#he is staging the bodies of his enemies as an art installation in the middle of a walkway so everyone has to see his GLORIOUS PURPOSE

[loveoaths]

I’ve been reading through Darth Momin’s Wookiepedia entry recently and he is fascinating. Momin is considered a “Sith heretic” which, conceptually, is just…… how bad/weird/annoying do you have to be for the SITH, the biggest annoying asshole whiners in the galaxy, to look at you and think, “Yeah I’mma need this bitch OUTTA HERE ASAP”???

The answer is: pretty goddamn annoying. But I’ll get to that in a second.

His “heresy” is believing that the Sith do not control the Dark Side; the dark side controls them. They exist solely to serve it, to please it through their works and actions. He does not believe in the wanton destruction of his peers; he believes in creation. Adding to the world instead of taking it apart. Unfortunately his idea of “adding to the world” is shit like “use the Force to lock an entire city in the second before it’s utter annihilation, thus creating an endless source of pain and fear and terror to fuel my Evil Engine so I can get a good grade in Being Loved By the Dark Side, which is both normal and something possible to achieve.”

And then he fucking FAILS at it because some pesky little Jedi get onto his engine and the mere presence of light side energy distracts him so much that he EXPLODES HIMSELF. this guy sucks so fucking bad it’s unreal. I’m obsessed.

Momin thinks the Sith obsession with Jedi is stupid and irrelevant to their purpose, which is to honor the Dark Side and execute its will across the Galaxy. This school of thought appears to be unique to him, since it is considered antithetical to everything mainstream Sith believe, and it dies with him, because they ensure his name is not recorded in any Sith or Jedi holocron; his legacy is all but eradicated. This is 1) hilarious, but also 2) indicative of the accusation he levels against the Sith: they are so focused on hoarding and hiding knowledge that they undermine themselves and the efforts of their entire group, when they could be serving one goal — honoring the Dark Side — and rebuilding the galaxy in its image. This guy is technically the eclectic fringe hippie guy of the Sith, and he’s like. An art / architecture / engineering triple major with a minor in being fucking creepy.

And the reason he is LIKE this is because he got one (1) bad art review on his first sculpture — which was totally understandable considering he made said sculpture out of the family pet. And Momin decides, fuck it if y’all don’t like my work then I don’t like YOU. Also DIE.

His art (and therefore life) philosophy becomes obsessed with pain and fear. To him they are the only true emotions, the only ones that define our nature, the only emotions that matter. Sure dude. I’m sure that has nothing to do with everyone hating your art and being freaked out by you. You totally didn’t create an entire artistic vision that claims how people receive YOUR work is universal and the only purpose of art, because there is no way your art isn’t just awful and bad and nauseating. Noooo, that’s what art is supposed to be!

He also thinks Vader is a bitch, which is hilarious, because seconds after this Vader smears him across the floor.

If this guy was a doughnut, the outside dough would be Art/Stem Boy Who Tells You You Like Art Wrong and his inside would be Hannibal + Villanelle jelly.

He may as well have said “This is my design.”

Oh, and on top of being a brilliant dingus, this guy somehow conjured a door to the dark side itself, pulled his original body from it and transfered his consciousness to it (implying that he has technically unlocked the key to immortality that the Sith have been banging on about for eons), is strong enough in the dark side that a fragment of his soul can survive inside a stupid little helmet long after he’s dead, doesn’t believe in the Master-Apprentice dynamic, is a perfect plot vehicle for any time travel fic because if any bitch has found a way to the World Between Worlds it’s this guy and he WILL be making it your problem, and is somehow both one of the most unique and most exhausting Sith —

All while looking like a rejected Keebler elf.

I’m obsessed.

(Credit to @gffa for these comic images I found in the #darth momin tag!)

#I need to actually buy these comics because I NEED to see the full picture but goddamn I’m so ridiculously amused. #this guy is like. an evil liberal arts school kid. that is objectively so fucking funny #he names his lightsabers Praxis and Direct Action #he is staging the bodies of his enemies as an art installation in the middle of a walkway so everyone has to see his GLORIOUS PURPOSE #he is the teacher’s pet of the fucking dark side. look at me. that’s hilarious. WHY IS THAT SO FUNNY #darth momin #you know i love a freak in a mask. i reject his white boy face though. i’m gonna commission art of him and he will look so awful #darth Vader #I don’t even go here but I do now. I’m a Jedi lover but this guy is too ridiculous not to stan . I’m going to write something so weird #long post #ALSO HIS NAME IS BASICALLY EVIL MOOMINS. THANK YOU TOVE JANSSON!

