NEW YORk TImES CROSSWORD

THE mYSTERY OF mCGUFFIN mANOR by Andrew Chaikin / Edited by Will Shortz

Some sports cars Lots

“That’s ____”

Some modern ones are smart

Four-letter word for a four-letter word In ____ (stuck)

Hershey toffee bar Suspect No. 4

Tell

Spry

Brooklyn Coll. is part of it

Thomas who was chairman of the 9/11 Commission

Enjoy deeply

Salon brand Magazine audience fig.

Suspect No. 7

Style for Edward Hopper and George Bellows

What might come with fencing? Suspect No. 8 Goodwill “Despicable Me” character

Intestinal:

Prefix

Some knotted ropes Elie Wiesel’s homeland

Lowest of the eight major taxonomic ranks

Flambé

Japanese box lunch Oenology : wines :: zythology : ____

Org. in “Die Hard”

Teri with a “Tootsie” role

It might be snowy Move off the bottle Chip dip, familiarly Badger

Diamond family name

Like a bad loser

Major source of oxygen in the earth’s atmosphere

Janitor’s tool

Britain’s Broadway City near Monterey Bay

Latches (onto)

Delta preceder

Like a Debbie Downer Women of honour

Kinda

Very, in Veracruz Swing and completely miss

Getaway for two lovebirds?

Ireland’s best-selling solo artist

Home of the original Busch Gardens

The compass points Hardy bean

Campfire treat

“Too busy”

Jr.’s junior

Suffix with serpent Leader whose name means, literally, “commander”

Kilt feature

Space to maneuver a ship

Seeped (through} Low on dough

Big launch of 1957 “Time for a break” Fictional city inspired by New York City Sauce put on falafel Squash

Springsteen’s birthplace, in song Knowledgeable (in) Hard

Music to a hitchhiker’s ears

Thucydides had one

Said a 96-Across Went with

____ Rose, 2004 Tony winner

direction, in

Seville

Day. ____!” diet? Rushing group, informally

There was an interesting idea at the heart of “Judy & Punch,” but the execution is disappointing. This feminist visit to the world of the old Punch and Judy puppet shows is tonally off — shifting and swerving when it should be precise and then turning earnest and explicit when it needs to be subtle.

Written and directed by Mirrah Foulkes, it at least gets credit for originality. Set in the 17th century, it stars Mia Wasikowska and Damon Herriman as Judy and Punch, respectively, traveling puppeteers working the English countryside. Herriman is billed as the brilliant talent, but it’s clear from what we see behind the scenes that Judy is at the very least his equal.

Their act consists of a series of interludes in which the puppet character known as Mr. Punch beats up everyone he encounters, including his (puppet) wife. Audiences of the day find it hilarious. Judy, less so, possibly because she sees in the material a suggestion of her husband’s inner life. Though capable of warmth and kindness, he has a selfish and violent streak, exacerbated by a tendency toward alcoholism.

“Judy & Punch” is at its best in these early scenes, in which Judy keeps getting unwelcome glimpses into her husband’s moral nature, as when he is asked to “cast the first stone” at the stoning of alleged witches and agrees to do so without hesitation. In these moments, the audience is barely a step ahead of Judy. We, too, want to believe the best of this guy, but he makes it harder and harder.

Then, about 25 minutes in, comes a pivotal event that won’t be described, and from there the movie slows down. Three-quarters of screen time remain, but there’s not enough incident to fill half that time.

A loose tone can suggest freedom and audacity, a fresh take on a specific world. That’s not really what we get in “Judy & Punch.” Instead of a wild yet precise point of view, what we get here is more like attitude, a vague understanding expressed through whatever jokes, bits or deeply-held thoughts happen to fly through the filmmaker’s mind. In one scene, there may be disco on the sound track, and in another we get a forthright speech condemning violence.

But this isn’t drama. It’s more like gestures.