#'tutelage' and 'enigmatic' are such fancy words!

[britishchick09]

i had an ai write a blurb for the rewrite! :D

In "Phantom of the Opera Rewritten," follow the story of Christine, a timid singer who discovers her true potential under the tutelage of an enigmatic masked maestro, otherwise known as The Phantom of the Opera. Set in the romantic city of Paris in the year 1888, this reimagined tale of passion, ambition, and tragic love will transport you to a world of soaring melodies, haunting harmonies, and unforgettable characters. Will Christine find her voice and impress the audiences of the grand Paris Opéra? Or will the Phantom's mysterious past and tormented soul keep them both from living the life they deserve? Dive into this captivating retelling of a timeless classic and experience the magic of the world's most iconic musical like never before!

[theholycovenantrpg]

In the beginning was RAPHAEL, an ANGEL loyal to the cause of the ANGELS. He is said to be IMMORTAL and uses HE/HIM pronouns. In this New Testament he serves as a MEMBER of the VIRTUES. Blessed be his name.

THE INDELIBLE MARK.

They say that he is intoxicating to be around -- enthralling in the way that he approaches all things, his mere presence instilling in those who are enraptured by it something akin to an almost demented sense of beatific awe. When he was anointed the Virtue of Fortitude, though, it seemed that something more was allotted to him; his healing abilities were amplified to the point where he is able to discern what ails a person, whether it be mentally, physically, or emotionally. If he is wrathful, it is said to be amplified ten-fold and those who have borne witness to the unfortunate occurrences often find it too difficult to recount; since that is the case, they seem to miss the curl at the edge of his lips that whispers of something unsettling. However, if he is in a benevolent mood he is said to be able to take the burdens of the pain away -- being bestowed with his presence becomes a reprieve. This innate ability, paired with his gifts for healing, are why he is largely popular with the mortals of the Holy Land. For this brief period of time, at least.

THE HISTORY.

There was something beautiful to be found within suffering -- the way the tip of the nose flushes red, the way that tears clung to lashes like fresh morning dew, the way that the heart seemed to stutter and skip in tandem with the great heaving breaths that were taken when air seemed to forsake their lungs. As Raphael looked on from his lofty view, he couldn’t help but think of the beauty that there was to be found within suffering. Of course, he knew nothing of it; only the hypotheticals, the chemical reactions it evoked within the brain, how some of it was physical, other such variations were emotional and still others were of the mental variety. God had placed His hand upon His son’s shoulder, the two of them watching on in their gilded kingdom -- enraptured by the agony that the mortals placed on themselves. Raphael never thought to question why God, in all His goodness, would allow such things, no, he was far more fascinated by the lengths they would go in order to avoid it -- or inflict it, if they felt so inclined. What a sweet sigh issued forth from him as he thought of the a million and one ways in which he could aid them in the avoidance, and a million more to make them suffer all the more. He wondered if their tears were as decadent as they seemed, if their cheeks were warmed to the touch when slick with tears. Alas, all he could do was look on and wonder.

What excitement charged through his ichor-laden veins once God allowed him to step foot upon the earth -- how eager he was for the cacophony of agony and suffering to ring in his ears, a more beautiful hymn than that which the choir of angels sung. He looked upon the mortal faces, eager to see unfold the great suffering and tragedy that seemed to cling to them closer than their own shoulders; what a disappointment it was to see something far more tedious paint across their faces. The terror at bearing witness to a celestial soul, the beatific awe that would appear on their faces once they realized that from a creature such as he, there was only the salvation of God to follow. It seemed like something of a cruel joke when any notion of suffering was wiped away as soon as he intoned the words of God and placed his hands upon their frail, fleshy frames. Still, though, he held onto the hope that God would demand of him something more stirring than the healings that he was so frequently told to perform. There were those among the heavenly ranks that were harbingers of death, that made for themselves infamy and curried among the mortals terror and fear; they were the cause of the salted tears that fell upon their cheeks, of the moaning, wailing, and grinding of teeth that were so lauded about. What did he offer but farcical acts that were meant to be displays of God’s favor and love? What did he offer but anecdotes of whimsical performances that only served to gild the name of a self-important God?

