Character Analysis: Lieutenant Dan Taylor

Character Analysis: Lieutenant Dan Taylor

By: Brian Cotnoir

     

    “Forrest Gump”; just hearing the title of this Award Winning film immediately makes you think of many different quotes like “Mama, always said life is like a box of chocolates” and “Run Forrest! Run!”.  So many memorable lines, and scenes, and characters make this 1994 and instant classic.  I actually had quite a difficult time trying to pick a character to write this week’s Analysis on.  I didn’t want to write one about Forrest because I thought that would take me weeks to write, so I put it to a vote again, and by an overwhelming response, the people have requested that I write one on Lieutenant Dan Taylor.

CHARACTER: Lieutenant Dan Taylor from “Forrest Gump” (1994)

Lt. Dan Taylor from "Forrest Gump" (1994)

We aren’t introduced to Lt. Dan until way into the film.  We first meet him in Vietnam where he is the Lieutenant to Forrest and Bubba’s platoon.  According to Forrest, one person in Lt. Dan’s family has fought and died in every major American war.  Lt. Dan believes he has a destiny to die on the battlefield with his men, just like his ancestors. This could imply that Lt. Dan possibly is a superstitious person.  Despite the fact, that he is ready and willing to die in combat, he is very protectant over all of his men.  After his platoon is ambushed by the Vietcong, Lt. Dan is badly injured, and calls for a massive airstrike to wipe out the Vietcong.  Lt. Dan is completely aware that for him this means that he will be killed by friendly fire.  Against his commands (and wishes) Lt. Dan is rescued by Forrest, and is taken to an Army Medical Center where he has both of his legs amputated. Lt. Dan becomes very resentful towards Forrest, for “cheating him out of his destiny” and also blames Forrest for turning him into a “crippled freak”.  Lt. Dan is later discharged from the army.             

Lt. Dan after he loses his legs

    The next time we see Lt. Dan is outside of a television studio in New York City.  He confronts Forrest who has become a minor celebrity, and even received a Congressional Medal of Honor for his bravery on the battlefield in Vietnam.  Lt. Dan is just as resentful as ever.  Since his discharge from the Army, he has yet to find stable employment and is living off the Government (because he is disabled).  He is now an alcoholic, and may be using it numb away possible Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).  Lt. Dan later ends up defending Forrest after a prostitute (that he was acquainted with) asks if Forrest is stupid.  He kicks out both prostitutes cursing their names.                         After that we don’t see Lt. Dan until after Forrest becomes a shrimp boat captain back in Alabama.  He promised Forrest that if he ever became a shrimp boat captain then he would become his first mate.  Lt. Dan proves he is a man of his word, but ultimately ends up giving more orders and running the entire operation over Forrest.  Forrest and Lt. Dan survive a Hurricane while out at sea and end up being the only shrimp boat in southern Alabama.  After that the Bubba Gump Shrimp Company becomes highly successful.

THE ACTOR: 

Actor Gary Sinise

Lt. Dan is played by actor Gary Sinise.  Sinise did a phenomenal job with the role.  When you think of all the characters in the film Sinise is the only actor who has to play their role with a variety of different ranges.  When you look at all the characters: Forrest is always sweet & simple, Mama is always kindhearted & loving, but Lt. Dan starts off caring & humble, becomes cold & bitter and then eventually comes full circle.  That’s a lot of changes for one character to go through in just one film.  Not to mention he had to play a Veteran of Foreign war who became physically disabled.  That was probably the most challenging aspect of the role for Sinise.  And since appearing in “Forrest Gump” has been on multiple USO Tours and puts on charity events to raise money for veterans who are disabled.

CHARACTER IS SIMILAR TO OR INSPIRED BY:

Off the top of my head I can’t think of any characters that Lt. Dan is similar too.  If I really wanted to stretch it, I suppose I could say that he is similar to Willem Defoe’s character Sgt. Elias Grodin in Oliver Stone’s 1986 film “Platoon” their similarities are they both soldiers in Vietnam, and both are badly injured in combat.  Their major differences—besides rank—is that Sgt. Grodin dies on the battlefield while Lt. Dan survives.

