4 Reasons on How Being Bullied Made Me a Better Person

4 Reasons on How Being Bullied Made Me a Better Person

By: Brian Cotnoir

     Being bullied as a kid sucks.  It doesn’t matter who you are, if you get bullied, life f*cking sucks.  I know, I spent many years being tormented and being physically and verbally abused by people in my age group.  I hated Middle School and High School, they were the absolute worst times of my life.  So, it’s kind of Ironic now that I presently work as a High School Substitute teacher.  And over the past two years, I’ve met students that have been placed in similar dilemmas as myself when I was in high school.  Then one day it all sort of donned on me; I turned out much better and well-adjusted because I was bullied as a kid, and now I’m taking those negative experiences and turning them into something positive.  I want anyone who is being bullied or knows someone who is being bullied to know that even though your life seems like it sucks, it could be worst, and these trials and challenges can ultimately make you a better person in ways you probably never thought you could, and I wanted to share with everyone Rour Reasons on How Being Bullied Made Me a Better Person.

1.)  You learn not to care what others think.

When I was in High School I was picked don for everything: because I was tall, because I was fat, because I had glasses because I was weird, because I was Canadian (Yeah, apparently something as mundane as where your Great-Grandparents immigrated from is reason enough to pick on someone).  I never stood a chance in High School.  When I was a freshman I was really overweight (I had moobies and everything), so kids in my class would make fun of me for being fat.  My dad got my a summer job where he worked, and pretty soon I was spending 5-6 hours a day doing manual labor out in the sun, and by the end of that summer I had lost 38 pounds and was a perfectly healthy weight...and people still called me fat-ass (even though now I was skinnier then some of them!)  That was when I first began to realize you can’t please everyone and make them happy, so don’t waste your time going out of your way to appease people who don’t even care about you.                                                  

         My Junior Year of High school there was a kid who used to come into the locker room during gym class every day, and punch me between the shoulder blades and call me a “faggot”.  This went on for several weeks, and then one day he grabbed my back pack dumped the contents of the bag on top of me and slammed the side of my head against the locker.  I wanted to tell my teacher what this kid had been doing to me for close to 2 months, but I was afraid that everyone in school would “hate me” or “think I was a snitch”.  Then all of sudden a thought donned on me:  “Everyone here already f*cking hates me, so what do I care if they call me a snitch?  They’ve already called me every other nasty name in the book, so what’s one more?”  I told the teacher, he told the Vice Principal and that kid broke down in tears when he was told he was being suspended for 10-Days.  And yes, people called me a “rat” and a “snitch”, but I didn’t care!  That one kid never bothered me again the rest of the year (I think he actually dropped out), and I was happy.                       

    Till this very day, I have zero interest in anything negative people have to say about me.  I don’t care if they don’t like me, because I’m not trying to please them.  I only do things that make myself happy, and if someone doesn’t like or think it’s stupid, I don’t care, because their opinions of me mean nothing.

2.)  I am more supportive of people with differences.

I grew up in a small “hick town”, and if I had to make an estimate, I’d say 90% of the boys in my high school were extremely homophobic.  Every day you’d hear someone say “that’s so gay” or “you’re a faggot”, it’s just how things were in my high school.  I’m very ashamed to admit that I was a part of that culture.  I had two friends (a boy and a girl) who came out in High School, which was an extremely difficult and dangerous thing for them to do because they had just made them self open for verbal and physical attacks.  When they told me they were gay, my opinions on Gays & Lesbians changed forever.  I was no longer going to use the homophobic slurs that so many of my classmates encouraged, and I was going to stand by my friends no matter what because no matter what their sexual orientation was, they were still my friends, and to turn them away was never an option.  By doing this, I became “Gay by Association”, and barred a lot more torment from some of my classmates.  There wasn’t a day where some guy in my high school didn’t call me a faggot or pick on me because I was friends with the only two openly gay students in class.                                         

    I’m not claiming that my experience was the same as my friends and that I understand their struggle entirely because the truth is I don’t.  I had no secrets to hide, I knew I wasn’t gay.  My two friends had it much worst because not only did they have to deal with the torment of the kids at school, but they also had to deal with the disapproval from their families because of the way they were born.  I stick up for members of the LGBT community to this day and am supporter of Gay Rights because of what I experienced through those friends.  I was called a “faggot” and “queer” enough times that I know how much it hurts, and how much I hate being called that word.  Because of those awful trials and challenges my friends had to endure I took on a cause, I probably never would have even considered before.