The centuries began to bleed into one another, an endless torrent of mediocrity and boredom where nothing of import was required of him except to laud the ways of a creator that was far less intriguing than He painted Himself to be. And still, he watched from his lofty place in the gilded kingdom as they murdered one another, as they rent themselves apart in determination to place themselves upon a throne that was far above their reach. It was then that he began to wonder if he might stir his brothers in much the same manner, if they might be fallible enough to do as the mortals as wont to do; if they might tear themselves apart in the hopes of some inane idea of power, righteousness, and glory. They were none the wiser as he placed a few carefully chosen words in their ear, weaving the idea of revolt into their conversations as a snake might weave through the grass -- slickly, subtly. The flames of his brothers’ anger were easy to flame, the embers long ago planted by their Father’s pride and self-important glory they were all forced to bend a knee to. He all but placed the sword in Michael’s hand, all but ripped his Father from the throne himself. What a satisfying thing it was to have God look him in the eyes and know that He had incurred His own ruin. That ruin just so happened to also be called Raphael.

When the world remade itself into something far greater -- far more chaotic, far more vicious -- he could not help but pause to admire his own handiwork; the sun rose and set in the manner that it did because of him, the earth was painted awash in its vibrant away of colors because of him, and the mortals that now fancied themselves as something powerful were only considered gifted because of him and the mechanisms of his enigmatic mind. But he finds that, with the peace that the world sits on the brink of, there is the threat of mundanity lording over him once more. There will still be the tragedy and suffering that he so loves, but it will not be at the scale that it once was. The mortals will no longer be sharpening their knives to claw at the angels, the demons will no longer goad the mortals. There will soon be no bloodshed, no wails of sorrow and cries of agony for him to listen for -- no, there would only be the gentle sigh of a world at rest and the soft laughter of euphoria pouring in through his window. The thought of falling into the mind-numbing harmony that they so long for is a tragedy that he isn’t interested in. It has been quite some time since he has bothered to dip his hands in blood, whether it be celestial or mortal, but he takes no issue in the thought of it. There was something beautiful, after all, about suffering -- and incredibly intoxicating about knowing that he is the one who inflicts it.

THE CONNECTIONS.

MICHAEL & GABRIEL: The Archangels. They were known as the three Archangels in the old world - famed and venerated. A soldier, a messenger, and a healer. They are brothers in every sense of the word: bickering over the smallest of things, needling one another, but loving one another all the same. Though, as of late, Raphael has noted a rift between them, the root of it lies within their differing loyalties -- though Raphael has always made a note to keep his opinions rather close to the chest, instead belaying any need for honesty by offering his considerations of both sides of whatever arguments may occur. Although, in truth, chasm is a more accurate word to describe it than rift. Before, their arguments would end in jest, but now Raphael has observed that each one seems to drive Michael and Gabriel further and further apart. He does not much mind the fact that they seem to be set upon their differing path -- what intrigues him is how the two others might fracture and decimate themselves from within without one another. Perhaps he is curious to see just how volatile their age-old friendship is, what it might take to weave them together and drive them into unforgivable furies. In truth, there is no end to the immeasurable excitement that he thinks this new age might bring. 

ROMILDA ALTIER: Galatea. From her, he is determined to carve the most intricate corruption so that others might behold its beauty. She came to him of her own free will, chin held high, eyes blazing with poorly disguised contempt for him and his celestial nature. But still, she was determined to make something of the Gift that she had been given, was determined to render the powers that were comparable to that of a lioness into something more gentle in nature -- coaxing it into the nature of a lamb. He would indulge her, of course, would let her think that angelic nature was something much more serene in its nature. But beneath the serene waters is something far more terrifying than even could conjure in her nightmares. Slowly -- carefully -- he seeks to see how that light within her might scorch the earth, might raze what creation has wrought. From her, he will bring forth the beauty that stirs within one a primordial fear, from her he will bring forth machinations that the likes of the long-dead God could never have hoped to bear witness to. 

