The Greatest Movie Badasses Of All Time: Khan

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 and Vietnam War vet John Rambo. Keep checking back to see if your favorite made the list!

Name: Khan Noonien Singh

Occupation: Genetically engineered maniacal tyrant

Movie(s): "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan"

Weapons: His superior intellect, Ceti eels

Archenemy: Captain James Tiberius Kirk

Profile: Make no mistake: When we lost 88-year-old Ricardo Montalbбn two weeks ago, we not only said goodbye to a wonderful character actor — but possibly the greatest sci-fi villain of all time.

The Mexican-born Montalbбn relished the role of Khan, a genetically bred superhuman born without physical or mental shortcomings of any kind. Following the Eugenics Wars of the 1990s (remember those?), Khan and a group of his fellow supermen fled Earth and were cryogenically frozen aboard the S.S. Botany Bay, where they slept in hibernation for more than 200 years.

 

 Best Quotes Of All Time  

 Greatest Of The '80s  

 Greatest Of The '90s  

 Profile: John Rambo  

 Profile: John McClane  

 Profile: Dirty Harry  

 Profile: Ellen Ripley  

 Profile: Boba Fett  

 Rough Guys Round-up  

 

In the classic "Star Trek" episode "Space Seed" that first aired in 1967, Khan's ship is discovered by the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise. Once he gets thawed out, Khan begins working his charms on the crew of the ship — while simultaneously plotting to make it his own. After nearly killing Captain Kirk, Khan and his men are subjected to a hearing and sentencing that banishes them to an uncolonized planet, never to be heard from again.

But 15 Earth years later, Montalbбn returned to the "Star Trek" series, now in his own feature film — and what a movie it was. Considered by many to be among the best sci-fi flicks ever made, "Wrath of Khan" answered the question that Mr. Spock had asked all those years ago: What kind of seed did Kirk plant by exiling this evil genius to his own planet?

After a small group (including Pavel Chekov) beam down mistakenly to his world, Khan and his followers take them prisoner and swear revenge for the years they've spent fighting for their lives on the barren wasteland they've been forced to call home. What ensues is a chess match between Khan and Kirk with their ships, futures and lives of their followers at stake. In the whole history of "Trek," no one quite got under the skin of Kirk quite like the villainous Khan did — and thanks to an ongoing Internetphenomenon, you can still frequently hear Shatner screaming about it all these years later. Khan's actions also severely impacted the life of Spock, creating a tear-jerking "Wrath" finale that ranks among the greatest "Trek" moments of all time.

In this disposable age of 24-hour news cycles and overnight-sensation fads, it's virtually impossible to imagine an actor being allowed to similarly plant a seed of his own, and then return to it a decade and a half later so brilliantly. But as history will remember, the Khan tale was one of fierce intelligence and dangerous ego — fueled by a badass character who, after all these years, still has us shouting.

Check out everything we've got on "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan."

For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.

Super Bowl Movie Ads: Expect Sneak Peeks Of ‘Transformers 2,’ ‘Star Trek’ And More
Janet Jackson postpones shows in Japan
(Reuters)
Sundance honors `Push,’ `We Live in Public’
(AP)

'Taken' Captures Box-Office #1, Despite Super Bowl

The Box-Office Top Five

#1 "Taken" ($24.6 million)
#2 "Paul Blart: Mall Cop" ($14 million)
#3 "The Uninvited" ($10.5 million)
#4 "Hotel for Dogs" ($8.7 million)
#5 "Gran Torino" ($8.6 million)

Liam Neeson went up against kidnappers and the Super Bowl this weekend, and he emerged victorious in at least one of those battles (we wouldn't want to spoil the movie for you). "Taken" took the top spot at the box office with $24.6 million, exceeding expectations for a weekend usually dominated by football. While Super Bowl Sunday took its chunk out of the total take, the millions made on Friday and Saturday more than made up for the loss, and Hollywood saw grosses go up 1 percent from last year.

The success of "Taken" also proves that women weren't the only ones who preferred film over football, as exit polls for the movie indicate that the audience was a healthy 50-50 split between men and women. In fact, it was the weekend's girl-friendly offering that had the poorest performance, with Renйe Zellweger's romantic comedy "New In Town" debuting at a disappointing #8, earning only $6.8 million.

"The Uninvited" did better, opening at #3 with $10.5 million, continuing a January trend that has seen supernatural or horror flicks debuting in the top five, though they haven't had much staying power.