3.)  I’m always willing to support the underdog or those in need

I will come to the support of anyone I see being bullied or unfairly treated.  I don’t care if there black, white, gay, straight, mentally disabled, handicapped, or whatever: if I see someone being mistreated because of who they are then I will be there to support them.  I didn’t have anyone I could turn in Middle school or High School or anyone who could tell  me what to do, I had to figure out a lot my own problems by myself, and I am more than willing to share my knowledge with anyone who seeks it.  Every time I see a student getting picked on or have one come voice their frustrations to me, I tell them the truth.  I just look at them and say “Yeah, people suck.  High School Sucks; it’s suck for lot of people.  The good news those is you don’t have to deal with it forever.  If people don’t like you because you don’t conform or because your different, who cares?  There’ opinions should mean nothing to you.  You’re awesome just being you”. 

4.)  If I can survive 7 years of being bullied there’s pretty much nothing I cant handle.

I started getting bullied when I was in about the 5^th grade, and it lasted until the day I graduated High School.  Because, of those 7 years—those 7 years of hell—I don’t think there’s anything I can’t overcome as an adult.  Student Loan Debt, Unemployment, failing relationships, are like nothing.  I’ve had to fight my own battles since I was 11; true a lot of times I need help from family or friends, but when a challenge arises I don’t run away from it or try to avoid it, I face it head on and I wont give up until I’ve exhausted every last possible effort, because that is how I was made.  I didn’t have in easy in Middle School and High School, I didn’t have anyone there to stick up for me, I had to fight my own battles, win my own wars, and do a lot on my own.  There is nothing, in adulthood I don’t think I can overcome, and it’s all because I survived 7-years of being bullied.

Haunter

Asylum for Nerds: A Joint review of “Haunter”

By: The Corseted Critic and The Film Junkie

The Film Junkie:

​When the Corseted Critic said she wanted to do a joint review of “Haunter” I thought we were going to be talking about the Pokemon, Haunter.  Instead, she has goated me into reviewing this silly little Horror film (as if I don’t’ watch and review enough of those for my other blog).  So here’s what I thought of the 2013 film “Haunter”​​​​​​​​

       “Haunter” is the story of teenage girl named Lisa Johnson (played by Abagail Breslin).  Lisa is your typical angsty Gothteenager girl, who listens to punk rock bands like The Cure and Siouxsie and the Banshees (here’s where I make the joke that “Little Miss Sunshine” is now Little Miss Darkness).  Lisa finds even more disdain for her life when she realizes that her and her family have been going through the same a routine the exact same day since 1985.  What is the reason for this anomaly?  Is there a rip in the space-time continuum that keeps Lisa in her family in the same day, day-after-day? Are they dead?  Is this purgatory? Or are their much darker forces to blame?​​​

​I heard one person refer to this film as a; “Well done version of an unoriginal idea”.  I think that is a fair description of the film.  Although, I didn’t find anything in particular that I didn’t like about “Haunter” Ididn’t find anything that drew me to it either. Even though it was a story about being trapped in time—and forgive me if this sound stupid—the story felt very repetitive.  Yeah, it nice that Lisa figured out what’s going on so quickly, but it’s just painful to have to watch her family go through the same realizations.  The plots pretty predictable too; I mean for a film that’s really trying to bank on the mystery aspect, they don’t do that good of a job.  I was fully aware of what was going on for like 90% of the film. I barely questioned anything. I can only think of one interesting twist to the plot that I saw in the film, but that’s just not enough to make me love this film.​​​​

​The films’ most positive aspect is having an actress like Abigail Breslin as its star.  It’s so good to see her branch out into newer more challenging roles.  We all remember her as little girl in the film “Little Miss Sunshine” and then she would go on to find success in films like “Zombieland”, and now she travels to the next possible level with the role of Lisa Johnson in “Haunter”.  I enjoyed her in this role.  I mean, she doesn’t really bring anything new to the role of Lisa, but her acting is passable.​​​​​​​

​For me “Haunter” is one of those: “it’s not a bad film, but it’s far from good”.  It’s visually appeasing, but not much else, and if you like Abigail Breslin as an actress you’ll probably find a few more things to like about this film.  But as for me—a personwho’s sat through over 300 Horror films, I find it didn’t bring us much to the screen as I had hoped.​​​​​   

The Corsetted Critic's view:

Unlike my cohort The Film Junkie, I quite liked the film Haunter. I watched it after he mentioned it on Facebook and (since I honestly didn't have any other idea of what to do this week) asked him to do a review on it with me. 