[honekitteh]

Fic: Countdown - Chapter 6

Fandom: SWTOR Pairing: Theron Shan/f!Jedi Knight Rating: M Genre: Angst, H/C, Romance, Canon-Typical Violence, Humor,  Canon-typical levels of poor decision-making Synopsis: A distress call leads the Jedi Battlemaster to Ziost, but time is running out.  Follows the storyline of The Rise of the Emperor and inserts missing scenes.   Warnings: See Chapter 1

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 |  Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Crossposted to AO3

“This is a door?”

Kira nodded to me as I walked towards the circle window like fixture on the left side of the entrance hall of the People’s Tower.  I tried to keep my focus on the entryway to the next level of the building as opposed to the corpses now laying at our feet.  The amount of bodies that were being thrown towards me to try to prevent us from our path, with little more purpose than for just simple mayhem and death, was overwhelming.  There were very few meditation techniques that could fully block out the scent of the dead at this point, but I needed to press on.  The fate of this world felt like it was slipping out of my grasp and it felt like it was up to me.

Again.

I couldn’t find the way to open the door easily, looking around for the controls.  I reached out with my senses.  “Locked.”

“Typical Imperials,” Kira huffed, “So rude to guests.”

I frowned as tried a few things with the Force.  “I’m not sure I can bust it myself.”

My friend took a step up and closed her eyes.  Then she shook her head.  “I doubt even the two of us could do it alone, even if one of us was on the other side. Unless Lana is miraculously right there, we’re on our own.  We need something else.”

I frowned.  Not really willing to give up quite yet, I tested the door again with my senses.

“Jyana, I think we need something with a bit more explosive power.”

I sighed heavily. “Fine.  What do you have in mind?”

Kira scanned the entrance hall.  There was a large holographic map of Ziost on display on the middle console.  She took a scan beyond it.  “There’s something over there, but I think we’ll have to fight our way there.”

“Sounds about normal,” I sighed.

We worked our way over there quickly, myself leaping into battle with a Sith Lord.  I only felt slightly bad about engaging him in battle, cause I was fairly sure he’d want to thwart whatever we were planning on his own volition.  I couldn’t tell how long he’d been under Vitiate’s puppetry, but it didn’t matter now. A poor imperial medic was unfortunately in the crossfire, which was something that I did feel terrible about. But our situation did not give us a lot of time to reflect or regret.  We had to keep moving.

When the enemies had fallen, as they refused to stop until they were ended, I noticed the thing Kira thought she had seen.  I picked up the rocket launcher and looked at it with great suspicion.

“That looks promising,” Kira said.

“This might be overkill,” I stated looking at it and checking to make certain it was loaded.

“Pft,” Kira waved that off, “No such thing as overkill.”

“Let’s move.”  I put the rocket launcher over my shoulder, loosely letting the strap on it secure it there.  I looked back towards the door and frowned.  “Did you invite more friends to the party?” I asked motioning towards the four imperial commandos that were now between us and the door.  

“I need to hire a new party planner.”

I was getting so tired of fighting, but I tossed my lightsabers to draw the commandos’ attention. I wasn’t sure I was quite comfortable opening with my typical leap into the fray.  Adding the rocket launcher to my back would wreck the physics of the leap or at least set it off that I wasn’t sure I had the right read on it. I already had a habit of overexerting and I really could not afford to do it at this stage.  I was already exhausted.  I knew the final battle was soon, but I could not completely estimate how much longer I had to go.  I couldn’t go overboard now, not at this stage.  

Kira pushed the last of the four back as he fell.  She frowned looking down at them.  A glance up at me showed me she was feeling what I was.  Overwhelming sorrow.  Both of us knew what it was like to be out of our own control.  Both of us had broken free, but it did not pass without some level of scars.  Such was our life.

We got to the door and I unholstered the rocket launcher.  This wasn’t my first rodeo.  I checked all the mechanisms, made certain the ammo was set just right.

“Maybe we should knock first?” Kira asked.

“This is me knocking,” I said and fired.

The explosion shock the building and threw both of us back.  Startled at the reaction I dropped the rocket launcher and used the Force to cushion our fall.

“That’s what I’m talking about!”

I stared at Kira as I picked myself up off the floor.

