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| Wordplay | 
| Director: Patrick Creadon
Actors: Will Shortz, Merl Reagle, Tyler Hinman, Norman Payne, Al Sanders
Studio: Ifc
Category: DVD
List Price: $19.95
Buy Used: $4.76
You Save: $15.19 (76%)
New (46) from $9.42
Avg. Customer Rating:  49 reviews
Sales Rank: 5651
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dvd-video, Widescreen, Ntsc
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled)
Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Running Time: 85 minutes
Number Of Items: 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.3
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.4 x 0.6
MPN: WORDPLAY
UPC: 796019796156
EAN: 0796019796156
ASIN: B000HLDFR2
Theatrical Release Date: June 23, 2006
Release Date: November 7, 2006
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: Former rental, cleaned and resurfaced before we ship First Class with delivery confirmation
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Product Description
An in-depth look at the new york times long-time crossword puzzle editor will shortz and his loyal fan base. Studio: Genius Products Inc Release Date: 05/08/2007 Run time: 85 minutes Rating: Pg
Amazon.com
The linguistic ballet of the crossword puzzle and the obsessive minds that wrestle with them are a source of delight in the charming documentary Wordplay. Though there's no story, the movie has a definite hero: Will Shortz, the editor of the New York Times crossword puzzle, universally acknowledged as the pinnacle of crosswords. Shortz comes across as clever but modest; though he's at the top of his particular world, he retains a bemused perspective on that world's limitations. Though speckled with celebrities from former President Bill Clinton to the Indigo Girls, the most engaging interviews are with puzzle creator Merl Reagle (who gives a fascinating on-screen demonstration of how he starts making a puzzle) and the witty and garrulous commentary by the former public editor for the Times, Daniel Okrent. Like many recent documentaries, Wordplay is built around a competition: The American Crossword Puzzle Tournament, an annual event started by Shortz and embraced by people who have devoted an alarming amount of their brain space to filling squares with letters. Though the movie is not as emotionally involving as Spellbound--still the ne plus ultra of nerdy documentaries--Wordplay's window into its particular subculture will be enjoyable to non-crossword fans as well as committed puzzleheads.--Bret Fetzer
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| Customer Reviews: Read 44 more reviews...
 Wonderful Film! June 18, 2008
I first saw this film on the big screen with my friend Jared Feldman in Washington, DC. We loved the movie and would often quote the film.
I recently re-watched the film, and found it as wonderful the second time. For a word dork like myself, it was a pleasure to watch.
-Jeremy Paul Gallagher
 Entertaining film on an unfilmable subject . . . June 1, 2008
This is probably a film for crossword fans, though anyone who has ever wondered about people who seem hooked on crosswords will find this documentary a bit of a revelation, too. There are surprising moments in the film - first about things you take for granted. Where did crosswords come from and what are the underlying "rules" of creating crosswords? How does someone create a crossword? Who is responsible for the daily NY Times crosswords, and how did that get to be a real job? Then there are curious discoveries, like the obsession with time, and detours into subjects like whether a computer could ever be taught to do crosswords.
Structurally, the film is a lot like a crossword in the way its various story lines intersect. To show, I guess, that crosswords are not just for nerds, there are celebrity appearances from the Indigo Girls to Ken Burns to Bill Clinton. And finally there's coverage of the annual national crossword tournament in Stamford, CT, where you marvel at the hyped up drama and the complexities of the competition and the scoring itself - the playoff between the 3 highest scorers, wearing noise-producing headphones, is performed on stage before an audience. How did that evolve? Anyway, for novelty it's hard to beat this entertaining documentary about a basically unfilmable subject, and it may even get you trying the next crossword you see, just to see what all the excitement is about.
Wordplay May 23, 2008
Anyone who is a crossword "nut" will appreciate this humorous and interesting documentary. I had no idea that there were actually over 100 crossword constructors that worked on each New York Times Crossword. I guess I felt that most of it was done by computers. Loved it.
Wordplay February 26, 2008
For anyone who likes working crosswords or who wonders how crosswords are created, this movie is a must. The people featured in the film are fascinating--all are word freaks who are students of the written word and who use their knowledge to work and/or create crosswords.
Wordplay-dvd February 18, 2008
A must see if you are a cross word puzzle fanatic. Great documentary on the NYT crossword puzzle.
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