As he said it focuses on Abigail Breslin's character being the only person in the house who knows that everyone is dead, which I noticed five minutes in before it was actually stated. 

Aside from that, though, this film kept me guessing. Every time I thought I knew what was going to happen it threw a new change at me.

Also it did a very good job of creating character. I cared about these people and what was happening to them. This is mostly due to Breslin's acting. She pretty much carries the film and does it well. Her emotions drive the audience and got me so invested I almost started crying at a few points!

While we have seen this story (haunted house from the ghosts' point of view) in films before like The Others, I think that this film did it well. There wasn't really anything new about it, but I liked it. I think it's worth a watch and may even earn a more detailed (spoiler filled) review here soon!

Character Analysis: Lionel Cosgrove

Character Analysis: Lionel Cosgrove

By: Brian Cotnoir

     

I can’t believe it took me as long as it did to see “Braindead” (or “Dead Alive as it’s more popularly known in North America).  I had heard so many things about this film, that I was really unsure of whether or not I wanted to see it, and it was mostly due to me believing that I wouldn’t like it, but I decided to give it a chance, and Oh Your God did I enjoy this film.  It is wonderful, it is violent, it has scares, laughs, shocking imagery, and lots of other things I like to see in films.  So in honor of me finally seeing this amazing film, I have decided to do a Character Analysis on the main character “Braindead”; Lionel Cosgrove.

CHARACTER: Lionel Cosgrove from “Braindead” (or “Dead Alive”)

Lionel Cosgrove, our hero

Lionel is a young man who lives in Wellington, New Zealand with his widowed mother in the year 1957.  Lionel is a shy, quiet, and unintentionally socially awkward.  Lionel partly blames himself for his father’s death, and is overwhelmingly loyal and caring towards his mother, Vera, as a way to compensate their loss.  One day Lionel catches the attention of the local shopkeeper’s daughter, Paquita.  Paquita finds Lionel very attractive and fun to be around, so the two of them go out on a date.  Lionel’s relationship with Paquita does not please his mother and she confronts the two of them at the Wellington Zoo.  It is during this confrontation at the Zoo that Vera walks too close to one of the animal cages and is bitten by the vicious and blood thirsty “Sumatran Rat-Monkey”.                     

     The bite from the Sumatran Rat-Monkey causes Lionel’s mother to transform into a ravenous zombie.  Being ever, the good son, Lionel decides not to destroy his mother, but rather take care of her, and hide her from the rest of the World.  That sounds all fine and dandy until, she rises from the grave after her funeral and bites a few people, thus creating more zombies for Lionel to have to watch over.  Lionel’s problems only worsen when his greedy Uncle Les finds out about what really happened to Lionel’s mother and he threatens to blackmail Lionel unless he gives him the house and all the money that his mother left him.  Things go from Bad to worse when the zombies escape from their basement prison and begin to wreak havoc on the massive house party that Les has thrown.  Now it’s up to Lionel and his girlfriend Paquita to stop the zombies from taking over Wellington and possibly the world.

"Party's Over"

THE ACTOR:

Timothy Balme plays Lionel Cosgrove

Lionel Cosgrove in “Braindead” is played by actor Timothy Balme.  This was Balme’s first movie role and it goes without saying he does a fantastic job in this role.  I honestly couldn’t picture anyone but Balme in this role.  He’s funny, he’s quirky, and he’s entertaining.  In some ways he reminds me of a socially-awkward version of David Tennant.  Why don’t more directors or studios cast Balme in their Horror films?  He is just so good.  Balme has actually gone on to do more TV movies and TV series then he has studio released films.  I certainly hope the reason why is because it was his own decision and not because no studio wants to cast him. If no film studio wants an actor like Timothy Balme, then I think most studios seriously need to reconsider how they cast actors in their films.

CHARACTER IS SIMILAR TO OR INSPIRED BY:

     So I think Lionel Cosgrove is like New Zealand’s equivalent of Ash Williams.  He’s nerdy, he’s funny, he’s likable, and he kicks ass.  Like Ash, Lionel uses a landscaping tool to slay the undead (Ash has a chainsaw, Lionel has a lawn mower).  Also both characters get covered in gallons and gallons blood.  I mean both of these characters/actors get covered in enough fake blood to fill an Olympic sized swimming pool in their respected films.  Yeah, if you like Ash Williams and the “Evil Dead” franchise then you’re going to enjoy the hell out of Lionel Cosgrove and “Braindead”

Hi, I'm Lionel.  Please to meet you.

