Against All Odds

Maybe we should have the letters from the off after all

Yep.

It's nothing to do with odds or racing - that's the trap you were meant to fall into!

(3,4,5)

Very Good

In that case it could also be One Hour Photo.

Correct!

A traditional opening in us filled with noodles? (4,4,1,4,2,7)

{As usual, you will know when you've solved it}

Once Upon A Time In America

Never seen it, so had to look it up on IMDB to get the noodles reference!

Anatomic Bunk (9, 8)

Tactics:

• go to www.thesaraus.co.uk
• jot down all 8 and 9 letter synonyms of anatomical and bunk
• go to www.imdb.com
• punch said synonyms into search

Result: negatory

OK .. since it's been running 2 days let's make it easy:

Alternate clue for the same film:

Hilltop spinal injury

Brokeback Mountain

(Broke (anag) 'back mountain')

Very Nice

You should have been all over that TC!

E, or first light cool herbal roll-up? (10)

I do hope you're not insinuating I have a penchant for whoopsie cowboys......

Just didn't see it, simple as that....it looked too long for one of those 'anagram indicators in the title' clues to me!! Goes to show how much I know, heh. Nice one spirit

Not faring much better on this new narcotically themed clue either, just admiring the wordplay.....'roll-ups' gotta be an AI surely??!!

If so, my instinct is only 'herbal' is the fodder, although if you add 'E O R L' (L= first light) it brings you up to ten letters....

That looks a little unlikely though 'cos then you're ignoring 'cool'.....

Maybe you need the L and C (first light cool)......hmmmm......

Whoops indeed!

It was some feat to make that one work, especially with the anag indicator being a partial word, Nice Job spirit!


'up' would be a strong contender for the AI.


Your basically on the right lines although there is a cool 'trick' to make the letters work out.

e lc he rb al

n yn ny yy yy

Can't explain why but Hellraiser?
A raiser could be something that rolls-up

Or maybe not..

cool = in?

Not, but good film

It's cool as in the absence of heat.

Rollerball ?

herbal roll-up = 'erbal
cool = in (inside) an anag up) of
or (literal)
and 3 Ls - one of which can be first light ... but the other 2 ?

The penny drops

cool herbal = erbal (lost the h = heat)
with ROLL and L for first light


What about the E, or?

Yep, that's the cool trick

E was the hint to the film ('definition' in Xwordspeak), Jonathan E was the main character.

'or' = 'put another way, i.e. cryptically'.

Quite a hard one I think:

Possible nation state (3-3)

The only film I can think of that's 3 and 3 with a dash in between is Ben-Hur, but apart from the UN in the film title and 'possible' being an AI, I can't see how it could possibly fit