Character Analysis: Oogie Boogie

Character Analysis: Oogie Boogie

By: Brian Cotnoir

     So a while back I asked my friends to vote on which character from “Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas” I should do a Character Analysis on.  Much to my surprise the winner was not Jack Skellington or Sally, or even Dr. Finklestein, but the Mayor of Halloween Town who they chose.  Well, I was actually hoping that my friends would vote for my favorite character from the film, Oogie Boogie, but he only came in 3^rd (Lock, Shock, and Barrel came in second).  Well this is my blog, and I really want to do an Analsyis on Oogie Boogie so I’m doing it.  So kick back and enjoy my character Analysis on Oogie Boogie from “The Nightmare Before Christmas”.

CHARACTER: Oogie Boogie from “The Nightmare Before Christmas” (1993)



That's Mister Oogie Boogie to you!

In a town that is full of witches, goblins, zombies, werewolves, and other paranormal beings, Oogie Boogie is a social outcast.  While everyone in Halloween Town appears to be friendly and kind, Oogie Boogie is a pariah.  He lives on the outskirts of town, and is rarely ever seen (but can be heard early throughout the movie).  The only contact he has with the outside world comes from his three trick or treating minions, Lock, Shock, and Barrel.  After his minions kidnap Santa Clause, for Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King, Santa is brought to Oogie Boogie’s lair (against Jack’s request).  It is that this point that we finally see the Boogie Man.  He is short, portly, and his external appearance consists of a green burlap bag.  He dances and sings about his apparent gambling addiction to Santa Clause and informs him that he is a “gamblin’ Boogie Man” and that his favorite time to gamble is when “life’s are on the line”.  However, Oogie Boogie is a sore loser with a bad temper and Santa Clause’s life is on the line unless someone comes to his rescue.

 

THE VOICE ACTOR:

Voice Actor Ken Page

Oogie Boogie in “The Nightmare Before Christmas” is voiced by actor Ken Page.  Page has an extensive Broadway acting background, and “The Nightmare Before Christmas” is one of his few appearances on film.  Most of Page’s dialogue consists of song.  Even when he’s just saying his lines, he’s so loud and bombastic, it sounds like he’s singing his lines.  Besides Oogie Boogie Ken Page is also known for being the voice of King Gator from Don Bluth’s 1989 Animated film “All Dogs Go to Heaven” (aka the scene that gave birth to the “Big Lipped Alligator Moment”).  Kevin Page has wonderful deep singing voice to compliment the showmanship and theatrics of Oogie Boogie in “The Nightmare Before Christmas”.

 

CHARACTER IS SIMILAR TO OR INSPIRED BY:

     While researching Oogie Boogie’s character, I found something rather interesting on-line.  It turns out that his character was inspired a character from a Bettie Boop short in the 1930’s.  Oogie Boogie’s voice is inspired by Big Band Jazz leader Cab Calloway’s character the Old Man of the Mountain from the short “The Old Man of the Mountain” (1933).  Hell, they even quote the Old Man of the Mountain in “The Boogey Song”.  The line where Santa Clause asks Oogie Boogie “What are you going to do?” and he replies “I’m going to do the Best I can”, comes from the short.  

 

4:50 mark was used in the film.

              

     Besides being a close distant relative to Cab Calloway’s, Old Man of the Mountain, I also think that Oogie Boogey shares some similar qualities to Audrey II form “The Little Shop of Horrors”.  I don’t think you can deny that Kevin Page and Levi Stubbs have very similar singing voices.  Hell, for the longest time I believed that Audrey II and Oogie Boogey had the same voice actor.  Plus, both characters are somewhat flamboyant, over-the-top, and have insatiable appetites.

 

FATE OF THE CHARACTER:

 

After a failed attempt to free Santa Clause from Oogie Boogie’s clutches, Santa and Sally lives are now in grave danger.  Oogie Boogie tries to send both of them to their deaths, but he is thwarted by Jack Skellington.  After a brief battle, Jack manages to get Oogie Boogie’s burlap skin caught in a trap ripping off his skin, and revealing his true form:  Oogie Boogie is comprised of thousands of tiny insects controlled by one master insect.  As this master insect tries to escape with the others he is squished to death by Santa Clause, thus ending the life of Oogie Boogie.

