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Arts
Monday, November 19, 2018 — 5A

By Jerry Edelstein
©2018 Tribune Content Agency, LLC
11/19/18

Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle

Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis

11/19/18

ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE:

Release Date: Monday, November 19, 2018

ACROSS
1 Fast plane
4 Sultan’s group
9 Prickly seedcase
12 Organ with a 
hammer and 
anvil
13 Puts money 
away, as for 
retirement
15 Opposite of 
WNW
16 Actress Longoria
17 *Kids’ 
recreational garb
19 Revolutionary 
British soldiers
21 John of “Fawlty 
Towers”
22 __ lot: stuffs 
oneself
23 *Two-person log 
cutter
24 Little chess piece
26 Genetic initials
28 UFO passengers, 
presumably
29 On the house
32 Elicit
35 Put on TV
36 *Soar
38 Dickens pen 
name
41 City hall bigwig
42 Opposite of cruel
44 Artist’s deg.
46 Moscow’s land: 
Abbr.
48 App symbol
49 *Daytona 500, 
e.g.
52 Practical joke
55 Inexact lunch 
time
56 Mom’s and dad’s 
dads
59 Engage in 
tomfoolery ... 
and a hint to 
what goes with 
each part of 
the answers to 
starred clues, but 
not in the same 
way
61 Set a price of
62 Miners dig it
63 Sides of an issue
64 Michael of “SNL”
65 Snake’s sound
66 Bogs
67 London’s __ 
Gardens

DOWN
1 Boo
2 Roof overhang

3 *Economic 
conflict often 
involving tariffs
4 “Papa Bear” of 
football
5 Gamer’s game 
face
6 “Curious 
George” creators 
Hans and 
Margret
7 Corner PC key
8 Chips in a 
garden
9 Order
10 Repurposes to 
replace, as a 
tool
11 Stitch again
13 Pick out in a 
crowd
14 __ sci: college 
major
18 Conical home
20 Ray Charles’ 
“I __ Stop 
Loving You”
23 Dry riverbed
24 Links gp.
25 Radio host 
Shapiro
27 India’s first prime 
minister
30 “__ tree falls ... ”
31 Underhanded
33 “Yuck!”

34 Former Energy 
secretary Steven
37 Days long gone
38 *Hiker’s carryall
39 Beatle bride
40 Buddhist 
discipline
41 Roger who hit 
61 in ’61
43 Take care of
44 Estate homes
45 Bordeaux 
brothers
47 Neaten (up)

49 Silver salmon
50 On the ocean
51 Deep depression
53 Raves’ 
companions
54 Added 
conditions
56 Suffix with 
movie
57 1975 Wimbledon 
winner Arthur
58 Twist, as facts
60 Troy, N.Y., 
school

There’s 
almost 
nothing 

fantastic in this sequel to 2016’s 
“Fantastic Beasts and Where to 
Find Them.” The magic that once 
permeated every frame and page 
of Harry Potter’s story has all 

but evaporated. All that remains 
are one-note characters and an 
extremely convoluted series of 
subplots that never quite come 
together. Directed once again by 
David Yates (“Harry Potter and the 
Deathly Hallows”), who has now 
helmed six of the 10 films in the 
Potterverse, the movie feels like a 
final confirmation of what many 
already knew: It’s time for him to 
move on. J.K. Rowling herself is 
again the sole credited screenwriter 
here, leaving much to be desired. 
The cast is sprawling and massive, 
but only Eddie Redmayne (“The 
Theory of Everything”), Johnny 
Depp (“Pirates of the Caribbean”) 
and Jude Law (“The Young 

Pope”) — who portrays a younger 
version of legendary wizard Albus 
Dumbledore — register in any kind 
of way.

The story begins sometime after 

the first film, following magical 
zoologist 
Newt 
Scamander 

(Redmayne) as he attempts to track 
down Credence, the powerful and 
dangerous wizard who seemingly 
perished in the last movie but is 
back here and is once again the 
MacGuffin that drives almost 
the entirety of the plot. All of the 
characters from the first movie are 
back, along with a whole host of 
new characters who only serve to 
derail the action and distract from 
the main story. None of these new 
characters are given nearly enough 
to do to justify their existence. 
Newt’s brother is introduced and 
proceeds to do almost nothing in 
the rest of the film. An emotional 
moment surrounding him falls 
completely flat at the end as a result 
of how little build-up he gets. Other 
new additions include the human 
version of Nagini (who will one 
day become one of Voldemort’s 
Horcruxes), Leta Lestrange (Zoe 
Kravitz, “Big Little Lies”) — a 
distant relative of the villainous 
Bellatrix Lestrange — and a whole 
cadre of aurors and wizards who 
work for Grindelwald, none of 
whom are distinguishable from 
each other. 

