By Michael Schlossberg
©2019 Tribune Content Agency, LLC
12/11/19
Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle
Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis
12/11/19
ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE:
Release Date: Wednesday, December 11, 2019
ACROSS
1 Super silly
6 Gum balls, e.g.
10 Surgery memento
14 “Once more!”
15 MLB family name
16 Voice mail signal
17 Result of
overexposure in
the field?
19 “Yeah, that’ll
never happen”
20 Actress Mendes
21 Brewpub orders
22 Fencing blades
23 Blitz by a
linebacker
26 Ill-fated Ford
28 Result of
carelessness in a
locker room?
33 Hot rod
36 Cellist with
multiple
Grammys
37 Sales pro
38 Picks from a
lineup
40 Champagne label
word
41 Sighing
contentedly
45 Salve
49 Result of
excessive
practice in
calligraphy class?
51 Cloud, as of
gnats
52 Title Mozart valet
who married
Susanna
56 “__ Health”: Quiet
Riot album
58 Hops hot spot
61 Laundry hamper
62 Greek Cupid
63 Occupational
concerns such
as 17-, 28- and
49-Across
66 Balmy
67 Free speech org.
68 Sampler wisdom
69 Eyelid irritation
70 “That’s enough”
71 Dancer cohort
DOWN
1 Thin cookie
2 Tequila plant
3 Spot for a
Mercedes
4 Second-oldest
Kardashian sister
5 Formula __ auto
racing
6 Winged stinger
7 Ski resort near
Snowbird
8 Complete
one exercise
segment
9 Space heater?
10 Utterly shock
11 Grow slack, as a
poorly tied knot
12 Novelist Tyler
13 Classic autos
18 “Correctomundo!”
22 Standard Oil
brand
24 Former
U.N. leader
Hammarskjöld
25 NFL periods
forced by ties
27 Susan of “L.A.
Law”
29 Hawaiian garland
30 Triage MD
31 Portent
32 Diplomat’s need
33 “Do I need to __
you a map?”
34 Fanny
35 Difficult H.S.
class covering
U.S. or world
events
39 Round Table
title
42 “I’m the culprit”
43 “Cryptonomicon”
novelist
Stephenson
44 Dog’s “I’m
warning you!”
46 ’90s trade pact
47 “Yuck, tell
someone else!”
48 Fuel efficiency
stat
50 Kiss
53 The “A” in James
A. Garfield
54 Narrow hilltop
55 Initial stage
56 Kitty cries
57 Middle proof word
59 Fit
60 Avoid like the
plague
63 Uppercut target
64 Efron of
“Baywatch”
(2017)
65 Hubbub
The day after Thanksgiving, my family puts “Elf” on our
television on repeat for the entire rest of the weekend. We
own it on DVD and our Apple TV, too, just in case. If I had
to, I could recite the entire thing to you from start to finish.
I don’t even think it’s funny anymore, it’s just a tradition.
Miraculously, after watching “Elf” for 48 hours straight, my
excitement toward winter break kicks right into gear.
My usual grey sweatshirt and sweatpants turn into
festive red dresses. My usual hatred for making eye contact
on Blue Buses turns into easy small talk and new friends. My
actual friends usually line the halls of the Walgreen Drama
Center with complaints of how dry the weather is, but in
December they also cheerfully hum Christmas tunes while
still complaining.
The holidays are a time for happiness and cheer, and every
single movie pertaining to the season tells me so. Even the
trashiest Hallmark movie helps guide us in the direction of
general merriment. Last Wednesday, I was dead tired from
six hours of tech rehearsal and a full day of classes. I saw
that the movie “Love Actually” was on television, and I sat
wide awake, entranced for a full two and a half hours.
Even my vernacular is affected by these movies. When
the month of December rolls around, you aren’t “upset,”
you are “an angry elf.” You aren’t “dumb,” you are a “cotton-
headed ninny muggins.” Anytime a friend leaves class, my
immediate goodbye phrase is, “Bye Buddy, I hope you find
your dad,” in full Mr. Narwhal voice, regardless of their
gender. I know these are all “Elf” references, but Will
Ferrell is just such a genius when it comes to comedy. At
the very least, I crack myself up when choosing to use these
phrases instead of the usual trendy Gen-Z phrase of the day.