“I gotta get me one of those!” she said as she was pointing at the rocket launcher.

“Later.  We don’t have any way to reload it and we’ve got to keep moving.”

“No fun.”

I sighed and rolled my eyes and jumped through the door.

It felt like Vitiate had an endless supply of bodies to pile up between us and our destination.  It also took a great deal of concentration to focus on jumping up along the elevator shaft to the next level of the building.  The screams of the dying, the terror, the fear, all the feelings of deep buried rage kept trying to overwhelm my senses.  

“Watch out!” Kira shouted as turrets opened fire on us after we gained our footing on the floor.  

A flick of the lightsabers sadly was not all it took, but we did make fairly quick work of them.

My wrist computer blinked at me, telling me that I had an incoming call.  I flicked it on as we were besieged by another group of soldiers.

Lana’s voice came through the call saying, “Before we go ahead with this... you and I should talk—in person.  I’ll see you shortly.”

I frowned then looked down at the coordinates now showing on the small data viewer after the comm cut off.

“This way.”

I looked at the forcefield over the door to the room that Lana had indicated and let out a heavy sigh. Kira motioned there were electrical panels on the outside of each door.  Nodding we both threw a wave of the Force at the panels, causing them to explode.  This knocked the forcefield down.

There were many civilian employees within the room.  I tried to raise my hands in a defensive pose.  “I don’t want to hurt any of you...” I said before they started to lunge at Kira and I, shooting and even some just trying to go at us hand to hand. I sighed, looking at each of their eyes as they fell, fighting to their last with no control of their own bodies. The silver eyes, showing their actions belonged to him.

In the corner of my eye, a green and black cloak flicked by, moving towards the console in the back of the room.  Kira and I sheathed our sabers and moved to join Lana.  

“You’ve made it,” the Sith Lord stated without looking up as she pushed on the controls, “Good.  Time is short—so is reliable assistance.”  She fiddled with the holo communication controls on the console and continued talking without really looking back at me. “I have Agent Kovach assembling a suppression team out of whatever droids he can find, so I approached another agent to assist us.”

Theron Shan appeared on the holo and he looked around between us and did what could only be described as striking a pose.  He rested his hand on his hip with ease and comfort that belied the exhaustion that was evident in his eyes, even from within a holo communication.  I raised my eyebrows and gave a sigh.  I partially wondered if he was trying to play it cool with Lana.  Then again, this is Theron.  There were so many layers behind the surface.  I am not entirely sure how many I’d seen behind, but there was a selfish part of me that would like to think that I was one of the few that had.

Of course, now was not the time to think about those kinds of things.  Lana addressed him quickly, “Are you in position?”

“Yeah, but this setup isn’t anything like what you described.”

“So what you’re saying is you can’t figure it out.”

“Don’t get all…” he sighed and put his hands in front of him, “I’ll figure it out.”

“We’re about to begin, so that would be nice.”

“He has Teeseven with him, he’ll be fine,” I quickly cut in.

Theron gave me a grateful nod and cut out the communication.

As soon as his image flickered off, I asked, “What exactly are we about to begin, Lana?”

“You’re going to make Vitiate angry.  So angry that he’ll place all his attention on killing you.”  She punched in some controls on the console and then turned to look at me.  If I didn’t know better, she had a very Jedi way of masking her emotions, but that could be partially from how she had to keep her mind focused on defense, lest the incorporeal former Emperor decide to take her body for a ride.  She continued on, “When the time comes, you’ll lead him to an electrostatic weapon stored there, in the heart of New Adasta.  It’s meant to be a last resort against major civil uprisings, but Theron’s modifying it to be non-lethal.  With the reduced charge, its radius of impact will diminish.”

I raised an eyebrow and shared a glance with Kira before looking back to Lana.  “You have a weapon designed with the sole purpose of killing your own people?”

Lana waved it off as if it was a non-issue.  “It’s not as if we install one in every metropolis.  We nearly lost New Adasta to unrest once before.”

“Well in that case...”

I could see her eye slightly twitch, but she ignored my snide remark.  “Shall we get started?” she asked and pointed towards the holo comm device.

Suppose it was time for my performance art masterpiece of a monologue.  I really hate monologuing.  But certain people seemed to love it.  Maybe it will do the trick.  

I took a deep breath and nodded to Lana and she opened the comm.  “Vitate!  I am the Battlemaster of the Jedi Order.  I’ve struck you down once already.  Today, I’m finishing the job.  Today, you will face justice.”

