Remembering Actor Michael Clarke Duncan

Actor Michael Clarke Duncan died Monday at the age of 54, having never fully recovered from a heart attack he suffered in July.

Duncan, who at 6' 5" and more than 300 pounds was a hulking and recognizable figure, appeared in dozens of films, but he was best known for his Oscar-nominated portrayal of a convicted child murderer in The Green Mile (1999).

In The Green Mile, Duncan played John Coffey, a character to whom writer Stephen King purposefully gave the initials J.C., and a gentle giant of a man who sits on death row awaiting execution by electrocution.

Duncan played opposite Tom Hanks, the prison guard who learns that not only is Coffey very unlikely to have murdered anyone, he is also a man with a very special and potentially divine gift for absorbing the pain of others.

If you've seen The Green Mile, the clip below will remind you of Michael Clarke Duncan's extraordinary work in the film. If you haven't seen the movie, add it to your Netflix queue tonight.

RIP, Mr. Duncan, and thank you for bringing John Coffey so beautifully to life.

Bully - A Powerful Film To See and Share

Alex, 12, featured in Bully.

Remember the end of Karate Kid when the cruel and powerful blond guy "sweeps the leg" of a weak and injured Daniel Larusso, played by Ralph Macchio?

Daniel, barely able to stand, then musters all his remaining courage and strength, and delivers a perfect "crane" kick to the head of his opponent, sending him spiraling to the mat in defeat.

It would change things significantly if life worked like that when bullies pick on vulnerable kids - but that's not how it works, not usually, anyway.

In just a few days, we'll have a chance to see a film about what really happens when innocent kids are taunted and subjected to violence and humiliation at the hands of other young people. The documentary film Bully, which opens on March 30, follows the lives of five bullied children over the course of a single school year, and it offers us an unflinching view of the brutal impact bullying has on the mental and physical well-being of these kids and their families.

I could go on for hours about the importance of this film, but I'm confident the trailer below provides all the evidence needed to convinced you that you should not only see this movie, but also take your kids to see it, AND make sure everyone you know does the same. See for yourself.

Trouble viewing the video? Click the Bully Project Promo link below the clip.

The Bully Project Promo from Lee Hirsch on Vimeo.

Bully has received a great deal of advance press already, not because of its culturally significant content, but because it received an unfortunate "R" rating from the MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America). Because the film includes some video clips showing instances of real kids using the real curse words they use in real schools everyday across America, real kids who are under 17 will not be allowed to see this film without a parent. Additionally, the "R" rating greatly reduces the likelihood that this movie will be purchased by school libraries. In short, the "R" rating makes it much less probable that the kids who need to see this film most, both the bullies and the bullied, will have access to it.