"Paul Blart: Mall Cop," on the other hand, has had staying power. Though the comedy finally fell from the #1 spot, it didn't fall farther than #2, with $14 million, bringing its total gross to $83.4 million. "Hotel For Dogs" hung on to its #4 spot with $8.7 million, for a total gross of $48.2 million. It's not too surprising to see the only two family-friendly options continuing to rake in the dollars over Super Bowl weekend. You have to entertain the little ones somehow, after all.

But when it comes to box-office champions, the prize goes to "Gran Torino," which dropped two spots with $8.6 million but has managed to stay in the top five since its wide release five weeks ago. With a box-office total of $110.5 million, it has set a new personal best for Clint Eastwood, beating out his previous $102.2 million record for 1993's "In the Line of Fire."

Upcoming Releases

Next weekend sees Dakota Fanning doing double duty as a lead voice in "Coraline" and a co-star of Chris Evans in "Push."Steve Martin dusts off his French accent for "The Pink Panther 2," while an ensemble A-list cast tries to convince us that "He's Just Not That Into You."

Check out everything we've got on "Paul Blart: Mall Cop" and "Taken."

For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.

‘Paul Blart: Mall Cop’ Secures Second Box-Office #1
“Idol” David Cook to hit colleges on U.S. tour
(Reuters)

'Taken': No More Mr. Nice Guy, By Kurt Loder

A few years back, the French director Pierre Morel made a movie called "District B13" — an action flick so compact and focused, it felt like an actual kick in the head. I'm sure there was a storyline, but I can't be bothered to recall it. The picture was almost pure kinetic frenzy, a small classic.

Now, Morel has been given a much larger budget and yet managed to come up with a movie that, hobbled as it is with genre impurities, seems somehow smaller. Bryan Mills, the hero of "Taken," is a merciless killing machine — would we have it any other way? But he's a sensitive merciless killing machine — sensitive, in fact, to the point of pining whininess. I suppose it's a good thing that Mills is played by Liam Neeson, that master of manly emotion; but even he can't pull together such an awkwardly bifurcated character.

Mills is a retired spy whose black-ops career wrecked his marriage and made him very sad. His ex-wife, a bitch-from-hell named Lenore (Famke Janssen in a thankless and barely written role) was no great loss, but he rues the estrangement of his daughter, Kim (Maggie Grace), now 17. We get to rue this right along with him for longer than we might wish as he mopes among her childhood snapshots and browses for a cute birthday present to give her. No kicks in the head here; not even a gift-shop jostle. Finally, though, Kim herself shifts the plot into gear when she asks Dad to allow her to spend her summer vacation in Paris, with a girlfriend. Mills is reluctant. He knows the world is a dangerous place — he spent his entire spy career helping make it that way. But he relents, and soon Kim and her friend are en route to Paris, where — just as Mills figured! — they are almost immediately abducted by a gang of Albanian sex-slave traffickers. Quicker than you can say "merciless killing machine," Mills has hopped on a plane himself, and the chase is afoot. Excellent.

The action, which is close to nonstop, gets underway as soon as Mills arrives in Paris. Tipped by an old spook colleague, he makes his way to a red-light district, busts up a skuzzy bordello (who knew they kept machine guns and high explosives in such places?), rescues one of the drugged sex slaves therein, cures her of her forced addiction with a hotel-room transfusion and quickly gets a line on Kim. By this early point, Mills has already greased seven scumbags and put three more in the hospital. Next, he lays hands on one of the Albanian goons and hooks him up to an electrical generator. ("We used to outsource this sort of thing," he says, by way of banter.) Then he shoots somebody's wife to make a point and moves on to the main event — a sex-slave auction at a grand Paris mansion. Here he not only catches sight of Kim, but learns that some fat Arab is willing to pay half a million dollars for the pleasure of her extended company. (This struck me as a bit much: Maggie Grace is pretty and all, but come on.)

The action continues at a raging pace, and Morel, who started out as a cinematographer, knows how to put us right in the middle of it. A lot of the best stuff — the close-quarters bone-cracking and the Seine-side automotive melee — is fundamentally Bourne again. But even thrills of such a second freshness are hardly boring, and Liam Neeson, who's now 56 but used to be a boxer, acquits himself with appropriately savage grace. Some people would no doubt object to most of the vile guys in the picture being, shall we say, not in the mainstream of Western Civilization — but is it not for those people that movies like "Hotel for Dogs" are made? With no more Nazis to provide shorthand villainy, what's a shameless action director (and his equally shameless writer-producer partner, Luc Besson) to do?

