Hollywood Top 10 Hero

Because I have a bit too much time on my hands and also because I've noticed the caliber of leading Hollywood men this summer is particularly high, I've compiled a list. A lot of thought has gone into creating my Top 10 Actors from this summer's blockbusters list. I've ranked them according to a Top Trumps style rating system, which considers all-important things like talent, looks and acting ability.

10. Edward Norton

Bruce Banner

The Incredible Hulk

Edward Norton is an unconventional Hollywood sex symbol. He's a hot nerd. He writes movies as well as acts in them and helped pen this summer's The Incredible Hulk, which he also stars in. The movie is starting to get good reviews and looks set to be Marvel's next big hit after the massive success of Iron Man last month.

9. Will Smith

John Hancock

Hancock

Everyone seems slightly weary of this movie. The rumour mill has been getting all fired up and there's been talk of scenes being shot again and post-production problems. Plus all the talk of Will Smith being a Scientologist. Despite all this, Will Smith still looks great. So if the film's crap just wait until it comes out on DVD (or download it) and watch it with the sound off.

8. Tim Roth

Emil Blonsky

The Incredible Hulk

Things had been a bit quiet on the Tim Roth front recently. Since Planet of the Apes he's been in about ten films, none of which (apart from remake Funny Games) I'd even heard of. Tim Roth in The Incredible Hulk should see a return to form for this Incredible Hunk (ha ha!). Let's hope it's the start of Roth managing to bag some more great movie roles as he's a very talented actor and I'd like to see more of him!

7.Brendan Fraser

Rick O'Connell

The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon

Despite being in the truly awful Bedazzled (who would make a film like that?) and not much else, Brendan still makes it into my top ten at number seven. I've always liked The Mummy films and I think Brendan Fraser is part of the reason why. Plus he was brilliant in Scrubs.

6. Cillian Murphy

Dr. Crane

The Dark Knight

Cillian Murphy is such a talented actor that Christopher Nolan wrote a part for him into Batman Begins because he wanted him in the film. Murphy had originally auditioned for the role of Batman in Batman Begins but lost out to Christian Bale. Nolan was so impressed by Murphy's audition that the role of Dr Crane was written into Batman Begins especially for him. Not only does he posses some of the most impressive acting talents of the last decade (his performance in Breakfast on Pluto is nothing short of outstanding) he's also very pretty.

5. James McAvoy

Wesley Gibson

Wanted

This lovely Scot has starred in a string of hits over the last couple of years that include Atonement, The Last King of Scotland and Narnia. Now it looks like he's going to repeat his recent successes with his role in Wanted. With the current trend of superhero/comic book movies causing excitement this summer among everyone from fanboys to my dad, it looks like Wanted will be another hit under the goregous McAvoy's belt. My only criticism is his American accent in Wanted seems a little bit, to quote the Scots, sh*te.

4.Christian Bale

Bruce Wayne

The Dark Knight

This is an obvious choice. Everyone love Christian Bale and I'm no different. This guy really can do no wrong. Not only that but he proves that you can come from Wales and still make it. Despite his fame, talent, good looks and stunningly beautiful wife, Bale somehow manages to keep his feet firmly on the ground. I read an interview where he said he didn't have the chance to get arrogant because he has too many people calling him an a*shole! Christian Bale is at number 4 thanks to his talent, looks and being a nice Welsh boy.

3.Robert Downey Jr.

Tony Stark

Iron Man

Robert Downey Jr. ranks this high up partly due to his his amazing come-back. The guy reached rock-bottom, no one in Hollywood would touch him because he was so messed up. Then over the last couple of years, he's pulled out an incredible amount of great performances in some brilliant films (Zodiac, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang) and therefore made one of the greatest comebacks since Darius Danesh (the guy who embarrassed himself so horribly on Pop Idol then a few years later had a platinum selling album). Men and women everywhere loved Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark, which was probably the second best casting of the year (see number 1 for the first).

