolds, Donald O’Connor, Jean Hagen,

Millard Mitchell, Cyd Charisse

11. Hannah and Her Sisters (1986)

Mia Farrow, Michael Caine, Barbara Hershey, Dianne Wiest,

Woody Allen, Max von Sydow, Maureen O’Sullivan, Carrie Fisher

10. Marvin’s Room (1996)

Meryl Streep, Diane Keaton, Leonardo DiCaprio, Gwen Verdon,

Hume Cronyn, Margo Martindale, Dan Hedaya, Robert de Niro,

Hal Scardino, Cynthia Nixon, Kelly Ripa

9. Closer (2004)

Julia Roberts, Jude Law, Natalie Portman, Clive Owen

8. Junebug (2005)

Embeth Davidtz, Alessandro Nivola, Amy Adams, Celia Weston,

Scott Wilson, Benjamin McKenzie, Frank Hoyt Taylor

7. Young Frankenstein (1974)

Gene Wilder, Marty Feldman, Teri Garr, Cloris Leachman,

Madeline Kahn, Peter Boyle, Kenneth Mars

6. Waiting for Guffman (1996)

Christopher Guest, Parker Posey, Eugene Levy, Catherine O’Hara,

Fred Willard, Michael Hitchcock, Deborah Theaker, Don Lake,

Larry Miller, Linda Kash, Paul Benedict

5. Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966)

Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, George Segal, Sandy Dennis

4. The Godfather (1972)

Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Diane Keaton,

John Cazale, Talia Shire, Robert Duvall, Abe Vigoda,

Gianni Russo, Sterling Hayden

3. A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)

Vivien Leigh, Marlon Brando, Kim Hunter, Karl Malden

2. Clue (1985)

Eileen Brennan, Tim Curry, Christopher Lloyd, Michael McKean,

Lesley Ann Warren, Martin Mull, Madeline Kahn, Colleen Camp

1. The Philadelphia Story (1940)

Katharine Hepburn, Cary Grant, James Stewart, Ruth Hussey,

John Howard, Roland Young, Virginia Weidler

50 best film casts, part 1

Going through my plethora of lists on this blog (I just can’t help myself – sue me), I discovered that one integral part of a successful film has not been covered here. So in order to honor the casts with them mostest, I give you a two-part rundown of the all-time best movie casts.

50. Happy Endings (2005)

Lisa Kudrow, Maggie Gyllenhall, Steve Coogan, Bobby Cannavale,

Tom Arnold, Jason Ritter, Jesse Bradford, David Sutcliffe, Laura Dern

49. The Witches of Eastwick (1987)

Susan Sarandon, Cher, Michelle Pfeiffer, Jack Nicholson,

Veronica Cartwright, Richard Jenkins

48. The Goonies (1985)

Sean Astin, Josh Brolin, Martha Plimpton, Corey Feldman,

Jeff Cohen, Jonathan Ke Quan, Kerri Green, Anne Ramsey,

John Matuszak, Joe Pantoliano

47. White Christmas (1954)

Bing Crosby, Rosemary Clooney, Vera-Ellen, Danny Kaye,

Dean Jagger, Mary Wickes

46. White Oleander (2002)

Alison Lohmann, Michelle Pfeiffer, Robin Wright, Renee Zellweger

45. Soapdish (1991)

Sally Field, Kevin Kline, Robert Downey, Jr., Elisabeth Shue,

Cathy Moriarty, Whoopi Goldberg, Teri Hatcher

44. 9 to 5 (1980)

Lily Tomlin, Dolly Parton, Jane Fonda, Dabney Coleman

43. Traffic (2000)

Benicio del Toro, Michael Douglas, Catherine Zeta-Jones,

Topher Grace, Erika Christensen, Don Cheadle, Luis Guzman,

Benjamin Bratt, James Brolin, Albert Finney, Dennis Quaid

42. Secrets & Lies (1996)

Brenda Blethyn, Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Timothy Spall,