Lana cut off the communication and glanced over at me, her expression unreadable except for very obvious exhaustion.  

“I think that did it?” I questioned, pondering over if I should have monologued longer, or been harsher, and I almost got caught in my train of thought until Lana cut me off.

“I have to go now. There’s much to be done.”  She sighed heavily, “Too much.  I shouldn’t have come here, truth be told.”

I reached out and took hold of her shoulder.  A year or so ago, she might have flinched at the contact, but not today.  “Be strong, Lana.  Stay focused.  You’ll be fine.”

She offered me a tired smile.  “Thank you. We’ll see if you’re right.”

I looked behind me after I pressed the button to call the elevator to the top floor.  Master Onok and Master Landai were both unconscious, but free. I could still hear their voices demanding for me to kill them, even though they weren’t really their own voices.  I electrocuted them.  They would make it.  Doc and Lord Scourge were on their way to retrieve them and get them off world as soon as they could.  I needed to focus though.  

As I stepped in the elevator and punched the controls to take us up, I wondered if Lana’s plan would work.  Kira gave me a poke.  I gave her a tired smile.  She was right.  There was a time and place to dwell on what has happened since I stepped foot on this planet, and now was not one of them.

We walked onto the platform to find Theron and T7 working on opposite sides of the entryway.

“That’s it, Teeseven,” he called out to the droid then looked up from his work to see us.  He gave a quick nod and what I thought was a slight smirk to me and continued, “Got it set up for as big a non-lethal burst as we can manage.”  He looked over to T7 as the droid unplugged himself from the wall socket.  “Thanks buddy,” he said to the droid then turned back to Kira and I.  “Should be enough to zap anyone in range into a nice, long, involuntary nap.”

I looked up at the large device that was on the ceiling over the open air platform.  Frowning I muttered lowly, “Should be?”

Theron shrugged. “Hard to come up with a one-size fits all solution.  Lot of guesswork involved.  Wish there was a way Teeseven and I could have done a test run before...”

As his vocalized thought trailed off, I looked back towards the entry point I had just come through. I didn’t sense anything quite yet, but I could feel it wouldn’t be too long.  

“They’ve got to be closing in,” Kira stated aloud, echoing my own thoughts.

“Then come on,” he said, waving me over to where he had a device waiting for us, “We need to be shielded.”  I followed him, still studying my surroundings.  He straightened up after ensuring the shield was properly set and looked to me.  “Okay. We should wait until they’re good and close.”  

I closed my eyes briefly, allowing my senses to reach out to get a good feel for how much time we had. It wasn’t much.  I moved slightly closer to Theron and said softly, “I wasn’t sure when I’d run into you again.  Not the greatest circumstances, but still.”  I very nearly reached to him but halted myself with a small glance behind me.  It wasn’t Kira though that I sensed when I could feel we weren’t alone.

He offered a weak but knowing smile.  “Maybe next time the lives of an entire world won’t be in danger – but, yeah, feeling’s mutual.”

I felt my heart flip flop a bit at his smile and met his with my own.  Soon though, I could feel them.  His amber eyes shifted from mine to behind me.  Closing my eyes for a brief moment, I took a deep breath, then reopened them to follow his gaze.  Kira had already drawn her dual-saber, its green light reflecting against the metallic floor.

Theron pulled out his data pad and started tapping. “Okay, here comes the puppet brigade.  Fingers crossed…”

It was a fairly sizable group, Imperials, Republic troops, and even some Jedi.  I silently cursed the Chancellor and added it to the growing list of matters I will add to a report, should I bother to file one.  At this particular moment, the choice words I had planning were significantly less Jedi than they had been the beginning of this entire fiasco.  The horde moved closer and Theron triggered the device.

That Theron even had to modify it to be non-lethal was not lost on me.  As I saw the soldiers all be stunned and fall to the ground, I could not help but wonder what the result would have been had that modification not been made.  The Empire, putting a weapon in one of its capital cities with the capability to kill a vast amount of their own citizens?  If they had one of these in New Adasta, they could have it on Kass City, or in a number of other cities.  But why?  Because of riots?  Gee, I wonder why anyone would riot against a ruling body that had no regard for their lives.