2.Arron Eckhart

Harvey Dent

The Dark Knight

Ok, so there's going to be a point in The Dark Knight when Aaron Eckhart stops looking great, well let's say he loses half his hotness. As with my number 1 choice, this leading man's character is complex and interesting and Eckhart really did his research for the role. No one does anything by halves in Nolan movies and Eckhart studied split personalities to prepare for the role. It's also been reported that scenes were filmed by Eckhart both as Harvey Dent and then again as Two-Face. For this reason and of course, Eckhart's all-American pretty boy looks, he's my second best Hollywood leading man of the summer.

1.Heath Ledger

The Joker

The Dark Knight

This guy makes facial scars and yellow teeth look good. The Dark Knight was always going to be an awesome film, Nolan's carving himself out to be a fantastic auteur, the plot for TDK is a complex and engaging crime story and it was always going to be something that built on Batman Begin's strengths while ironing out any weaknesses (eg Katie Holmes). Nolan, by casting Heath Ledger made a very, very clever decision but also a brave one. Many doubted that the pretty Aussi would do the role of the Joker justice when it was first announced that Ledger had been cast. Since then, trailers and the IMAX preview have been cropping up and it's obvious that Nolan saw something a lot of people had over-looked.

From what I've seen and read, Heath threw himself into this role so much that it caused him sleeping problems. For that level of dedication alone it makes him one of the greatest actors we've seen in a long time. For his acting ability as well as incredible looks he's my number 1 leading man this summer, I don't even care that he's wearing make up. I read a great quote on someone's blog who described his The Dark Knight appearance in a way that really stuck in my mind. The blogger said it's "The Joker played by Heath Ledger and not Heath Ledger playing the Joker, there is a difference". Let's hope that despite his sad death, he gets the recognition he deserved for reinventing the joker and helping to make The Dark Knight one of the most-anticipated films of the year.

The Hulk 

Hulk (also known as The Hulk and in some countries as The Incredible Hulk) is a 2003 American superhero film based on the fictional Marvel Comics character of the same name. Ang Lee directed the film, which stars Eric Bana as Dr. Bruce Banner, as well as Jennifer Connelly, Sam Elliott, Nick Nolte, and Josh Lucas. The film explores the origins of the Hulk, which is mainly attributed to Banner's father's experiments on himself, and on his son.

Development for the film started as far back as 1990. The film was at one point to be directed by Joe Johnston and then Jonathan Hensleigh. More scripts had been written by Hensleigh, John Turman, Michael France, Zak Penn, J. J. Abrams, Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski, Michael Tolkin, and David Hayter before Ang Lee and James Schamus' involvement. Hulk was shot mostly in California, primarily in the San Francisco Bay Area. The film was released with mixed reviews and grossed over $245 million worldwide. Marvel Studios rebooted it in 2008 with The Incredible Hulk.

Plot

David Banner is a genetics researcher who experiments on himself, trying to improve human DNA. Once his wife gives birth to their son Bruce, David realizes his mutant DNA has been passed on and attempts to find a cure for his son's condition. In 1973, the government, represented by Lieutenant Colonel "Thunderbolt" Ross, shuts down his research after learning of his dangerous experiments. David, in a fit of rage, causes a massive explosion of the facilities' gamma reactor, and accidentally kills his wife. He is then put into a mental hospital, while 4-year-old Bruce is sent into foster care and adopted, believing his biological parents are deceased. The events surrounding his mother's death leave Bruce unable to recall details of his early childhood.

Years later, Bruce is a researcher freshly graduated at the University of California, Berkeley. The military-industrial complex, represented by Major Talbot, becomes interested in the research of nanomeds to build regenerating soldiers. David reappears and begins infiltrating Bruce's life, working as a janitor in the lab building. Ross, now an Army general and the estranged father of Bruce's ex-girlfriend and co-researcher Betty Ross, also begins to investigate. He becomes concerned both for his daughter's safety around Bruce and the fact that Bruce is working in the same field as David.