Phyllis Logan, Claire Rushbrook

41. A Serious Man (2009)

Michael Stuhlbarg, Richard Kind, Aaron Wolff, Fred Melamed,

Sari Lennick, Jessica McManus, Amy Landecker

40. Parenthood (1989)

Steve Martin, Mary Steenburgen, Rick Moranis, Harley Jane Kozak,

Tom Hulce, Jason Robards, Martha Plimpton, Joaquin Phoenix,

Dianne Wiest, Eileen Ryan, Helen Shaw

39. Howards End (1992)

Emma Thompson, Anthony Hopkins, Helena Bonham Carter,

Vanessa Redgrave, Adrian Magenty, Samuel West

38. Being John Malkovich

John Cusack, Catherine Keener, Cameron Diaz,

John Malkovich, Orson Bean, Mary Kay Place

37. A Prairie Home Companion (2006)

Garrison Keillor, Meryl Streep, Kevin Kline, Lily Tomlin,

Lindsay Lohan, Maya Rudolph, Virginia Madsen, John C. Reilly,

Woody Harrelson, Tommy Lee Jones, Marylouise Burke

36. Juno (2007)

Ellen Page, Jennifer Garner, Jason Bateman, Allison Janney,

Michael Cera, Olivia Thirlby, J.K. Simmons

35. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975)

Jack Nicholson, Louise Fletcher, Will Sampson, William Redfield,

Christopher Lloyd, Danny DeVito, Brad Dourif

34. Sense & Sensibility (1995)
Emma Thompson, Kate Winslet, Alan Rickman, Hugh Grant,
Gemma Jones, Tom Wilkinson, Emilie Francois, Elizabeth Spriggs

33. Rachel Getting Married (2008)
Anne Hathaway, Rosemarie Dewitt, Debra Winger, Bill Irwin,
Anna Deavere Smith, Tunde Adebimpe, Carol Jean Lewis

32. The Color Purple (1985)
Whoopi Goldberg, Oprah Winfrey, Margaret Avery, Danny Glover,
Willard Pugh, Desreta Jackson, Dana Ivey, Akosua Busia

31. Steel Magnolias (1989)
Sally Field, Olympia Dukakis, Dolly Parton, Julia Roberts,
Shirley MacLaine, Darryl Hannah, Tom Skerritt

30. In America (2003)
Samantha Morton, Paddy Considine, Djimon Honsou,
Emma Bolger, Sara Bolger

29. The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1969)
Maggie Smith, Pamela Franklin, Celia Johnson, Diane Grayson,
Jane Carr, Shirley Steedman

28. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Rings (2001)
Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Viggo Mortensen, Sean Astin,
Orlando Bloom, Sean Bean, John Rhys-Davies, Christopher Lee
Dominic Monaghan, Billy Boyd, Liv Tyler, Cate Blanchett

27. Sneakers (1992)
Robert Redford, Sidney Poitier, Dan Aykroyd, Mary McDonnell,
David Strathairn, River Phoenix, James Earl Jones

26. Casablanca (1942)
Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Claude Rains, Peter Lorre,
Paul Henreid, Joy Page, Dooley Wilson

Check back soon for Part 2!

25 best septuagenarian-plus performances

Seeing as though the senior crowd is all the rage in Hollywood of late, it’s only fitting that a 25 best be dedicated to the all-time best performances by actors 70 and over. In my searching, I found that it’s a rare feat that Hollywood allows this magic to happen, but on the rare occasion non-twentysomethings garner some spotlight, magic can happen – peruse away!

25. John Gielgud (Arthur, 1981)

24. James Garner (Space Cowboys, 2000)

23. Estelle Harris (Toy Story 2, 1999)

22. Vincent Price (The Great Mouse Detective, 1986)

21. Maureen O’Sullivan (Hannah and Her Sisters, 1986)

20. Bette Davis (The Whales of August, 1987)

19. Christopher Lee (The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship…, 2001)

18. Jean Stapleton (You’ve Got Mail, 1998)

17. May Robson (Bringing Up Baby, 1938)

16. Lillian Gish (The Whales of August, 1987)

15. Alice Drummond (Pieces of April, 2003)

14. Carroll O’Connor (Return to Me, 2000)

13. Molly Picon (Fiddler on the Roof, 1971)

12. Richard Harris (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, 2001)

11. Hal Holbrook (Into the Wild, 2007)

10. Lauren Bacall (The Mirror Has Two Faces, 1996)

9. Ed Asner (Up, 2009)

8. Lois Smith (Minority Report, 2002)

7. Alan Arkin (Little Miss Sunshine, 2006)

6. Glynis Johns (While You Were Sleeping, 1995)

5. Gwen Verdon (Marvin’s Room, 1996)

4. Katharine Hepburn (On Golden Pond, 1981)

3. Eartha Kitt (The Emperor’s New Groove, 2000)

2. Henry Fonda (On Golden Pond, 1981)

1. Judi Dench (Notes on a Scandal, 2006)

Who am I missing? Who are your favorite active seniors?

