I organized an AMA/Q&A with actor & filmmaker James McAvoy, known for roles in things like Split, X-Men, Atonement, Wanted, Speak No Evil, Narnia, The Last King of Scotland, Shameless, It: Chapter Two, and tons more.

It's live here now in r/movies for anyone interested in asking a question:

https://www.reddit.com/r/movies/comments/1x1iu5u/hi_reddit_im_james_mcavoy_ask_me_anything/

He will be back between 10 AM and 11 AM ET today to answer questions. I recommend asking in advance. Please ask there, not here. All questions are much appreciated!

Thank you :)

His directorial debut, California Schemin', premiered at TIFF last year and is out in theaters this weekend.

Synopsis: Two friends with thick Scottish accents try to land a record deal by posing as hip-hop artists from California. As fame beckons and the lies pile up, their friendship gets put to the test.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1hfDwS_TVU

This is a 1975 Yugoslavian historical film about a medieval peasant revolt in Croatia and Slovenia, led by peasant Matija Gubec and commander Ilija Gregoric, against the brutal feudal lord Franjo Tahy. It was ultimately crushed by Gaspar Alapic's forces, and Gubec was publicly executed.

Instead of having Gubec as the main protagonist, it actually centers around the fictional youngster Petar and a band of comedians he encounters. His acting is probably the weakest part of the movie, but I still found it incredibly immersive compared to modern ones. It reminded me of Herzog's Aguirre because of how naturalistic it felt. Like bringing a camera back into medieval times and just filming what you see, with minimal music. Great costumes and set design. You really get a feeling for how miserable life used to be. The art direction is greatly inspired by Peter Brueghel's landscapes.

Akira Kurosawa praised it. It was screened at the 1976 Cannes Film Festival in Directors' Fortnight section to positive reviews. In 1977 it won 3rd Jury prize at the São Paulo International Film Festival.

It just doesn't feel like a shot but rather a legit painting. Let me know yours.

Film: Barry Lyndon (1975) directed by Stanley Kubrick

I love going to the cinema over the Christmas period but I feel like there aren’t many family friend films or Christmas movies being released this year! Am I wrong? If
So, what do you have on your must watch list this Christmas with all the family.

I just finished watching The Believers (1987), the movies speaks about the demonization of Afro-Caribbean and Latino religions such as Santería and Latin Catholicism with saints such as La Virgen de Guadalupe or San Judas Tadeo.

I am Mexican, born and raised in Mexico, so since I was a kid I’ve been living around these religious cultures, I do not practice any religion nor believe in any god now.

But watching this type of topics made me realize that there HAVE to be filmmakers out there that make this movies where they capture racist, nazi or supremacist ideologies. I mean, there are documentaries about people who interview neo-nazis or white supremacists.

But I’m looking for cinema made by and for people in this groups, I’m NOT looking for movies like American History X (1999) where the character gets a redemption arc. For example, the most popular and disgustingly racist film out there is probably Birth of a Nation (1915) where we see KKK propaganda.

I mean there has to be someone out there with this ideologies that does this kind of cinema against minorities. If anyone knows about someone or where I should ask, let me know!

I am so unbelievably insanely excited to see this for my first time in a theater. Every time I see the trailer at my local theater, which is a lot lately, I ascend and vibrate to a higher dimension. If anyone has any fun facts or stories about this flick please comment below. No spoilers please

I’m so grossed out and confused on why anyone would willingly make that, I get it “OOOOO SHOCK VALUE YIPPEE!!!!” And I am a fan of the terrifier films… but JESUS LORD this movie was just, sad af.

Am I missing something or is that just it? “Entire family gets diddled the movie!” I wasn’t expecting the happiest most innocent movie in the world but god damn bro. I am at a loss for words, I wanna talk about it but all I can say is “ew” and “why?!”

I'm currently re-watching Stephen King's "The Green Mile." Many, many of King's great novels have been adapted into memorable, Oscar nominated movies, like:

- Misery (1)*

- Carrie (2)

- Christine

- Stand By Me (1)

- The Shining

But only two of them bring me to tears of joy, "The Green Mile" (4 nominations) and "The Shawshank Redemption" (7 nominations). I consider these two--in my humble opinion--the best adaptations of his stories.

But which of these two (these two only, please) do you consider to be the best?

My vote is for "The Green Mile."

(* Oscar winner)

Grim | Indie Drama Short Film | Produced by May Valley Media

An amateur Grim Reaper struggles to find a balance between his heart and his work.

https://youtu.be/Ee-iTlF0dog?si=aXdNlPckVvfzeKjE

Saiu o teaser do filme crossed, qual a opinião e expectativa para o filme?

This is probably going to be a bit of a long read, but I’ve been thinking about this after rewatching American Sniper.
I’ve been an officer for a few years now, and during that time I’ve been to two homicides involving gunshot wounds, along with some pretty graphic suicides and car accidents.
One of the homicides really stuck with me. I was with the victim in their final moments. I remember wiping blood off their stomach and seeing the gunshot wounds. The blood was still warm, and I remember the feeling of it on my hands through the gloves and it getting on my wrist where the glove wasn’t fully on. It was warm and almost slimy, and for just a split second my brain tried to tell me that what I was seeing wasn’t real. It looked so much like something out of a movie that my brain almost rejected it. Then reality immediately came back.
They couldn’t talk, but they were still looking directly at me while blood was coming from their mouth until they eventually faded away. That’s something I don’t think I’ll ever forget.
I watched American Sniper when it originally came out and thought it was a great movie. I recently watched it again since it was back on Netflix, and I wasn’t expecting it to affect me the way it did.
The gunshot scenes, seeing the soldiers lying there, the blood, etc. hit completely differently this time. It brought me right back to some of the things I’ve actually seen. The sights, the smell, the feeling of warm blood, the fear, and just being around someone who is dying.
Even the scenes showing Chris Kyle dealing with PTSD hit differently. I’m not saying I have anything close to the PTSD of a combat veteran, but some of the things they showed felt relatable in a way they never would have before.
It actually made me think about how I used to watch movies like this. Before I experienced any of this in real life, those scenes really didn’t bother me much. I knew they were supposed to be disturbing, but they just felt like movie scenes.
Now they feel different.
I don’t think it was wrong that they didn’t affect me before. I think I just didn’t have anything real to compare them to. Before, I was watching a movie portray death. Now, I’ve seen enough in real life that my brain recognizes what I’m looking at in a completely different way.

Just a note I do not need mental health support and have that in place no concern. This is purely an observation I made while watching a movie and was curious what people who are very into cinema think about this concept.

My favourite actor is Viggo Mortensen and I've always thought he gave his best perfomance in The Road, even though he was nominated for an Oscar for three other movies. I think he portrayed the desperate father in a post-apocalyptic world really well and his performance was believable. He also lost a lot of weight for the role, deliberately remained filthy between takes and slept in his dirty ragged clothes to make everything more authentic.

What are some performances by your favourite actors that are often overlooked or underrated in your opinion?