What drags this movie down is the character at the center of it. Bryan Mills is such a wet sock in the early scenes, mooning on and on over his little girl, that we can't quite track his sudden leap into total terminator mode. And since Mr. Softy keeps putting in appearances, he becomes a considerable distraction, not to say a major annoyance. Couldn't somebody, like, terminate him ?

Don't miss Kurt Loder's reviews of "The Uninvited" and "New in Town," also new in theaters this week.

Check out everything we've got on "Taken."

For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.

‘Donkey Punch’: Crimson Tide, By Kurt Loder
Sundance honors `Push,’ `We Live in Public’
(AP)

'The Uninvited': I'm Not There, By Kurt Loder

Anna has been having a terrible year, even by teen standards. It started, as so many of these things do, with her mother. Mom was bedridden for the longest time with some awful disease, and she'd exiled herself to the boathouse down the hill from the family's island mansion — possibly to escape the sounds of her husband having it off with her live-in nurse, a frosty blonde named Rachael. Then, very suspiciously, the boathouse burned down, and Mom along with it. Anna, in a fit of acting-out, slit her wrists and woke up in a mainland bughouse. Now the shrinks have turned her loose and sent her back home to her father and her sister Alex and ... Rachael, who's still living in. Can things get any worse?

Need you ask? "The Uninvited" is that too-seldom-seen thing: a traditional psycho-horror movie made with smarts and style, which arrives at a creepy conclusion with its honor intact. Looking back on its artful feints and misdirections, you realize that the key to its knotty puzzle is as plain as the knife in your neck, if you'd only been paying attention. Which I guess I wasn't. Too creeped-out, maybe.

The movie is a spirited remake of South Korean director Kim Jee-Woon's 2003 shocker, "A Tale of Two Sisters." This English-language version manages to approach the gorgeous visual design of that film — a considerable achievement in itself — while at the same time paring away or tightening-up some of its more ambiguous elements. The Guard Brothers (Charlie and Tom to their agents) are the latest English directors to make the ever-shorter trip from TV commercials to feature films, and with "The Uninvited" they've delivered a solid debut. Both brothers also write and shoot (although not here, apparently), and so they seem especially sensitive to story-shaping and gradations of color and mood. And they've been especially sharp in casting the picture. Australian actress Emily Browning (last seen here in the under-acclaimed "Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events") brings a strong sense of beleaguered resilience (along with impressively pillowy lips and gull-wing cheekbones) to the role of Anna; and Arielle Kebbel ("The Grudge 2") is a convincing visual match as her elder sister, Alex. David Strathairn does everything that can be done with the role of their dad, which isn't a lot (it was a stick-figure part in the original film, too); but Elizabeth Banks (of "Role Models" and "Zack and Miri Make a Porno") is a real surprise as the malevolent Rachael — who knew you could look cute with a carving fork?

And what are all these characters up to? Oh, the usual: Something's Not Right. If Mom's so dead, what's that thing oozing around in the corner? And those three corpse kids in the cemetery — why're they still traipsing about? And that nice delivery boy with the urgent news to impart — what ever happened to him? Did he stumble over one of the bulging bloody trash bags? As for Rachael, she may come on all step-maternal now that she's lassoed Dad, but she seems to whip out a snarl — and a syringe! — whenever he leaves the room. "She's like a crack whore without the dignity," Alex says. Please take your undead hand off my leg.

"The Uninvited" shares its dark, sneaky secret with ... oh, let's say a number of other crafty psych-out movies starring people like Brad Pitt, Johnny Depp and Robert De Niro (not to mention Cйcile De France). It's not a picture likely to set off any large cultural tremors, but its smallness of scale is part of what makes it such an enjoyable watch. And anyway — dude, what is that thing crawling around under your skin?

("The Uninvited" is a Paramount Pictures release. Paramount and MTV are both subsidiaries of Viacom.)

Don't miss Kurt Loder's reviews of "New in Town" and "Taken," also new in theaters this week.

Check out everything we've got on "The Uninvited."

For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.