CURSE YOU JACK SKELLINGTON!

 

 

Character Analysis: The Mayor of Halloween Town

Character Analysis: Hobo

Character Analysis: Hobo

By: Brian Cotnoir

Once Again, I am here to talk about one of my favorite characters from one of my favorite films.  I remember the first time I watched “Hobo with a Shotgun”, it was violent, it was gory, it was funny, it was a PERFECT tribute to the old Grindhouse cinema of the 1970’s, and what’s very funny is that this film wasn’t even supposed to be made.  It was a joke trailer made to go with the 2007 film “Grindhouse”, and it actually ended up being made into a feature length film.  Well the Hobo is the main character of the film, and we’re going to take a look at him today.

CHARACTER: Hobo from “Hobo with a Shotgun” (2011)

The nameless Hobo is a man who arrives in the fictional Canadian town of “Hope Town” on a Box car.  Shortly after his arrival, he realizes that coming to Hope Town may have been a mistake.  Hope Town is controlled by a ruthless and vicious crime boss known as The Drake and his two adult sons, Slick & Ivan.  Whatever the Drake and his sons order happens and no one will stop them.  Besides the Drake, there is also rampant crime throughout the city: corrupt cops, pedophile Santa’s, violent robbers, pimps and prostitutes, and a slew of other devious felons.  The Hobo rescues a prostitute, named Abby, from being raped and murdered by Slick (the Drake’s “Favorite Son”).  However, the attack on Slick makes the Hobo the new target for the Police Department—who are all bribed by the Drake.  While in the Police station, the Hobo is held down by Ivan and the Police Chief, while Slick carves the word scum into his chest by the Slick.  The Hobo is eventually found clinging to life by Abby who takes him in, cleans his wounds, and gives him a warm bed to stay for the night.                                              

    The Hobo’s ultimate goal is to go legit and start his own lawn mowing business.  He begs and does demeaning acts in hopes of buying a used lawn mower at a local pawn shop.  However, the day the Hobo goes to buy the lawn mower a trio a violent gun-toting thugs attempt to rob the Pawn Shop.  The Hobo notices a Remington Shot Gun for sale hanging on the wall and uses it to execute the robbers.  He then decides to buy the shotgun and said and goes on a rampage to right the injustices of Hope Town “one shot gun shell at a time”.

THE ACTOR:

Actor Rutger Hauer plays "The Hobo

In the Original “Grindhouse” trailer the Hobo was played by David Brunt, but he turned down the role for the Full-Length version of the film and instead was casted as a Shotgun-wielding Dirty Cop in the film.  The role of the Hobo was re-cast and given to actor Rutger Hauer.  Hauer was an excellent choice for the role.  The way he looks, the way he delivers his lines, just everything he does in the role of the Hobo is perfect.  I honestly can’t think of any other actor that could do the role of the Hobo as well as Rutger Hauer.

CHARACTER IS SIMILAR TO OR INSPIRED BY:

Praise Hobo Jesus!

I’m not sure if anyone else has noticed this, but there are a lot of Biblical Themes, References, and Allegory’s in “Hobo with a Shotgun”.  The most prevalent of those Biblical themes is that the Hobo is an Allegory for Jesus. Think about it: he enters a world of sin, and wants to do away with that sin.  The only difference is Jesus used to words and humility to combat the sin, while the Hobo used a shotgun.  But that’s not all.  There’s a scene where Ivan and Slick are having a meeting with their father and they’re sitting at table in front of a portrait of Da Vinci’s “The Last Supper”.  Not only that, but during this meeting Slick expresses his desire to “crucify [the Hobo] to a homeless shelter”.  Sort of like how Pontius Pilot wanted to crucify Jesus; coincidence? I think not!  Not only that, but when Slick makes an obscene reference about Mother Teresa, the Hobo attacks Slick and claims that “Mother Teresa is a God D@mn Saint!”.

