By Susan Granger

You think it’s cold? You think you are suffering? When you watch 53-year-old Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen’s grimly harrowing man vs. nature “Arctic” struggle, whatever you are experiencing pales in comparison.

Mikkelson plays Overgard, a researcher/explorer whose tiny orange-and-white plane crashed in a frozen wasteland. Resourceful, he’s been living in the cabin of that plane for weeks, if not months, sustained by raw fish that he’s pulled from beneath the ice.

Our first sight of him is trudging around, digging, scraping, grunting and clearing a series of paths in the snow; they turns out to form a large, black SOS sign in the white tundra, hopefully visible from the sky above. In addition to that, he spends hours manually cranking a transmitter, signaling for rescue.

When a helicopter hovers nearby, Overgard is ecstatic — until the ferociously howling polar wind causes it to crash. The only survivor is a badly injured woman (Icelandic actress Maria Thelma Smaradottir), the co-pilot whom Overgard is determined to save.

Westport artist Miggs Burroughs (l) and actor Michael Tucker reunited at a post performance reception tonight in the Westport Country Playhouse Green Room.  Tucker, who read the role of Sam in “The Cemetery Club” play reading performance, and Burroughs were college friends at Carnegie Tech (now Carnegie Mellon University.)  Tucker, who now lives in Easton with Jill Eikenberry (c), his wife of 46 years, graduated in 1966 and Burroughs in 1967. Eikenberry also performed in play reading as Ida. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com

The cast takes a break during rehearsal for tonight’s Script in Hand reading of “The Cemetery Club,” at the Westport Country Playhouse at 7 p.m. Written by Ivan Menchell, the reading is directed by Anne Keefe, Playhouse associate artist and curator of the play reading series. Pictured: (front, l-r) Deirdre Madigan, Jill Eikenberry and Maria Tucci; (standing (l-r) Anne Keefe, Playhouse associate artist and curator of the play reading series, Michael Tucker, Carolyn Mignini and Alexandra Rappaport, stage directions. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com

Gallery: A photo update of the Westport Library’s transformation project, scheduled for completion this summer. Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com

By Susan Granger

Beneath all the glitz and glamour, the Academy Awards have become a national touchstone for America’s increasingly energized awareness of sexism, racism and our place in the international community. And this year’s Best Picture competition may be the most confusing, contradictory race in Oscar history.

Joining the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), Netflix has finally been recognized for its meditative, black-and-white, Spanish-language feature “Roma” garnering 10 nominations, including Alfonso Cuarón’s direction, original screenplay and cinematography. Plus, acting nods for Yalitza Aparicio and Marina de Tavira.

Not only did “Roma” win BAFTA’s Best Picture in London but it’s also backed by the most expensive Oscar campaign in history ($50 million), headed by publicist Lisa Taback. But only once in the last 38 years has a movie won the top award with without an Editing nomination.

Diversity characterized the other Best Picture nominees: “Black KkKlansman,” “Black Panther,” “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “The Favourite,” “Green Book,” A Star Is Born,” and “Vice.”

It was Westport day today on the food segment of NBC’s “Today” show. Co-host Craig Melvin, a Westport resident, welcomed Brian Lewis, chef and owner of The Cottage and OKO restaurants in Westport to demonstrate cooking of a ragu short rib cottage pie dish, “the perfect comfort food recipe.” Melvin described both places as “two of the hottest restaurants in Westport” and said he and his wife had enjoyed a Valentine’s Day dinner at the OKO Japanese-themed restaurant on Wilton Road. Lewis said the cottage pie dish will be on the Cottage menu. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Today.com photo