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 85th edition of this annual competition, as first outlined in my previous blog, What To Expect Out of This Year’s Oscars. And the result? Well, I did OK, but not as well as in previous years. Out of the six major categories, I’d give myself an overall score of 3.5. Here’s how I did: Best Picture Projected Winner: “Argo”Actual Winner: “Argo”Result: Correct call This was a slam dunk. Anyone who didn’t see this result coming wasn’t paying attention. As the best picture winner of every major competition leading up to the Oscars, there was no reason to believe that the result was going to be any different this time. It’s regrettable, however, that this picture beat out the best nominee in this category, which was, in my opinion, “Les Misérables.” Best Actor Projected Winner: Daniel Day-Lewis, “Lincoln”Actual Winner: Daniel Day-Lewis, “Lincoln”Result: Correct call This was another slam dunk. Day-Lewis swept the best actor category in every major competition leading up to the Oscars, so, once again, there was no reason to believe that the result was going ...

“Surviving Progress” (2011). Expert Commentators: Margaret Atwood, Colin Beavan, Jane Goodall, Stephen Hawking, Michael Hudson, Simon Johnson, Gary Marcus, Kambale Musavuli, Daniel Povinelli, Marina Silva, Vaclav Smil, David Suzuki, Jim Thomas, J. Craig Venter, Robert Wright, Ronald Wright. Directors: Mathieu Roy and Harold Crooks. Writers: Harold Crooks and Mathieu Roy. Book: A Short History of Progress, by Ronald Wright. Web site. Trailer. “Progress,” in all its forms, is something meant to be revered, cherished and worshipped, is it not? After all, where would we be without it? How would we solve our problems? Develop new technologies? Create a better life for ourselves? Indeed, could we even survive without it? But, then again, given the state of things today, might it be possible that we’ve got things backwards, that this same alleged savior is, in fact, the source of our current difficulties? Those are some of the heady questions raised and explored in the thought-provoking documentary, “Surviving Progress,” now available on DVD. Based on author Ronald Wright’s book A Short History of Progress, the film seeks to define what we believe constitutes “progress” and the ramifications that come with that outlook. Directors Mathieu Roy and Harold Crooks take a hard look ...

“Side Effects” (2013). Cast: Rooney Mara, Jude Law, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Channing Tatum, Ann Dowd, Vinessa Shaw, Polly Draper, Sheila Tapia, Michael Nathanson, Andrea Bogart, Peter Friedman, Laila Robins, Mitchell Michaliszyn, David Costabile, Mamie Gummer, Victor Cruz, Haraldo Alvarez. Director: Steven Soderbergh. Screenplay: Scott Z. Burns. Web site. Trailer. Scottish poet Robert Burns is perhaps best known for having penned the lines, “The best laid schemes of mice and men oft go awry, and leave us nothing but grief and pain, for promised joy!” Such disappointments can indeed be devastating, but they can be that much worse for those who rely on insincere intentions and artificial means of assistance in seeking to achieve their goals, outcomes candidly depicted in the dramatic new thriller, “Side Effects.” Emily Taylor (Rooney Mara) leads a challenging life. With her husband, Martin (Channing Tatum), incarcerated on insider trading charges, she struggles to cope with his absence and with making ends meet financially in the often-unforgiving world that is New York, conditions that frequently test her wits, as well as her sometimes-fragile psychological state. At times she lapses into depression, longing for the protected, genteel life of her upbringing in suburban Greenwich, Connecticut. And at other times ...

“Compliance” (2012). Cast: Dreama Walker, Ann Dowd, Pat Healy, Philip Ettinger, Ashlie Atkinson, Stephen Payne, Bill Camp, Nikiya Mathis, James McCaffrey, Raymond McAnally. Director: Craig Zobel. Screenplay: Craig Zobel. Web site. Trailer. Think you know how you’ll react when the reputations and well-being of others are threatened by the unproven accusations of those in positions of power? Will fairness and justice prevail? Or will self-serving interests and cowardice take precedence? Those are just a few of the thorny questions examined in the gripping independent film, “Compliance,” now available on DVD. With the weekend approaching, it promises to be yet another hectic Friday night at the South End branch of ChickWich, a fictitious fast food restaurant located in an unnamed Ohio suburb. In addition to serving the typically large, demanding crowd, the short-staffed crew must cope with rationing certain food items (due to a freezer issue that resulted in spoilage) and preparing for a possible corporate quality control visit by a mystery shopper. The restaurant’s manager, Sandra (Ann Dowd), quietly struggles to keep everything together, shuffling staff to meet operating needs and frantically (but professionally) attempting to anticipate the challenges that are almost certain to arise. But those inflated crises pale ...

“Quartet” (2012). Cast: Maggie Smith, Tom Courtenay, Billy Connolly, Pauline Collins, Michael Gambon, Sheridan Smith, Andrew Sachs, Dame Gwyneth Jones, Michael Byrne, Trevor Peacock, David Ryall, Eline Powell, Luke Newberry, Shola Andewusi, Jumayn Hunter. Director: Dustin Hoffman. Screenplay: Ronald Harwood. Play: Ronald Harwood. Web site. Trailer. Many of us regrettably spend large parts of our lives chasing ever-elusive impressions of what was or what we hope might be. But, in doing so, we tend to neglect who and where we are in our lives, missing out on the joys of what they have to offer. Learning how to immerse ourselves in that often-ignored present moment is what the delightful new comedy, “Quartet,” is all about. Life’s aflutter at the Beecham House Home for Retired Musicians. The converted estate in the idyllic English countryside provides a pleasant retirement setting for an eclectic assortment of operatic singers, instrumentalists, conductors and musical comedy performers. The home’s capable staff attends to the residents’ health care needs in their sunset years while simultaneously providing a full program of activities to keep the seniors alert and vital, with a strong emphasis on encouraging them to continue doing what they do best – performing. At first glance, ...

“Amour” (“Love”) (2012). Cast: Jean-Louis Trintignant, Emmanuelle Riva, Isabelle Huppert, William Shimell, Alexandre Tharaud. Director: Michael Haneke. Screenplay: Michael Haneke. Web site. Trailer. Love is one of those sublime intangibles that artists of all callings, from Shakespeare to the Beatles, have sought to define, revere and embrace through their creations. Yet it encompasses such a vast array of embodiments that it’s difficult to encapsulate, or even grasp, all that it entails and makes possible. Nevertheless, the daunting nature of that task has not deterred those who would pay proper homage to the subject, as is amply evidenced in the latest offering from director Michael Haneke, “Amour” (“Love”). Former music teachers Georges and Anne Laurent (Jean-Louis Trintignant, Emmanuelle Riva) enjoy a comfortable retirement. The middle class octogenarian couple lives a rich, rewarding life in Paris filled with evenings at the arts, visits from Eva, their daughter (Isabelle Huppert), and Alexandre, a now-famous former student (Alexandre Tharaud), and, above all, the loving company of one another. Indeed, despite the passage of many years, it’s obvious that Georges and Anne are still very much in love with one another. Which is why it’s so utterly heartbreaking when Anne’s health takes a turn for ...