Nice to meet you Lionel!  I'm Ash.

FATE OF THE CHARACTER:

I hope these two found happiness together

So after Lionel and Paquita slay (what seems like) dozens of zombies, they are left to face their biggest challenge yet.  Lionel’s mother Vera has transformed into a giant zombie-monster hybrid and is bent on destroying her son and Paquita.  Lionel finally has the courage to stand up to his mother, and calls her out.  Lionel tells his mother that he knows his father didn’t drown trying to rescue him as a boy, but rather it was her who drowned him in the bathtub after he found out he had been cheating on her.  It all comes to an epic battle between Lionel and the monster that his mother has become.  All looks lost for him when he is consumed by his mother, but using a protective talisman that Paquita’s grandmother gave him, he is able to escape from inside his mother.  With his mother and all the other zombies vanquished, Lionel and Paquita walk off into the night, and that’s where our film ends.  I like to think that the two of them went on to live happily ever after, but part of me also believes that this ending could leave it open to a sequel.  I mean we never did see Baby Zombie Selwyn die in the house fire.  Come on, you’ve got the perfect set up.  If Peter Jackson ever finishes with these “Hobbit” films the next thing he should do is work on a sequel to “Braindead”, but if he decides not too I’m sure his legions of fans will be able to live off of the excessive violence and gore from his 1992 classic.

Character Analysis: GraveRobber

Character Analysis: Graverobber

By: Brian Cotnoir

GraveRobber

Hello Friends, Das Film Junkie here, and I am very excited about this Character Analysis because I am about to do an analysis on a character from one of my favorite films of all time: “Repo! The Genetic Opera”.  Oh how I do enjoy this film so much.  I’ve seen it dozens of times, and I have my best friend and co-blogger, The Corseted Critic, to thank for introducing me to this amazing film.  You see back in 2008, I was a freshman at Lasell College in Auburndale, MA; this is where I first met the Corseted Critic.  I had never met anyone who enjoyed and was obsessed with Horror movies as much I was.  One day she invited me up to her dorm to watch some horror movies, and I remember seeing a sign on her door—that she had made herself—that said “Ask me about Repo”.  So I shrugged my shoulders and asked her about Repo, and she began telling me about this film “Repo! The Genetic Opera” and how badly she wanted to see it because it starring one of her favorite actors—Anthony Steward Head—and the more she talked about it the more intrigued I became.  When she mentioned that Bill Moseley—who is one of my favorite actors—was also in the film—I was sold, and wanted to see it as badly as she did.  We were fortunate enough that the “Repo Movie Tour” was playing in a small independent theatre near our school, and that the film’s director Darren Lynn Bousman would be there with one of the cast members from the film as well.  From the moment I saw it, I loved it, and to this day I will show this film to anyone who I meet who has not seen it.  I’ve even convinced my parents and grandparents to watch it (they didn’t care for it).       

    So I figured it was about time I did a Character Analysis on one of the many memorable characters of this film.  After much debate I decided to do an analysis of the film’s Narrator GraveRobber.  I did consider doing Bill Moseley’s character, Luigi Largo, since he is one of my favorite actors and I have actually met him, but I decided that there were other characters he’s played that I could write an analysis on, and I decided to do one on GraveRobber instead for that reason, and because he is probably the most Fan-Popular cast member in the film.    

  

Character: GraveRobber from “Repo! The Genetic Opera”

     GraveRobber serves as the narrator for our film.  He lives in a dystopian world in the year 2056.  It is a world that has suffered through a massive organ failure epidemic.  For those who are on their death beds, the only chance they have at prolonging their lives is to purchase a new organ from a company known as GeneCo.  GeneCo’s organ replacements have gone on to save countless lives, however if you ever default on the payments of your new organs, then GeneCo’s president Rotti Largo will send a “Repo Man” after you to legally repossess your organ(s), which typically results in a horrible death.      

