Theme: "Now Showing at the Colosseum" - The number in each movie is replaced by a Roman numeral.
23A. 1993 drama for which Stockard Channing got an Oscar nomination : VI DEGREES OF SEPARATION. "Six Degrees of Separation".
40A. 2009 sci-fi Best Picture nominee : DISTRICT IX. "District 9". Unfamiliar to me.
71A. Kurosawa period film remade into a Western in 1960 : VII SAMURAI. "Seven Samurai". No plural ending S, Yellowrocks?
74A. 1988 baseball scandal movie : VIII MEN OUT. "Eight Men Out". About the Black Sox Scandal. Shoeless Joe's role is rather limited, to my surprise.
119A. Grant/MacDowell romantic comedy : IV WEDDINGS AND A FUNERAL. "Four Weddings and a Funeral". I guess A is not a number.
7D. 1960 Rat Pack film : OCEANS XI. "Ocean’s 11". I only saw the remake.
31D. Hitchcock thriller remade three times : THE XXXIX STEPS. "The 39 Steps". Big number conversion here.
36D. Academy Award-nominated 1949 war film : XII O'CLOCK HIGH. "Twelve O'Clock High". Never saw it.
93D. 2003 Penn/Watts drama with "The weight of a hummingbird" in one of its taglines : XXI GRAMS. "21 Grams"
105. 1995 Tom Hanks docudrama : APOLLO XIII. "Apollo 13".
I
figured out the gimmick immediately, you? Constructing crosswords has
greatly improved my solving ability. I even know words that Barry G is
unfamiliar with.
Very skillful theme entry
arrangement. Amazing intersections. 10 are not easy to grid, esp with 2
grid spanners & those X's and V's.
Argyle dug out this information about Pawel Fludzinski last time. I think it's our constructor.
Across:
1. Pianist Argerich : MARTHA. Gimme for Pas de chat. Wiki said she won the seventh Chopin Competition in 1965,
7. Counterbalance : OFFSET
13. Burdensome : ONEROUS
20. "... there's __!": Hamlet : THE RUB
21. Trounces : CREAMS
22. Forwards, say : RE-SENDS
26. Now, in Nicaragua : AHORA
27. Fish with bobbing bait : DAP. For Dave, though he might not solve this puzzle today. The "Fist bump" meaning of DAP stumped some last time.
28. Golden number : OLDIE
29. D-Day transports : LSTs
32. Columnist Coulter : ANN. I do like her hair. That's about all.
33. Soothsayers : ORACLES
35. Let go : AXED
39. Nicole Kidman's birthplace : OAHU. Nice trivia.
42. Trattoria starters : PRIMI. Plural of "Prima"?
43. Onetime "SNL" regular Cheri : OTERI
45. Thermal opening : EXO. "Outer".
46. Can plan : ESCAPE. Can = Prison.
48. AOL backs-and-forths : IMs
49. Points of view? : PIXELS
51. Islamic leader : IMAM. And 54. Islamic leader : EMIR. Do you how many times Allah appears in Koran?
55. Yiddish laments : OYs
56. Word with fair or opposite : SEX. Fun comments yesterday on Splynter's bed, PK. Totally agree with Linda. You do have a way with words.