FATE OF THE CHARACTER:

The Drake and his sons put a hit out on the Hobo.  If people of Hope Town don’t kill all the homeless and bring the Hobo to him, then the Drake and his sons will start killing off all the children in Hope Town.  After evading the Drake and the towns people—and committing a few more vigilante style killings in the process—the Hobo is eventually captured by a mysterious duo known as “The Plague”.  The Plague turns the Hobo over to the Drake who plans a violent execution for him, known as “the Glory Hole”.  He places a man whole cover around his neck and drops him in the sewer he then places a barbwire noose around his neck (I’m guessing the crown of thorns was a bit too cliché for the film’s director), but before the Drake can decapitate the Hobo he is ambushed by Abby and the fed up residents of Hope Town.  It all comes down to a final epic showdown.  If the Hobo kills the Drake, the police have orders to open fire and execute the Hobo.  The Hobo looks down at the Drake and proclaims “You and me are taking a car ride to hell...and you’re riding shot gun!”.  He kills the Drake and then the police kill the Hobo...Gee, it’s almost like the Hobo was DYING FOR THE SINS of Hope Town. Seriously, if you do not see the Hobo is an Allegory for Jesus, you may need to watch it again and take a closer look.  

5 Reasons why Ursula from "The Little Mermaid" is the Best Disney Villainess

5 Reasons Why Ursula from the “Little Mermaid” is the Best Disney Villainess

By: Brian Cotnoir

     Well here we are again doing another countdown of the Best and Worst Disney Villains.  I asked my committee who they felt was the Best Disney Villain or Villainess and reasons why they felt that way, and in a stunning upset, Ursula from “The Little Mermaid” was the top pick of my committee (with Scar from “The Lion King” coming in 2^nd and Maleficent from “Sleeping Beauty” coming in 3^rd). I got a wide variety of reasons why too so here are 5 reasons why Ursula from “The Little Mermaid” is the Best Disney Villain.

1.) She’s a sea witch (rather than an ordinary human)

The Disney Villain Mold typically follows the same pattern of the Disney Princess Mold.  There’s a villain who is evil for the sake of pure evil or who just wants power.  You have to admit that most Disney Villains look very humanlike, but Ursula is different.  She has purple skin, a short hair cut and a full-figure rather than a traditional tall slender frame.  Not only is she different from the other Disney Villains, but she is unlike any other character in the film.  Unlike the other undersea beings like the mermaids who have fins for legs, she has tentacles for legs.  She’s also more creature than human and since she was the villain in Disney’s First Princess story film in over 20 years, Ursula set the standard for Disney Villains to be different at the beginning of the so-called Disney Renaissance.

2.) She proves Big Girls can be just as bad.

Ursula is a very—shall we say—curvaceous character.  You have to admit that even Disney tries to make their villains attractive.  The Evil Queen from “Snow White” is an fairly attractive women, Gaston from “Beauty and the Beast” has muscles and a long hair,  and have you seen Angelina Jolie in the live action version of “Maleficent” girl is thin, sexy, and absolutely gorgeous  The fact that Ursula is a heavier built character is quite an impressive feat.  She not only proves that bigger girls can be just as bad as the other Disney Villains, but they can maybe be the baddest of them all.

3.) She has valid motivation (and kept her end of the bargain)

Anyone else think she'd be a great James Bond Villain???

Ursula is one of the few Disney villains out there that actually puts a lot of thought into their evil plans.  It’s not like Ariel just showed up and she made it up on the fly in hopes that everything would work flawlessly; no, she knew exactly what she was doing from the beginning.  She convinces the naïve Ariel to sign a contract with her saying that she will give Ariel legs in exchange for her voice.  Ariel will have 3 days to receive a kiss from her true love or else she will be transformed back into a mermaid and belong to Ursula.  Unbeknownst to Ariel, Ursula plans to sabotage the whole thing so that her father, King Triton, will have to come and rescue her and sacrifice himself to save his youngest daughter.  Once King Triton is out of the way, Ursula will be the ruler of the undersea kingdom of Atlantica, which is what she wanted all along.  And even though, Ursula planned to betray Ariel the whole time, she still kept her end of the bargain.  I’m not saying she was morally right, I’m saying from a legal standpoint she was right.   

