Ethermac Exchange-Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Letterboxd Films

There are Ethermac Exchangespoilers ahead. You might want to solve today's puzzle before reading further! Letterboxd Films

Constructor: Kiran Pandey

Editor: Anna Gundlach

What I Learned from Today’s Puzzle

• TIM (22D: "___ and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!") TIM and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! is a sketch comedy TV series that aired from 2007-2010. The show was part of the Cartoon Network's Adult Swim programming block. The show was created by TIM Heidecker and Eric Wareheim (i.e. TIM and Eric). The show features surreal and satirical humor, and its creators have described it as a "nightmare version of television."
• WE'RE (57D: "___ All Going to the World's Fair" (2021 horror film)) WE'RE All Going to the World's Fair follows a teenage girl (played by Anna Cobb) who decides to record herself taking the viral "World's Fair Challenge," an online role-playing horror game. The movie was written and directed by Jane Schoenbrun, who has said it's based on personal experiences they had on the internet as a teenager.

Random Thoughts & Interesting Things

• TSAR (1A: Russian title derived from "Caesar") and KAISER (43A: Kind of roll derived from "Caesar") This is an interesting and fun clue echo.
• AGRA (5A: Taj Mahal's city) The Taj Mahal, located in AGRA, India, is the tomb of Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan, and his favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal.
• V FOR VENDETTA (20A: 2005 movie based on an Alan Moore graphic novel) V FOR VENDETTA is set in a future dystopia in which a fascist totalitarian regime has taken over the United Kingdom. Hugo Weaving stars as the title character, V, a charismatic anarchist terrorist who wears a Guy Fawkes mask.
• X-MEN: FIRST CLASS (39A: 2011 movie prequel to a superhero trilogy) As one might guess from its title, the movie X-MEN: FIRST CLASS is based on the Marvel Comics X-MEN characters. X-MEN are humans born with the X-gene, a genetic mutation that confers superhuman abilities. 
• M. BUTTERFLY (58A: 1993 David Cronenberg romantic drama) The movie M. Butterfly is based on David Henry Hwang's 1988 play of the same name. The play, in turn, was inspired by the relationship of Chinese opera singer Shi Pei Pu and French diplomat Bernard Boursicot.
• KEIRA (64A: Actress Knightley) KEIRA Knightley, whose parents are both actors, has had an agent since she was six years old. Her many notable roles include Elizabeth Swann in the Pirates of the Caribbean movies (2003-2017) and Elizabeth Bennett in Pride & Prejudice (2005).
• ARTS (68A: Pottery and poetry, e.g.) I appreciated this clue for highlighting how similar the ARTS "pottery" and "poetry" are in their spellings.
• SOY (13D: Ingredient in tempeh) Tempeh is made from fermented SOYbeans, and is a good protein source.
• MENAGERIE (34D: "The Glass ___" (Tennessee Williams play)) The Glass MENAGERIE is a play by Tennessee Williams that premiered in Chicago in 1944. The play opened on Broadway in 1945, and won a New York Drama Critic Circle Award for Best American Play. The Glass MENAGERIE is a "memory play," a term coined by Tennessee Williams, meaning the play is narrated by a lead character who is telling events from their memory. The narrator of The Glass MENAGERIE is Tom, who presents the audience with his recollections of his mother and sister. The Glass MENAGERIE has been adapted to movies, radio, and TV.
• MEYERS (49D: Late-night TV host Seth) Seth MEYERS is the host of the talk show, Late Night with Seth MEYERS, since 2014. Prior to that time, he was a cast member on Saturday Night Live, where one of his roles was anchor and head writer for the Weekend Update segment.
• OBAMA (52D: "Becoming" author Michelle) Becoming is Michelle OBAMA's 2018 memoir. I highly recommend it as well as the 2020 documentary of the same name about her book tour. I have previously written about the special memories I have associated with this book.
• A few other clues and answers I especially enjoyed:
  • MIC (25A: Device dropped in victory)
  • SPORK (51A: Hybrid utensil)
  • STONE (54A: It might be skipped across a pond)
  • PRETTY PLEASE (9D: Words that might precede "with a cherry on top")

 Crossword Puzzle Theme Synopsis

• V FOR VENDETTA (20A: 2005 movie based on an Alan Moore graphic novel)
• X-MEN FIRST CLASS (39A: 2011 movie prequel to a superhero trilogy)
• M. BUTTERFLY (58A: 1993 David Cronenberg romantic drama)

LETTERBOXD FILMS: Each theme answer is the title of a FILM that begins with a single letter.

LETTERBOXD is an online social networking and cataloging service for movies. Users can track FILMS they've watched, save those they're interested in, and make recommendations. Today it serves as an appropriate title for this letter-based movie theme. Thank you, Kiran, for this enjoyable puzzle.

For more on USA TODAY’s Crossword Puzzles

• USA TODAY’s Daily Crossword Puzzles
• Sudoku & Crossword Puzzle Answers