Toy Story 3

CHICAGO – Was “Toy Story 3” the last great Pixar production? With the modest critical reaction to “Cars 2,” “Brave,” and “Monsters University,” it seems an entirely defensible position to take. In fact, one could easily argue that “Small Fry,” the “Toy Story” short that premiered with “The Muppets,” and “Partysaurus Rex,” which played with “Finding Nemo 3D,” should be considered higher on the Pixar hierarchy than “Cars 2” and maybe even “Brave.”

CHICAGO – I could (and will) watch “The Illusionist” over and over again. It is a stunning, gorgeous, mesmerizing experience. When the history books are written, I don’t think we will EVER have as strong a group of nominees in the Oscar category for Best Animated Film as we did last year when “Toy Story 3,” “How to Train Your Dragon,” and “The Illusionist” stood tall. All three would have won in many other years.

CHICAGO – There are very few animated movies that look as stunning as “Tangled” does on Blu-ray. The grass of the land around Rapunzel’s tower, her infamous hair, even the leaves floating in the background — the film has a third dimension even on a standard television. It’s visually striking.

CHICAGO – If you watched the Oscars on Sunday night and ran to your local Redbox or whatever you use to watch Blu-rays and DVDs in 2011, you may have been struck by a bit of a shock — none of the acting winners are currently available on Blu-ray and DVD. Get your calendar. We’ll let you know when to expect the 2011 Oscar winners.

CHICAGO – Film buffs broke out the coffee and energy drinks the morning before the 83rd Academy Awards as AMC Theatre River East Chicago hosted the 2010 Best Picture nominee screenings, part of a nationwide AMC Theatre promotion.

CHICAGO – The nominees for the 83rd Annual Academy Awards were announced this morning, Jan. 25, 2011 and “Inception,” “The King’s Speech,” “The Social Network,” “True Grit,” “The Fighter,” and “Black Swan” led the way with a majority of the nominations.

CHICAGO – The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will finally announce their nominations for the Oscars tomorrow morning, January 25th, 2011. But why wait? Want to know the nominees now?

Rating: 5.0/5.0

CHICAGO – Presuming the Academy makes the logical choices, the competition for the Oscar for 2010’s Best Animated Film should feature three of the best films of the medium in many years – “Toy Story 3,” “How to Train Your Dragon,” and the least-heralded of the three, the beautiful “The Illusionist.”

CHICAGO – David Fincher’s “The Social Network” was the big winner at the 2010 Chicago Film Critics Association Awards, winning Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay.

CHICAGO – When we look back on this past year in cinema, what will we remember? Ironically, a year after “Avatar” was supposed to change the movie paradigm forever, it’s the human faces that I most vividly remember from 2010.