FATE OF THE CHARACTER:

Lt. Dan ends up investing money from the Bubba Gump Shrimp Company in Apple Computers, and ends up making he and Forrest millionaires.  The last time we see Lt. Dan in the film is at Forrest and Jenny’s wedding.  He is walking up right, and has new legs made out of titanium alloy.  He is also engaged to a woman named Susan, and he properly thanks Forrest for saving his life on the battlefield years earlier. 

Character Analysis: Beni Gabor

Character Analysis: Beni Gabor

By: Brian Cotnoir

When I started off my career in education, I was an aspiring History teacher.  Every day when I subbed at the High School I would hope and wish that one of the History teachers would have called out so I could cover for their class and get some valuable experience teaching in their classrooms.  I can recall on more than one occasion covering for a History teacher whose class was learning about Ancient Egypt, and the only instructions they’d have left for me was “Play this DVD for All Classes”.  So my job that day was to sit in the classroom and watch “The Mummy” remake 4-5 times.  The film wasn’t all that educational and taught very little of Ancient Egyptial culture, but it always amazed me was how much the students got into the film.  I never understood why; the CGI is crude by today’s standards, the action is minimal, the acting ranges from monotone and underdeveloped to campy and over the top, but the students all seemed to enjoy watching it.  So I decided that I would do a Character Analysis on a character from “The Mummy”, and I could think of no better secondary character in the film than that neurotic, money driven little twerp, Beni Gabor.

CHARACTER: Beni Gabor from “The Mummy” (1999)

Beni Gabor from "The Mummy" (1999)

We first see Beni in the film in the city of Hamunaptra in Egypt in the early 1920’s where he is a member of the French Foreign Legion serving alongside Rick O’Connell, an American.  Although, it’s never mentioned in the film Beni is not French, he is a Hungarian...what an American and a Hungarian are doing serving in the French Foreign Legion, I have no clue.  While in the French Foreign Legion they come under attack by a group of Taureg Nomads.  Beni initially tells O’Connell that he will heroically fight beside him until the end before retreating and hiding himself in an ancient crypt in the city, leaving O’Connell and others to be massacred.  Beni and O’Connell end up being the only survivors of the siege.  The next time we see Beni it is a few years later, he on a riverboat cruising down the Nile River when he runs into Rick O’Connell.  Beni offers a half-hearted apology to O’Connell for abandoning him years ago in Hamunaptra.  He lets O’Connell and the others know that he is on the boat trying to take another group of explorers to Hamunaptra so they all might reap the riches of the Ancient Egyptian tombs.  After the boat is ambushed by members of the Mejia, Beni quickly returns to his cowardice ways and abandons all others in hopes of saving his own life.  He makes it to safety, with his group and all of the horses that were on the boat, but is informed by O’Connell that he is on the wrong side of the river.                                        This scene paints a reoccurring image of Beni that we see throughout the film. Beni is not only a coward, but is also very greedy and incredibly selfish. He thinks only of himself, and his only motivation in life is acquire vast riches. Beni eventually leads his group to Hamunaptra—where he meets up once again with Rick O’Connell and his group—and the two groups explore and plunder the ancient tombs and take the tombs treasure as their bounty.  After, Evelyn’s reading of The Ancient Egyptian Book of the Dead causes the resurrection of Imhotep, an Ancient Egyptian priest.    

Beni prays for his life

        Imhotep begins picking off members of Beni’s group one-by-one, and Beni comes face to face with the half-resurrected Corpse of Imhotep while hiding out in the tomb.  Fearing for his life once again, Beni brandishes various religious artifacts that he where’s around his neck and recites short prayers hoping that one of the prayers will ward off Imhotep.  It is only when he holds up a Star of David and starts reciting a prayer in Hebrew that Imhotep decides not to kill Beni because he speaks “the language of the slaves”.  Imhotep makes a deal with Beni; in return for helping him find the canopic jars with his organs and helping him complete his resurrection, he will spare Beni’s life and promises him gold and other riches.  Beni is happy to oblige.  From that short scene between the two we can deduce that Beni is most likely a very superstitious person.  His superstitions probably derive from the fact that he is fully aware that he is a lying, deceitful, greedy, traitorous thief, and he hopes that by keeping these religious trinkets close to him, he will be always be safe. After Imhotep’s resurrection is completed he takes Beni back to Hamunaptra where he releases him from his duties and allows him to take whatever he wants from the treasure room.

