Melissa Leo

CHICAGO – I must admit that I am of the school that thinks that “Mildred Pierce” is one of the best things that has ever played on television. It is art of the highest caliber, featuring one of the best performances in the history of the form and were it eligible it would have been in my top ten films of 2011. It’s that good. And the “Collector’s Edition” of the award-winning series lives up to that title, marking the first time that HBO has ever released a DVD/Blu-ray combo pack and weighing the production down with special features. It’s the first must-own of 2012.

CHICAGO – Everyone who told me about “Red State” prefaced it with the disclaimer that I would be stunned that it was directed by Kevin Smith. Sure, it’s a departure from his indie comedies like “Clerks” and “Mallrats” but I feel like people who are amazed he made a dark thriller like “Red State” must have never really given the writer/director enough credit. I have some serious issues with how Smith behaved regarding critics after “Cop Out” but I was a fan of every single one of his works before then and I’m happy that he chose to do something different with his talent. I think the result is a bit more sloppy than it needs to be but there’s a lot to like here, including a stellar performance from Michael Parks.

CHICAGO – Some movies don’t just use cliches, they practically bathe in them, finding little other way to tell their story. Despite yet another strong performance from Oscar winner Melissa Leo (“The Fighter”), “The Space Between,” being broadcast uncut on the tenth anniversary of 9/11 this Sunday, is such a movie. She keeps it interesting but the film takes a potentially resonant story and deflates it with paper-thin storytelling.

CHICAGO – What do Robert Duvall and Melissa Leo have in common? They both have won an Oscar and they both cashed a paycheck for the fake virtuous hack job called “Seven Days in Utopia.” For Duvall especially, maybe the mortgage payment is due on the vacation home.

CHICAGO – Is it unfair to say that “Treme” is to “The Wire” as “John From Cincinnati” was to “Deadwood”? After David Milch’s brilliant Western came to an end, fans eagerly anticipated his follow-up and, almost immediately, spat it out like an undercooked Chicken McNugget. It lasted only one season. Well, “JFC” wasn’t really that bad (and deserved more time to find its feet).

CHICAGO – When HBO announced that they were producing a six-hour mini-series version of the James M. Cain (“Double Indemnity”) novel “Mildred Pierce” to star Kate Winslet and be directed by Todd Haynes, cinephiles everywhere let out an audible gasp.

CHICAGO – One of the strongest ensembles of 2010 worked together to create the crowd-pleasing “The Fighter,” a film with multiple Oscar nominations, including Best Picture and Best Director, that walked home with two major trophies for Best Supporting Actor (Christian Bale) and Best Supporting Actress (Melissa Leo). Sometimes it’s hard to tell if a film will stand the test of time (the jury is still out on how history will judge “The Social Network” and “The King’s Speech”) but there is little doubt that “The Fighter” will be satisfying audiences for decades. A great Blu-ray release from Paramount doesn’t hurt.

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Jennifer Lawrence

CHICAGO – This 21-image slideshow contains a selection of the available red carpet images from the 2011 Academy Awards including shots of Jennifer Lawrence, Natalie Portman, Melissa Leo, Hailee Steinfeld, Mila Kunis, Michelle Williams, Amy Adams, Jennifer Hudson, Cate Blanchett, Nicole Kidman, Sandra Bullock, Justin Timberlake, Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield, and more. The awards were broadcast on ABC on February 27th, 2011.

CHICAGO – Have you filled out your Oscar pool ballot yet? Let us guide the way. The film think-tank at HollywoodChicago.com (Matt Fagerholm, Patrick McDonald, and, myself, Brian Tallerico) has convened to break down the major eight categories with their picks for who will win, who should win, and who should have been nominated.

CHICAGO – The incredible true story of Betty Anne Waters and her beloved brother Kenny has enough dramatic potential for any pair of talented actors and a competent director to turn it into quality cinema. The fact that director Tony Goldwyn is just barely competent enough to pull it off is off-set by the fact that he was smart enough to perfectly cast the piece, no more so than in the mega-talented leads, Hilary Swank and Sam Rockwell.