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Monday, March 25, 2019 — 5A

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By C.C. Burnikel
©2019 Tribune Content Agency, LLC
03/25/19

Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle

Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis

03/25/19

ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE:

Release Date: Monday, March 25, 2019

ACROSS
1 Super bargain
6 Effective on
10 Ed.’s backlog
13 Bisect
14 “Good Morning 
America” 
co-anchor 
Spencer
15 Boarding site
16 Sellers of build-it-
yourself furniture
18 Mythical monster
19 Delt neighbor
20 Mets’ home 
before Citi Field
22 Enemies
23 Puts up, as a 
skyscraper
24 Climate-affecting 
Pacific current
27 Citrus-flavored 
soda, on its 
labels
29 Minnesota’s state 
bird
30 Final Four org.
32 Eye-boggling 
work
35 __-di-dah: 
pretentious
36 Five-armed 
ocean creature
38 “I’ll pass’’
39 Decree
41 Wander about
42 Warehouse gds.
43 East Asian home 
of Acer and Asus
45 Like partly melted 
snow
47 Merkel of 
Germany
49 Molecule 
component
50 Leaves-catching 
brewing sieve
53 Drag to court
56 Witty Bombeck
57 Arabian 
Peninsula region, 
and what 16-, 
20-, 36- and 
50-Across literally 
have
59 Done with
60 Falco of “Nurse 
Jackie”
61 Wheel 
connectors
62 Mario Bros. 
console
63 Ruby and scarlet
64 Suspicious (of)

DOWN
1 Cruise vessel
2 Box office 
income
3 Monthly util. bill
4 “Selma” director 
DuVernay
5 Classroom 
session
6 Soothing 
medicinal plants
7 __ Lee cakes
8 Mine extractions
9 Make secure, as 
a seat belt
10 “Presto!” sticks
11 Peacock’s gait
12 Appears to be
15 Try for a long 
pass, in football 
lingo
17 Romantic ideal
21 Fervent feeling
22 Dolphin feature
24 Vogue 
competitor
25 Laundry batch
26 Pitching 
masterpieces
27 Bricklayer
28 “Ciao!”
31 Irene of “Fame”
33 Poison ivy 
symptom

34 Rock music’s __ 
Might Be Giants
36 Prop for a clown
37 Dutch beer 
brand
40 Ides of March 
victim
42 Tight-lipped
44 Not as cold
46 Parent of 
Maybelline
47 Used, as china
48 Chutzpah

49 South 
American 
mountain range
51 Staff assistant
52 “Look what __!”: 
“Yay me!”
53 Bargain hunter’s 
delight
54 App downloader
55 Site for 
handmade art
58 Application file 
suffix

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NOW.

It’s fitting that Jordan Peele, 
whose reimagining of “The 
Twilight Zone” will premiere 
this April, crafted his follow-
up to cultural juggernaut “Get 
Out” by making an essentially 
extended version of a “Twilight 
Zone” 
episode. 
His 
latest 
feature film, “Us,” is a tightly 
wound horror-thriller much in 
the same vein as “Get Out,” but 
rather than being grounded in 
the answers it provides, the 
power of “Us” comes in the 
questions it leaves lingering in 
its wake.
The story surrounds the four 
members of the Wilson family 
as they are confronted by 
dopplegangers of themselves 
during 
a 
pleasant 
summer 
vacation to Santa Cruz 
beach. To reveal any more 
of the plot beyond this 
would be to take away 
from the twist-riddled, 
reflective and thought-
provoking experience of 
the movie. It’s practically 
impossible to talk about 
the big ideas “Us” posits 
without spoiling the fun, 
so I’ll avoid them for the 
most part.
By 
far, 
my 
favorite 
aspect of the film was 
Lupita Nyong’o’s (“Star 
Wars: The Last Jedi”) 
performance as Adelaide 
Wilson. Since the film revolves 
around duplicates, she must 
play both herself and her 
sadistic, 
wide-eyed 
double, 
Red. As a result, Nyong’o has 
to be both protective and 
malevolent, 
frightened 
and 
robotic, along with several 
other notable dualities. Her 
ability to carry off what is 
basically twice the burden of 
what a normal role entails is 
purely astounding. Without 
her, 
the 
movie 
probably 
wouldn’t work. Winston Duke, 
(“Black Panther”), on the other 
hand, was the film’s comic 
relief. 
As 
Gabe, 
Adelaide’s 
husband, his corny presence 