ABADDON: Blight. It is very rare that he leaves himself unguarded -- but it is just so utterly captivating, witnessing utter helplessness. He had seen it once, a particularly wiry little angel had left his flank open and what was Raphael to do with the opportunity but teach him a lesson he might never forget? And so he had done as any seeking to reinforce the strength of another might do and allowed himself to fall into a frenzy that the poor welp might never forget. In doing so, though, he had left himself exposed to the rather underhanded tactics of Abaddon, brutally stealing from him the opportune moment for tutelage. And, as a result, ensured that the other angel would be softened after being aided in such a manner. It seems that every time they encounter one another, a satisfied little smirk besets her face -- how much longer she’ll be able to wear it, he can’t say. Patience is a particularly potent virtue that he has learned to cultivate and refine until it ends up cutting others like a blade. One day soon, he will be able to hold it against her throat like a knife and watch as she bleeds from how deeply he will inflict it. 

SAMAEL: Parasite. The two of them had been created to contrast one another -- one to highlight God’s benevolence, the other to inflict his wrath when the Creator saw fit. They had been irrevocably tied since their very inception, and had been intended to serve as a means of balancing the tenets of the universe. The two were knotted together, tied by a string of fate that Raphael had tantamount to the shackles that had tethered the monsters within Tartarus. He had the pleasure of watching him fall, watching the great Samael who wielded his power about so blatantly and readily that it oozed from him like fumes from a rotten bog, staining all who dared to draw near to his putrid presence. It has been an eon and a half since then, since he has had the pleasure of watching the cursed creature fall, but still the satisfaction he takes in holding the other’s gaze has not abated. He has borne witness to the undoing of Samael once before -- he will allow the demon to crawl ever-higher, just so he might have the singular joy of being there when he is wrenched from his place of power once again. If he is lucky, this time he might set in motion the condemned creature’s fall himself.

Raphael is portrayed by Ricky Whittle and was written by ROSEY. He is currently OPEN.

[coruscorp-blog]

DEAR, MR/MS. ( LEVITICUS KANG )

We are pleased to have you back for another year as a SECOND UPPER YEAR STUDENT at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. We sincerely hope your classmates in SLYTHERIN treat you well.

everything he ends up doing―his dreams, his ambitions his innermost desires; the machinations of his heart including the self-made decision to travel all the way to europe to partake in hogwarts 4-year extension programme, despite having never lived as much as a week without some form of parental presence, can be traced back to one man: his father, kang sungwoon.

the frame of levi’s life begins without said man in the picture on december 27th, 1997. his mother gives birth to him in a rundown clinic somewhere in shenyang, china. the kind of place that would appeal to poor foreigners without a seamless, easily presentable past. a birth without much ceremony and fanfare for a child who, as though bound by oath to the characteristics of this birth, trods down a similar path of quiet, forgettable personhood.

levi is familiar with the slopes and ridges of lies by the age of four. he is the one telling gentlemen on the phone that his mother is not home while she sits on the couch of their one-bedroom apartment, cursing tv. actors and their bastardly handsome faces. lying is not necessarily an act he derives great pleasure from. especially since, well sometimes the gentlemen threaten and call him ugly names. but it is a sacrifice he pays in order to have her around on nights when she is too tired to leave their home for mysterious lodgings her son is spared the knowledge of.

one could think his efforts a waste, considering she spends these nights more out of herself than within; downing pills and watching crappy television. but to the lad however, it means the world.

his mother calls it love and he drinks her blighted words. because sometimes, even connoisseurs of lies would sacrifice their nagging suspicions on altars of greater hope and desire. the boy’s fervid compulsion with wanting to know his father, the man who imparted life into him; blindfolds him to the intuitive alarms and warning labels which circle the gratuitous tale his mother gives him for a peace token. attached to it, a photograph of her supposed hero husband who died in foreign seas and left her with a child in memory of him.