THE ACTOR:  

Beni is played by actor Kevin J. O’Connor.  O’Connor has made a pretty decent career playing secondary characters in many Big-Budget and Box Office Hits.  O’Connor is known to do many collaborations with writer/director Stephen Sommers.  It should come as no surprise that O’Connor would be cast in “The Mummy” since it was written & directed by Stephen Somers.  Kevin J. O’Connor did a great job with this role and when you take a moment in think about it, he’s an Irish-American actor playing a Hungarian character who is a member of the French Foreign Legion stationed in Egypt.  That’s a mind blowing amount of multicultural references.

Actor Kevin J. O'Connor plays Beni Gabor in "The Mummy"

CHARACTER IS SIMILAR TO OR INSPIRED BY:

Dijon from "Ducktales the Movie" 

From the first time I saw Beni in the film all I could think of was that he was a Human version of Dijon from “Ducktales the Movie: Treasure of the Lost Lamp”.  Both Dijon and Beni are deceitful thieves who mislead groups of people they initially promised to help, but in all actuality they are working for an evil supernatural being and are motivated only by their own greed and/or fear of being killed by the supernatural beings if they do not help them.  If you watch clips of the two of them you’ll see they even dress similar.  I definitely think O’Connor used some of Dijon’s character traits in his portrayal of Beni Gabor.         

I’ve also been told by some people that Beni is (possibly) meant to represent a negative & stereotypical portrayal of Jewish people.  The evidence behind their reasons was that 1.) Beni can speak Hebrew 2.) The Stereotype that Jewish people are only motivated by gold and/or money 3.) His last name is Gabor, and that is a Jewish name.  I did a quick search on-line and I saw websites that said Gabor was just a Hungarian name and I saw other websites that said it was a Hebrew name.  According to one website “Gabor means God is my Strength in Hebrew”.  I’m afraid I don’t know enough about Jewish culture or the Hebrew language to confirm or deny these claims, and I apologize if the information I’m presenting is incorrect or inappropriate, it was not my intention to anger or offend anyone. I was just merely trying to present an alternative view.  

FATE OF THE CHARACTER:

Beni’s greed leads to eventual downfall in the film.  After being told multiple times throughout the film by O’Connell that he would get what he rightly has coming to him someday, Beni finally gets a heavy dose of a karma towards the end of the film.  While leaving the treasure room for the second time with bags of gold and other priceless treasures, Beni takes a rest and exactly triggers an ancient booby trap in the tomb.  The tomb causes the walls to seal shut and fill all the passage ways with sand.  While O’Connell and his group make it out, Beni is not so lucky.  He becomes trapped in the tomb surrounded by all the Golden treasures he could ever want in life.  Unfortunately, for him he has no way of escaping the tomb with all the treasures, and just when it looks like it couldn’t get any worst for him, a swarm of scarab beetles appears and eats Beni alive, killing him in one of the most brutal ways I can ever imagine a person being killed off in a film. 

Character Analysis: Brian Johnson

Character Analysis: Brian Johnson

By: Brian Cotnoir

Well it’s almost that time of year again.  Another school year has come and gone.  Many students are looking forward to graduation, while others are looking forward to Summer vacation.  So I decided that in honor of the end of another school year, I would write a Character Analysis on a student character in film.  Very few films stand the test of time and hold as much relevance today as they did back then as John Hughes 1985 cult classic “The Breakfast Club”.  The story of a group of 5 students from different social groups and backgrounds who are forced to spend their Saturday in detention.  Instead of working on the essay their Principal assigned them to write, they spend most of the day talking, arguing, sharing stories about their home lives, smoking pot, dancing, and just trying not to get caught by Mr. Vernon.  Anyone of the characters from “The Breakfast Club” would have been a great choice for me to write a Character Analysis on, but the one I have chosen to write one on is Brian Johnson: The Geek.

