Democracy Dies in Darkness

Solution to Evan Birnholz’s March 2 crossword, ‘Out of the Picture’

Going off-script.

March 2, 2025 at 9:00 a.m. ESTYesterday at 9:00 a.m. EST

The 2025 Boswords Spring Themeless League will be starting up Monday night. It’s one themeless crossword per week over a period of 10 weeks, and you get to choose whichever one of three difficulty levels suits you best. The first one tomorrow is a “preseason” puzzle, meaning your score on that one won’t be counted in the standings; it’s just a practice puzzle to see if you feel the difficulty level is right for you. There’s also a separate practice puzzle on the Boswords website right now that you can do for free before registering. But anyway, check out that link if you want more themeless puzzles in your life.

The solution to the March 2, 2025, crossword, “Out of the Picture.” (Evan Birnholz/For The Washington Post)

It’s Oscar Sunday, so it’s time for a movie meta. The instructions say we’re looking for a well-known film, and the theme answers are supposedly film titles with some strange plotlines.

24A: [1991 black comedy about a British peer known for snitching?] is “BARON FINK.”
26A: [1998 comedy-drama about a pig belonging to president Harry?] is “THE TRUMAN SOW.”
32A: [1989 drama about fathers who join a club to write odes and sonnets?] is “DAD POETS SOCIETY.”
47A: [2012 superhero film about a medieval warrior on Noah’s ship when he stands up?] is “THE ARK KNIGHT RISES.”
60A: [1996 black comedy about afternoon social events in Las Vegas?] is “STRIP TEAS.”
72A: [2001 romantic war drama about the place where a nobleman docks his yacht?] is “EARL HARBOR.”
83A: [2014 drama about stationary cooties?] is “STILL LICE.” This is actually the second time I’ve used this as a theme answer, although the previous instance was in a literary-themed puzzle from Oct. 20, 2019.
93A: [2000 western about every small-minded stallion and mare on Earth?] is “ALL THE PETTY HORSES.”
107A: [2013 heist comedy about an aquatic mammal’s paintings?] is “THE ART OF THE SEAL.”
119A: [2000 action thriller about Comet and Cupid’s shapely legs?] is “REINDEER GAMS.”
125A: [1976 neo-noir drama about a stream with a submerged cab?] is “TAXI RIVER.”

It may take a Google or two if you don’t recognize some of them, but each theme answer is the title of a real film with one letter removed. Hopefully it should be fairly clear what to do to solve the meta. Take the missing letters …

“BARTON FINK”
“THE TRUMAN SHOW”
“DEAD POETS SOCIETY”
“THE DARK KNIGHT RISES”
“STRIPTEASE”
“PEARL HARBOR”
“STILL ALICE”
“ALL THE PRETTY HORSES”
“THE ART OF THE STEAL”
“REINDEER GAMES”
“TAXI DRIVER”

… and you get the Oscar-winning film “THE DEPARTED,” which describes the letters that left the 11 film titles. Of the fake movies in this puzzle, I’d probably be most excited to watch “THE TRUMAN SOW” and “THE ART OF THE SEAL.” Just think of all the high jinks that Harry Truman’s pig and an artistic seal would get up to. I’d give them Oscars if I had a vote.

Speaking of which, while I don’t have a dog in this fight, I can imagine that a lot of crossword constructors are hoping that “Anora” takes home the award for best picture. Those letters are very, *very* useful for a five-letter entry. Then again, who said it has to win an Oscar to become a staple of future puzzles? “Ishtar” may have been a box-office flop, but it’s lived on in crosswords. Peter Fonda didn’t win the best-actor Oscar for his performance in “Ulee’s Gold,” but ULEE became a saving grace for puzzle constructors everywhere. If there are any Hollywood screenwriters who would like to write a screenplay for a film called “AET” or “IEL” or any of the answers from this xkcd comic, I would greatly appreciate it.

What did you think?