Bruce succumbs to a scientific experiment accident which causes radiation to intertwine with Bruce's already-altered DNA. That night, his father confronts him, revealing their relationship and hinting at the mutation inside Bruce. Using Bruce's DNA, he begins experimentation on animals. Soon after, the growing rage within Bruce stemming from all of the stresses building up around him activates his gamma-radiated DNA, transforming him into the Hulk.

After he destroys the lab, Betty finds Bruce unconscious and he barely remembers his transformation. Ross arrives, suspicious, and places him under house arrest as well as taking over the lab. That night, David phones Bruce and tells him he has unleashed three mutant dogs to Betty's house. Enraged and attacked by Talbot, Bruce transforms again and, after seriously injuring Talbot and the guards, fights and kills all three dogs and saves Betty. The next morning, Bruce is tranquilized and taken to a desert underground base. Betty tries to convince her father to allow her to help Bruce control his transformations, but Ross remains extremely skeptical, believing Bruce will follow in his father's footsteps. In the meantime, David breaks into the lab and subjects himself to the nanomeds, gaining the ability to meld with and absorb the properties of anything he can touch.

Talbot, seeing an opportunity to profit from the Hulk's strength and regenerative capability, tries to anger him and chip off a piece of his Hulk-form. Talbot puts him in a sensory deprivation tank and induces a nightmare that triggers his repressed memories and transforms him into the Hulk, eventually leading to the death of Talbot. David confronts Betty and offers to turn himself in. In exchange, he asks to speak to Bruce. The Hulk escapes the base in the process. He battles the army in the desert, defeating four tanks and two Comanche helicopters, and leaps all the way to San Francisco to find Betty. Betty contacts her father and convinces him to take her to meet the Hulk. Bruce's love for her comes through the Hulk, and he transforms back into his human form. David is allowed to visit the base and talk to Bruce. David, having descended into megalomania, fails to convince Bruce to give him his power. David transforms into a powerful electrical being after biting into a wire and absorbing the energy. Bruce then transforms into the Hulk and battles his father. The battle reaches a conclusion when Bruce allows his father to absorb his power, which proves too much for David to control, swelling his body into a huge amorphous form. Ross orders a Gamma Charge Bomb dropped on them, and both are presumed dead when no trace of them is found after the explosion.

A year later there have been numerous sightings of the Hulk. Bruce finds exile in the Amazon rainforest as a doctor in a medical camp. When soldiers try to steal some medical supplies from the camp, he mumbles, "You won't like me when I am angry". Bruce's eyes turn green, and a loud roar can be heard.

Cast

• Eric Bana as Dr. Bruce Banner / The Hulk: Bana was cast in October 2001, signing for an additional two sequels.^[1] Ang Lee felt obliged to cast Bana upon seeing Chopper, and first approached the actor in July 2001.^[2] The role was heavily pursued by other actors. Bana was also in heavy contention for Ghost Rider, but lost out to Nicolas Cage.^[1] Bana explained, "I was obsessed with the TV show. I was never a huge comic book reader when I was a kid, but was completely obsessed with the television show."^[3] It was widely reported Billy Crudup turned down the role. Johnny Depp and Steve Buscemi were reported to be in under consideration for the lead.^[4] Edward Norton, who went on to play the part in The Incredible Hulk, expressed interest in the role. Norton eventually turned down the part as he was disappointed with the script.^[5][6]

• Jennifer Connelly as Betty Ross: Bruce's ex-girlfriend/co-researcher, as well as estranged daughter of General Ross. Betty is possibly the only way for the Hulk to lead back into his transformation of Bruce. Connelly was attracted to the role by way of director Ang Lee. "He's not talking about a guy running around in green tights and a glossy fun-filled movie for kids. He's talking along the lines of tragedy and psychodrama. I find it interesting, the green monster of rage and greed, jealousy and fear in all of us."^[7]

• Sam Elliott as General Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross: A four star general and estranged father of Betty. Ross was responsible of prohibiting David Banner from his lab work after learning of his dangerous experiments. Elliot felt his performance was similar to his portrayal of Basil L. Plumley in We Were Soldiers.^[8] Elliot accepted the role without reading the script, being simply too excited to work with Ang Lee. In addition Elliot also researched Hulk comic books for the part.^[9]

• Nick Nolte as David Banner / The Absorbing Man: The mentally unstable biological father of Bruce Banner who was also a genetics research scientist and had been locked away for several years for causing an explosion in the gamma reactor and accidentally killing his wife Edith. He is the principal antagonist of the film. Paul Kersey portrays the young David Banner in flashbacks.