20 best movie clothes horses

We all know Hollywood is known for its glamour and glitz, but in the fictional venue, it’s time to muse over which gals could rock the best wardrobes. Here are my 20 favorite – which costume donner got left off most heinously??

20. Evelyn Mulrway (Faye Dunaway) in Chinatown (1974)

19. Vivian Ward (Julia Roberts) in Pretty Woman (1990)

18. Billie Dawn (Judy Holliday) in Born Yesterday (1950)

17. Eliane (Catherine Deneuve) in Indochine (1992)

16. Helen Schlegel (Helena Bonham Carter) in Howards End (1992)

15. Selina Kyle (Michelle Pfeiffer) in Batman Returns (1992)

14. Cathy Whitaker (Julianne Moore) in Far From Heaven (2002)

13. Mrs. Robinson (Anne Bancroft) in The Graduate (1967)

12. Karen Blixen (Meryl Streep) in Out of Africa (1985)

11. Cecilia Tallis (Keira Knightley) in Atonement (2007)

10. Rose Dewitt Bukater (Kate Winslet) in Titanic (1997)

9. Lisa Carol Fremont (Grace Kelly) in Rear Window (1954)

8. Alicia Huberman (Ingrid Bergman) in Notorious (1946)

7. Cher Horowitz (Alicia Silverstone) in Clueless (1995)

6. Susan Vance (Katharine Hepburn) in Bringing Up Baby (1938)

5. Jean Brodie (Maggie Smith) in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1969)

4. Belle (Paige O’Hara) in Beauty and the Beast (1991)

3. Miranda Priestley (Meryl Streep) in The Devil Wears Prada (2006)

2. Holly Golightly (Audrey Hepburn) in Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961)

1. Scarlett O’Hara (Vivien Leigh) in Gone with the Wind (1939)

25 potential film-based real estate investments

Okay, so since I’ve been MIA of late, I thought I had some ‘splaining to do. It turns out when you’re in career limbo you find yourself bouncing from residence to residence until the big take-off comes. And in honor of that lovely experience, I present to you my 25 most optimum film residences. Pardon me while I contact my realtor…

25. The Pink Palace Apartments

Coraline (2009)

24. The Kirke Mansion

The Chronicles of Narnia (2005)

23. Hoggett Farm

Babe (1995)

22. Erica’s Beach House

Something’s Gotta Give (2003)

21. Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters

X-Men (2000)

20. Aunt Josephine’s House

Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004)

19. The Deetz House

Beetle Juice (1988)

18. The Von Trapp Mansion

The Sound of Music (1965)

17. 742 Evergreen Terrace

The Simpsons Movie (2007)

16. The Rose Bush

The Secret of NIMH (1982)

15. The McCallister House

Home Alone (1990)

14. Boddy Mansion

Clue (1985)

13. The Palace at Agrabah

Aladdin (1992)

12. Lords Manor

The Philadelphia Story (1940)

11. Hill House

The Haunting (1999)

10. Whipstaff Manor

Casper (1995)

9. Howards End

Howards End (1992)

8. Carl and Ellie’s House

Up (2009)

7. Manderley

Rebecca (1940)

6. Pemberley

Pride & Prejudice (2005)

5. The Axiom

WALL-E (2008)

4. The Beast’s Castle

Beauty and the Beast (1991)

3. Tara

Gone with the Wind (1939)

2. Bag End

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)

1. Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (2001)

**Now tell me, which big-screen properties are you most interested in snatching up??**

25 best bad girls of the aughts

25. Ellen Page (Hard Candy)

24. Sigourney Weaver (Heartbreakers)

23. Brooke Smith (Series 7: The Contenders)

22. Tilda Swinton (Chronicles of Narnia)

21. Miranda Richardson (Chicken Run)

20. Isabelle Furhman (Orphan)

19. Lina Leandersson (Let the Right One In)

18. Teri Hatcher (Coraline)

17. Michelle Pfeiffer (White Oleander)

16. Saoirse Ronan (Atonement)

15. Maggie Gyllenhaal (Happy Endings)

14. Mandy Moore (Saved!)

13. Renee Zellweger (Chicago)

12. Anne Hathaway (Rachel Getting Married)

11. Meryl Streep (The Devil Wears Prada)

10. Daryl Hannah (Kill Bill Vol. 2)

9. Lorna Raver (Drag Me To Hell)

8. Zhang Ziyi (Crouching Tiger…)

7. Eartha Kitt (The Emperor’s New…)

6. Melissa Leo (Frozen River)

5. Tilda Swinton (Julia)

4. Imelda Staunton (Harry Potter and the…)

3. Catherine Zeta-Jones (Chicago)

2. Annette Bening (Being Julia)

1. Judi Dench (Notes on a Scandal)

25 best: disney edition

It’s been such a long time since I’ve posted a “25 best” list, which is so unlike me! So I decided to give it a proper comeback with a great, big silly Disney mushfest. I’ve got five Top 5s for you. Contenders for these categories include any feature-length animated features that Disney had a hand in…