My eyes glanced over to a Republic soldier that had collapsed.  Were we even better?  The Republic should be better than this.  Theron followed my eyes and let the shield dome collapse.  He approached the soldier and knelt.  “This one was closet, took the biggest hit.”  He reached for his neck, checking his pulse as I walked up beside him.  I looked out towards the door and across the landscape of unconscious bodies.  “Still alive,” Theron confirmed, relief in his voice, “We did it!  Let’s just hope we got all of them.”

“Let’s hope,” I murmured, still scanning the surroundings.  Something still felt off.  This moment was far from over, I could feel it.

“We should call Lana now, see if she has a plan for what’s next.”

The bodies began to float in the air.  “I have a better idea,” a booming male imperial voice spoke through the woman sauntering onto the platform.  With a small flick of a hand motion, the bodies crashed back away from her, clearing a path.  Her eyes yellow and wild, she smirked as she drew her lightsaber.

“Master Surro.” Theron’s entire stance sunk and he moved to stand between me and the unconscious puppet army and the approaching Jedi Master.  “No...” I lightly reached an arm to his shoulder, trying to pull him back and shift him behind me, but he stood his ground.

“Watching you believe you had a chance; it’s amused me.”   Master Surro raised her hand sluggishly as if it were pulled by string, the Force lifting a dazed Imperial lieutenant into a sitting position. “Now this whole charade is pathetic.”

I shifted my own position, trying to assess the situation and moved in front of Theron.  Not soon enough, as Master Surro summarily executed the dazed man she’d just set up.  The range of emotions in the man beside me went from shock, to horror, to anger. It took a great deal of my own willpower and Force meditation to not absorb Theron’s pain and have it fuel me and complement the dread that I felt; the very dread I’ve been feeling rising since the moment I’d received his distress holo.

Master Surro’s lips turned in a cruel sneer.  “Now, how do you wish to die?  In combat or on your knees?”

Lana raced from within the building, lightsaber drawn and poised to attack.

“Go away, little Sith.” Master Surro easily shoved the approaching Sith Lord with a shove.  Theron moved in front of me again and drew his weapon but was immediately lifted in the air.  He gave me a wincing glance before he was unceremoniously thrown against the wall and crashed the ground.  I looked between Lana and Theron and took the last reserves of my energy to take a deep breath.  

Glancing back to Master Surro, I furrowed my brow and drew both my shoto.  The Emperor controlled puppet smirked.  “This has nothing to do with your friends.  This is you and I.”

Igniting my sabers, I leaped into the air.

The original clash was brief, a flurry of blades.  Kira flanked our opponent, trying to keep her busy.  There was no way that she was going to let me fight alone, even if I sensed that was what Master Surro desired.  We just had to stay vigiliant.

If I could keep my eyes from glancing over at Theron long enough to stay focused.

Of course Surro, no… not Surro, Vitiate… he figured out my distraction and pressed the attack on me, completely ignoring Kira who was trying to sneak attack from behind.  I tried to block a downward strike with both my shoto but I lost track of my direction and Surro took the opportunity to kick me and Force push me at that moment.  The push knocked me near complete off the edge and drop my shoto completely.  I reached out quickly and barely grabbed hold of the edge.

I took this time to reflect on my life choices.  Trying my hardest to keep as many people alive as possible, even the possessed jedi that Vitiate used to try to taunt me.  Kill them, he had said, I won’t mind—and neither will your dear ally.

I sighed.  I tried so hard to compartmentalize my feelings.  It wasn’t working.  I took a deep breath.  Theron’s been through worse, he’ll be fine.  They’ll all be fine.

I heard a squeak as I sensed Kira get knocked out, not far from where Lana was.  Closing my eyes, I found my sabers and lept into the air.

I landed on the other side of Master Surro, flipping overhead her before she’d noticed I’d gotten there it seemed.  She gave me a sneer.  “Why won’t you die, little girl?”

“No matter how powerful you are, I’ll never fall to you.”

She narrowed her eyes. “Confident—to the end.”

My lightsabers returned to my hands, I ignited them and pressed the attack.  I did not relent, I would not back down, and he had to know that.

It took some time until Master Surro finally collapsed at my feet.  I took a deep breath and studied her, not wanting to take any chances. When she looked back up, her eyes were their natural color.

#swtor fanfiction #theron shan x jedi knight #theron shan #kira carsen #lana beniko #t7-01 #female jedi knight/hero of tython #oc: jyana kai #otp: come what may #fic: countdown #ziost #swtor: rise of the emperor #swtor #fanfic

[newyorktheater]

Below is a list of movies opening in the U.S. from September to December, organized chronologically by release date.

