With this year’s Academy Awards ceremony behind us, it’s time to take a look at how I did on my predictions for the winners in this annual competition, as first outlined in my previous blog, Who Will Win This Year’s Oscars. And the result? Four out of six correct calls, with two misses. Here are the details: Best Picture Projected Winner: “Boyhood”Actual Winner: “Birdman”Result: Missed call Despite its wins in the Golden Globe, Critics Choice and BAFTA Awards competitions, the momentum behind “Boyhood” finally ran out, and “Birdman” took advantage of the opportunity, charging ahead to a much-deserved victory. I probably should have picked up on this shift, given the victor’s recent wins in the Directors’ Guild, Producer Guild and Screen Actors Guild Award contests, momentum that was punctuated with a win at the Independent Spirit Awards ceremony the day before the Oscars. Although I saw “Birdman” as one of the films capable of besting “Boyhood,” I didn’t know if it had enough oomph behind it to pull that off. Obviously I was wrong, though I can’t say I’m disappointed with the result. Thankfully, Academy voters saw through the “Boyhood” hype and recognized the film for what it is – ...

In case you missed my radio interview on Smart Women Talk Radio with host Katana Abbott this past Tuesday, you can catch the archived edition, available for on-demand listening by clicking here ...

“Timbuktu” (2014). Cast: Ibrahim Ahmed, Toulou Kiki, Layla Walet Mohamed, Abel Jafri, Mehdi A.G. Mohamed, Kettly Noël, Adel Mahmoud Cherif, Cheik A.G. Emakni, Damien Ndjie, Weli Cleib, Djié Sidi, Salem Dendou, Fatoumata Diawara, Amadou Haidara. Director: Abderrahmane Sissako. Screenplay: Abderrahmane Sissako and Kessen Tall. Web site. Trailer. Personal power – it’s something we all wield in manifesting and managing our daily lives. It’s a force that can be used beneficially for the betterment of ourselves and those around us. It can also be used to subvert and dominate others for our own gain. It’s even something we can give away, for better or worse. Whichever course we choose, however, depends on us and how we handle the power we each possess, ideas explored individually and collectively in the dramatic new release, “Timbuktu.” Life in the ancient and fabled Malian city of Timbuktu undergoes a radical change with the arrival of a band of oppressive outsiders. The northwest African community on the edge of the Sahara Desert, long home to a population of spiritually focused, peace-loving Muslims, is disrupted by the appearance of the Islamic Police, a self-proclaimed posse of fundamentalist jihadists seeking to implement Sharia law – mostly by imposing ...

Join me Tuesday February 17 at 11 am ET when I’ll be a guest on Smart Women Talk Radio with host Katana Abbott. We’ll discuss conscious creation in the movies, with a look at entries from the newly rereleased edition of my first book, Get the Picture?!, as well as this year’s Oscar contenders. Tune in for some lively chat by clicking here, or catch the podcast afterward for on-demand listening. For more information about the show, click here ...

“Two Days, One Night” (“Deux jours, une nuit”) (2014). Cast: Marion Cotillard, Fabrizio Rongione, Catherine Salée, Baptiste Sornin, Timur Magomedgadzhiev, Christelle Cornil, Serge Koto, Olivier Gourmet, Yoann Zimmer, Philippe Jeusette. Directors: Jean-Pierre Dardenne and Luc Dardenne. Screenplay: Jean-Pierre Dardenne and Luc Dardenne. Web site. Trailer. We’re all no doubt familiar with the expression “nothing ventured, nothing gained.” Meritorious ideas, as good as they might be, unfortunately often languish as untapped, unmaterialized potential, simply because no steps are taken to bring them into being. And, ironically enough, in many cases, those undertakings could easily get their starts through the simple act of asking to make them manifest. Such is the focus of the dramatic new release, “Two Days, One Night” (“Deux jours, une nuit”). Sandra Bya (Marion Cotillard) feels like giving up. Having recently returned to her job at a Belgian solar panel manufacturer after being on medical leave to treat depression, Sandra learns that company management discovered during her absence that the business could get along without her. So, faced with the need to cut operating costs, the owner, Monsieur Dumont (Baptiste Sornin), gives his employees a choice – allow Sandra to stay on as an employee or be willing ...

It’s that time of year again – time for my predictions of the winners at the annual Academy Awards. Most of the major honors appear fairly clear-cut at this point, but, even with that said, here are my picks for who will take home statues this year: Best Actor The Field: Michael Keaton, “Birdman”; Eddie Redmayne, “The Theory of Everything”; Benedict Cumberbatch, “The Imitation Game”; Steve Carell, “Foxcatcher”; Bradley Cooper, “American Sniper”Who Will Likely Win: Eddie Redmayne. In this talent-packed category, it wasn’t entirely clear at the start of awards season who would end up prevailing. However, Redmayne has gradually emerged as the favorite in light of his wins in the Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild and BAFTA Awards competitions. While I don’t believe he has a solid lock on the statue at this point, I would say that his position is looking fairly strong, and anyone else grabbing it away from him would have to be considered an upset.Who Should Win: Eddie Redmayne. Among 2014 releases, the list of potential honorees in this category was quite long, and those in the running – including those who didn’t get nominated – were all deserving of their accolades. That made picking ...