Top 5 Disney Villains

1. Ursula (The Little Mermaid) – 2. Yzma (The Emperor’s New Groove)

3. Cruella de Vil (101 Dalmatians) – 4. Jafar (Aladdin)

5. Ratigan (The Great Mouse Detective)

Top 5 Disney Heroes

1. Belle (Beauty and the Beast) – 2. WALL-E (WALL-E)

3. Mulan (Mulan) – 4. Carl Fredricksen (Up)

5. Bernard and Bianca (The Rescuers Down Under)

Top 5 Disney Villain Sidekicks

1. Joanna (The Rescuers Down Under) – 2. Iago (Aladdin)

3. Kronk (The Emperor’s New Groove) – 4. The Hyenas (The Lion King)

5. Pain and Panic (Hercules)

Top 5 Disney Hero Sidekicks

1. Thumper (Bambi) – 2. Dory (Finding Nemo)

3. Russell (Up) – 4. Mushu (Mulan)

5. Baloo (The Jungle Book)

Top 5 Disney Songs

1. “Beauty and the Beast” (Beauty and the Beast)

2. “A Whole New World” (Aladdin)

3. “Poor Unfortunate Souls” (The Little Mermaid)

4. “God Help the Outcasts” (The Hunchback of Notre Dame)

5. “The Circle of Life” (The Lion King)

Now join in on the juvenile fun! Give me your top 5s in these categories – or if you’re feeling anti about Disney, leave your loathe-filled comments below!

25 critical clunkers I secretly enjoyed

The other day a technically bad but otherwise undeniably entertaining film came on AMC (remember when they showed actual American movie classics?), and I got to thinking about the greatness of guilty pleasure movies. Those flicks that you have to decry publicly because they’re critically reviled, but secretly get the urge to watch on occasion. As far as ranking these 25, I found it difficult to think of criteria on which to judge (how does one measure guiltiness?), so I went chronologically. Forgive me for my poor taste, but take a look first at your guilty pleasures before you judge…

Harry and the Hendersons (1987) – Overboard (1987) – Tremors (1990)

Toys (1992) – Casper (1995)

Cutthroat Island (1995) – Jumanji (1995) – The Net (1995)

Conspiracy Theory (1997) – Dante’s Peak (1997)

Gone Fishin’ (1997) – Speed 2: Cruise Control (1997) – Hope Floats (1998)

Blast from the Past (1999) – Drive Me Crazy (1999)

Heartbreakers (2001) – Rush Hour 2 (2001) – The Mummy Returns (2001)

High Crimes (2002) – Two Weeks Notice (2002)

Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle (2003) – Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason (2004)

Van Helsing (2004) – Vanity Fair (2004) – Orphan (2009)

25 best movie nerds

Well, it’s time to tip our hats to bookworms, computer geeks, and video gamers in cinema, so without further fanfare, here are the top 25:

25. Patrick Fugit in Almost Famous

24. Matthew Broderick in WarGames

23. Dan Aykroyd in Sneakers

22. Pamela Franklin in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie

21. Michael Cera in Juno

20. Tobey Maguire in Spider-Man

19. Molly Shannon in Year of the Dog

18. Johnny Depp in Sleepy Hollow

17. Eddie Murphy in The Nutty Professor

16. Christopher Mintz-Plasse in Superbad

15. Al Sanders in Wordplay

14. Sandra Bullock in The Net

13. Heather Matarazzo in Welcome to the Dollhouse

12. Jake Gyllenhaal in Zodiac

11. Steve Wiebe in The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters

10. Rachel Weisz in The Mummy

9. Mae Whitman in Hope Floats

8. Abigail Breslin in Little Miss Sunshine

7. Mark Ruffalo in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

6. Reese Witherspoon in Election

5. Rick Moranis in Ghostbusters

4. Emma Watson in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

3. Paige O’Hara in Beauty and the Beast

2. Cary Grant in Bringing Up Baby

1. Woody Allen in Annie Hall