Among the movies of interest to theater lovers: Finn Wittrock (Death of A Salesman, Glass Menagerie) portrays Judy Garland’s fifth husband in “Judy,” a movie about her that bears great resemblance to a play that was on Broadway. Cynthia Erivo and Leslie Odom Jr.  (Tony winners for The Color Purple and Hamilton, respectively) star in “Harriet,” about Harriet Tubman. Pulitzer Prize winning playwright Tracy Letts adapts a novel for the screen. And, Heaven help us, both Dame Judi Dench and Sir Ian McKellen (as Gus The Theater Cat) in Cats, the movie version of the Broadway musical.

  Cynthia Erivo as Harriet Tubman

Dame Judy dench in Cats

Renee Zellweger and Finn Wittrock and Judy Garland and her fifth husband in “Judy”

Leslie Odom Jr in Harriet

Meryl Streep in Little Women

Sir Ian McKellen as Gus the Theater cat in Cats

(Below, an asterisk is placed next to names of movie cast members that theatergoers can legitimately claim as legitimate stage artists now or at least originally. For example, Willem Dafoe, a familiar face on screen who is appearing  is appearing in two high-profile movies this Fall, is a founding member of the experimental theater company The Wooster Group.)

SEPTEMBER

September 2

Untouchable

Hulu Directed by: Ursula McFarlane Cast: Rosanna Arquette, Ronan Farrow, Paz de la Huerta

A documentary about Harvey Weinstein and the #MeToo movement.

September 6

It: Chapter 2

Directed by: Andrés Muschietti Cast: Bill Hader, Jessica Chastain, James McAvoy, Finn Wolfhard, Sophia Lillis, Bill Skarsgard

Twenty-seven years after the Losers Club’s terrifying encounter with Derry’s most notorious clown, they receive a phone call that brings them all back together again.

Also: Blink of an Eye Ms. Purple

  September 13

  The Goldfinch

Directed by: John Crowley Cast:  Ansel Elgort, Finn Wolfhard, Nicole Kidman, Ashleigh Cummings, *Jeffrey Wright, Aneurin Bernard, Sarah Paulson, Luke Wilson

Based on Donna Tart’s Pulitzer Prize-winning 2014 novel from 2014 about one of the only survivors of a bombing at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, as he struggles to let go of his one connection to that day: a painting of a tiny bird, otherwise known as The Goldfinch.

Haunt

Directed by: Scott Beck and Bryan Woods Cast:  Katie Stevens, Will Brittain, Lauryn Alisa McClain

On Halloween, a group of friends discover a haunted house that claims to create thrills based on real fears.

Hustlers

Directed by: Lorene Scafaria Cast: Jennifer Lopez, Cardi B, Constance Wu, Lizzo, Keke Palmer, Julia Stiles, Lili Reinhart

Inspired by a 2015 New York Magazine article about a group of strippers stealing from their rich Wall Street clients during the financial crisis.

  Also (bear in mind it’s Friday the 13th)

Depraved Freaks Monos Moonlight Sonata

September 20

Ad Astra

Directed by: James Gray Cast: Brad Pitt, Liv Tyler, Tommy Lee Jones, Ruth Negga

Astronaut Roy McBride (Pitt) travels to the outer edge of our solar system on a dangerous mission to find his father (Tommy Lee Jones) who disappeared decades earlier, and may hold the key to a secret that threatens our very existence.

Downton Abbey

Release date: September 20 Directed by: Michael Engler Cast: *Maggie Smith, Michelle Dockery, Laura Carmichael, Hugh Bonneville, Jim Carter, Joanna Froggat, Matthew Goode, *Elizabeth McGovern

The TV series made into a movie: It’s 1927, and Downton Abbey is about to receive some very special guests: King George V and Queen Mary.

  Rambo: Last Blood

Directed by: Adrian Grunberg Cast: Sylvester Stallone, Paz Vega, Sergio Peris-Mencheta, Adriana Barraza, Yvette Monreal

The fifth Rambo installment; this time the daughter of a friend is kidnapped by a Mexican cartel

Between Two Ferns: The Movie

Netflix Directed by: Scott Aukerman Cast:  Zach Galifanakis, Lauren Lapkus, Ginger Gonzaga

A movie based on Zach Galifanakis’ cult parody talk show. Galifanakis must hit the road to defend his reputation as the premier celebrity interviewer of our time.