CHARACTER: Brian Johnson from “The Breakfast Club” (1985)

Brian Johnson from "The Breakfast Club"

Brian Johnson is one of 5 students at Shermer High School forced to spend their Saturday in detention.  Early on we see Brian has come to the detention prepared to study and work on various class assignments.  As his day progresses we view him desperately trying to seek the approval of the others.  When questioned by student John Bender, if he’s still a virgin, Brian makes up a lie saying that he lost his virginity to a girl he met at Niagara Falls, and then lies and said he also had sex with Claire—a popular girl in the Saturday detention with them.    Brian is in detention because his flare gun went off in his locker.  Brian admits that this is the reason why he is in detention when he’s sitting around the library with the other students.  When asked by Andrew why he had a gun in his locker, Brian replied “I can’t have an F”.  Brian tells his classmates that he failed his Shop Class earlier this year; it was the first time he ever received an F.  Brian goes on to tell the others about how strict his parents are with his grades, and how he’s devastated at the loss of his perfect Grade Point Average.  This confession makes Brian appear somewhat mentally unstable and anal retentive.  Brian’s stress over his grades is most likely brought on by the pressure from his parents to achieve academic perfection.  He says that “I can’t have an F. And I know my parents can have it”, so by that we can accurately assume that his parents hold him to the highest standard (academically).  It is unclear if Brian brought the flare gun to school mistaking it for a real gun, but it is heavily implied that he was having suicidal thoughts over receiving an F.  Claire tells Brian that “killing yourself is not an option” to which he snaps back “Well I didn’t do it!”.  Why a student deserves a Saturday detention rather than psychological help for contemplating suicide is beyond me, and I’m just going to chock that one into the “it was a different time back then” scenario.

THE ACTOR:

Anthony Michael Hall

Brian is played by actor Anthony Michael Hall.  This wasn’t the first time Hall has played the Geek character in a film.  In fact, he’s the actor who revolutionized the Geek character in film and made him the everyman that people like and root for.  Before Anthony Michael Hall, most film characters who played geeks were neurotic and panned up for comedic relief like Jerry Lewis’s character in “The Nutty Professor”.  Anthony Michael Hall’s geek character archetype led to many successful and beloved acting performances in films like “Sixteen Candles”, “Weird Science”, and “The Breakfast Club”. 

THE CHARACTER IS SIMILAR TO OR INSPIRED BY:

As I mentioned above, Anthony Michael Hall has set the standard for how to play a geek character in film. Every other geek character in film pretty much takes direct inspiration from Anthony Michael Hall, everyone form Ducky in “Pretty in Pink” (another John Hughes film), to McLovin in “Superbad”, and Columbus in “Zombieland”. All share many distinctive similarities to all of Hall’s performances.  Their characters are socially-awkward, (usually) intelligent, they have unique but distinguishable quirks, and they fail time after time at trying to pick up women.

Ducky from "Pretty in Pink"

McLovin from "Superbad"

FATE OF THE CHARACTER:

After spending the whole day talking to the others and sharing in some friendly bonding and experiences that may last a lifetime, Brian has to come to a sad—but inevitable—realization.  When school resumes on Monday morning, they will most likely go back to their own social groups, and will not remain friends.  Even with this devastating news from his newest friends, Brian tells the others that he would never shun or ignore any of them if they approached him in the hallway; even though they all told him that they would most likely turn away from him if he approached them.  As the detention draws to an end, all the others approach Brian and convince him to write the essay that they were all supposed to be working on during their detention, since they consider him to be the smartest.  Brian agrees to do this favor for his new friends and composes a letter roughly 1/10^th the size that their Principal instructed them to write at the beginning of the detention setting.  The essay that Brian wrote is read out loud as the film ends, and he signs it “Sincerely Yours, The Breakfast Club”.