the deception grows like a secret in daylight, waiting to be walked into. at some point levi probably notices the discrepancies in her stories. the way her clipped narratives would alter his father’s image from a bright and charming virtuoso, to a calm, agreeable man, to a gruff melancholic who loved his job more than he did her. his mother’s thoughtlessly executed tales beckon his scrutiny, taunting; and at some point he nearly inquires, “this too, is a lie. right?” but a more persistent force ( call it faith, if you may ) keeps him from verbalizing his reservations even to himself. perhaps, for fear that a singular thought would harvest similar ones and choke out whatever hope he’d held onto. hence, the deception is left slithering on the cave of his stomach. like a snake in the grass.

this doesn’t last for long―though he soon wishes it did. the phrase: ‘ignorance is bliss’ is a cliche for a reason. a day comes while in school, when he happens upon the same picture his mother had given him ( the very one he had relayed his fears and dreams to, in the whimsical, artless way people who believe in ghosts and heaven and star-hung wishes tend do ) on the pages of a chinese history book dated several decades back. ten year old levi can barely breathe through the soot of his own stupidity, he buckles under his weight and collapses on the floor in a fit of tears, much to the astonishment of his peers. this event does much havoc to his already infamous persona, who had cultivated quite an impression by virtue of his ill-concealed interest in boys, a whoring mother, an ominous past and a fragile composition.

the bullying intensifies until it reaches an unbearable degree of obstinacy. levi cleaves his overspilling frustrations into a brocade of pained forbearance until multiple hands press into him, squeezing, dragging, choking, killing his spirit, hurting his flesh. until his skin feels more like an “it is” than an “i am.” until he can’t take it anymore.

a mangled scream emanates from his throat. as though from one who, after a decade of muted agony, had finally found the right language to properly convey his pain. he releases strangled words, the cracking sound of bone against bone and a fatal spark of energy that raises hell and slams it down. a mistake. a colossal one.

the incident claims two victims. it thrusts levi into the red light of official interest. the following week passes by in a blur of rough handling and handcuffs and cold white interrogation rooms, where the whelp is baited with rewards and threats in exchange of information on how he could have single handedly killed his classmates without having touched them. for fear of the potential loss of her son’s life, coupled with the guilt of having compounded his issues by her absence and her lies, his mother resorts to her last standing lighthouse: the boy’s father.

now how the mysterious accounts of the couple’s relationship and the agreement made to leave the child in ignorance come to be, are tales to be told in the future. what is most essential as of present is that levi, by virtue of certain enigmatic occurrences, is smuggled from china to south korea to live with his father, whose presence, as you may have guessed, does much to alleviate the boy’s aching heart. the rest of his childhood up until his early days of adulthood are spent under the man’s iron-handed tutelage. with time, levi comes to realize that there are wizards, and there are wizards, and his father belongs to the latter class―the pure blooded, powerful ones. himself, a filthy mudblood, could only aspire to be like him. so he does all he can for his father. heeds his utterances with utmost devotion, carries out his instructions to the tee, deconstructs his individuality to become a manageable child soldier. all for his father.

when levi makes the decision to attend hogwarts, his father makes no objections whatsoever to his request. perhaps because he already knows him, as an engineer would know all the little bolts and pieces of his latest invention. other boys could be driven by fancies, by compassion, by banal affectations. but not him. not his levi. leviticus kang is partly his by blood, but wholly his in the mind. a pure incorruptible seed.

[josidel]

Movies worth seeing this holiday season, none about Santa Claus

The second category includes exclusively seasonal fare: “A Bad Moms Christmas” (now in theaters); the Nativity-themed animation “The Star” (Nov. 17); and “The Man Who Invented Christmas” (Nov. 22), a story about Charles Dickens and the writing of “A Christmas Carol.” But those films have, by definition, a short shelf life, with sell-by dates of Jan. 2.

“Holiday,” in the first and loosest sense of the word, suggests a break from routine. Although looking forward to a great new movie brings a sense of anticipation akin to an unopened present, it’s a gift that, if chosen carefully, will keep on giving regardless of the season. With that in mind, here are 14 upcoming films to put on your wish list. Some of them we’ve already taken a peek at, and others we can’t wait to unwrap.

