Word Play

There are true NY movies, whether they are billed as such or not. Plenty of them. The Godfather is one for instance. After several near-misses, I managed to watch the move Word Play last night. It is a documentary about personalities who solve crossword puzzles. The movie has characters from all across the country, but at heart, it is a NY movie. And NY Times reigns (after the bashing they have taken recently, I am happy to pay money to see a movie where they star, or take out a subsription or two). The movie is a honest window into the geekdom of puzzlers and celebrities who are hooked (my fave Mike Mussina of Yankees), ie, the ones who will get the tome that is Sunday Times, rummage through it hurriedly, retrieve the section that carries the puzzle, discard the rest of the tome, fold past the colorful dancers and paintings that are featured and settle on the black and white boxes and their symmetry with a pencil in hand. Sinful satisfaction.