Mel Valentin
Senior Critic
Mel Valentin has been writing about his first and possibly his last love, film, for more than a decade. Born somewhere on the East Coast in the last century, Mel moved to the San Francisco Bay Area two decades ago. Mel spends his days looking forward to when we can all return to movie theaters and film festivals in person.Articles by Mel Valentin:
-
May 12, 2021
Oxygen Review: Mélanie Laurent Shines in Futuristic ThrillerOxygen (“Oxygène”), director Alexandre Aja’s follow-up to 2019’s gorily entertaining, Crawl, gives Mélanie Laurent a chance to shine.
-
May 7, 2021
Wrath of Man Review: An Ultra-Violent, Bleak, Ultimately Nihilistic ActionerWrath of Man delivers bleak, ultra-violent nihilism for our mid-pandemic times.
-
May 1, 2021
About Endlessness Review: A Swan Song for a Swedish MasterAbout Endlessness is a swan song for a Swedish master of cinema.
-
April 30, 2021
The Mitchells vs. the Machines ReviewThe Mitchells vs. the Machines delivers wondrous animation along with a much-needed critique of our social media- and tech-obsessed age.
-
April 21, 2021
Vanquish Review: Paycheck Roles for Morgan Freeman and Ruby RoseRIP Morgan Freeman’s career.
-
March 30, 2021
Godzilla vs. Kong Review: Attack of the Titans (Again)Attack of the Titans delivers kaiju-on-kaiju spectacle in overabundance.
-
March 29, 2021
The Vault Review: A Heist-Thriller By Any Other Name…A heist-thriller by any other name is still a heist-thriller.
-
March 3, 2021
Chaos Walking Review: Wannabe Series Starter Delivers Mixed ResultsDoug Liman’s wannabe series starter, starring Tom Holland and Daisy Ridley, delivers decidedly mixed results.
-
February 24, 2021
Soul Review: Poignant Life Lessons Wrapped in Stunning, Metaphysical VisualsSoul gives Pixar yet another rousing success and reminds us of everything we’ve missed and hope to regain.
-
February 22, 2021
Minari Review: A Deft, Engaging Family DramaSteve Yuen gives a career-best performance as a struggling Korean-American farmer in Lee Isaac Chung’s Minari.
-
December 26, 2020
News of the World Review: Tom Hanks Delivers Another Standout PerformanceNews of the World gives Tom Hanks another late-career role worthy of his prodigious talents.
-
December 20, 2020
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom ReviewViola Davis is magnificent but it’s Chadwick Boseman who takes centre stage in this sublime adaptation of August Wilson’s award-winning play.
-
December 19, 2020
Greenland Review: It’s the End of the World (Again)Another mid-level, no-strain effort for actor-producer Gerard Butler and a game cast navigating the end of the world.
-
film
-
TV
3 Things You Need to Know About Chad Powers Season 2
Season 2 of Chad Powers is here! Glen Powell, Steve Zahn, and the cast of the series give us a sneak peek at what to expect.
-
music
La Bola Negra Review: TIFF 2026
La Bola Negra is a sweeping epic pays tribute to lost lives and loves by connecting the stories of gay men across generations.
-
podcasts
Contra Zoom Pod Episode 344: Interview With Matthew Rankin of Ladies and Gentlemen, Brian Mulroney
On the latest Contra Zoom Pod they interview Matthew Rankin about his film Ladies and Gentlemen, Brian Mulroney, which had its world premiere at TIFF.
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-