Enter GraveRobber.  GraveRobber breaks into tombs at the local cemetery in hopes of extracting a powerful painkiller called Zydrate from corpses.  Zydrate was developed by GeneCo to numb its patients for surgery.  Zydrate is a super-effective drug, but it is also extremely addictive.  People pay good money to grave robbers who deal and peddle black market Zydrate on the streets.  The crime of grave robbing is such an issue, that there are laws passed to help suppress the problem, and anyone caught robbing graves and/or extracting Zydrate from corpses is to be “executed on site”.  GraveRobber’s job is a very dangerous one, and along the way he rescues and assists the films heroine Shiloh Wallace, while at the same time keeping the audience aware of what’s going on in the story of the film   

The Actor:

     GraveRobber is played by Terrance Zdunich.  In addition to playing GraveRobber, Zdunich  also co-wrote the screenplay and co-composed the music for “Repo! The Genetic Opera” with Darren Smith.  In addition, he also hand drew all films animation sequences. He is fantastic in this film.  His scenes are memorable, his songs are memorable, and for a supporting character he certainly does bring a lot of attention and popularity to his character.         

Darren & Terrance...They are so freaking nice! :)

I’ve actually had the pleasure of meeting Terrance Zdunich twice.  My first encounter with him is actually quite a funny story: I was at the Repo Movie Tour in Brookline, MA.  I was in the bathroom and as I went to exit the bathroom a man came bursting in through the door and hit me in the face with the door.  The man began to apologize to me for hitting me with the door.  I didn’t realize, at first, that it was Terrance Zdunich who was apologizing to me, because I had most of my face covered because I was checking to make sure that I wasn’t hurt, and as he walked by I noticed who it was out of the corner of my eye.  So I waited outside the bathroom room for him to re-emerge, and when he did, I asked him if he was in the film.  He told me “Yes, I play GraveRobber”.  I asked him if he would sign an autograph for me, and he said he would.  Not only that, but he was on his way to meet up with the director Darren Lynn Bousman and invited me to meet him and get his autograph as well.  I went with Terrance, and he introduced me to Darren, and they both autographed my movie ticket, and they were even nice enough to wait a few minutes while I ran into the theatre to grab The Corseted Critic, so she could meet them and get an autograph, and have her picture taken with them.                             

     I was deeply humbled by Terrance & Darren’s kindness and generosity.  If you ever get a chance to meet them, whether it’s at a movie convention, or one of their movie tours (“Repo” or “The Devils Carnival”) I suggest you do, they are so nice, they love their fans and are just so down to earth and fun to talk to.

Character is Similar to or Inspired by:

GRAAAAAAAVVEEEEESSSS!!!!

Is there any character out there who’s like GraveRobber?  I can’t think of any.  In fact, there’s only one or two other films I can think of that feature a grave robber as a character.  GraveRobber is a character who is completely unique and like no other.  I know that before “Repo! The Genetic Opera” was a film it started out as short one-act plays acted out by Terrance Zdunich and Darren Smith. Later, in 2002 it was turned into a full-length stage play.  After that it would be made into a ten-minute short film in 2006.  Every time, GraveRobber was played by Terrance Zdunich, the man who created the character and was the total embodiment of everything that GraveRobber was and plays him like no one else ever could.

Ultimate Fate of the Character:

Surgery...Surgery...Surgery!

When the film ends, GraveRobber is there to tell us (or sing I should say) the epilogue to the film, where he explains what happened to all the other major characters in the film.  Surprisingly, enough he never tells us what became of him.  The last shot we have of him in the film, is he is selling a “little glass vial” of Zydrate to a woman (a hooker) on the streets.  I think it’s safe to assume that GraveRobber is still up to his old tricks, robbing graves, extracting Zydate, and selling it to anyone who is willing to pay him for it.  That’s just my interpretation, I think for a more accurate answer as to whatever became of GraveRobber, you should ask Terrance himself in person. 

Old vs New: 13 Ghosts

Sometimes the remake is better... I'll try not to spoil too much but there are a few spoilers here!

So! I was bored today and checked out the Fearnet On Demand thing my cable has and found a film called 13 ghosts. 'Oh, cool!' I thought, 'That thing with Monk and that dude who played Shaggy in Scoopy Doo?' So I clicked on it and realized a little too late that the year said 1960. 

Great. Well I shrugged and just let it play. I didn't know that the 2001 film was a remake so I was curious as to how the origonal was.

I don't know if it was how my expectations were lowered when I saw that the film was in black and white, the uninteresting characters and acting, or the ify story, but this thing had me falling asleep!