Holiday movies sit with us so profoundly because they are
possibly the only parts of our formative years that do not
betray us later in life. I know that the new Netflix Christmas
movie is probably awful, but I still press play while I do
my laundry because I know exactly how it will make me
feel: warm and fuzzy. I don’t know what kind of hypnotic
magic they put in those plot lines, but holiday movies are
addicting. The purity of the message in each movie allows
us not only to have faith in our community, but also greater
faith in humanity as a whole.
In the end, all we need during those last couple weeks
of December is a little bit of a break and a charming story
of the loved ones we share it with. As Buddy the Elf would
say, “The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud
for all to hear.” Regardless of what you’re celebrating this
winter break, I hope you spend time to sing and rejoice in
the people you love.
The movies we wait all year to watch
COMMUNITY CULTURE NOTEBOOK
NATALIE KASTNER
Daily Arts Writer
It was a huge year in gaming. From the revival of classic
franchises, to the success of numerous indie darlings, as the year
comes to a close it’s time to reflect on our best experiences. Here
is The Daily’s pick for the best video games of 2019.
“Sekiro: Shadow Die Twice”
Controversial? Yes. A new beginning? Yes. Mentally strenuous
and engaging? Yes. A game for everyone? No. “Sekiro: Shadows
Die Twice” is a masterpiece of gaming because it does not
compromise. After concluding their critically acclaimed series
“Dark Souls,” developers FromSoftware had a vision and stuck
to it. That vision is “Sekiro”: the 15th century Japanese themed,
stealth, action adventure that had gamers either glued to their
screens or screaming at it. “Sekiro” is hard, very, very hard. But
it’s exactly this struggle which allows the player to appreciate
the craft and sophistication that went into this game. “Sekiro”
does not accommodate for its audience, the audience must
accommodate to it. To endure it is to admire it. “Sekiro: Shadows
Die Twice” is committed to an artistic message. It is that
commitment that makes it the best game of 2019.
“The Outer Worlds”
“The Outer Worlds” is proof that video games have transitioned
into the age of intertextuality. The relationship between “The
Outer Worlds” and video classics is one of homage and reverence.
It’s fitting that this game was released in 2019 because veteran
gamers will find that “The Outer Worlds” is a nostalgia trip
through some of the best games of the decade. Developed by some
of the best brains behind the Fallout series, “The Outer Worlds”
plays very similarly but also borrows creative mechanics from
other successful games. Blasting your way through an art deco
inspired galaxy controlled by corporate oligarchy is well … a blast.
Despite its many allusions to classic video games and sci-fi, “The
Outer Worlds” manages to tell a story with political relevance
while still keeping things light hearted. “The Outer Worlds” puts
video games into the context of cultural history and reminds old
time gamers how far the medium has come.
“Mordhau”
“Mordhau” is a competitive first-person medieval warfare
game with a skill ceiling so high, I could get a Masters degree in
it. This indie darling not only managed to capture the attention
of the steam community, but also all my free time. The thrill
of charging into battle along 60 plus players, shields ready and
swords primed is a thrill second to none. The best part of this game
is its complex and difficult but rewarding combat. “Mordhau” is
a game of infinite approaches. By utilizing slashes, lunges, faints
and blocks, combat turns into a dance. You’ll probably get sliced
to bits in your first couple hours, but stick around for a while and
you’ll be a master knight wielding excalibur as your sword.
“Mortal Kombat 11”
For a franchise that revels in gore and spectacle, who thought
that slowing things down would make for a better game? This is
exactly what “Mortal Kombat 11” does. By taking everything down
a pace, “Mortal Kombat 11” delivers the best fighting experience
I’ve had in years. So long are the days of button mashing and
cheap wins. I now feel like I can have a fair fight with my friends.
Add back the signature gore and bloody finisher moves and what
you get is a game that provides desensitizing masochistic fun for
everyone in the family. I’ve lost count of how many arguments
I’ve settled over “Mortal Kombat” this year.