Also: Corporate Animals Diego Maradona Where’s My Roy Cohn?

September 27

Judy

Directed by: Rupert Goold Cast: Renee Zellweger, Rufus Sewell, Finn Wittrock, Jessie Buckley

The last year of Judy Garland’s life, largely based on Peter Quilter’s play End of the Rainbow. During a five-week run in London she reflects on her rise to stardom, and fall in love with Mickey Deans (Wittrock) the man who became her fifth husband.

The Report

Directed by: Scott Z. Burns Cast Adam Driver, Annette Bening, Jon Hamm, Matthew Rhys, Corey Stoll

Based on a true story, this political thriller follows Senate staffer Daniel Jones (Driver) as he leads an investigation in the CIA’s Detention and Interrogation Program, which engaged in “enhanced interrogation techniques” after 9/11.

Also: The Day Shall Come The Death of Dick Long Extra Ordinary The Sound of Silence

OCTOBER

October 4

Joker

Directed by: Todd Phillips Cast: Joaquin Phoenix, Robert De Niro. Zazie Beetz

The origin story of the Batman villain, who started as a lonely, failed stand-up comedian.

The Woman in the Window

Directed by: Joe Wright Cast: Amy Adams, *Gary Oldman, Julianne Moore, Anthony Mackie, Brian Tyree Henry

Adapted by Tracy Letts from the best-selling novel by A.J. Finn, the movie stars Adams as an agoraphobic child psychologist who spends her days spying on the perfect family next door. But then she witnesses a crime…

Pain and Glory

Directed by: Pedro Almodovar Cast: Antonio Banderas, Penelope Cruz

Banderas won Best Actor at the Cannes Film Festival for his role as a film director in the middle of a creative crisis

The Current War

Directed by: Alfonso Gomez-Rejon Cast: Benedict Cumberbatch, *Michael Shannon, Nicholas Hoult, *Tom Holland, Katherine Waterston

Inventors Thomas Edison (Cumberbatch) and George Westinghouse (Shannon) race to complete rival electrical systems that will change modern life.

Lucy in the Sky

Directed by: Noah Hawley Cast: Natalie Portman, Jon Hamm, Dan Stevens, Zazie Bettz, *Ellen Burstyn

Based on a true story, Portman stars as an astronaut who kidnaps his ex-boyfriend’s new girlfriend and drives from Houston to Orlando wearing an adult diaper. After a long mission, Lucy returns to Earth only to find her connection with her family — and reality — slipping away.

Also: Wrinkles the Clown

October 11

Gemini Man

Directed by: Ang Lee Cast:  Will Smith, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Clive Owen, Benedict Wong

A former government assassin is targeted by his younger, more agile clone, able to predict his every thought and movement.

Parasite

Directed by: Bong Joon-ho Cast Song Kang-ho, Lee Sun-kyun, Cho Yeo-jeong, Choi Woo-shik, Park So-dam

The first Korean movie to win the Palme D’Or at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year, it is a pitch-black modern fairytale the follows the wealthy Park family, and the much-poorer Kim clan.

Also: Jexi The Dead Center (Limited) High Strung Free Dance (Limited)

October 18

The Lighthouse

Directed by: Robert Eggers Cast Robert Pattinson, *Willem Dafoe

Two New England lighthouse keepers slowly lose their sanity.

Zombieland 2: Double Tap

Directed by: Ruben Fleischer Cast: Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone, Abigail Breslin, Bill Murray, Rosario Dawson, Zoey Deutch, Luke Wilson

Ten years after the original movie, the characters reconnoitre at the White House, and head back on the road, meeting new survivors and enemies on the way. When he’s not acting in movies, Jesse Eisenberg has been busy writing plays Off-Broadway.

Maleficent 2: Mistress of Evil

Directed by: Joachim Ranning Cast:Angelina Jolie, Elle Fanning, Michelle Pfeiffer, Sam Reilly

Set several years after the first movie, Maleficent (Jolie) is living in peace when Aurora (Fanning) and Prince Phillip’s (Harris Dickinson) engagement throws everything into turmoil.

The Addams Family

Directed by: Conrad Vernon, Greg Tiernan Cast: Charlize Theron, Chloë Grace Moretz, Oscar Isaac, Finn Wolfhard, Snoop Dog, Allison Janney, Bette Midler

In this animated film, the family does battle with a reality show host.