4.) She’s a Transgender advocate.

True Story

Ursula’s design, for those of you weren’t already aware, was inspired by a Drag Queen named Divine.  Wow, you know for a company that prides itself on being very Family Oriented and Traditional, I would not expect any writers or storyboard artists from Disney to use a transvestite as a model for one of its characters.  Well, in retrospect, it’s good idea because “The Little Mermaid” does have some subtle—unintentional—nods to transgender advocacy.  In my “5 Reasons why Ariel from The Little Mermaid is the Most Misunderstood Disney Princess Article” I also talked about how Ariel is a Transgender Advocate (she was a born a mermaid, but wants to be human; in a similar way to some people in the world want to change their own genders).  So there’s another way of how Ursula helped change the standard of how Disney Villains are written and designed.

5 Reasons why Ariel from "The Little Mermaid" is the Most Misunderstood Disney Princess

5.) She has Best Disney Villain Song

     How great of a song is “Poor Unfortunate Souls”?  I mean it has to be one of the —if not the BEST—Disney Villain song ever written.  Howard Ashman and Alan Menken wrote a fantastic original number for this film and voice actress Pat Carroll sings it better than anyone else.  I mean it’s better than “Be Prepared”, better than “Hellfire”, better than “Friends on the Otherside” (which are all great Villain songs in their own respect), but “Poor Unfortunate Souls” is set the standard for what a Great Villain Song truly is. 

     So there are 5 Reasons why Ursula from “The Little Mermaid” is the Best Disney Villainess.  Be sure to check out some of my other Disney Villain Articles and stay tuned for future articles on Disney Villains.  Take Care all.

Das Film Junkie

5 Reasons why The Coachman from "Pinocchio' is the Most TERRIFYING Disney Villain Ever

5 Reasons Why the Coachmen from "Pinocchio" is the Most TERRIFYING Disney Villain Ever!

5 Reasons why The Coachman from “Pinocchio” is the Most TERRIFYING Disney Villain Ever

By: Brian Cotnoir

     Hello friends and loyal readers, Das Film Junkie here, and I just wanted to say that thank you for making My “Disney Princess Top 5’s” my most popular articles written to date.  I found it rather astounding that so many people were intrigued as to what a man in his mid-twenties thinks about the Disney Princesses.  Well I’ve said all that I can about the Disney Princesses so it’s time for me to venture to the next area of interest; Disney Villains.  So stay tuned to see what Disney Villains I pay homage to and once again thank you so much for the likes and comments on my articles J                                

      Even though Disney has prided itself on being “Quality Family Entertainment” its animation studios have managed to create some pretty frightening villains.  From the powerful and imposing Chernabog from “Fantasia” to the Mistress of All Evil, Maleficent, from “Sleeping Beauty”, Disney has a wide range of frightening and memorable villains. However there is one obscure Disney Villain who often get’s overlooked.  He’s actually one of the first Disney Villains and by your God, he scared me as a child and he still continues to scare the piss out of me as an adult.  So here are 5 Reasons why The Coachman from “Pinocchio” is the Most Terrifying Disney Villain Ever.

5.)  He corrupts Minors

     The Coachman lures young boys away from their homes and takes them to a place called “Pleasure Island” where they are free to drink alcohol, smoke tobacco, break things, and gamble.  What kind of terrible adult would let such young children do such things?  He’s irresponsible and reckless if you ask me.

That's about as Pedo of a facial expression as you can have

4.)  He’s a Kidnapper and Human (...well technically donkey) trafficker

All that from selling little boys

So the Coachman brings all these boys to Pleasure Island, and I’m sure he didn’t have to forcefully take these kids away from their homes, I’m sure they all went with him on their own free will, but don’t you think the parents would be a little concerned if they knew where he was taking their sons and what he was doing to them?  And don’t you think there would be a lot of families wondering what the hell happened to their sons?  Also, let’s not forget he’s selling these boys after they transform into donkeys to the circus and the salt mines.  It doesn’t matter that those boys are now donkeys; I still think it counts as human trafficking.  Also, what the hell does he do with the talking ones?  Some of the boys don’t transform entirely and still have the ability to speak to humans...he’d be stupid if he sold them, so what is he going to do with them?  Oh God, why did my mind just race to “Tijuana Donkey Show”?           