gave “Us” an initial levity. 
More importantly, when the 
horror setpieces began, his 
one-liners didn’t take away 
from the tension at hand.
“Get Out” boasted notably 
ominous 
camerawork 
and 
cinematography, 
and 
“Us” 
demonstrates 
Peele 
honing 
these skills. Peele constructs 
nearly every frame with visually 
arresting 
and 
symbolism-
drenched 
composition. 
The 
embryonic 
suggestions 
of 
his ideas manifest with the 
right amount of subtlety, so 
that when they finally reveal 
themselves, it feels like we 
have been thinking about them 
all along. Without getting too 
specific, a hint I have for those 
who haven’t seen the movie: 
Pay attention to what everyone 
is wearing.
Of 
course, 
as 
a 
self-

proclaimed horror nerd, Peele 
references several of the works 
that influenced him, from “A 
Nightmare on Elm Street” to 
“The Shining” to the obscure 
sci-fi flick “C.H.U.D.” To see 
and understand these mini 
love-letters to horror films of 
the past was invigorating to 
me, but Peele does far more 
than repurpose style. It would 
be presumptuous to say that 
Peele 
has 
comprehensively 
realized a style of his own, 
but one is certainly emerging. 
His 
camera 
placement 
is 
uniquely conducive to effective 
jumpscares, and he peppers 
them into the narrative at an 

impressively measured pace. 
He also has an obsession for 
totems of his own mythology, 
from the tea cup in “Get Out” 
to the creepy white rabbits 
and golden scissors that were 
centerpieces 
in 
marketing 
campaign of “Us.”
Michael Abels, composer of 
the music for “Get Out,” outdid 
himself with his second film 
score. Many have heard his 
ominously groovy remix of “I 
Got 5 On It” from the trailers, 
but a larger standout from the 
film is “Anthem,” a primal, 
crescendoing, war-chant that 
is sure to induce nightmares. 
Abels demonstrates a knack 
for 
weaving 
in 
impactful 
leitmotifs 
into 
otherwise 
dissonant 
horror 
sounds, 
going for melody where other 
composers wouldn’t dare.
In all honesty, even though 
I adored so many aspects 
of the film, I didn’t love 
it. Again, it’s impossible 
to be specific as to what 
thematic elements were 
tough 
to 
internalize 
without ruining the entire 
movie, so I’ll say this: 
You have to see “Us” for 
yourself. I can’t understate 
how important it is to see 
the film in theaters, too. 
In my viewing, the crowd 
was utterly cacophonous, 
crying, 
laughing, 

screaming and muttering 
hysterically. Few theater 
experiences 
are 
this 
collectively engaging.
“Us” 
might 
be 
a 
more 
interesting movie to think 
about than it is to see. There 
are details of the script that, 
in reflection, have made me 
rethink about every aspect 
of what I saw, and I’m still 
formulating an understanding 
of the ending. Beyond my 
confusion and my doubt, I’m 
glad “Us” exists and that 
Jordan Peele is making horror 
movies. He clearly wants to 
tackle 
American 
issues 
by 
reframing them and inciting 
discussion about about them. 
And that discussion, in and of 
itself, is a gift.