‘Donkey Punch’: Crimson Tide, By Kurt Loder
Janet Jackson postpones shows in Japan
(Reuters)

Super Bowl Movie Ads: Expect Sneak Peeks Of 'Transformers 2,' 'Star Trek' And More

Looking back on the Super Bowls of the past few decades, it's hard not to remember all the big plays. For instance, that time Ridley Scott introduced us to the future of computers. Or when two future "Space Jam" stars played a game of H.O.R.S.E. Or that other time, when a Tom Hanks film helped us consider our overnight-shipping options.

Rumor has it that on Sunday, between all the big-budget commercial unveilings, there will be some sort of athletic game. But if you're like the MTV Movies team, the biggest gamble isn't a two-point conversion but how the studios will make (or break) their film's advance buzz with an estimated $3 million commercial on the nation's biggest stage.

With that in mind, here's our list of the Most-Anticipated 2009 Super Bowl Movie Ads scheduled to run this weekend. And be sure to check back with us, because we'll be running our reviews of the spots after they air.

"Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen"
Michael Bay's film was the biggest hit of 2007, and when the teaser trailer was released a year prior, the hype began. Now, we're a mere five months away from watching the Decepticons get their revenge on Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox and Optimus Prime's intergalactic warriors, and we haven't seen a damn thing. Is Bay trying to hide something? Is he so confident in his summer tentpole that he feels like he doesn't need the hype? On Sunday, we'll finally get a peek under the hood.

"Star Trek"
With this May 8 release still hanging on the precipice of possible coolness like Chris Pine dangling from a cliff, all eyes will be onJ.J. Abrams' new Super Bowl footage. Will his film lean more toward the intelligent sci-fi glimpsed in recent previews? Or will it veer once and for all into "Star Trek 90210" territory? The world (if not the universe) will be watching.

"Race to Witch Mountain"
Can you smell what the Rock is cooking this Super Bowl weekend? How about a family friendly dish made of decades-old ingredients with a 21st-century sprinkling of CGI? With any luck, the commercial for this upcoming Disney flick will further whet our appetite.

"G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra"
Much like the "Transformers" sequel (see above), this big-budget, toy-based adaptation has waited an unusually long time to unveil some footage. Take away the "G.I. Joe" name, and the recently revealed posters look more like an ad for a "Matrix" sequel than the Real American Heroes. Will the TV spot finally give us a glimpse at something reminiscent of the "G.I. Joe" franchise and of Cobra Commander himself?

"Angels and Demons"
Will it stay true to the Dan Brown novel? Will it be more complex than "The Da Vinci Code" movie? Ah, hell, all we know is Tom Hanks finally has his hair under control, and the church is still angry. If that's not enough to get your butt in a seat, keep an eye out for what might be the May 15 film's first full-length trailer.

"Monsters vs. Aliens"
The other day, DreamWorks sent me 10 pairs of 3-D glasses, drastically overestimating the number of friends I have to watch the Super Bowl with. The studio plans to distribute 125 million pairs, all in the name of giving an eye-popping preview of their March 27 3-D animated film. If you haven't been able to get your hands on a pair, feel free to swing by my house. I'll give my extras to the first nine people who bring nachos.

"Land of the Lost"
Will Ferrell, Brad Silberling, giant CGI dinosaurs and spooky Sleestaks? This sounds like anything but a routine expedition.

"Fast and Furious"
Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Jordana Brewster and Michelle Rodriguez hop behind the wheel once more, eager to prove that seven years of stale retreads haven't turned this franchise into "The Cautiously Hurried and the Mildly Perturbed."

"X-Men Origins: Wolverine"
First, the casting sounded great. Then, the advance buzz became horrible. Then, a trailer was released that made it look as though Logan was up to his old ass-kicking ways. What will be the next twist on the "Wolverine" roller coaster? We should know soon enough.

"Up"
It's one of our most-anticipated films of 2009, and there's something about the footage that we've already seen that simply screams "genius," as in "WALL-E"-type genius. Don't be surprised if the "Up" commercial becomes the biggest touchdown scored on Sunday.

For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more -- updated around the clock -- visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.

Sundance honors `Push,’ `We Live in Public’
(AP)
‘The Dark Knight’ Deserves Oscar Nominations, Say High-Profile Fans
Dakota Fanning Talks ‘New Moon,’ Robert Pattinson

Dakota Fanning Talks 'New Moon,' Robert Pattinson

BEVERLY HILLS, California — With two films opening next weekend, Dakota Fanning's life is pretty crazy these days. And as soon as she signs on the "Twilight" dotted line, she knows it's going to get even more insane.