• Josh Lucas as Major Glenn Talbot: A ruthless former soldier who offers Banner and Betty Ross an opportunity to work for him in an attempt to start an experiment on self-healing soldiers. He is the secondary antagonist of the film.

• Cara Buono as Edith Banner: Bruce's biological mother of whom he cannot remember. She is heard, but mostly appears in Bruce's nightmares.

• Celia Weston as Mrs. Krenzler: Bruce's adoptive mother who cared for him after the death of Edith and David's incarceration.

Hulk co-creator/executive producer Stan Lee and Lou Ferrigno cameo as security guards. Johnny Kastl and Daniel Dae Kim have small roles as soldiers.

Development

Jonathan Hensleigh

Producers Avi Arad and Gale Anne Hurd started the development for Hulk in 1990.^[10] Hurd explained the Hulk became her favorite superhero as a child because "When girls are growing up, they're the ones who are picked on. I had an older brother, and there's no way that you could ever really fight back. So, to me, the Hulk was wish fulfillment."^[11] By December 1992 Marvel Studios was in discussions with Universal Pictures.^[12] Michael France and Stan Lee were invited into Universal's offices in 1994, with France writing the script. Universal's concept was to have the Hulk battle terrorists, an idea France disliked. John Turman, a Hulk comic book fan, was brought to write the script in 1995, getting approval from Lee. Turman wrote ten drafts, being heavily influenced by the Tales to Astonish issues, which pitted the Hulk against General Ross and the military,^[13] the Leader, Rick Jones, and the atomic explosion origin from the comics,^[14] and Brian Banner as the explanation for Bruce's inner anger. Universal had mixed feelings over Turman's script, but nonetheless future screenwriters used many elements brought by Turman.^[13][15]

By late 1996 Hurd's husband Jonathan Hensleigh signed on as producer. Industrial Light & Magic was hired to use computer-generated imagery to create the Hulk. For the second time, France was invited to write the script.^[4] By April 1997 Joe Johnston was directing with the film's title as The Incredible Hulk.^[16] Universal wanted Hensleigh to write the script since he worked with Johnston on the financially successful Jumanji. France was fired before he wrote a single page, but received money from Universal. However, France still wanted to write the script.^[4] Johnston dropped out of directing in July 1997 in favor of October Sky, paving the way for Hensleigh to have his directing debut. Turman was brought back a second time to write two more drafts. Zak Penn then rewrote it.^[4][17] His script featured a fight between the Hulk and a school of sharks,^[14] as well as two scenes he eventually used for the 2008 film; Banner realizing he is unable to have sex, and triggering a transformation by falling out of a helicopter.^[18] Hensleigh rewrote from scratch, coming up with a brand new storyline.^[4] In August 1997 Hensleigh completed his script, featuring Bruce Banner, who prior to the accident which will turn him into The Hulk, performs experiments with gamma-irradiated insect DNA on three convicts. This transforms the convicts into "insect men" that cause havoc.^[4][19]

Concept art for the antagonists of Jonathan Hensleigh's script

Filming was set to start in December 1997 in Arizona for a mid-1999 release date, but was pushed back to April 1998.^[19][20] Hensleigh subsequently rewrote the script with J. J. Abrams. Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski were also brought on board to rewrite with Hensleigh still attached as director.^[4] In October 1997, Hulk had entered pre-production with the creation of prosthetic makeup and computer animation already under way. Gregory Sporleder was cast as "Novak", Banner's archenemy. Lynn "Red" Williams was cast as a convict who transforms into a combination of human, ant and beetle.^[20] In March 1998 Universal put Hulk on hiatus due to its escalating $100 million budget and worries of Hensleigh directing his first film. $20 million was already spent on script development, computer animation, and prosthetics work. Hensleigh immediately went to rewrite the script in order to lower the budget.^[21]