Character Analysis: Olaf

Character Analysis: Olaf

By: Brian Cotnoir

I like “Frozen”.  There I said it, and I’m not even embarrassed.  Even the toughest and most rugged of men can have a Disney side.  Not only is this one of my favorite Animated Films, but it’s one of my favorite films of All-Time.  Nothing makes me happier then when my three-year-old niece asks me if we can watch “Frozen” together.  I enjoy this film.  I like the animation, I like the songs (yes, even “Let it go”), I like the story, but most of all this film has probably my favorite Disney Character ever, Olaf.  From the first time I saw this titular snowman in the film, I became instantly intrigued and fascinated by him; I found him to be charming, funny, and especially entertaining.  So today we are paying tribute to Olaf and analyze what makes him so darn awesome.

CHARACTER: Olaf from “Frozen” (2013)

Olaf from "Frozen"

Olaf is a anthropomorphic snowman created by Elsa, the Snow Queen of Arendelle. We first see him very early on in the film.  He is just a typical snowman created by a very young Elsa for her younger sister Anna.  Olaf cannot speak, or move, and has no conscious thoughts.  Many years later after Elsa runs away to the high icy mountain tops she uses her snow powers to create a snowman before creating a giant ice palace for herself to reside in.  For reasons never explained, Olaf is now alive and wanders through the mountains of woods on his own until he comes across Anna, Kristoff, and Sven the reindeer.  Olaf greets them with this typical greeting “Hi, I’m Olaf, and I like warm hugs”.  Olaf is a very kind-natured, innocent, and naive snowman whose only dream is to experience Summer (completely unaware of the fact that he will melt in the heat).  Olaf agrees to take the others to Elsa’s ice palace.  Even though, he was told not to enter the palace by Anna, Olaf can’t help himself and rushes in to meet his creator.  Even though, Elsa comes off as cold-hearted (no pun intended) and a little hostile, Olaf is beyond excited to meet his creator, and she is even more surprised to learn that he is alive.  Despite being tossed out, by Elsa’s evil snow henchman, Olaf is still delighted to have met her and hopes to see her again.  Unfortunately, Elsa’s ice powers hit her sister Anna in the heart, and now it’s up to Olaf, Kristoff, and Sven to rescue Anna.

THE VOICE ACTOR:

Olaf is voiced by Broadway singer Josh Gad.  Before, taking the voice role of Olaf, Gad was best known for playing Elder Arnold Cunningham in the hit Broadway show, “The Book of Mormon”.  Gad, not only does a fantastic job as a voice actor, but being a Broadway actor too also means he was more than capable of providing the singing voice for Olaf as well.  This is a nice change of pace, because in the past Disney Animated films have one voice actor for the speaking parts, and one for the singing parts.  Josh Gad does an amazing job at both.

CHARACTER IS SIMILAR TO OR INSPIRED BY:

“Frozen” is a lose adaptation of Hans Christian Anderson’s The Snow Queen. Walt Disney himself started developing the plot to the film back in 1959.  Disney, unfortunately never got adapt the story into an animated film, and the project remained in limbo for decades (not to mention went through many re-writes).  Olaf was not a part of the original story of The Snow Queen, and is definitely a creation of a Disney in an attempt to create a character for comic relief purposes.  Olaf, definitely falls in the same category of Wisecracking, funny Disney Sidekick like the late Robin William’s, Genie from “Aladdin” and Eddie Murphy’s, Mushu from “Mulan”.  Film Critic, Chad Rocco (aka CR! From Channel Awesome) did an episode on Olaf for his show “Familiar Faces”, and I highly recommend you check out his video on Youtube for more details.