    Now true there have been other Disney Villains who have kidnapped other characters, but usually they were just holding a person hostage, and their lives weren’t in actual danger.  The Coachman is actually selling the boys he’s kidnapped, and it’s not like he’s sending letters to their parents saying “Pay me this amount of money if you ever want to see your son again, or he’ll be a donkey forever and be sold for hard labor”.  He just straight up transforms the boys into donkeys and then sells them.

Could you repeat that? It was hard to hear over

the sound of me soiling myself!!!!!!

3.)  He abuses Animals and Children

No Coachman don't do it, he's just a donkey...I mean boy!

The Coachman straight up abuses animals.  Animal abuse is not cool, on any level, and no I’m not just saying this as some stupid PETA P.S.A. What makes his crimes worst is that the animals he is abusing are not actual animals, but rather young boys trapped in animal bodies.  I mean we see him whipping the donkeys and verbally abusing them, and he selling them to be used for hard manual labor that most humans would not do.  And just let me re-touch on a few things I said earlier: if he’s allowing boys to smoke, drink, gamble, and do other things, then I’m pretty certain that he must be molesting some of the boys.  I know, it’s Disney and they would never do such a thing in one of their films and nothing like that is even mentioned in the Original Italian story, but I do have some reasons for I believe this is implied: the place he takes the boys to is called “PLEASURE ISLAND”, and what do most people associate pleasure with?  Also why does he only want to collect “stupid little boys” and not stupid little girls?  Yeah, unsettling isn’t it?  I’m not trying to make a perverted joke with this one.  All I’m saying is that if I saw this guy wandering around my neighborhood, I’d be expecting him to come to my door to read me a Court Ordered notice.

2.)  He has a God Complex and (possibly) uses Black Magick

The Power of Christ Compels you!

So the film (and the original Italian story) don’t mention if Pleasure Island is a “Magical Island”; there is a very brief moment in the film when the Coachman is meeting with Honest John and Gideon where Honest John says that “the law forbids” travel to Pleasure Island—but it’s never explained why—he just tells Honest John that “they never come back...as boys!”.  This leads me to believe that the Coachmen possibly use’s Black Magick on the island to transform the boys into donkeys.  Not only that, but I think it would explain the faceless black minions that work for him.  They don’t have any distinctive features other than a large black frame and yellow eyes, so maybe they are demons that he conjured up?  I think his use of Black Magick leads to his development of a “God Complex”.  The few boys who haven’t entirely transformed into donkeys and can still talk, beg and plead with the coachman to turn them back and let them go.  He ignores their pleas for mercy; he just cracks his whip and exclaims “Quiet! You boys have had your fun now pay for it”.  It’s like he’s telling these boys, “I-am-the-Lord-Your-God-and-now-I’m-going-to-make-you-pay-for-your-sins”.  In some ways he reminds me of a more brutish and bombastic version of Kevin Spacey’s character from “Se7en”; they both take those with poor morals and do horrible things to them, and they believe that their actions are completely justifiable.

1.)  His Crimes go Unpunished.

Can't touch me, sucka's!

Let’s take a look at some other top villains from Disney, shall we?  Did Maleficent get away with her crimes?  No, she got impaled with sword.  Did Scar get away with murdering his brother?  No, his nephew came back to avenge his father’s death and he was torn to shreds by hyenas. Did Chernabog succeed in his dark dastardly deeds?  No, he was stopped by the sunrise and a church choir.  Did the, often underappreciated, Horned King from “The Black Cauldron” use the Black Cauldron to rule the kingdom?  No, he got sucked into the cauldron and was never seen or heard from again!  The Coachman gets away with everything; the kidnapping, the human trafficking, the animal abuse, and not to mention the possibility other horrible crimes.  Even when Pinocchio get’s turned into a real boy does he tell Gepetto about all the horrible things that go down on Pleasure Island? No!!!  What the hell is wrong with Pinocchio? Did he forget that Lampwick—the closest thing he had to a real friend—was transformed into a donkey and probably sold off as cheap labor?  Don’t you think his mother is worried to death about him and just wants him to come home?  Seriously, Jiminy Cricket couldn’t remind him of that horrible ordeal?  Some conscience is of you ask me.  Glad to know he taught Pinocchio nothing about empathy.