It is the story of a family that is down on their luck and getting their belongings reposessed. Just when things are at their worst a stroke of luck comes in an inheritance from a mysterious uncle. They gain his house and immedietly move in. Soon they realize that the uncle was a collector of ghosts and there are currently 13 residing in the house. A few creepy things happen, like the kitchen being messed up by the ghost of a cook and a few other things floating on their own. A journal is also found and in it records of all the ghosts are written. The last page, on which is written Ghost 13 is left blank, though.

Another story line is that of the uncle fortune, hidden somewhere in the house and a seedy lawyer who is looking for it. The lawyer elists the help of the family's young boy and soon the boy finds the money hidden underneath the stairs. So of course the next logical step is to kill the kid!

This really comes from left field as the lawyer seemed nice and almost like he was going to start dating the older daughter. Then he finds a ton of cash and BOOM, let's kill a kid! The ghosts save the kid, the family finds the money and it doesn't seem like the ghosts are a bother any more.

Okay, like I said, I was falling asleep during this film. The only thing that kept me awake was a nifty ploy they had. The beginning of the film starts with the producer explaining about a viewer they have. "If you believe in ghosts, view through the red part, but if you don't view through the blue." At times the screen would go blue and apparently the audience was given these viewers on the way into the theater. Since not many people have 3D glasses in a coat pocket like I did the film I viewed showed the ghosts in red on the blue background. Since I had glasses handy I was able to see more detial by viewing through the red half. Viewing through the blue showed only faint figures of the ghosts. In the film the uncle made glasses in which you can see ghosts and whenever these were used, the audience was told to use their viewers.

That's about it. There were a few suspenseful moments, but they come early and despite my hopes, the rest of the movie is basically hoping the red and blue thing is either creepy or interesting enough to keep audiences engaged. Also, they never explain the whole mystery behind the thirteenth ghost. Why was there no entry for it in the journal? Who was it? Why was it left blank? The uncle even had an entry for the 12th ghost and it was HIM! My advice? Skip it....Unless you need a nap.

Now, the 2001 remake stars Tony Schalhoub as the father and pretty much follows the same story: Down and out family loses everything in a fire, even the wife/mother perishes in the inferno. They find they inherit a house from their uncle Cyrus from his lawyer and, unlike the origonal, you just know this guy is an ass. There is a brief reference to the romance in the 1960 version between the daughter and lawyer in a smile the girl gives him, but now that I notice the reference it's just creepy as the lawyer is very much older than her. Ew.

So they go to the house and this is where I get into it. The set design in this film is AMAZING!! The house is mostly made of glass with writing on it we learn are containment spells for the ghosts Cyrus has collected. There is also a clockwork like look to it with gears and a central engine that is as big as a high school gym, spinning fast with gears, spikes and rings.

It is a very inventive home that moves, turning itself into a maze when the seedy lawyer removes a bag full of money from a trigger. This locks everyone in the house and begins releasing the ghosts one by one. The glasses were also kept in, but now there are many pairs and no gimmick for the audience. The ghosts aren't seen unless a character wears the glasses, then we can see them!

The ghosts are also very inventive. Each has their own story and this can be seen by their appearance, like a little boy dressed up as a cowboy with an arrow through his head. Looks like a game of cowboys and indians went awry!

So the family is in a house full of ghosts being released from their prisons one by one. Also the children disappear as well. Along for the ride is a mendium who helped Cyrus trap them all, and a woman who wants to free the souls, like PETA, but for dead things.

The woman has a spell book that holds plans for a device that can see into the future, powered by the dead. The house is that machine, built by Cyrus.

It is explained that the Cyrus needed these specific ghosts to power the machine, like the Torso, which looks like a mob hit. Also, he needed one called the Withered Lover, who happens to be the dead mother. There is also the thirteenth ghost. A ghost made with an act of pure love. The father is supposed to die for his children, making him the thirteenth ghost. He is told that his sacrifice will short circut the system and stop the machine.

The remake took a basic story and built on it. It added an amazing set design in the house, turned the simple illutions from the origonal into some pretty creepy creatures, each unique and scary look. Is it a good movie? Well, maybe, but it isn't that scary. It's more of an adventure than horror.

The acting is better the set and costume design are VERY well done and I love watching this film all the time.

The 1960 version? A really good sleep aid!