57. Andean stew veggie : OCA. Haven't seen this word for a long time.
59. In need of wiping up : SPILT
62. Coterie : CIRCLE
64. Kane's estate : XANADU. Rosebud.
67. Effort before the effort : PRE-WORK. I guess you can Pre anything.
70. North Carolina university : ELON
76. "Devil Inside" band : INXS
77. Nobility : PEERAGE
79. Like the West Coast's U.S. Route 101 : SCENIC
80. Guinea pig : TESTEE
82. Prepared to propose : KNELT. Did you actually kneel down to propose to your wife?
84. Cabinet dept. created in 1965 : HUD
85. Spy org. until 1991 : KGB. What's Russia's CIA now?
88. Subway line to Columbia Univ. : IRT
89. Muffin choice : BRAN
92. Engels collaborator : MARX (Karl)
94. More upscale : POSHER
96. Bore, as a cost : ATE
97. Inclined : ASLOPE
100. Time-saving phone no. : EXT
102. Madrid monarch : REINA. Queen.
103. Two sheets to the wind? : TIPSY
109. Farming prefix : AGRI
110. Alleviate : EASE
111. Held lovingly : CRADLED
112. Rental car feature, briefly : GPS
113. First word of the Declaration of Independence : WHEN. "When in the course of human event...."
114. "Spider-Man" director : RAIMI (Sam)
116. "__ Crazy": Paul Davis hit : I GO
117. Riveting icon : ROSIE
127. Stinkers : MEANIES
128. Rear : BOTTOM
129. First in line, perhaps : ELDEST
130. Deep down : AT HEART
131. High-hats : SNOOTS
132. Gave lip to : SASSED
Down:
1. "Ladies and gentlemen, rock and roll" launch of 1981 : MTV
2. Yellowfin tuna : AHI. 18. Side for 2-Down : UDO. See here for more info.
3. Common color in national flags : RED
4. Cherish : TREASURE
5. Actor Laurie : HUGH. So talented. Genius doctor.
6. Using a passport : ABROAD
8. TV sites, in realty ads : FRS. No idea. Argyle said it's "Family Rooms".
9. Russian basso Chaliapin : FEODOR. Stranger to me.
10. Honeymoon adventure : SAFARI
11. Typographic measure : EM SPACE. I wonder if PK got this quickly. I just could not see it.
12. J.A. Prufrock's creator : TSE. And 122. Literary monogram : GBS. George Bernard Shaw.
13. Degree requirement, maybe : ORAL EXAM
14. Dorks : NERDS
15. Actor Morales : ESAI
16. Injure again, as a ligament : RE-TEAR
17. Covert maritime org. : ONI. Office of Naval Intelligence.
19. ID in MDs' records : SSN
24. Banks on a diamond : ERNIE. Mr. Cub.
25. Enforcement group : POLICE
29. Froot __ : LOOPS
30. Composer of gnossiennes : SATIE (Erik). I don't even know what "gnossiennes" means.
34. Pennies: Abbr. : CTs
37. Country singer Harris : EMMYLOU. Is she your type, D-Otto?
38. Minority opinion : DISSENT
41. Some cats : TOMS. We have a few TOMs on the blog. Nice cats.
42. Prefix with scope : PERI
44. Actress Massey : ILONA. Long time no see.
47. Double espresso, say : PICK-ME-UP
50. Darts : SCAMPERS
52. Rome's __ Way : APPIAN
53. Salyut successor : MIR
58. In unison, in music : ADUE
60. Parking garage section : LEVEL A
61. Light opening? : TWI. Twilight.
63. Baroque painter Guido : RENI
65. Part of ADA: Abbr. : ASST
66. Portrait finish? : URE. Portraiture.
68. Grafton's "__ for Outlaw" : O IS
69. Sumptuous : RICH
71. Spoil : VITIATE. New word to me.
72. Subject of Newton's first law : INERTIA
73. Ararat arrival : ARK
75. Ewok's planet : ENDOR
78. Masterpiece : GEM
81. Auction site : eBAY. I'm just so distrustful of those Lady Gaga pink lipsticks on eBay. Too bad Mac discontinued the product.
83. Cretaceous giant : T-REX
86. Class : GENRE
87. Jellyfish's lack : BRAIN. Wow, I don't know. I liked pickled jellyfish.
90. Chicken Little, notably : ALARMIST
91. Half a workout mantra : NO PAIN
95. Common coastal arrivals : SEAWEEDS
98. Okra unit : POD
99. "Invisible Man" author : ELLISON (Ralph)
101. "It's on the __ my tongue" : TIP OF
104. Composed : SERENE
106. Smooth, musically : LEGATO
107. Tooth: Pref. : ODONTO. A rather long prefix.
108. Promulgates : ISSUES
111. Drink from a press : CIDER
115. 1998 Sarah McLachlan hit : ADIA. I love her "I'll Remember You". So beautiful.
118. At Staples Center, briefly : IN LA
119. "__ little teapot ..." : I'M A
120. Lab inspector? : VET. Lovely clue.
121. Crib cry : WAH
123. Period, for one : DOT
124. Hi-__ monitor : RES
125. "Peer Gynt" widow : ASE. His mother. Learned from doing Xwords.
126. Inc., in Ipswich : LTD
Boomer and I attended a local constructor gathering last Wednesday. The beautiful Andrea Carla Michaels was in town.
Left to right: Tom Pepper (He has a puzzle in Rich's queue); Marcia J. Brott (Hope to see your LAT soon); George Barany (He made that amazing Turing tribute puzzle last June); David Hanson (He had one puzzle published by the NYT); DK (Andrea's friend, a psychologist); C.C. (sleeping); Andrea (She is so caring and sweet); Boomer & Victor Barocas (He's made a few brilliant puzzles for NYT, LAT and CHE).
I woke up in this one.