     So there are my 5 Reasons why The Coachman from “Pinocchio” is the Most Terrifying Disney Villain ever.  I hope you enjoyed this list and stay tuned for more Disney Villain Countdowns coming up here on “Asylum for Nerds”.

Character Analysis: Satan

Character Analysis: Satan

By: Brian Cotnoir

     Hey everybody, today we’re going to talk about Satan!  Well...A Satan.   You see throughout the earliest days of filmmaking there have been multiple depictions of Satan in films.  And seeing as I do NOT want to spend all that time researching them all and compiling comparisons I’m only going to pick one depiction of Satan in films to write a Character Analysis on.  With that being said, here is my “Character Analysis” on Satan from the 1985 Stop Motion Film “The Adventures of Mark Twain”.

CHARACTER: Satan from “The Adventures of Mark Twain” (1985)

Satan meets his new "friends"

The film “The Adventures of Mark Twain” was a stop motion film created and released in 1985.  In a nutshell it’s Mark Twain riding a homemade zeppelin in hopes of meeting Haley's Comet.  He is accompanied on his journey but three of his literary creations, Tom Sawyer, Huckleberry Finn, and Becky Thatcher.  While journeying to the comet Mark Twain tells the children multiple stories (inspired by his own literary works).  Tom, Huck, and Becky enter the room of the “Mysterious Stranger” where they encounter a tall shape-shifting figure who introduces himself as an “Angel” named Satan.                 

What's with the mask, Satan?

     Satan has a number of different physical characteristics.  For one thing, he has no face, but rather he carries around a masquerade mask on a stick to talk and show facial expressions.  He has a number of different powers such as shape-shifting, the ability to disappear and reappear out of thin air and the ability create and destroy anything he wants.  At one point Huck Finn asks Satan, “Where’d you learn to do that trick?” Satan replies with “I didn’t learn it at all...it comes naturally to me, like other things”.  He then proceeds to show off his powers to the three characters.  He hands them some clay and instructs them to make some clay people for a sand castle he just created.  Tom, Huck, and Becky happily oblige and Satan brings the clay figures to life.  However, Satan becomes irritated when the clay figures begin to argue and sends down a lightning storm to destroy them all.  The kids are horrified and call Satan a murderer.  Satan claims “I cannot do wrong, because I don’t know what wrong is”.  Some of his more identifiable characteristics are a short temper, a God Complex (he believes can do no wrong), and the ability to create matter with no effort.

Satan's Appearance in the Film

THE ACTORS:

     Satan is unique because he is voiced by not one, but two voice actors.  Satan is voiced by Wilbur Vincent and Michele Mariana (who also voices Becky Thatcher).  What I really like about the decision to have two voice actors voice the same character is that it gives Satan a distinctive voice.  He doesn’t sound masculine or feminine.  Both actors are reading his lines and it had to be such a pain to get their voices to sync up perfectly. In other films we’ve seen depictions of Satan where he has a deep, intimidating voice or a voice that makes him sound more creature-like than man-like.  Satan in “The Adventures of Mark Twain” sounds more human by having a man and woman voice him, but at the same time adds a great deal of mystery and fear to his character.

