tMF | The Movie-Fanatic

Time flies when you're having fun! I'm surprised that we're now doing the 4th update of the Top 50 Hottest Young Actors list! This time, I'm pretty sure the debates will be hotter, more 'personal' as fans defend their favorite actors and argue why "Robert Ulliel" (Who's that?) should be on top and not "Gaspard Pattinson" or "Joseph Gordon-Gosling".

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The Hitlist History, so far... During the first Top 50 Hitlist, it was Ryan Gosling who took the top spot. With his mesmerizing performance in Half Nelson and an Oscar nom for Best Actor for the same movie, he led a pack of awesome talents including James McAvoy, Jake Gyllenhaal and Gaspard Ulliel among others. The 2nd time we did the hitlist, the movie world was swept away by the Twilight fever, and before anyone recognized how 'hot' he was, Robert Pattinson was already at the top of our list. Last May was our 3rd update and inspired by summer romance (500 Days of Summer was just around the corner!), Joseph Gordon-Levitt grabbed the top spot, amidst howls and growls from RPatz fans.

Next month, we're launching the latest update - and two things seem to be the most hottest issues - Is being so popular already reason enough to get into the list? Why are movies (still not shown) hold a considerable amount of 'sway' for a guy to grab a high ranking? I'm pretty sure, our viewers have their own sets of standards and as in the past, I'm sure I'll be expecting what they have to say. (I'll answer these 2 questions in Part 2). In the meantime, find out who might be moving up the Top 50 rankings...
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Moving Up the Rankings: Who are expected to move up the rankings - based on the buzz, accolades and acclaims of the past 4 months since May? Well, we have nine names at the moment whom we think deserve to get higher rankings...

Big chance to move into the Top Ten:

Andrew Garfield: (current rank: #19) With a BAFTA Best Actor win under his belt (courtesy of Boy A), Garfield is already in contention with other young actors in the current Top 10 list for those meaty, challenging roles. Garfield is also part of the cast of Terry Gilliam's Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus. The fact that the buzz surrounding Garfield is not limited to the big screen lends further evidence he'll be a serious candidate for the top 1-5 positions. The latest buzz is that Garfield will play a lead part in The Social Network, a movie about the owners of the social networking website, Facebook. He'll join Justin Timberlake and another candidate for top 10, Jesse Eisenberg. David Fincher will direct the film. Lastly, Garfield will appear together with Keira Knightley and Carey Mulligan in the movie adaptation of Kazuo Ishiguro's novel, Never Let Me Go

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Anton Yelchin (current rank: #17) - Definitely moving into Top 10 territory, Yelchin did a double whammy with back-to-back casting coup in Star Trek and Terminator Salvation, that's aside from his terrific performance in the teen comedy, Charlie Bartlett, where he gets to pit talent with another awesome comedy actor Robert Downey, Jr.  Some viewers even argued, he should be top 10 already during the last Hitlist, and I have to say these guys offered some pretty darn facts to support their claim. Next stop for Yelchin is to play son to Mel Gibson in Jody Foster's upcoming movie, The Beaver.

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Jesse Eisenberg (current rank: #14) With eight features starting this year until 2010, Jesse Eisenberg is one lucky young man. But luck is by far the reason why he'll appear in these movies (which includes Zombieland, Holy Rollers and Kill Your Darlings, among others). Ever since Roger Dodger and The Squid and the Whale, Eisenberg remains consistent. Even in The Hunting Party, where he played the spoiled brat son of a Network Executive who then accompanied Richard Gere in search of 'the world's most wanted war criminal', Eisenberg was delightful to watch. Of course, can anyone forget the recent Adventureland?

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Paul Dano (current rank: #11) Just look at Dano's latest offerings: A part in Ang Lee's Taking Woodstock and in Spike Jonze's Where the Wild Things Are, he lends his voice to portray a character named Alexander. Up next for Dano is in Dagur Kári's The Good Heart, which happens to be a reunion of sorts with his co-star in L.I.E., Brian Cox. This time, instead of tackling a sensitive relationship issue, they tend bar in which Cox acts as a mentor to Dano, who plays a young homeless guy.
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Improved rankings at Top 20:

For Sam Riley (current rank: #18) and Aaron Johnson (current rank: #22) things could look better even further. Riley, who was superb in Anton Corbijn's Control, grabbed the lead in 13 ( a remake of the successful 13 Tzameti from Géla Babluani ). He's also in Rowan Joffe's Brighton Rock, where his co-stars include Helen Mirren, Pete Postlethwaite and Carey Mulligan. Aaron Johnson, on the other hand, is playing the young John Lennon in Nowhere Boy. Not only that, he's also part of Kick-Ass with Nick Cage.

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Ben Barnes (current rank: #20) Some people find it fashionable to bash Ben Barnes. We find such criticism ridiculous and silly. The latest bashing is his performance as Dorian Gray, which apparently is not as 'bad' as some people pretend it to be. Being tagged more as a horror rather than a period-drama film, let's see what DreadCentral has to say about Barnes:

Barnes, previously seen as Prince Caspian in The Chronicles of Narnia is perfectly cast as Gray. A picture of male beauty if there ever was one (he also looks disturbingly like Timothy Olyphant occasionally, in my opinion - I think it's the eyes), Barnes carries the role almost effortlessly - never coming across as forced or particularly melodramatic during his transition from wide-eyed new arrival in London to grotesquely self-indulgent hedonist.

Barnes will also appear in a thriller called Valediction and more Narnia!

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Nicholas Hoult (current rank: #25) When somone is doing great in both television (Skins series) and the big screen (A Single Man and Clash of the Titans), people tend to notice. But with his good looks alone, there is no denying that Nicholas Hoult is star-material. Oh, he was also well-received in theater. Here are some of them:

Bad boys are irresistible, and Nicholas Hoult has gone straight to the top of the class… It is very amusing at times, capturing the defensive wit of the sexually inadequate...

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Skins star Nicholas Hoult makes an assured West-End debut… he doesn’t disappoint…an oddly touching & bizarrely charming tale of two boys bumbling good-heartedly into adulthood

tMF made mention of Hoult in these articles - A Single Man film focus and tMF launchpad.

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Rupert Grint: (current rank: #31) Among Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Grint, I would have to say, Grint appears to me to be the most serious in becoming a truly talented actor. Aside from Harry Potter, Grint played leading roles in two features - Cherrybomb and Wild Target. Grint is apparently attempting to come up with interesting roles, which started in the coming-of-age movie, Driving Lessons where he was terrific playing opposite Julie Walters and Laura Linney.

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What's on your mind? Do you have other names of young actors you think should be part of tMF's Top 50 hitlist? Let us know what you think!

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