Opening dates are subject to change.

Trailer: 'Justice League'

Months after the events of "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice," Bruce Wayne and Diana Prince assemble a team of meta-humans to face the catastrophic threat of Steppenwolf. (Warner Bros. Pictures)

Justice League

Cast: Ben Affleck, Gal Gadot, Jason Momoa, Ezra Miller, Ray Fisher, Henry Cavill, Ciarán Hinds

Despite “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” ending in the apparent death of Clark Kent — let’s not forget that dirt levitating off his coffin, suggesting a resurrection of some kind — it’s virtually certain that the Man of Steel (Cavill) will show up in the new sequel, and we don’t just mean in that dream sequence from the trailer. With luck, Gadot’s Wonder Woman will bring a little of the mojo that made her recent movie a megahit. Returning director Zach Snyder and his collaborators have indicated that the new adventure — which features Hinds as the main villain, Steppenwolf — will be a lot more fun than “BvS,” as Batman, played by Affleck, teams up with Wonder Woman to recruit the Flash (Miller), Aquaman (Momoa) and Cyborg (Fisher) as allies. (Nov. 17, PG-13)

Mudbound

Cast: Carey Mulligan, Jason Clarke, Garrett Hedlund, Jason Mitchell, Mary J. Blige, Rob Morgan

Based on Hillary Jordan’s 2008 novel— winner of the Bellwether Prize for fiction — this 1940s-set drama by filmmaker Dee Rees (“Pariah”) retains the book’s technique of rotating narration between six characters: three members of a poor white farming family in rural Mississippi (Mulligan, Clarke and Hedlund) and three members of a family of black sharecroppers (Mitchell, Blige and Morgan). Set before, during and after one man from each family (Hedlund and Mitchell) is shipped off to fight in World War II, the epic tale — which will also be available on Netflix — explores the theme of racism, with heartbreaking potency. (Nov. 17, R)

Trailer: 'Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri'

Mildred (Frances McDormand) is a single mother grieving and feeling immense guilt over the rape and violent murder of her teenage daughter. When the police fail to act, she rents three billboards to air her grievances. (Fox Searchlight)

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Cast: Frances McDormand, Woody Harrelson, Sam Rockwell

McDormand delivers a tour de force as the mother of a murdered teenage girl who channels her grief and guilt into anger directed at the small-town police chief (Harrelson) who has yet to make an arrest in her daughter’s case. By turns serious and darkly funny, filmmaker Martin McDonagh’s drama — which also features a complex performance by Rockwell in the role of a violent, racist cop — feels significantly more substantial than the English director’s previous work, which includes “In Bruges” and “Seven Psychopaths.” (Nov. 17, R)

Coco

Cast: Anthony Gonzalez, Benjamin Bratt, Gael García Bernal

The voice-over in the trailer for “Coco,” an animated adventure set in the Land of the Dead of Mexican folklore, intones: “No living person has ever visited their world — until now.” Um. Maybe the folks at Disney/Pixar forgot a little animated feature from 2014 called “The Book of Life,” which features a Mexican hero traveling to — you guessed it — the Land of the Dead. Setting accusations of plagiarism aside for the moment, Pixar’s new film is about a little boy (Gonzalez) who accidentally gets stuck in the underworld. “Coco,” which was visually inspired by the art of Mexican printmaker José Guadalupe Posada, won’t be the last word on the Day of the Dead theme. A sequelto “The Book of Life” is already in the planning stages. (Nov. 22, PG)

Trailer: 'Roman J. Israel, Esq.'

The plot follows the experienced lawyer of Roman J. Israel, who begins to manage a large firm after his boss has a heart attack. It stars Denzel Washington, Colin Farrell and Carmen Ejogo. (Sony Pictures)

Roman J. Israel, Esq.