CHARACTER IS SIMILAR TO OR INSPIRED BY:

Satan is the antagonist from the Mark Twain story The Mysterious Stranger, which is set in the Austrian countryside in the 16 century.  It was the last story that Mark Twain ever wrote, and it is a fantastic read if you ever get a chance to read it.  The Satan in the story is said to be a handsome Teenage Boy and the nephew of the fallen angel Satan.  As opposed to the Satan in the film version which is shown as being more androgynous without any real distinguishable gender characteristics. Satan in both the story and film seduce the people they meet with their magic and then use it torment them and instill fear into their souls.  I like how Satan is modeled differently than other film versions of other Satan’s, he’s not red, he does not have horns sticking out his heads, he does not have black eyes, he’s just unlike any other version and I think that’s what makes him the most unique depiction of Satan in any film.

THE FATE OF THE CHARACTER:

     After Satan scares off Tom, Huck, and Becky is left alone once again, to lament all that has happened and all that he is done and he finishes off his brief appearance in the film with a dramatic soliloquy from the short story.

Character Analysis: Drew

Character Analysis: Drew

By: Brian Cotnoir

There aren’t very many films out there quite like “Office Space”.  Since its release in 1999 it has gone on to achieve the high honor of being considered a “Cult Film”.  I think most people have seen it at least once, whether it be on a DVD being watched in a college dorm room, or one of the many re-showings on syndicated television.  I really like the characters in the film from the ridiculous and curious Milton Waddams, to the monotone and irritating Vice President of Initech Bill Lumbergh, to the hot, yet repressed waitress Joanna.  There are just so many memorable and enjoyable characters in this film that it’s darn near impossible to pick just one to write a Character Analysis on. The obvious choice would be to do one on the films Protagonist, Peter Gibbons.  After all he is the main focus of the film and he has left a huge impact on me and my work ethic.  I’ve always strived to be laid back and blunt just like him and on more than one occasion I’ve used his “...it’s not that I’m lazy, it’s that I just don’t care” line at work, but no I’ve decided to pass on Peter and write one on another character; one who is barely even in the film, but left quite the impression on me.  So without further adieu here is my Character Analysis on Drew from “Office Space”.

CHARACTER: Drew from “Office Space” (1999)

The "O" Face!

Drew is an employee of Initech, a fictional computer software company in California.  He has blonde gelled up hair and is quite the gossip.  Drew comes across at that guy in the office who is always trying to make himself seem cool and important.  Usually, when we see him in the film he is butting in on something that Peter and his friends/co-workers Michael and Samir doing.  His lines typically start off with “Hey have you guys heard...”.  The things he usually talks about are very mundane.  In one scene he is telling Peter, Michael, and Samir about how one of their former co-workers Tom, just got a ton of money from a law suit from injuries he suffered after being struck by a drunk driver, and that he’s throwing a party and that he’s invited everyone from Initech.  Drew brags about how he wants to take the “new girl from logistics” to Tom’s party and says “If things go well I might be showing her my ‘O’ face” and then he proceeds to make sexual gestures and sounds that neither Peter, Michael or Samir find amusing.  It’s lines like this that suggest that Drew may be trying to overcompensate for some sort of lack of masculinity.                              

    The next time we see Drew he is trying to have a conversation with Peter at Tom’s party.  When he finds out that Peter is dating Joanna, he informs Peter that she has quite the promiscuous reputation.  He then proceeds to list of guys that he’s heard she has slept with.  He mentions Lumbergh, and Peter believes Drew is talking about their boss Bill Lumbergh—who he hates with a passion—but Drew is actually referring to another man named Rod Lumbergh, who most people tell Peter is nice and very well liked guy.  Upon hearing this news from Drew, Peter finally snaps out of his trance...I bet you totally forgot about that, huh?  Remember that “trance” that Peter was put in at the beginning of the film by the Hypno-Therapist that made him calm, relaxed, and left him without any stress or anxiety?  The one that he would only come out of after the Hypno-therapist snapped his fingers, but he suffered a fatal heart attack before he could snap his fingers?  Well Drew is the person who—somehow— drags Peter out of that trance and perpetual state of calm and relaxation and reintroduce fear, stress, anger, and anxiety to him.  That’s quite a big deed for such a minor secondary character.

