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Brad Renfro Dead at 25 - Page 2

post #31 of 39
1/17/08 at 6:31am

Re: Brad Renfro Dead at 25

Quote:
Originally Posted by SD_Brian
Unless, like River Phoenix before him, it leads to a rediscovery/reassessment of his body of work. Nobody knew who Brandon Lee was before The Crow. We're already talking reverently about Brad Renfro movies none of us have probably thought about in years.

I'm not meaning to speak ill of the deceased, so please don't take that as my intent. I'm more talking about the way society responds to celebrity death.

Brad Renfro was a talented actor and, as has been stated by others, it's very sad that he couldn't overcome his demons.

Not so fast. Laser Mission, Showdown in Little Tokyo and Rapid Fire all preceded The Crow and were regularly watched by martial arts film fans like me when they showed up on cable. Lee's death was tragic because the film was gonna be huge and launch him into the stratosphere as a mainstream actor.
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post #32 of 39
1/17/08 at 9:44am

Re: Brad Renfro Dead at 25

Quote:
Originally Posted by SD_Brian
It could be (correctly, IMO) argued that, had those people not died under the circumstances they did, they would not have the iconic mystique they do.

I completely agree. What if Marlon Brando had died just after "On the Waterfront" or even "The Godfather". Sure he's remembered for the great films he did but it is almost overshadowed by the later aspects of his life.
What if Michael Jackson died shortly after "Thriller" became the sensation that it did. His name would never be remembered for all the later theatrics that have now sullied it.
Just to be clear, I'm NOT saying that dying younger than you should is a good thing whatsoever.. just saying how our idea of "iconic mystique" works. Nobody likes to see their heroes get old apparently.
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post #33 of 39
1/17/08 at 10:13am

Re: Brad Renfro Dead at 25

Quote:
Originally Posted by Brett_M
Lee's death was tragic because the film was gonna be huge and launch him into the stratosphere as a mainstream actor.
I would say Lee's death was tragic because he was killed by a senseless accident on a movie set, but I understand what you mean.

By "nobody knew who Brandon Lee was," I was referring to mainstream audience members like myself whose interest in seeing The Crow came about due to stories of the on-set tragedy.
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post #34 of 39
1/17/08 at 10:31am

Re: Brad Renfro Dead at 25

This has got to be the most retarded "death of an Actor" thread ever.

Seriously, equating over the counter medicine and caffein to heroin? What the hells wrong with you people?

Renfro was a talented actor who couldn't handle the recreational drugs of his choice. It's not tragic, it happens all the time to people who make bad choices. Some folks can handle recreational drugs, others can't. I always thought he was a fine actor, it's sad to seem him go. It doesn't matter if it was drugs, or illness or a car crash.

And for the record, I don't use recreational drugs.
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post #35 of 39
1/17/08 at 12:10pm

Re: Brad Renfro Dead at 25

Quote:
Originally Posted by SD_Brian
I would say Lee's death was tragic because he was killed by a senseless accident on a movie set, but I understand what you mean.

By "nobody knew who Brandon Lee was," I was referring to mainstream audience members like myself whose interest in seeing The Crow came about due to stories of the on-set tragedy.

Touche.
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post #36 of 39
1/17/08 at 1:04pm

Re: Brad Renfro Dead at 25

Quote:
This has got to be the most retarded "death of an Actor" thread ever.
It's a recent phenomenon on HTF. Look up the Pavarotti and Johnny Cochran RIP threads. Apparently boorish self-righteousness has gained the upper hand on that most basic of decencies (if not respect for the dead, then at least respect for those who do care and respect the deceased.)

--
H
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post #37 of 39
1/17/08 at 2:24pm

Re: Brad Renfro Dead at 25

Quote:
It's a recent phenomenon on HTF.
Sadly, it's not so recent. So let me expand on my moderator warning from the previous page.

This is an in memoriam thread. Treat it like you would a memorial service. If you don't have something to say that would be appropriate to say at a memorial service, don't say it in this thread.

That should be a simple test to apply. Please respect it.

EDIT: I guess it wasn't simple enough for some. Two posts were just removed. Shall we continue?

M.
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post #38 of 39
1/17/08 at 3:20pm

Re: Brad Renfro Dead at 25

I'll give it a shot.

I really just know Renfro from Bully and Ghost World. I don't know if he was all that talented, because those roles were virtually similar. I've seen The Client, but I don't don't remember it that clearly.

After some thought, I think his most interesting role was probably Bully, though I never really thought about it that much until now. Anyone who's seen it knows the way the story is told can be a bit overwhelming. Renfro's role of Marty was wonderfully understated, particularly in contrast to Nick Stahl's "Bully". Thinking back, I feel Marty would have been able to beat the tar out of Bobby (the "Bully") but never even tried, since Bobby was such an intimidating individual. Intimidating, but weak. It was an effective portrayal.

Having said that, I want to point out that we ALL have our demons. Substance abuse or addiction, in whatever form, fortunately is not something I have a problem with, but I have plenty of others. It is always easy to condemn others for the weaknesses you don't share (and sometimes for the ones you do), but it never hurts to at least try to put yourself in another's shoes and walk around a bit.
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post #39 of 39
1/24/08 at 2:15pm

Re: Brad Renfro Dead at 25

Interestingly, in seeing a rather recent picture of Mr. Renfro, I noticed how much he came to resemble the younger version of the character he portrayed in Sleepers, which was ultimately played as an adult by Ron Eldard.

Talk about astute casting!!! In fact, the casting was so astute...that as Mr. Renfro grew older into a man, he and Eldard looked as if they really could have been brothers in real life!!!!!!!!!

It's too bad Brad died--let alone as young as he did. Otherwise, the two men could have been cast as brothers in another movie somewhere down the line?????

R.I.P.
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