“Call of Duty: Modern Warfare”
I never thought I’d see the day, much less be the one to report
it, but “Call of Duty” has made a comeback. For about a decade,
“Call of Duty” was a washed up celebrity, showing up every year,
managing to turn a couple heads, but at the end of the day, still
irrelevant. After making cookie cutter game after cookie cutter
game, people were tired and any fan who wasn’t a prepubescent
boy would agree that “Call of Duty” had seen better days. Taking
a much needed break and not even including a single player
campaign in the last installment, Activision has returned with
a game that is so rich in visual detail it scares me. “Modern
Warfare” looks and sounds like real life. Stalking through a
terrorist hideout with night vision goggles and silenced weapons
might sound like standard video game affair. Yet its creaking
of the floorboards, the quiet ding of bullet casings falling to
the ground, the shortening of breath as your character is about
to open a door. These tiny details accentuate every experience
making “Modern Warfare” the most realistic game I’ve played
in 2019.
In our humble opinion, the best video games of 2019
VIDEO GAMES NOTEBOOK
ELI LUSTIG
Daily Arts Writer
Comedian Matt Berry’s (“What We Do in the Shadows”)
“Toast of London” has been running on Channel 4 for more
than five years now, only recently traveling over the Atlantic
airwaves and underwater cables to Netflix and IFC in the U.S.
As with many examples of British comedy, it may take a bit
of warming up to it to really enjoy, but once you embrace its
nonsense, it’s one of the funniest shows out there
“Toast of London” revolves around the life of its protagonist
Steven Toast (Berry), a hopelessly lost and eccentric stage
actor whose life mostly consists of bumbling around and
confronting a bizarre set of characters, from a rival actor
known as Ray (“Bloody”), Purchase (Harry Peacock, “The
Kennedys”) and his landlord Ed-Howzard Black (Robert
Bathurst, “Downton Abbey”).
Berry and Arthur Matthews, the writers of the show, have
a glittering resume of TV comedy. Berry has taken part in
classics such as “The IT Crowd” and “The Might Boosh,” and
Matthews co-created one of the finest TV comedies of all
time, the timeless “Father Ted.” They take many of the same
elements of the aforementioned shows, but tone down some of
the innocent silliness in favor of an unhinged vulgarity.
The show is loosely serialized, but most episodes deal
with largely independent arcs. The premiere finds Toast
in a conversation with his inept agent Jane Plough (Sarah-
Doon Makichan, “Good Omens”) about finding new roles
and expanding his horizons. This conversation takes place
after the rousing failure of his current play, whose title is
supposedly so obscene that every time it is mentioned by a
character, all we hear is, well,
a host of other sounds. Berry’s
delivery suggests he is always
on stage, eschewing any form
of dynamic range other than a
powerful, straight-from-the-
diaphragm voice.
In
addition,
he
has
a
distinctly individual accent.
While
slightly
unnerving
at first, it makes a bit more
sense if you view the series
as a set of live theater bits.
The voice as well as the litany
of
facial
expressions
that
Berry produces fit the self-
aggrandizing
character
of
Toast perfectly.
The premiere also gives
a taste of the absurdity that
defines the show, involving
episodes such as Toast interviewing a producer in jail for
Holocaust denial. “Toast of London” is unapologetically crass
and stupid equally as often as it is unbelievably clever. It’s a
credit to the writers that that line is towed almost perfectly
in each episode.
Viewers of “Toast of London” will feel utter confusion
upon their first watch, but the show is intriguing enough that
it warrants a rewatch. After a rewatch, it will be extremely
difficult not to fall for its charm.
‘Toast of London’ is bizzare, surreal and a total trip
TV REVIEW
SAYAN GHOSH
Daily Arts Writer
Toast of London
Netflix
Series 1
Episodes 1-3
After a rewatch, it will be
extremely difficult not to fall
for its charm
NETFLIX / YOUTUBE
“Toast of London” is as
unapologetically crass and stupid as
often as it is unbelievably clever
The holidays are a time for
happiness and cheer, and every
single movie pertaining to the
season tells me so
Holiday movies sit with us so
profoundly because they are
possibly the only parts of our
formative years that do not betray
us later in life
6A — Wednesday, December 11, 2019
Arts
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com