The appearance of Nagini in this 

movie is the perfect small-scale 
example of the problems of the 
“Fantastic Beasts” series at large. 
Seemingly included only to remind 

Harry Potter fans of those earlier 
and superior films, she serves no 
purpose in this movie and is given 
maybe five lines. If she does have 
a purpose in the overall narrative, 
it won’t be clear until some other 
movie down the line. That’s how 
most of the things in “Crimes of 
Grindelwald” feel. Appearances of 
Minerva McGonagall and Nicholas 
Flamel act as wholly unnecessary 
cameos and at this point, it’s 
not clear how Newt himself is 
possibly going to stay relevant to 
the proceedings, as the coming 
war between Dumbledore and 
Grindelwald begins to take center 
stage. Basically, every character 
other than those two titanic 
wizards could be removed from the 
story and nothing of consequence 
would change at all. Rowling 
steeps her story in exposition, 
giving characters who only appear 
in this film, don’t make it to the end, 
and will probably never be seen 
again long flashbacks explaining 
their history and motivations. 
While that kind of thing can work 
in a 700-page novel, on the screen, 
it comes across as unfocused and 
disjointed. One sequence in the 
third act is literally two different 
five-minute 
monologues 
going 

into the family tree of a character 
whose origins are later revealed to 
be entirely different to what was 
previously believed. This entire 
section of the film is so confusing 
that even the most diehard of 
Potter fans may find themselves 
hopelessly lost. A final twist at the 
end is so utterly baffling that it 

will leave viewers 
wondering if J.K. 
Rowling has truly 
lost her mind. 

There 
are 
a 

few bright spots. 
Jude Law shines 
as 
Dumbledore, 

and despite all of 
the 
controversy 

surrounding 
his 

casting 
in 
this 

film, on a strictly 
performance 
level, this has to 
be Johnny Depp’s 
best performance 
in 
years. 
Were 

the film to have 
focused 
entirely 

on the relationship 
between 
Dumbledore 
and 

Grindelwald 
it 

might have come 
closer to touching 
that Harry Potter 
magic. With three 
more 
“Beasts” 

movies 
in 
the 

pipeline, it’s hard to 
imagine how this 
story can possibly 
stay 
interesting 

for six more hours. 
In this film, the 
plot seems to be 
running on fumes 
and this only part 
two of five. To see 
the once perfect 
film 
franchise 

and do-no-wrong 
author fall so far 
may be hard for 
some 
fans, 
but 

general audiences 
have been down 
this road before. 
Prequels, as any 
fan of “Star Wars” 
or “Lord of the 
Rings” will tell you, 
just never quite 
seem to work out 
the way you want 
them to.

‘Crimes of Grindelwald’ is 
a crime against audiences

IAN HARRIS
Daily Arts Writer

FILM REVIEW

“Fantastic 
Beats: The 
Crimes of 

Grindelwald”

Warner Bros. 

Pictures 

Quality 16, Rave 

Cinemas

Sixty miles across the coast 

of Africa lie the Canary Islands, 
collectively 
an 
autonomous 

community of Spain built by the 
commerce flowing through it 
onward to the New World. Its 
influence on the music of Pablo 
Díaz-Reixa (better known as El 
Guincho) is palpable, leading to 
some of the most unique, daring 
pop music of recent years.

El Guincho, a resident of Las 

Palmas (the largest city of the 
island Gran Canaria), describes 
his music as “space-age exotica,” 
and whatever that means, it 
makes a lot of sense. Starting with 
Alegranza! and Pop Negro in 2010, 
he has released music centered on 
a diverse set of samples and off-
kilter rhythms. The highlights of 
the two albums are loud, brash 
and 
eclectic, 
showcasing 
El 

Guincho’s wide knowledge of the 
world’s music combined with an 
intuitive sense for good pop.

El Guincho’s samples range 

from Brazil to Ghana, and like 
the masters of the art in the hip-
hop and electronic realm, he is 
extremely skilled at making his 
chops and loops organic and 
lively. He does certainly have a 

penchant for specific types of 
samples, be it West African high 
life or Brazilian Tropicalia, but it 
lends a cohesive atmosphere to all 
of his work.

Arguably his most popular 

song, “Bombay” is the best 
example of his pop sensibilities 
mixed with his experimental 

streak. A hypnotic steel drum 
pattern 
anchors 
the 
track, 

with El Guincho’s thin vocals 
(Spanish is particularly perfect 
for this kind of music) barely 
registering 
in 
the 
mix 
and 

blending in with the constant, 
busy 
instrumentation. 
The 

track’s memorable music video 

(disclaimer: It is rather explicit) 
is a wonderful companion to the 
track and is a perfect translation 
of El Guincho’s musical style into 
video.

Most of his tracks put rhythm at 

the forefront, as the main source 
of activity and variation rather 
than the melodies. Steel drums 
are a common feature, as well as 
percussion used commonly in 
South American and African folk.