Michael France

Hensleigh found the rewriting process to be too difficult and dropped out, and felt he "wasted nine months in pre-production".^[22] It took another eight months for France to convince Universal and the producers to let him try to write a script for a third time. France claimed "Someone within the Universal hierarchy wasn't sure if this was a science fiction adventure, or a comedy, and I kept getting directions to write both. I think that at some point when I wasn't in the room, there may have been discussions about turning it into a Jim Carrey or Adam Sandler movie."^[4] France was writing the script on fast track from July—September 1999. Filming for Hulk was to start in April 2000.^[23][24]

France stated his vision of the film was different from the other drafts, which based Bruce Banner on his "amiable, nerdy genius" incarnation in the 1960s. France cited inspiration from the 1980s Hulk stories which introduced Brian Banner, Bruce's abusive father who killed his mother. His script had Banner trying to create cells with regenerative capabilities in order to prove to himself that he is not like his father.^[4] However, he has anger management issues before the Hulk is even created, which makes everything worse. The "Don't make me angry..." line from the TV series was made into dialogue that Banner's father would say before beating his son. Elements such as the "Gammasphere", Banner's tragic romance with Ross, and the black ops made it to the final film. France turned in his final drafts in late 1999-January 2000.^[4]

 Ang Lee

Michael Tolkin and David Hayter rewrote the script afterwards, despite positive response from the producers over France's script. Tolkin was brought in January 2000, while Hayter was brought in September of that year. Hayter's draft featured The Leader, Zzzax, and the Absorbing Man as the villains, who are depicted as colleagues of Banner and get caught in the same accident that creates the Hulk.^[4][25][26] Director Ang Lee and his producing partner James Schamus became involved with the film in January 2001.^[27] Lee was dissatisfied with Hayter's script, and commissioned Schamus for a rewrite, merging Banner's father with the Absorbing Man to create a physical antagonist.^[4][28] Lee cited influences from King Kong, Frankenstein, Jekyll and Hyde, Beauty and the Beast, Faust, and Greek mythology for his interpretation of the story.^[29] Schamus said he had found the storyline that introduced Brian Banner, incorrectly attributing it to thus allowing Lee to write a drama that again explored father-son themes.^[30]

Schamus was still rewriting the script in October 2001.^[1] In early 2002, as filming was underway, Michael France read all the scripts for the Writers Guild of America, to determine who would get final credit. France criticized Schamus and Hayter for claiming they were aiming to make Banner a deeper character, and was saddened they had denigrated his and Turman's work in interviews. Schamus elected to get solo credit. France felt, "James Schamus did a significant amount of work on the screenplay. For example, he brought in the Hulk dogs from the comics and he made the decision to use Banner's father as a real character in the present. But he used quite a lot of elements from John Turman's scripts and quite a lot from mine, and that's why we were credited."^[4][31][32] France, Turman and Schamus received final credit. A theatrical release date for June 20, 2003 was announced in December 2002, with the film's title as The Hulk.^[33]

 Filming

Filming began on March 18, 2002 in Arizona, and moved on April 19 to the San Francisco Bay Area. This included Advanced Light Source, Lawrence Berkeley labs, Oakland, Treasure Island military base, and the sequoia forests of Porterville, before several weeks in the Utah and Californian deserts. Filming then moved to the Universal backlot in Los Angeles, using Stage 12 for the water tank scene, before finishing in the first week of August. Filming of Hulk constituted hiring 3,000 local workers, generating over $10 million into the local economy.^{[34][35][36][37]} Mychael Danna, who previously collaborated with Lee on Ride with the Devil and The Ice Storm, was set to compose the film score before dropping out. Danny Elfman was then hired.^[38]

