Wednesday December 26th 2018, NY Times Crossword

Time: 7:09

Wednesday Average: 17:14

Best Wednesday: 7:09

I was excited that The NY Times crossword was showing its Cage-mas spirit when I saw the clue “Movie that really should have featured Nicholas Cage?” Really, the answer to that question is basically every movie without Nicholas Cage and probably some others that could use a Cage twin or triplet. So, I was quite disappointed when the answer turned out to be ANIMAL HOUSE, since I’m not crazy about the idea that an animal’s natural “house” is a “cage.” The other theme clues along those lines are similarly hit or miss:

• “Movie that really should have featured Anne Archer?” ROBIN HOOD. OK, her last name is archer, but... who? 
• “Movie that really should have featured Tom Cruise?” FANTASTIC VOYAGE. Cruises aren’t fantastic. But I like Tom Cruise more than most of the people I know, I think. 
• “Movie that really should have featured Vin Diesel?” BEETLEJUICE. Truly amazing perfect clue. Really, this one makes the whole puzzle for me.
• “Movie that really should have featured Sigourney Weaver?” SPIDER-MAN. I’d call this one a stretch, but again, Sigourney Weaver is great.

I just took a break from writing this blog to enjoy some wine and the Portuguese sunset and the joy of not being traveling LONER for a change.