Cast: Denzel Washington, Colin Farrell, Carmen Ejogo

Writer-director Dan Gilroy’s legal drama about the existential crisis that results when a pro-bono crusader for the disenfranchised goes to work for a fancy firm, making a morally compromising decision in the process, may share some themes with Gilroy’s “Nightcrawler.” Like that 2014 examination of journalistic ethics — a bravura performance by an emaciated Jake Gyllenhaal — the new film features Washington transformed for the title role of a disheveled legal savant, with a shaggy Afro, aviator-frame glasses and mismatched suits. (Nov. 22, PG-13)

Trailer: 'The Disaster Artist'

The film is based on Greg Sestero and Tom Bissell's non-fiction book of the same name and chronicles the making of their 2003 cult film "The Room." (A24 Films)

The Disaster Artist

Cast: James Franco, Dave Franco, Seth Rogen, Zoey Deutch, Alison Brie

Is it possible to make a good movie about a bad one? A very, very, bad (yet hysterically funny) one? Based on the 2013 book by Greg Sestero and Tom Bissell about Sestero’s experience as an actor in “The Room” — a film that has been called “the ‘Citizen Kane’ of bad movies” — “The Disaster Artist” stars James Franco as the cult film’s enigmatically accented writer, director, star and producer, Tommy Wiseau. You’ll probably want to bone up on the source material — meaning Wiseau’s film, if not the book — first. It’s frequent midnight-movie fodder. (Dec. 1, R)

Trailer: 'Darkest Hour'

Winston Churchill (Gary Oldman) faces a crucial moment against Adolf Hitler's army at the beginning of WWII.(Focus Features)

Darkest Hour

Cast: Gary Oldman, Lily James, Kristin Scott Thomas

Call it the flip side of “Dunkirk.” Opening in early May, 1940 — just before Winston Churchill was named prime minister of Britain — this period drama tracks, in minute detail, the backroom strategizing that took place as Parliament and Churchill’s war cabinet struggled to find a way to rescue British soldiers stranded on the beach at Dunkirk. In its essence, “Darkest Hour” — which boasts an award-worthy performance by Oldman as Churchill — is about the buildup to a single speech: Churchill’s ��We shall fight on the beaches” address to the House of Commons on June 4, 1940, which galvanized the nation for the coming Battle of Britain. (Dec. 8, PG-13)

Trailer: 'The Shape of Water'

Director Guillermo del Toro's latest movie is a romantic fantasy horror, starring Sally Hawkins, Michael Shannon and Octavia Spencer. (Fox Searchlight)

The Shape of Water

Cast: Sally Hawkins, Octavia Spencer, Doug Jones, Michael Shannon, Richard Jenkins, Michael Stuhlbarg

The latest adult fairy tale from Guillermo del Toro (“Pan’s Labyrinth”) centers on the unlikely bond that develops between a mute cleaning woman (Hawkins) and an amphibious humanoid creature (Jones) who is being kept in a secret government lab. Set in 1962, at the height of the Cold War, and referencing midcentury monster movies and musicals, del Toro’s swooningly romantic film is less thriller than love letter to old Hollywood. (Dec. 8, R)

Trailer: 'Call Me By Your Name'

Based on the 2007 novel, a young man named Elio (Timothée Chalamet) living in Italy in the '80s, meets Oliver (Armie Hammer), an academic who has come to stay at his parents' villa. A passionate relationship develops between the two men as they bond over their sexuality and Jewish roots. (Sony Pictures Classics)

Call Me By Your Name

Cast: Armie Hammer, Timothée Chalamet

Based on the 2007 novel by André Aciman, “Call Me by Your Name” centers on a summer romance in scenic Italy between a 20-something academic (Hammer) and the 17-year-old son of his mentor. (Chalamet, who has drawn praise for his performance as the precocious boy, also makes an impression in the new film “Lady Bird”). The buzzy film, which has proved to be a popular favorite at recent festivals, has won praise for its sensitive portrayal of forbidden love, while also reportedly drawing comparisons to a “Moonlight” for rich, white people. (Dec. 15, R)

Trailer: 'Ferdinand'