Character Analysis: Patrick Bateman

Character Analysis: Patrick Bateman

By: Brian Cotnoir

     Well, it has been far too long since I wrote a Character Analysis and now I am here to make up with one of the most popular antagonist of early 21^st century films.

CHARACTER: Patrick Bateman from “American Psycho” (2000)

Patrick Bateman is a 27-year-old Executive Banker living in New York City during the glory that is the 1980’s.  He is the picture perfect definition of a Young Urban Professional Person (a Yuppie).  He is calm, collective, stylish, incredibly organized, and attractive.  His apartment is white, pristine, and very neatly organized He appears to have the perfect life, but looks can be deceiving.  Underneath his external beauty, and professional appearance Patrick has many dark and unsettling tendencies.  He is cheating on his fiancée with her best friend; he picks up prostitutes, and even fantasizes about killing his co-workers.  He is a person of habit.  He believes in neatness, organization, which he uses to mask his delirium and rage from others.  He possesses traits of a person who is Obsessive-Compulsive, anal retentive, controlling, paranoid, and extremely competitive.  Throughout the film, Bateman makes references to being a part of “the Rat Race”, and he does not like to be outshined by anyone: not a co-worker, not a family member, not even a stranger on the street.  Patrick Bateman strives to be the best and won’t tolerate anything less than the absolute best.  Even something as simple has having a nicer business card than him will send him into a sequestered rage. 

THE ACTOR:

Patrick Bateman is played by Academy Award Winning Actor Christian Bale, and really I don’t think they could have gotten a better actor to play this role than Bale.  One thing that Christian Bale did for this role that shows how seriously he took it was that throughout the filming he adapted the daily routine of Patrick Bateman (such as his morning beautification routine, and his rigorous exercise training).  Not to mention Bale, who is a British citizen, masks his accent very well throughout the film.  So well, that many people who worked on the film believed he was actually an American, and when they heard him speaking with his natural British accent many of them just assumed he was preparing for a role in another film.  I’ve heard some people say that this role could have been more fun if it was played by other actors such as Edward Norton, Johnny Depp, or Daniel Day-Lewis, but I don’t think that any of them could have brought the same amount of charm, intensity, charisma, and dark humor as Bale.  Simply put Christian Bale is the best person they could have got for this role.

What I see every time I hear Huey Lewis playing

CHARACTER IS SIMILAR TO OR INSPIRED BY:

     Patrick Bateman comes from the novelization of American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis.  As far characters he is similar to or inspired by I would place Patrick Bateman in the same category as Norman Bates from “Psycho” (1960.  Besides having the root word Bate in their surnames both Patrick and Norman are young, homicidal, white males that show signs paranoia and wanting to constantly be in control.  They kill not only because they want to, but they feel that they also have to.  I would also say that Patrick is also similar to Alex DeLarge from “A Clockwork Orange” because both of them have similar violent tendencies and are aficionados of music: Alex is an expert on classical composer Ludwig Van Beethoven, and Patrick is a huge fan of popular mainstream music acts of the 1980’s such as Robert Palmer, Whitney Houston, and Huey Lewis and the News.  Both also find a link between their favorite music and their violent crimes.

Patrick Bateman "American Psycho"

Norman Bates "Psycho"

Alex DeLarge "A Clockwork Orange"

FATE OF THE CHARACTER:

What ever became of you, Patrick???

Well ultimately what happens to Patrick Bateman is unclear.  After being paranoid about getting caught, Patrick has a breakdown and confesses all his murderous misdeeds to his lawyer in a frantic phone call.  When he confronts his lawyer the next day, he laughs it off as if it were just some sick joke, and shows no real concern.  So this brings into question: did Patrick really murder all those people or where they all just merely violent fantasies he created in his own mind.  I personally believe that Patrick did not commit the crimes for a number of reasons such as early on in the film we hear Patrick threaten a female bartender at a club, but he does not follow up on his threat.  Also that scene where he is chasing the prostitute down the hall way naked with a chainsaw, I find it really hard to believe that no one in his apartment building heard the chainsaw or screaming.  Also, Patrick’s Lawyer said that he ate lunch with a man named Paul Allen in London, even though Patrick claimed to have killed him. I can also see the evidence to support that Patrick did actually kill all those people, and if you believe he really did kill people in the film, I don’t think you are wrong for thinking that.  I think that just adds to the mystery and fascination of Patrick Bateman, because we don’t actually know whether he is a homicidal maniac or just a mentally unstable person with homicidal tendencies.