El 
Guincho’s 
tendency 
to 

clutter and layer to the extreme 
aren’t always successful, and 
he can get slightly too carried 
away, 
detracting 
from 
the 

groove he gets into himself over 
the course of the first half of a 
track. Nonetheless, the hits that 
accompany the misses more 
than make up for them. His 
work borrows from Panda Bear 
and The Avalanches but is more 
forceful and buoyant, rather than 
the often hazy, dreamlike quality 
of the former.

El Guincho’s music is restless 

and colorful in a manner which 
pop 
music 
rarely 
operates 

in. 
While 
making 
music 

electronically, he infuses a sense 
of messiness and vibrancy that 
enhances the diverse set of 
sources he works with, resulting 
in music with a childlike sense of 
wonder.

‘Pop Negro’ by El Guincho

SAYAN GHOSH

World Music Columnist

WORLD MUSIC COLUMN

WARNER BROS. PICTURES

It is no secret that queer 

women still lack normalized 
representation in the media, but 
we already knew that. And with 
more and more television shows 
mistaking 
representation 
for 

exploitation, it is refreshing to 
sit down and watch a television 
program in which a woman 
chooses to experiment sexually 
without the specter of the male 
gaze looming over its inclusion.

“Sally4Ever” 
is 
a 
British-

American comedy created and 
written by Julia Davis (“Electric 
Dreams”), taking its place among 
“Chewing Gum” and “Crazyhead” 
in the new renaissance of female-
helmed British comedies. The 
series 
follows 
protagonist 

Sally 
(Catherine 
Shepherd, 

“Paddington 2”), as she struggles 
to come to terms with the 
boredom of her existence. This 
boredom manifests itself through 
the many mundane aspects of 
her everyday life: her pointless 
job, her dull sex life and her 
seeming lack of friends. With her 
boyfriend David’s (Julian Barratt, 
“Flowers”) recent proposal of 
marriage, Sally’s life seems to 
be headed towards a permanent 
flatline. That is, until she locks 
eyes with a stranger named 
Emma (Davis) on the tube, and 
begins to question what she truly 
wants in life.

Where “Sally4Ever” shines is 

in its realistic exploration of this 
boredom. Showing that someone 
is unhappy with pretty much 
every aspect of their existence 
can be a tough feat — you must 
show that the person has a 
justifiable reason to be bored, yet 
avoid making their lives look like 
a farcical mockery of everyday 
life. Julia Davis’s writing nailed 
this niche to a T. The dialogue 
that took place between Sally 
and her co-workers and between 
Sally and her husband was so 
realistically awkward and passive 
aggressive that it was hard not to 
feel second-hand discomfort.

In addition to the realism that 

highlighted the cause of Sally’s 
crisis, the authenticity of her 
actions while in the midst of her 
break also felt sensible. Rather 
than writing Sally as going off the 
rails and abruptly taking on a new 
persona once she is momentarily 
tempted by Emma, she stays true 
to form. Sally challenges herself 
to sneak out to the rave that Emma 
is performing at, but attends 
dressed like a middle schooler. 
Some of the best comedy of the 
pilot episode was derived from 
this dance between Sally’s clear 
internal wanting to be dangerous 
and her subpar execution.

However, the downside of a 

show that is so realistically boring 
is that sometimes there are points 
where it just seems boring. Every 
secondary 
character 
retained 

more entertainment value than 
Sally. 
Even 
the 
supposedly 

unlikable characters, like her 
co-workers, 
were 
engaging 

enough to make me sit up during 
their scenes. I could not say the 
same for Sally. Unlike other 
“normal person bored with drab 
life” comedies, the character of 
Sally did not make me believe 
that she deserved better than 
what she already has. The most 
intriguing character on the show 

proved to be Emma, not simply 
because she is a hilariously 
untalented 
multi-hyphenate 

(actor, singer, dancer, artist), 
but also because of the clear 
manipulation she uses to lure in 

Sally that leaves the audiences 
wondering if she actually gives 
two shits about Sally or, if she is 
just using the poor girl as a form 
of entertainment.

“Sally4Ever” clearly has a lot 

of ground to cover; I am excited 
to see where the show will take 
its audience over the course of its 
eight-episode order. Hopefully, 
on a show with such an exciting 
and daring premise, the character 
at the center will be able to 
experience more development 
that elevates her from solely 
being defined by her sadness and 
boredom into a character who 
has multiple facets to her being. 

‘Sally4Ever’ excites while 
mastering artful boredom

ALLY OWENS
Daily Arts Writer

TV REVIEW

“Sally4Ever”

Series Premiere

HBO

Sundays at 10:30 

p.m.

HBO

Unlike other 

“normal person 

bored with drab 

life” comedies, 

the character 

of Sally did not 

make me believe 

that she deserved 

better than what 

she already has

El Guincho’s 

music is restless 

and colorful in 

a manner which 

pop music rarely 

operates in