"I know that a lot of people know about it," the soon-to-be-15-year-old star of "Push" and "Coraline" told MTV News on Friday (January 30), referring to her ongoing negotiations to join "New Moon" as Jane. "I'm glad that people are excited about me possibly being in it. That's so nice!"

What's nice for Twilighters is the thought of the critically praised child star bringing her considerable talents to their beloved franchise — a deal that she told us was looking quite good at the moment. "I wouldn't say it's 100 percent, but it's definitely, obviously a possibility and something that would be really cool," exclaimed the star of such blockbusters as "War of the Worlds" and "Man of Fire." "I really hope it works out."

The high-profile sequel would mark a huge departure from Fanning's typical roles, casting her as a sadistic Volturi guard who has the power to inflict immense pain on those who cross her. "It's definitely something that I look forward to," she said. "I think you have to do all kinds [of roles], and eventually I am going to be the person you hate in a movie. And that's the fun thing about acting: You can be sweet and be mean at the same time in different films."

Explaining why she'd be a good fit for Jane, Dakota added: "We're both pale. ... I don't think they'd have to put a lot of makeup on me if it works out. I'm pretty pale as it is."

Fanning also revealed that while she hasn't read all of Stephenie Meyer's novels yet, it is her love for Catherine Hardwicke's film that makes her want to join "New Moon" and take her own character into the franchise's future movies. "I haven't read all of them," she explained. "But I have seen the film, and I'm a very big fan of the cast. I love all of them. I would look forward to getting to work with them."

And, naturally, since Dakota is a teenage female, we couldn't resist asking the obvious question: If the actress shot a scene opposite heartthrob Robert Pattinson, could she keep herself under control?

"He is very, very cute," she giggled. "But I'm sure I would be.

"The part that I play gets to interact with a lot of the characters, so that would be cool," Fanning added. "[The Volturi] are kind of mean. I think it would be definitely a different part than I've ever played — and I'd get to be a little evil for once."

Check out everything we've got on "New Moon."

For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.

Spector retrial enters key act as defense begins
(AP)
Sundance honors `Push,’ `We Live in Public’
(AP)
Lucy Hale Auditioned For Same ‘New Moon’ Role As Dakota Fanning

Jesse McCartney Talks Co-Starring With 'Twilight' Actor In 'The Last Airbender'

Jesse McCartney will be joining "Twilight" star Jackson Rathbone in the upcoming M. Night Shyamalan-helmed flick "The Last Airbender." McCartney — who plays Prince Zucko — assured fans of the writer/director who feel he may not be right for the part that Shyamalan has it all figured out.

"I heard a lot about this online," McCartney said, referring to fans' criticism. "There's a lot of hard-core fans out there [who] probably know more about it ... I'm still learning. This is M. Night's vision and this is what he wants. To all the fans, I can tell you I'm putting my best foot forward."

That foot forward includes intense kung-fu training for McCartney, who described his character as "an expert firebender." "I've been in kung-fu training for the last month and half-learning all the moves. I'm looking forward to it."

Although he is still learning all about the popular cartoon that first made its debut in Asia before gaining popularity in America, it was his little brother who was already a fan when McCartney signed on to the flick. "I heard about the series from my little brother who's an avid 'Avatar' fan," he explained. "I heard about the project, and that Night was directing it. He flew me out to Philly to read with him. I worked with him a lot on the character. He called me on my phone and was like, 'I want you to play this character.' And we took it from there."

McCartney is also looking forward to working with Rathbone — who will also be filming "New Moon" this year — on the movie. "He was there for the reading and he and I have been in training together. We're flying in a few weeks to start production and then to Greenland to start filming. He's a super nice guy. We've been getting along great."

As for any musical collaboration between the two, McCartney assures us that they'll have plenty of time to mull that over as they film the movie. "We haven't talked about that yet," he said. "I'm sure I'll get to know all of this about him."

Check out everything we've got on "The Last Airbender."

For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.

Dakota Fanning Adds ‘Twilight’ To Her Reading List
Dakota Fanning On ‘New Moon’ Role: ‘I Really Hope It Works Out’
Sundance honors `Push,’ `We Live in Public’
(AP)