‘Us’ is an accomplishment, 
if not a stride, for Peele

ANISH TAMHANEY
Daily Arts Writer

FILM REVIEW

UNIVERSAL PICTURES

Us

Universal Pictures

The State Theatre, Goodrich 
Quality 16, Ann Arbor 20+ 
IMAX

UNIVERSAL PICTURES

As a 20-year-old, I haven’t 
opened 
a 
children’s 
book 
since I was a child myself. 
I 
vaguely 
remember 
some 
classics like “The Giving Tree” 
and “Goodnight Moon” that 
formed my reading experience. 
Children’s books are not like 
children’s movies— they’re used 
as tools of literacy. 
They don’t have 
the 
complexity 
of 
movies, 
no 
deeper 
messages 
or 
obscure 
symbols. At least, 
that’s 
what 
I 
had 
assumed. 
But 
despite 
its 
simplicity, “Music 
for Mister Moon” 
still manages to 
convey a message 
that’s relevant to 
all ages.
Harriet 
Henry 
plays 
the 
cello. One day, her parents said, 
“You will play your cello in a 
big orchestra. Won’t that make 
you happy?” Harriet Henry 
had a big imagination. She 
pictured herself on the stage 
with rows and rows of people 
dressed like penguins. See, 
Harriet Henry was like every 
child at the thought of a public 
performance. She had stage 
fright. She told her parents, 
“No, I don’t think that would 
make me happy.”
Harriet Henry did not want to 
play the cello in a big orchestra. 
Harriet Henry wanted to play 
the cello alone.
In the dead quiet of the night, 
Harriet Henry used her big 
imagination to transform her 

little room into a cellist haven, 
decorated 
with 
everything 
from a fireplace to a staple 
teacup. It was the perfect set up 
for Harriet Henry to perform 
in solitude. When a noisy owl 
threatens to disrupt her peace, 
Harriet Henry — naturally — 
becomes very upset. She throws 
the teacup out the window 
and misses (a tragedy that is 
entirely too familiar), knocking 
the moon out of the sky and into 

her chimney instead.
And 
so 
their 
adventure 
begins.
Harriet 
Henry 
showed 
Mister 
Moon 
around 
her 
neighborhood. They stopped 
by the hatmaker for a hat to put 
on Mister Moon’s chilly head. 
They borrowed a boat from the 
fisherman so that Mister Moon 
can float on the lake. These 
interludes are enhanced with 
a sense of magical realism. The 
hatmaker and the fisherman 
are a bear and seal, respectively. 
Their 
exchanges, 
however, 
transcends 
any 
interspecies 
dissonance. 
The 
hatmaker 
and fisherman are humanized 
by 
their 
fond 
memories 
with Mister Moon and their 
altruistic actions.
In her quest to return the 

moon back to its rightful place, 
Mister Moon and Harriet also 
develop a warm friendship. 
When Mister Moon confessed 
his 
regrets 
and 
dreams, 
Harriet, in turn, thought of 
her own wishes and worries. 
Will she be able to muster the 
courage to share her music to 
Mister Moon?
“Music for Mister Moon” 
takes its readers on a fantastical 
journey to reflect on their own 
fears. As Harriet 
Henry and Mister 
move 
from 
one 
scene to the next, 
the readers, too, 
are able to fluidly 
transition 
from 
one notable time 
in their lives to 
the next. Although 
the 
sentences 
are sparse, each 
word 
is 
laden 
with the theme of 
camaraderie 
and 
lost childhood. I was reminded 
of “Up” and “Peter Pan” several 
times while reading.
Erin 
Stead’s 
muted 
watercolor 
illustrations, 
moreover, are perfect for the 
serene atmosphere of “Music 
for 
Mister 
Moon.” 
While 
examining 
the 
pictures, 
I 
almost wanted to curl up in 
my own bed, dreaming of 
orchestras, penguins and an 
enchanting moon. It is a lovely 
children’s book that shows 
that the support of friends 
and family are one of the most 
important tools in conquering 
your 
fears 
and 
expressing 
courage.
The story is moving while 
at the same time relatable for 
all ages, even jaded college 
students, such as myself.

‘Music for Mister Moon’ 
uses imagination as power

BOOK REVIEW

SARAH SALMAN
Daily Arts Writer

Music for Mister Moon

Philip C. Stead

Neal Porter Books

Mar. 26, 2019

