Cool News
Frank Darabont writes with his thoughts on Michael Clarke Duncan's passing...
Hey folks, Harry here... here's what Frank Darabont sent me today, he wanted me to share it with you:
I’m devastated at the loss of Michael Clarke Duncan, one of the finest people I’ve ever had the privilege to work with or know. Michael was the gentlest of souls—an exemplar of decency, integrity, and kindness. The sadness I feel is inexpressible.
Our experience making THE GREEN MILE together was immersive and incredible, a once-in-a-lifetime journey. What sticks most in my mind was his devotion to his craft and the strides he made as an artist during that time, which was beyond inspiring to those of us who took the journey with him. Never has an actor more richly deserved the recognition of an Academy Award nomination than Michael did for his performance as John Coffey.
Michael has left us far, far too soon. We lost a great man and a great spirit today. My thoughts and condolences go out to his fiancée Omarosa and to his family.
Readers Talkback
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I was just enjoying his work in Talladega Nights last night
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than most people have in their entire body. I'll miss seeing him in movies.
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gonna get to work on a mini-shrine, the guy was in a list of movies that were very special as i was growing up. Another great artist into the wind and gone but not forgotten.
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I haven't heard anyone say anything negative about him before, even in Daredevil, no one blamed him for the role. Although I thought he was perfect as Kingpin :) He will be sorely missed, he still had lots to give to the cinematic world. In the words of his General Attar in Planet of the Apes: "Bow Your Heads!!"
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A VERY Underrated film. r.I.p.
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in the PLANET OF THE APES remake
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i can't help thinking of the logistics of his funeral... think of the size of the goddam coffin!! he was a big boy... sad to see him go, he seemed like such a nice fella, and genuinely happy to be doing what he was doing. Rest easy big guy.
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If it's a real risk, then don't express it. One does not have to make a statement if it's going to be as inept and as irrelevant and nonsensical as yours. Feel free to edit and suppress yourself whenever you think you are being insensitive.
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Sept. 3, 2012, 11:21 p.m. CST
It´s one of those people you just cant think they´ll ever leave..
by MadC
Godspeed dear Clarke. Your voice onscreen will live for eternity.
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He brought warmth and heart to everything he did.
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Don't you put that curse on me Ricky Bobby!
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i should really checkity check myself before appearing insensitive on *these* boards. and thanks for taking the time to pull me up on that instead of leaving a nice response to the topic at hand. back to honouring Mr Duncan then, shall we? His role in the Green Mile is etched in stone as one of *the* great character roles in recent memory, i honestly can't think of another actor that could've pulled it off quite the same. really glad he could give us something like that before he passed.
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Looking forward specifically to the few scenes he did. Even as a bear, the guy brought warmth and a bright feeling to his character.
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And this web site really really sucks. Rest in peace, Michael.
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I'm in shock. And he would have been great as Darkside.
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high maintenance women kill
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He made The Slammin' Salmon hilarious imho. And that is not a great movie. Green Mile tonight, with extra tears at the end I think. RIP big man, you will be missed.
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Sept. 4, 2012, 3:23 a.m. CST
Omarosa was his fiance??? I had no idea. Regardless, we lost an amazing actor today and someone who appeared to have a genuinely kind heart
by ass clown
RIP Michael Clark Duncan
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Fucking weak news. Somebody put a full team of Navy Seals outside of Terry Crews' house, NOW! The world needs more big lovable black dudes. Rest in peace, Green Mile!
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His was an honest thought on the size of the coffin, you uppity fuck. A thought that was actual discussion by many when John Candy passed. And seeing as Duncan WAS LARGE, the thought was similar and not without warrant. Who said everything spoken on a man none of us knew had to be purely solemn? So in closing: No one put you in charge so take your words of wisdom and go fuck your own face, prick.
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He was a big guy, and could do menacing without breaking a sweat; but he also had good comic timing, and, as he demonstrated in The Green Mile, could handle dramatic material to boot. RIP
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Advantage: Triscuits. RIP MCD.
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Sept. 4, 2012, 7:41 a.m. CST
Abe Vigoda will secretly watch his funeral off in the distance...
by Russell
Whilst smoking a cuban cigar under a tree to mourn the loss of yet another fine actor gone too soon, but never forgotten.