CR!'s Analysis on Olaf (A Must Watch)

FATE OF THE CHARACTER:

Olaf and Kristoff manage to get Anna to safety, and after an intense battle between Elsa, Kristoff, Olaf, and Prince Hans.  The spell is broken when Anna sacrifices herself to save her sister, and everyone lives happily ever after.  Arendelle is thawed and Olaf finally gets to experience summer, despite melting, he is brought back to his solid state by Elsa and she uses her ice powers to give him his own personal flurry so he can survive in Summer.

That’s all we know of Olaf up to this point, but I’ll be sure to add on any more details we learn about him when/if “Frozen 2” is released in theaters. 

Character Analysis: Charlotte La Bouff

Character Analysis: Angel Face

Character Analysis: Angel Face

By: Brian Cotnoir

Angel Face from "Fight Club"

The First rule of Asylum for Nerds is you must share this article.  The second rule of Asylum for Nerds is you must share this article.  Fight Club: has there ever been a more masculine title for a book/film?  I don’t think so.  Ever since Fox Studios made a film version of Chuck Palahniuk’s novel of the same name, “Fight Club” has gone on to inspire a loyal cult following.  Millions of men around the world have identified with the stories nameless narrator, and have also aspired to be like the macho and ripped Tyler Durden.  Even though the Narrator and Tyler Durden (played by Edward Norton and Brad Pitt respectively) are the two most easily identical characters associated with the book and film, they aren’t the only ones who are iconic or memorable.  There’s also Helena Bonham-Carter’s character Marla Singer, and Meatloaf’s Robert Paulson, but ther is another—nameless—character in the film who has gained a loyal cult following (in both the film and in real life), and that character is Angel Face.  But what is it about this character that makes him so special and memorable?  Let’s take a look at him shall we?

CHARACTER: Angel Face from “Fight Club” (1999)

Angel Face scarred up after fight with Narrator

Angel Face is first introduced to the film at one of the nights at Fight Club held by the Narrator & Tyler Durden.  We never learn his actual name, he is merely referred to as “Angel Face” is both the novel and the film, though, he is sometimes referred to as “Mister Perfect Angel Face” by the resentful Narrator.  Angel Face is described as being very young and having beautiful blonde hair and facial features.  It is because of the reasons that the narrator harbors a deep resentment towards him, and believes that Angel Face is trying to usurp him, and find favoritism with Tyler Durden.  This resentment eventually boils over and Angel Face is savagely bludgeoned by the Narrator one night at Fight Club.  The Narrator proclaims “[he] wanted to destroy something beautiful”, and hence Angel Face loses his good looks.  The next time we see Angel Face in the film he is being recruited for Tyler Durden’s newest plan, Project Mayhem, and still bears the disfigured scars left on his face by the Narrator.  He takes great pleasure in their corporate destruction and is a highly active and willing participant in Project Mayhem

THE ACTOR:

Actor Jared Leto plays Angel Face in "Fight Club"

Angel Face is played by future Academy Award® Winning Actor & Musician Jared Leto.  Leto definitely fits the description of Angel Face in the film; he was young, good looking, and had blonde hair.  Leto was really the best choice for the role, and I believe is just as important as Brad Pitt for making this film a must-see for many Female audience members.  I know so many women who are huge fans of Leto’s band 30 Seconds to Mars, and saw this film solely to see him act in it.  Another reason why I believe Leto was the best choice for the person to play Angel Face in “Fight Club” is because of his now famous notoriety for playing characters in film who end up being horribly disfigured and brutally killed such as in “Requiem for a Dream”, “American Psycho”, and “Panic Room”. 

CHARACTER IS SIMILAR TO OR INSPIRED BY:

We have seen other characters like Angel Face in film and stories before; the young person who joins a cause (possibly) looking for belonging and acceptance, and becomes heavily involved in the cause doing anything and everything he is asked to do by the group’s leader.  The only character I can think off the top of my head who draws similarities to Angel Face is a character named Tim from a 2008 German film called “Die Welle” (or “The Wave”).  Both are dedicated to their group’s leader and their cause, and feel that what they are doing for their cause is extremely important and justifiable.

