Movie Berks

[Orang Utan]

Jeffrey Jones as Rooney in Ferris Bueller's Day Off

Christian Bale as Patrick Bateman in American Psycho:

Anthony Heald as Dr Frederick Chilton in Silence Of The Lambs

William Atherton as Walter Peck in Ghostbusters (also great as Thornburg in Die Hard

Paul Gleason as Clarence Beaks in Trading Places:

 

[Orang Utan]

Hart Bochner as Ellis in Die Hard:

 

[ajk]

Christopher McDonald as Shooter McGavin.

"I eat pieces of shit like you for breakfast"

 

[Orang Utan]

Christopher McDonald as Shooter McGavin.

"I eat pieces of shit like you for breakfast"

in what film?

 

[ajk]

Happy Gilmore.

 

[Augie March]

John Getz as Stahis Borans (The Fly)

Glenn Shadix as Otho (Beetlejuice)

Tom Cruise as Frank TJ Mackey (Magnolia)

Earl Boen as Dr Peter Silberman (All the Terminators)

Matthew Broderick as Jim Mcallister (Election)

 

[Dillinger4]

How are we classifying 'Berks'?

 

[Augie March]

How are we classifying 'Berks'?

Do they antagonize the hero?
Do they irritate as soon as they appear on the screen?
Would you care two shits if they die horribly at any point in the film?

Actually, some of my choices you might actually sympathise with by the end of the film. Here's one full-blown berk though:

Paul Reiser as Carter Burke (Aliens)

 

[Orang Utan]

How are we classifying 'Berks'?

Odious creeps
(plus what Augie said)
they always get between the hero and his goal with officious weaselly behaviour

 

[Bakunin]

Seeing as there's supposed to be a Red Dwarf film coming out at some point, no list of film berks would be complete without he of the flared nostrils and terminally incorrect selection of Space Corps directives:

 

[ajk]

 

[Wolveryeti]

Sean Penn as David Kleinfeld

 

[_float_]

Do they antagonize the hero?
Do they irritate as soon as they appear on the screen?
Would you care two shits if they die horribly at any point in the film?

I agree a berk is 'objectionable' but IMO there also has to be something stupid abut them as well - preferably macho, loud, crass, pig-headed, full of themselves - and usually uncool as well.

They often appear as the strutting school bully or someone's obnoxious boss: Not really the same thing as a cool, evil, mastermind villian type or the simply sadistic training sergent for example.

 

[Bakunin]

the simply sadistic training sergeant

Would you be thinking of this gentleman, perchance?



I'm sure he brings back some happy memories for anyone who's endured the joys of military training.

 

[Augie March]

Another classic berk:

Bill Paxton as Chet Donelly (Weird Sceince)

The 80s seemed to be some kind of golden age for berks.

 

[Orang Utan]

This is true - the 80s was berk heaven
Here's another: Gavan O'Herlihy as Brad in Superman III:
(can't find a pic of him in it, but here he is in Willow)

 

[QueenOfGoths]

Another classic berk:

Bill Paxton as Chet Donelly (Weird Sceince)

The 80s seemed to be some kind of golden age for berks.

Also Bill Paxton as the car salesman in "True Lies"

 

[kyser_soze]

I'm trying to work out which one on Glengarry Glen Ross is the berk - Ed Harris, Alec Baldwin or Kevin Spacey.

SA Dave Kujan, The Usual Suspects:

'I'm smarter than you Verbal'...oh, how he ate his words...

 

[butchersapron]

Biff/Griff Tannen, back to future(s)

 

[Griff]

Hart Bochner as Ellis in Die Hard:

This coked up tosser makes my skin crawl everytime. What a wanker!

 

[Augie March]

Also Bill Paxton as the car salesman in "True Lies"

To a certain extent, he's pretty berkish as Hudson in Aliens too, but in a more likable way.

"Game over man, game over!"

 

[Orang Utan]

I'm trying to work out which one on Glengarry Glen Ross is the berk - Ed Harris, Alec Baldwin or Kevin Spacey.

None of them. They are just bastards. Wrong kind of film for a berk as it's an ensemble piece with no out and out protagonist for the berk to mess with and evetually be foiled by.

 

[kyser_soze]

To a certain extent, he's pretty berkish as Hudson in Aliens too, but in a more likable way.

"Game over man, game over!"

Yeah man, but it's a dry heat

 

[Sweet FA]

I've gone all 80s...

Heather Chandler in Heathers
"Fuck me gently with a chain saw - do I LOOK like Mother Theresa?"

Neidermeyer in Animal House
"Nobly served in Vietnam before being killed by his own men".

Johnny Lawrence from The Karate Kid
"OK, here's your first lesson: how to take a FALL!"

 

[kyser_soze]

Heather Chandler is so not a movie berk!! She's one of the most perfect screen bitches ever seen on screen!

 

[Orang Utan]

I think Berks have to be fellas

 

[Boycey]

yeah bitches is different and there's no shortage of proper berks in heathers, nearly every male character in fact almost including the lead.

i <3 that film.

 

[spanglechick]

i can't get imdb or google image so bear with me but:

the head of security in mallrats

the teacher in the breakfast club

ted's dad in bill and ted

 

[Scarlette]

i can't get imdb or google image so bear with me but:

the head of security in mallrats

the teacher in the breakfast club

ted's dad in bill and ted

If you're at school you can use msn images.

 

[fieryjack]

nice topic