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. . . and it seems like just yesterday he was cast as Coffey in the Green Mile. I remember wondering how in the HELL they would cast that part and my jaw just dropped when I saw the first trailer. And he sure brought it again and again ever since . . . RIP big man!
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It's only for a SPLIT second. He's in the background, reacting just like everyone else to Dee-Bo's knocking Red the F OUT . . .
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Sept. 4, 2012, 8:24 a.m. CST
Abe Vigoda sits at his fireplace, wearing robes, holding a glass of wine,
by Ricardo
thinking about how his curse of immortality is slowly turning from a god-like powerful benediction into a dark, sinister curse of agony. His suicide attempts brought nothing but a cold reminder of the absence of his soul. He envies Michael Clarke Duncan passing, and wishes for his non existance, a peaceful state Vigoda knows he cannot ever achieve.
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Sept. 4, 2012, 9:04 a.m. CST
Barney Michel wonders what the fuck crack you smoked this morning
by UltraTron
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Sept. 4, 2012, 9:24 a.m. CST
Nice marmot: I gotta go back and look for him now. RIP
by kindofabigdeal
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God bless.
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Sept. 4, 2012, 9:41 a.m. CST
RE: "he was fine till he started banging amarosa. high maintenance women kill "
by Stalkeye
Ouch!
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That's why he laughs at us all.
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So sad. Nice guy, good actor. He had range too: could play a good guy, comedy, a villain (Manute from SIN CITY, etc), drama (GREEN MILE). Sad to see him go. Definitly would have been a great Darkseid. Robbed of his future. Heart disease sucks.
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Damn typos.
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Frank "making this about him". Hypocrites.
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..OK in some ways I can understand Harry detailing how some actor or Movie impacted his life or just sharing (to the audience) about his personal experiences. But when I see excerpts like: "as i got an advance copy and played it on my 70' LED, or My Lovely Wife Yoko made me breakfast i thought about (Enter Movie here.) it comes off a bit bragadocious, don'tcha think and how suddenly he becomes off topic and focuses more on himself than the topic in general. That's the Vide i somewhat get. Now don't get me wrong, despite my feelings of indifference toward Him, at the same time I give him props for making a site that actually rattled a few studios feathers and as for his swag and screenings, good for him. he went through a serious injury and still followed his passion so there's no "Harry Hatin" on my behalf but at the same time, I will call him (and many others) out if I deem something off kilter. How could he praise a hack like Eli Roth yet shit all over PWSA who by the way, is another hack in my eyes. There was speculation that he's still bitter about Paul not letting him on the set of Soldier, thus he's paying for it for the rest of his life. LOL But Harry doesn't really deserve half the hell he's getting as we are free to dicuss,cuss and fuss about Films or other topics without (for the most part) fear of getting Ze Banhammer. I also give him props for allowing Freedom of Speech to an extent. You Go, GinZilla!
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But your portrayal of TWD's T Dawg was downright attrocious. God, He's such a clusterfuck. Yup, Hipshot called it.
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RIP Mr. Duncan.
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That he was underused. How come these greats are dying and I apart from feeling sad at thier passing I am also pissed that I didnt see them in more. Thats life I suppose.
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Freedom of speech has nothing to do with what a privately owned website does or does not what shown to other viewers. If you got a post removed or got banned, it has nothing to do with free speech, you have no legal recourse, and such is life. Lauding Harry for "allowing" some freedom of speech is pretty much THE dumbest thing I'll read all day.
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Sept. 4, 2012, 4:17 p.m. CST
It is freedom of speech if Harry and Co doesn't do anything about it.
by Stalkeye
We're not talking about some goddamn amendment fuckhead, but the fact that there is a lack of restraint or regulation. Stop over analyzing shit Sherlock.
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Frank is not making this about himself, he is merely making short references to a work he intrinsically shared with Michael Clarke Duncan. Harry, on the other hand, is not a pivotal member of the movie industry, and is well known for making pathetic attempts to raise his ego by mentioning unrelated facts of his very thin experiences and relationships with people in Hollywood, or past experiences that relate only to himself, as if he was the center of the universe. Why, he might be a huge fatass, but he's not the sun yet.
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Loved him in that one...he will be missed.