This 3D animated movie tells the story of Ferdinand, a Spanish fighting bull who prefers smelling the flowers and practicing non-violence. (20th Century Fox)

Ferdinand

Cast: John Cena, Kate McKinnon, Anthony Anderson, Bobby Cannavale, Gina Rodriguez

Wrestler-turned-actor Cena voices the title character: a pacifist bull who refuses to face the toreador in this animated adaptation of Munro Leaf’s classic children’s book. The style of animation — from Blue Sky Studios — deviates, as it must, from Robert Lawson’s charming black-and-white illustrations in the original 1936 book, but the story comes courtesy of a reliable, if not familiar, name: Carlos Saldanha, who directed or co-directed five films in the studio’s popular “Ice Age” and Rio” franchises. (Dec. 15, PG)

Star Wars: The Last Jedi

Cast: Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Mark Hamill, Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, Carrie Fisher

The demand for early tickets to Disney’s latest installment in the Star Wars franchise — which centers on Rey (Ridley) as she learns to control the Force under the tutelage of Luke Skywalker (Hamill) — was so great that Fandango and other sites experienced digital traffic jams last month. Now comes news, courtesy of the Wall Street Journal, that the studio is so confident in its new product that it plans to take an unprecedented 65 percent cut of revenue from theaters (compared with the more typical 55 to 60 percent). Theater owners will also be contractually obligated to screen the film for four weeks on the largest screen. Sounds like the Empire is feeling pretty good about its new Death Star. (Dec. 15, not yet rated)

Trailer: 'Downsizing'

"Downsizing" imagines what might happen if, as a solution to over-population, Norwegian scientists discover how to shrink humans to five inches. Paul (Matt Damon) and his wife Audrey (Kristen Wiig) decide to leave their lives behind and shrink themselves. (Paramount Pictures)

Downsizing

Cast: Matt Damon, Kristen Wiig, Christoph Waltz, Jason Sudeikis

Social satirist Alexander Payne has turned his magnifying glass on the Midwest (“Nebraska”), Hawaii (“The Descendants”) and California wine country (“Sideways”). In “Downsizing,” he tackles the whole planet. Written with longtime collaborator Jim Taylor, this futuristic fantasy imagines a world in which people can opt to miniaturize themselves to the size of dolls as a solution to the Earth’s overpopulation crisis. As Damon’s character finds out when he agrees to undergo the procedure, when one man shrinks, his problems grow, along with the size — metaphorically — of his heart . (Dec. 22, not yet rated)

Trailer: 'The Post'

Directed by Steven Spielberg, “The Post” stars Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks, and tells the story of the paper's handling of the Pentagon Papers. (20th Century Fox)

The Post

Cast: Tom Hanks, Meryl Streep, Alison Brie

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Call it Star Wars for wonks. In Steven Spielberg’s latest slab of Oscar bait, Hanks plays the late Washington Post editor Ben Bradlee, with Streep as the paper’s late owner, Katharine Graham. The fact-based drama is about the newspaper’s 1971 decision to publish classified documents — known as the Pentagon Papers — that showed that the administration of Lyndon B. Johnson had lied to Congress and the American people. Calling all Washington policy and media types: Your popcorn-movie awaits. (Dec. 22, not yet rated)

Trailer: 'Molly’s Game'

Written and directed by Aaron Sorkin, "Molly's Game" tells the story of Molly Bloom (Jessica Chastain) as she builds an underground poker empire for Hollywood celebrities.(STXfilms)

Molly’s Game

Cast: Jessica Chastain, Idris Elba, Kevin Costner

Writer Aaron Sorkin (“Steve Jobs,” “The West Wing”) makes his directorial debut in a film based on Molly Bloom’s 2014 memoir of her time running an underground poker club catering to such Hollywood elites as Matt Damon and Leonardo DiCaprio. Chastain, in a title role that continues the multiple-Oscar nominee’s habit of playing steely, successful women who have virtually no personal lives, “roars through the performance,” as the Hollywood Reporter put it, “with a force and take-no-prisoners attitude that keeps one rapt.” (Dec. 25, not yet rated)

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