movie basasses

I have zero respect for MTV but I like what they're going for here:

The search for the Greatest Movie Badass of All Time is on! MTV News has asked accomplished filmmakers, actors and you, the audience, to vote for your favorites. Now we've tabulated the results and found our 10 finalists for the top spot. Who will reign supreme as the Greatest Badass of All Time? Find out on February 6 at 7:15 p.m. when MTV announces the winner live at New York's Comic-Con and right here at MTV.com.

Until then, we're profiling the 10 contenders for the Greatest Badass mantle every day, in alphabetical order. Check out our first contenders: "Star Wars" bounty hunter Boba Fett, "Alien" astronaut Ellen Ripley, vigilante cop Dirty Harry, "Die Hard" detective John McClane, Vietnam War vet John Rambo, "Star Trek" tyrant Khan and post-apocalyptic nomad Mad Max. Keep checking back to see if your favorite made the list!

Diablo Cody is the Academy Award-winning writer of "Juno." She is the creator of the new Showtime series "United States of Tara" and the writer behind the upcoming horror film "Jennifer's Body," starring Megan Fox. Here are her picks for top 10 movie badasses.

10. Carrie in "Carrie" (Sissy Spacek): This girl geek doesn't just turn the tables — she upends the entire friggin' prom. When one of Carrie's tormenters gets clocked with a fire hose, it's one of the best "hell yeah!" moments in cinema history. And somehow Spacek made a bucket of red corn syrup look like haute couture.

9. Captain Felix Maxwell in "Mannequin" (G.W. Bailey): The meanest cop ever, and rightfully so! If you caught Andrew McCarthy humping a store display, wouldn't you sic your dog on him too? Captain Maxwell was just doing his civic duty.

8. Walt Kowalski in "Gran Torino" (Clint Eastwood): This old man packs heat, drives a muscle car and literally growls at meddling kids. Most grandpas just shake a rake.

7. Bandit in "Smokey and the Bandit" (Burt Reynolds): Burt was so cool that he didn't just flout authority, he did it with a smirk and a cackle. No wonder Sally Field fell into his lap. And how righteous was that Trans Am?

6. Lieutenant Ellen Ripley in the "Alien" series (Sigourney Weaver): The hair. The scowl. The panties! Never has a female badass uttered such choice catch phrases or faced a more formidable villain.

5. The Bride in "Kill Bill" (Uma Thurman): A big bad mama in a Bruce Lee jumpsuit, the Bride stabs, scalps and slashes her way to vengeance. She's also the only badass on this list who knows the Five-Point Palm Exploding Heart Technique.

4. John Bender in "The Breakfast Club" (Judd Nelson): Bender managed to look filthy-cool even while wearing one of Molly Ringwald's diamond stud earrings. That's a feat in itself.

3. Randy "The Ram" Robinson in "The Wrestler" (Mickey Rourke): OK, so he's a tragic badass with a bum ticker. But there aren't many guys who'd take a staple gun to the face just for the chance to relive past glory.

2. Steve Wiebe from "King of Kong": Steve is the only real-life badass on my list. In Seth Gordon's insane documentary, Steve — the Donkey Kong World Champion — faces down a motley crew of arcade villains to claim his rightful title. Plus, he's a teacher!

1. Sarah Connor in "Terminator 2" (Linda Hamilton): Easy, I know, but this character destroyed the stereotype of women in action movies. The scene where Sarah busts out of the mental hospital, only to encounter the Terminator, is a tour de force.


Reason # 284 that I want to be friends with Diablo Cody: This list rules. I especially love #9