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mojination: It wasn't insensitive, it was funny. I'll bet he would have laughed. ttman: You're an idiot. You should censor yourself for being a dipshit. End Of Line.
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<p>Don't know if it's just me, but a lot of the TB's lately have felt as if there were posts... missing. Like disjointed replies or comments to unasked or unseen posts...</p> <p>...anyway, interesting that last night, this article was in the regular news column, without the <q>here's what Frank Darabont sent me today, he wanted me to share it with you</q>. I thought for sure someone would comment on it; as it appeared to be Harry showing off Darabont's words as a personal correspondence, instead of a general public statement; and yet... nothing.</p> <p>Now, I am 100% certain about the article first being in the <q>Latest News</q>, but does anyone else remember the line about it being a personal note to Harry being there? I'm pretty sure it wasn't...</p>
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...and yes, i think he would've chuckled.
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Stalkeye, well said - I've always felt while there might be a smidge of truth to the garbage that gets thrown at Harry, I've also loathed how much seemingly unjustified trash talking - on Harry and on the site itself and how it's garbage, etc - and yet... they keep coming back instead of making something better. ricaleite4, while it may turn you off with him sharing his very thin experiences with these people, they are still experiences that most of the readers on this site have not had, so at least he has the experience to share. And he's sharing it as a fan like us and NOT as some kind of insider. I appreciate what he shares because his take is a fan's take and it's like talking to someone who has no claim to actually knowing and hanging out with Aerosmith, they have gotten a few backstage passes and they are sharing how cool the experiences were. Whats even funnier about the gripe is that when a likable person that has contributed to the industry passes, that's what EVERYONE does - they share how their work affected them. I mean it IS his site - everyone knows what to expect for the most part - why gripe? Thanks for listening.
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By Duncan, so touched by his character work, that he didn't even have Tom Hanks pick up the fucking phone to tell the Governor John Coffey was innocent. That's deep empathy with his humanity, you betcha.
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Sept. 5, 2012, 7:37 a.m. CST
Hipshot, I doubt that Frank would alter the Movie and let John live especially since TGM is based on King's Novel.
by Stalkeye
That's not his call, but Stephen's. BTW Coffey wanted to Die as he stressed that he was so tired. The way I see it, Coffey was released from further pain and hardship and according to the Novel (The source material itself.) Tom Hank's character, Paul watches Coffey's ghost from an overpass after having his Wife die in his arms via Bus accident. Paul is more than paying for his reluctence to save John due to the sole fact that he has outlived his Friends and Family(seeing them Die.) before his eventual departure from Life itself. I agree with your sentiment regarding T-Dawg, but in this case, Frank gets a pass. Sorry, but that's just the way it is.
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I didn't say there was a problem with him dying. In the original novel, he died. But the Tom Hanks character TRIED to save Coffey's life, and was unable to convince anyone. In the movie, he actually KNEW Coffey was innocent (a psychic moment touching his hand) but then never tried to save him. THAT is what Darabount did. I cannot remember another film, ever, where someone knew a man was innocent and did nothing. Ever. To treat the only black man in the film like that is a pretty clear sign of lack of empathy, considering him the sickest meld of "Magical" and "Sacrificial" Negroes in the history of film. Micheal Clark Duncan did a fabulous job. But Darabount, who turned Tyrese into "T-Dawg" over at Walking Dead, gets zero respect from me.
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And Coffey was "tired". Awww. So sad. That's where, in any other movie, the music would swell, and Hanks would make an empassioned speech about how life is worth living. That's what you do if you actually care about the character, rather than just hurrying to make him a martyr. Stephen King did a fabulous job, and remembered to have Hanks give a shit, something Darabount forgot. It was NOT King's call. Take a look at the original book. I did.
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OK, I see the point you raised and thanks for the clarification. MCD deserved to win the Oscar for best supporting actor but was robbed. And as far as his casting for The Kingpin was concered, did a great job.However, the final fight between him and DD was a bit short. Forgot he did the voiceover for kilowag in the disappointing Green Lantern Film. it's sad as i always invisioned him as the perfect Darksied if WBDC was to have his debut on celluloid. What's fucked up is that he became a Vegatarian only to die of a damn heart attack. How unfair. He will surely be missed.
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Not insensitive at all...he was 6'6 and if he had taken better care of himself, he'd probably still be here.
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