Jojo Rabbit

Directed by: Taika Waititi Cast Taiki Waititi, Roman Griffin Davis, Thomasin McKenzie, Rebel Wilson, Stephen Merchant, Alfie Allen, Sam Rockwell, Scarlett Johansson

Based on the book Caging Skies by Christine Leunen, set during World War II in Germany, Griffin Davis is Jojo “Rabbit” Betzler, who discovers that his mother (Johansson) is hiding a Jewish girl in their attic. Jojo must confront his Nazi beliefs, with the help of his imaginary friend, a goofy version of the Fuhrer.

Also: Greener Grass

October 25

Black and Blue

Directed by: Deon Taylor Cast Naomie Harris, Tyrese Gibson, Frank Grillo

When rookie police officer Alicia West (Harris) accidentally records corrupt cops committing a crime on her body camera, she turns to her only possible ally, Milo “Mouse” Jackson (Gibson), to help her make sure they face justice.

The Last Full Measure

Directed by: Todd Robinson Cast Sebastian Stan, *Christopher Plummer, Ed Harris, William Hurt, Samuel L. Jackson, Jeremy Irvine, Alison Sudol

Based on a true story, Sebastian Stan plays investigator Scott Huffman, who signs on to help Vietnam veterans lobby for their comrade-in-arms to get a Congressional Medal of Honor after he gave his life saving them.

Also: Countdown Frankie The Kill Team Synonyms

NOVEMBER

November 1

Motherless Brooklyn

Release date: November 1 Directed by: Edward Norton Cast Edward Norton, *Willem Dafoe, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Leslie Mann, Bobby Cannavale, Bruce Willis, Alec Baldwin, Fisher Stevens, *Cherry Jones

Based on Jonathan Lethem’s novel, this detective thriller stars Norton as a private eye with Tourette syndrome, who finds himself embroiled in a conspiracy involving Alec Baldwin.

Harriet

Release date: November 1 Directed by: Kasi Lemmons Cast: *Cynthia Erivo, Janelle Monae, Joe Alwyn,* Leslie Odom Jr.

Erivo as Harriet Tubman

Also: Arctic Dogs Terminator: Dark Fate Burden Waves

November 8

Doctor Sleep Last Christmas Midway Playing with Fire Honey Boy

November 15

Ford v. Ferrari Directed by: James Mangold Cast: Matt Damon, Christian Bale A British driver named Ken Miles (Christian Bale) and an engineer named Carroll Shelby (Matt Damon) to design something to compete against the Europeans

Also:

All Rise Charlie’s Angels The Good Liar The Lodge

November 22

21 Bridges A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood Frozen II Dark Waters

November 27 (Thanksgiving)

Knives Out Queen & Slim

DECEMBER

December 6

The Aeronauts Brahms: The Boy II Playmobil: The Movie Little Joe Portrait of a Lady on Fire

December 13

Black Christmas Jumanji: The Next Level Cunningham A Hidden Life Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon Uncut Gems

December 20

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker Directed by J.J. Abrams Cast: Adam Driver as Kylo Ren, Daisy Ridley, Domhnall Gleeson, Keri Russell, Mark Hamill, Oscar Isaac, Billie Lourd, Lupita Nyong’o, Carrie Fisher (!) Theatergoers note: Adam Driver and Keri Russell were the co-stars of Burn This on Broadway last season.

Bombshell Cast: Charlize Theron, Nicole Kidman, Margot Robbie, *John Lithgow, Kate McKinnon, *Alison Janney The story of Fox News head Roger Ailes’ sexual harassment of his female employees.

Cats Cast: *James Corden as Bustopher Jones, *Judi Dench as Old Deuteronomy, Jason Derulo as Rum Tum Tugger, Idris Elba as Macavity, Jennifer Hudson as Grizabella[, *Ian McKellen as Gus the Theatre Cat, Taylor Swift as Bombalurina, Rebel Wilson as Jennyanydots et al

The movie version of the long-running Broadway musical.

Also: Superintelligence

December 25 (Christmas)

Little Women Directed by Greta Gerwig Cast: Saoirse Ronan, Emma Watson, Florence Pugh, Eliza Scanlen, Timothée Chalamet, Laura Dern and *Meryl Streep The eighth feature film adaptation of the 1868 novel by Louisa May Alcott.

Also: 1917 Spies in Disguise Just Mercy

December 27

Clemency

Fall 2019 Movie Preview for Theater Lovers Below is a list of movies opening in the U.S. from September to December, organized chronologically by release date.