THE ACTOR:

     The actor who plays Drew in “Office Space” is Greg Pitts.  This was Pitts first film role ever, and for a man who only spends a few minutes on screen he leaves quite the impression.  Most guys who’ve seen this film can probably recite his “O-Face” line.  I was surprised to see that Pitts hasn’t had many other big roles in films. He has gone on to play small parts in big name prime time television programs like “Greys Anatomy”, “Sons and Daughters”, Weeds”, and “Bones”.  It’s quite sad because I would’ve imagined he would’ve gone on to do more comedic roles in films in television because he really was quite funny in “Office Space”

CHARACTER IS SIMILAR TO OR INSPIRED BY:

Michael Scott from TV's "The Office"

The character of Drew is a pretty generic. He’s the run of the mill office worker who tries to convince people that he’s cool and important, so it’s rather impressive that Pitts brings so much life and personality into him.  I don’t watch the Television series “The Office”, but I asked one of my friends who is a fan of the show if they had to compare Drew to any character on the show that it would be Michael Scott, and their reasoning was that “[Michael] tries way too hard and makes things unnecessarily awkward the more he tries to make things relaxed and seem cool”.  If I had to stretch it I’d say he’s similar to Matthew McConaughey’s character David Wooderson from “Dazed and Confused” (1994).  They’re both secondary characters and they both have some pretty sleazy lines, it’s a stretch, but I do believe they are somewhat similar.

THE FATE OF THE CHARACTER:

     Like everyone at IniTech, Drew found himself suddenly unemployed when the whole office was burnt down by disgruntled employee Milton Waddams.  After that we don’t ever find out what become of Drew.

5 Fantastic Short Films Available on Youtube

5 Fantastic Short Films Available on Youtube.

By: Brian Cotnoir

Do you like Movies, but find it very difficult to sit through whole film because you’re too busy or don’t have enough time?  Well Fear Not Friends, I am here with the recommendations of 5 Short Films (all under 20 minutes) that you can see and trust me when I say they are some fantastic works of cinema.  As an added bonus, you don’t even need to order them or search through Netflix because they are all available on Youtube—FOR FREE! J.  So why don’t you take some time for yourself and enjoy these 5 Fantastic Short Films Available on Youtube.

1.) Late Bloomer

     Oh how this film makes me laugh.  It’s basically like if H.P. Lovecraft wrote a book about sexual education.  The voice over actor in this film is hilarious the visuals are great, and I just love how the music builds itself up until it reaches the climax.  It is a completely unique take on the Birds and the Bees.  You simply cannot go another second without watching this film.

2.)  The Backwater Gospel

     A dark, grainy and unique animated Short film “The Backwater Gospel” tells an eerie and macabre story of an Undertaker who comes to the small town of Backwater and instills fear into the heart of all its residents.  The town is led by a Power Hungry Preacher, who tries to lead his people through these trying times, but eventually their fear and paranoia get in the way and this small desert town is doomed for destruction.

3.)  Love is All you Need?

     This is a wonderful short Independent film that was inspired by actual stories of kids who were bullied because of their sexual identity.  However, this film takes a unique twist and tells the story from the perspective of what would happen if Gays were viewed as the “Normal” family, and it was the Heterosexuals who were the minority.  In just 20 minutes they pack in a powerful message into a powerful film, and you simply must, MUST see it.

4.)  Un Chien Andalou

     This film has been around since 1928, and was co-written by artist Salvador Dali. This is made in a very early filmmaking technique called “Da Da”.  Da Da is a style of filmmaking that emerged Post World War I that has no definitive plot and lots of absurd and creative imagery.  This is one of those films that every film scholar insists that you must see at least once in your life.  I’m just grateful somebody posted it on Youtube for the masses to enjoy.

5.)  Cashback

     I saw this film in college and it immediately became one of my favorites.  It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Short film in 2004, and 2 years later, the films writer and director, Sean Ellis, got the funding to turn it into a feature length film.  “Cashback” is one of those films that makes you feel smarter and more sophisticated just by watching it.  And you Harry Potter fans will love this:  It stars the actor who played Oliver Wood in the first two Harry Potter films, Sean Biggerstaff (on an unrelated note, I think his real name would be a great porn star name).