Angel Face taking part in his Project Mayhem initiation

Tim wasn't accepted into Project Mayhem

FATE OF THE CHARACTER:

It is never clearly explained what happened to Angel Face and the rest of the members of Project Mayhem.  We see them arrive at Parker-Morris Building just as the Narrator begins to have is existential battle with his alter ego, Tyler Durden (and no, I did not feel the need to declare a SPOILER Warning because if you haven’t already seen “Fight Club” before reading this article it’s your own damn fault!)  The last scene we see in the film is of the Narrator and Marla Singer watching the buildings being blown up by the members of Project Mayhem, it is never officially stated in the film whether or not Angel Face and the other members of Project Mayhem died in the destruction as well or if they were merely just there to watch the show.  Personally, I think he must have died in the explosion with all the others, but that’s just my opinion.

Character Analysis: Lipstick-Face Demon

Character Analysis: Lipstick-Face Demon

By: Brian Cotnoir

When you’ve seen as many Horror films as I have, you pretty much become immune to fear.  However, most recently there has been a new Horror movie character that has managed to terrify me multiple times.  He is a character who has made me scream out in terror in the theaters multiple times and that character has the bizarre name of “Lipstick-Face Demon”.  Don’t let the name fool you; this character from James Wan and Leigh Whannell’s “Insidious” Franchise is more terrifying than Freddy Krueger, Jason Voorhees, Michael Myers, and Leatherface.

CHARACTER: Lipstick-Face Demon from “Insidious” (2011) and 

“Insidious: Chapter 3” (2015)

Lipstick-Face Demon in "Insidious: Chapter 3"

So this is going to sound a little bit confusing, but I’ll try to make this as simple as I can.   Lipstick Face Demon’s first appearance technically comes in “Insidious Chapter 3” because everything occurs before the events in the first film.  Lipstick-Face Demon appears behind Elise Reiner, a spiritual medium, in her bedroom at the very end of the film.  He is—well-a demon who is from the astral plain known as “The Further”.  He has dark black skin, furry legs, and hooves for feet.  He also has razor sharp finger nails and green-yellow eyes, and his voice can only be heard by a select few.  Lipstick-Face Demon captures the spirit of a young boy named, Dalton Lambert.  With no medical explanation for why their son isn’t responding to anything, and mysterious and spooky things starting to happen around their home, the Lambert family ends up seeking help from Elise. Elise informs the family that their son is lost somewhere in The Further and that he is being held captive by a malevolent demon, who hopes to use Dalton’s body as way to break free of The Further.

Lipstick-Face Demon in "Insidious"

THE ACTOR:

Joseph Bishara plays the role of Lipstick-Face Demon

The Actor who plays Lipstick-Face Demon isn’t even an actor at all, but is someone who has close ties to the Horror film industry.  Joseph Bishara plays Lipstick-Face Demon in “Insidious” and “Insidious Chapter 3”, and he is also the Films Composer.  Bishara has composed the soundtrack for all three “Insidious” films as well as the scores in other James Wan films such as “Annabelle”, “The Conjuring” and its sequel, and many other Horror films.  I think it’s pretty nifty that the films composer has a small, but iconic role in the film.  It’s definitely a neat little fun-fact.  Plus, I find it funny that I find Bishara terrifying as Lipstick-Face Demon, but when you see him without the make up on he doesn’t look scary or intimidating.

CHARACTER IS SIMILAR TO OR INSPIRED BY:

Everyone who has seen Lipstick-Face Demon has had the same initial thought of him: “Hey, he kind of looks like Darth Maul from “Star Wars—Episode 1”, and I definitely see the similarities with the red and black faces.  Lipstick-Face Demon also has some traits of biblical demon portrayals (the red and black skin, the glowing eyes, the furry legs and hooves, etc.).

"Lipstick-Face Demon, I....am your father!"

".......Whatever, dude"

FATE OF THE CHARACTER:

Dalton’s Spirit is saved by his father Josh who journeys into the further to save his son, and Lipstick-Face Demon is unable to takeover Dalton’s body.  So it is safe to assume that he is still lurking in The Further waiting for his next opportunity to escape.