Eric Bana commented that the shoot was, "Ridiculously serious... a silent set, morbid in a lot of ways." Lee told him that he was shooting a Greek tragedy: he would be making a "whole other movie" about the Hulk at Industrial Light & Magic. An example of Lee's art house approach to the film was taking Bana to watch a bare-knuckle boxing match.^[30] Visual effects supervisor Dennis Muren was on the set every day.^[10] One of the many visual images in the film that presented an acting challenge for Bana was a split screen technique employed by Lee to cinematically mimic the panels of a comic book page. This required many more takes of individual scenes than normal.^[39] Sound design was completed at Skywalker Sound. Muren and other ILM animators used previous technology from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (for the Dobby character) to create the Hulk with computer-generated imagery. Other software used included PowerAnimator, Softimage XSI, and RenderMan Interface Specification. ILM started computer animation work in 2001, and completed in May 2003, just one month before the film's release.^[40] Lee provided some motion capture work in post-production.^[2]

Release

Marketing

Universal Pictures spent $2.1 million to market the film in a 30-second television spot during Super Bowl XXXVII on January 26, 2003.^[41] Just weeks before the film's release, a number of workprints were leaked on the Internet. The visual and special effects were already being criticized, despite the fact that it was not the final editing cut of the film.^[42]

Box office

Hulk was released on June 20, 2003, earning $62.1 million in its opening weekend, which made it the 16th highest ever opener at the time. With a second weekend drop of 70%, it was the first opener above $20 million to drop over 65%.^[43] The film went on to gross $132,177,234 in North America, and $113,183,246 in foreign countries, coming to a worldwide total of $245,360,480.^[44] With a final North American gross of $132.2 million it became the largest opener not to earn $150 million.^[45]

Critical reception

Hulk received mixed reviews. Rotten Tomatoes calculated a 62% approval rating out of 224 reviews,^[46] and 55% from their "Top Critics" category.^[47] By comparison Metacritic collected an average score of 54 based on 41 reviews.^[48] Roger Ebert gave a largely positive review, explaining, "Ang Lee is trying to actually deal with the issues in the story of the Hulk, instead of simply cutting to brainless visual effects." Ebert also liked how the Hulk's movements resembled King Kong.^[49] Although Peter Travers of Rolling Stone felt Hulk should have been shorter, he heavily praised the action sequences, especially the climax and cliffhanger.^[50] Paul Clinton of CNN believed the cast gave strong performances, but in an otherwise positive review, heavily criticized the computer-generated imagery, calling the Hulk "a ticked-off version of Shrek".^[51]

Mick LaSalle of the San Francisco Chronicle considered "the film is more thoughtful and pleasing to the eye than any blockbuster in recent memory, but its epic length comes without an epic reward."^[52] Ty Burr of The Boston Globe felt "Jennifer Connelly reprises her stand-by-your-messed-up-scientist turn from A Beautiful Mind."^[53] Lisa Schwarzbaum of Entertainment Weekly stated, "a big-budget comic-book adaptation has rarely felt so humorless and intellectually defensive about its own pulpy roots."^[54]

Accolades

Connelly and Danny Elfman received nominations at the 30th Saturn Awards with Best Actress and Best Music. The film was nominated for Best Science Fiction Film but lost out to X2. Dennis Muren, MichaelHome media

Hulk was released on VHS and DVD on October 28, 2003.^[56] The film earned $61.2 million in DVD sales during 2003.^[57] Hulk was released on HD DVD format on December 12, 2006 and it was later released on Blu-ray on September 16, 2008.^[58]

Reboot

Producer Avi Arad called the film a financial flop/disaster at the box office, but declared that Hulk's merchandising was successful enough to make a sequel. This eventually led to rebooting the franchise with The Incredible Hulk.^[59] The film earned slightly more positive reviews and grossed only $263,427,551 worldwide.^[60]

Hollywood Grils Sexy