NARY A CROSS WORD FOR `WORDPLAY'.Byline: Glenn Whipp Film Critic There's no great mystery at the center of Patrick Creadon's ``Wordplay,'' an amiable documentary about crossword puzzles and the people who create and solve them. The film plays as a close cousin to a great many other docs about nerd sports to come along recently -- ``Spellbound,'' ``Mad Hot Ballroom,'' ``A League of Ordinary Gentlemen'' among them -- filling in the blanks of the trivial pursuit Trivial Pursuit is a board game where progress is determined by a player's ability to answer general knowledge, and popular culture questions. The game was made in 1979 by Scott Abbott, a sports editor for the Canadian Press, and Chris Haney, of Welland, Ontario, a photo while leading up to a nail-biting competition, in this case, the 28th annual American Crossword Puzzle Tournament The American Crossword Puzzle Tournament is an annual crossword-solving tournament held every March. Founded in 1978 by Will Shortz, who still directs the tournament, it is the oldest and largest crossword tournament held in the United States; the 2007 event saw nearly 700 . And just like its predecessors, ``Wordplay'' is likable and engaging. It's even, at times, a cut above, thanks to Creadon's witty editing and his good fortune to have been in the right place at the right time to capture the most exciting contest in the puzzle tournament's history. Really. Creadon has also assembled a great group of celebrity talking heads
Talking Heads were an American rock band that formed in the early 1970s and was based out of New York City. The group consisted of David Byrne, Chris Frantz, Tina Weymouth and Jerry Harrison. -- everyone from Bill Clinton to Jon Stewart Not to be confused with John Stewart or John Stuart. Jon Stewart (born Jonathan Stuart Leibowitz on November 28,1962) is an American comedian, satirist, actor, writer, and producer. (whose aggressive solving style is hilarious; the man uses a Sharpie, for crying out loud!) -- who expound ex·pound v. ex·pound·ed, ex·pound·ing, ex·pounds v.tr. 1. To give a detailed statement of; set forth: expounded the intricacies of the new tax law. 2. on the joys of getting obsessively lost in these miniature worlds of words. The movie's main focus is New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of Times crossword editor Will Shortz Will Shortz (born August 26, 1952) is a U.S. puzzle creator and editor. Early life Will Shortz was born and raised on an Arabian horse farm in Crawfordsville, Indiana. , who's also the founder and host of the crossword tournament, held in Stamford, Conn. As a subject, the unassuming Shortz remains as elusive as many of the clues in his puzzles. If there's more to the man who graduated Indiana University with a degree in enigmatology (the study of puzzles) and has spent his adult life creating crosswords, Creadon doesn't find it, and that's probably fine by the Puckish puck·ish adj. Mischievous; impish: a puckish grin; puckish wit. puck  ish·ly adv. Shortz. You can get past this flaw because ``Wordplay'' has plenty of other subjects -- both famous and ordinary -- who don't shrink from the spotlight. What connects this disparate group of people, we come to learn, is an abiding curiosity both about words and the workings of the mind. Creadon's greatest achievement isn't that his movie will play outside the crossword cult, which it most certainly will. Better still: After watching ``Wordplay,'' even the uninitiated won't be able to pass up a puzzle without at least trying. (Hint: Use a pencil; leave the Sharpies Sharpies (also known as Sharps) were members of suburban youth gangs in Australia in the 1960s and 1970s, particularly in Melbourne, but also in Sydney and Perth to a lesser extent. The term comes from their focus on looking sharp. to the experts.) Glenn Whipp, (818) 713-3672 glenn.whipp@dailynews.com WORDPLAY - Three stars (PG: some language, mild thematic elements) Starring: Will Shortz, Bill Clinton, Jon Stewart, Mike Mussina. Director: Patrick Creadon. Running time: 1 hr. 24 min. Playing: Laemmle Town Center 5 in Encino; Laemmle Playhouse in Pasadena; Laemmle Monica in Santa Monica; Laemmle Sunset 5 in West Hollywood. In a nutshell: Amiable documentary about crossword puzzles and the people who solve them. Won't change your world, but probably will get you interested in puzzles if you're not already in the crossword cult. CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Say what you will about crossword puzzle fans -- just don't call them square. Contender and past champion Ellen Ripstein competes at the crossword tournament in Stamford, Conn. |
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