He's waiting for you!

Character Analysis: Charlotte La Bouff

Character Analysis: Charlotte La Bouff

By: Brian Cotnoir

Hey, it’s been a while since I’ve talked about Disney, so here I am to do another Character Analysis.  I’d like to start out by thanking my friends and family for helping me choose which Disney character I was going to do an analysis on, and by the narrowest margin of 3-votes-to-2, they requested that I do a Character Analysis on Charlotte La Bouff from “The Princess and the Frog”.  I hope you all appreciate it, and if there are any other characters you’d like me to do a Character Analysis on you can always make a request in the comment section.

CHARACTER: Charlotte La Bouff from “The Princess and the Frog” (2009)

Charlotte La Bouff from "The Princess and the Frog"

Charlotte is the only daughter of Eli “Big Daddy” La Bouff a wealthy Sugar Baron from New Orleans.  Despite being raised in a life of great wealth and privilege, she still manages to end up best friends with Tiana, a young black girl from a lower class, hardworking family.  Charlotte has one goal in life: marry a prince and become a princess.  Charlotte is incredibly hyper (possibly an undiagnosed sufferer of ADHD) and is constantly making herself the center of attention with her loud hit pitched screams of joy and her constant grabbing of people to make them pay attention to her and grasp the magnitude of how excited she is.  Charlotte is overjoyed when she hears that Prince Naveen of Maldonia is going to be making a trip to New Orleans in hopes of marrying a rich Southern Belle. She is so excited that she keeps interrupting her father as he tries to tell Tiana about how he has invited Prince Naveen to stay with his family.  Charlotte is gung-ho and making a good impression on the Prince, and hires her best friend Tiana to make beignets for their masquerade ball.  Unbeknownst to Charlotte, though, Prince Naveen has been transformed into a frog, by the evil Voodoo Witch Doctor, Dr. Facilier, and his valet Lawrence has been giving a charm that makes him look like the Prince.  It is Facilier’s plan to get Lawrence (who is impersonating as the Prince) to marry Charlotte, and then kill her father after so the two of them can inherit his fortune.    

THE VOICE ACTRESSES:

Young Charlotte is voiced by Breanna Brooks and Jennifer Cody does the voice work for adult Charlotte. Both actresses do a phenomenal job in their brief screen time, and really do capture the sound of that Deep Southern/New Orleans accent.  Cody actually won an Annie Award for her voice acting performance in “The Princess and the Frog”

CHARACTER IS SIMILAR TO OR INSPIRED BY:

All though I cannot confirm this, I suspect that Charlotte is a nod to the classic Disney trope of the young girls who watched their early films and used to dream of growing up to be a princess and wanting to marry a handsome prince in a fairy tale wedding.  I can’t prove that, but when you really watch the scenes at the beginning of the film with young Charlotte and Tiana, we see Charlotte dressed up as princess, listening to Tiana’s mother read them both the story of The Princess and the Frog, and she proclaims without hesitation that she would kiss over one hundred frogs if it meant she could grow up to marry a prince and be a real princess. I kind of feel like the writers were really trying to pay (a slight) homage to their old ways of marketing their films to young girls with that scene.

FATE OF THE CHARACTER:

Somebody Alert Chris Hanson, quick!

Prince Naveen ends up falling in love with Tiana and ends up marrying her after the two of them break the spell and defeat the evil Dr. Facilier.  Even though, she doesn’t end up marrying Prince Naveen, Charlotte is enthusiastically happy for her best friend and wishes Tiana the happily after romance that she has been waiting for her entire life.  However, Charlotte does end up meeting Prince Naveen’s younger brother and the two of them dance together at the Mardis Gras Ball.  Upon learning that Prince Naveen’s younger brother is only six-and-a-half-years-old she proclaims that she’s already waited that long to marry a prince and she can wait a little longer...which really makes her look like a gold-digger if you ask me.  Also, the fact that Prince Naveen’s brother is only six-years-old also makes Charlotte look kind of like a child predator (but that’s just my take on it).