Kat on Crossword Corner

Prolific constructor Joe Deeney edits some films for us today, with highly entertaining results.  The title of the puzzle, "A+ in Film Studies", is a terrific hint for what is going on here. Each of the seven theme entries is the title of a reasonably well-known movie, with just one little change: the addition of the letter "A." This creates a new set of phrases, which are described in the clues. While straightforward letter insertion themes are fairly common crossword fare, the puzzle stands out to me for the quality of its execution. The theme set is remarkably tight and highly entertaining, and the fill includes lots of fresh and fun words. An altogether pleasant Sunday morning at the movies!  Theme entries as they appear in the grid are as follows: 22A. Public square that gets really sticky in the heat?: LICORICE PIAZZA . The movie Licorice Pizza is a 2021 coming-of-age film nominated for three Academy Awards, including Best Picture. While critically acclaimed,...

Kelsey Dixon and Sarah Sinclair bring us a red-hot Friday puzzle to start the solving weekend.  The four theme answers are all familiar two-word phrases, fair enough. But wait, the entries in the grid don't match the clues provided. In fact, each clue refers only to the first word of the corresponding answer, while the second word, related to bright pigmentation, is extraneous. All becomes clear with a surprising and delightful reveal at the end.  Theme entries: 16A. *Lesser: SECONDARY COLOR . Secondary means "lower in rank, importance, or value", while the secondary colors (orange, green, purple) are specifically combinations of the three primary colors (red, yellow, blue).   20A. *Fit for a queen: ROYAL FLUSH . The term royal means pertaining to a king or queen. It can refer to a monarch him/herself, or to something owned by a monarchy, like a royal palace or a royal crown. In standard poker, a royal flush is a five-card hand that contains the ten, jack, queen, king, ...