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Mel Valentin

Tomatometer-approved critic
Biography:

Born and raised on the East Coast, Mel attended NYU before moving West, settling in San Francisco, mostly for the weather and proximity to the ocean and state parks. Mel has written film and festival reviews dating back more than a decade, mostly for defunct or out-of-print publications. He currently writes for Cinapse, Screen Anarchy, and That Shelf.

Reviews

Movies TV Shows
Extra Geography (2026) 100% EDIT “Belongs on the must-see list for filmgoers interested in discovering talented newcomers, a fresh take on a familiar sub-genre, and a worthy, worthwhile exploration of teen psychology and relationships that define them. ” – ScreenAnarchy Feb 5, 2026 Full Review Jimpa (2025) 56% EDIT “Succeeds both as a showcase for its central performances, Lithgow chief among them, and, at least initially, as a compellingly insightful exploration of intergenerational drama, ” – ScreenAnarchy Feb 5, 2026 Full Review Tuner (2025) 94% EDIT “Despite skillful camerawork, editing, and suitably tense pacing ... Tuner never escapes the aforementioned predictable plotting. [Director Daniel] Roher and his co-screenwriter, Robert Ramsey, never stray, not even once, from tried-and-true genre tropes.” – ScreenAnarchy Feb 5, 2026 Full Review The Moment (2026) 62% EDIT “Never rises above a formulaic, surface-deep satire of the music industry and its suppression of artistic expression and creativity.” – ScreenAnarchy Feb 5, 2026 Full Review The Only Living Pickpocket in New York (2026) 100% EDIT “Something truly special, a character study that doubles as a crime drama, a crime drama that also functions as a snapshot in time, a time capsule for a vanishing New York City. ” – ScreenAnarchy Feb 4, 2026 Full Review The Weight (2026) 96% EDIT “Not that stories write themselves (they don’t), but leaning into the elemental aspects inherent in the premise can yield remarkably engrossing stories like Padraic McKinley’s feature-length debut.” – ScreenAnarchy Feb 4, 2026 Full Review Run Amok (2026) 71% EDIT “Will likely alienate as many moviegoers as it engages, if not more. Just as unmistakably, Run Amok announces [writer-director NB] Mager as a major new talent, a talent whose next film … should be at the top of any filmgoer’s must-see list. ” – ScreenAnarchy Feb 4, 2026 Full Review Chasing Summer (2026) 67% EDIT “[Illiza] Shlesinger imbues Jamie with a welcome complexity ... not just a relatable character, but a cut above the one-dimensional characters typical of similarly-premised cable fare.” – ScreenAnarchy Jan 30, 2026 Full Review The Incomer (2026) 93% EDIT “Offers more than its share of surface-deep pleasures for audience members willing to embrace [director Louis] Paxton’s singular take on the "stranger on a strange island" premise. ” – ScreenAnarchy Jan 29, 2026 Full Review Frank & Louis (2026) 90% EDIT “Takes an unhurried, detail-rich approach ... letting dialogue, camerawork, and performances lead the audience ... into the inner and outer lives of men typically forgotten or even discarded by society. ... Nuanced, nonjudgmental. ” – ScreenAnarchy Jan 27, 2026 Full Review Buddy (2026) 83% EDIT “Deftly balancing dark, cringe-worthy comedy with absurdist horror, Buddy delivers exactly what its primary image of a half-charred Buddy wielding an ax in an artificial forest promised: Twisted fun (not) for the whole family. ” – ScreenAnarchy Jan 27, 2026 Full Review Leviticus (2026) 95% EDIT “Brilliant in its conception and even more brilliant in its execution, Leviticus belongs high on a list of queer horror and its discontents.” – ScreenAnarchy Jan 27, 2026 Full Review The Musical (2026) 62% EDIT “Undoubtedly will make a fine addition to the collections of cringe-comedy aficionados.” – ScreenAnarchy Jan 27, 2026 Full Review Josephine (2026) 97% EDIT “A deeply moving, heartrending exploration of the loss of innocence and the unintended consequences thereof.” – ScreenAnarchy Jan 27, 2026 Full Review Song Sung Blue (2025) 78% EDIT “Song Sung Blue skirts, but never crosses, the line between melodrama and drama, camp and non-camp, and excess and restraint.” – That Shelf Jan 12, 2026 Full Review OBEX (2025) 96% EDIT “If you’re on OBEX’s wavelength or frequency, i.e., attuned to its oddball charms, quirky humor, and irony-free, poignant exploration of its central themes, then OBEX will prove a deeply engaging, infinitely rewarding experience.” – ScreenAnarchy Jan 6, 2026 Full Review Marty Supreme (2025) 94% EDIT “Elevated by career-best performances from Chalamet and A’zion. ... Safdie’s hyperkinetic direction, and Daniel Lopatin’s dazzling, 1980s-inspired score, ... and Marty Supreme becomes a must-watch for serious and casual moviegoers alike. ” – ScreenAnarchy Dec 24, 2025 Full Review Avatar: Fire and Ash (2025) 66% EDIT “It ultimately sinks on the predictable mix of well-worn genre tropes, repetitive and/or borrowed plot beats, and the cringe-inducing dialogue that have made revisiting earlier entries a serious chore for casual fans of the series.” – That Shelf Dec 19, 2025 Full Review Kiss of the Spider Woman (2025) 77% EDIT “Now, not exactly coming full circle but coming close, it has been reimagined as a stunningly realized cinematic adaptation. ” – ScreenAnarchy Dec 2, 2025 Full Review Zootopia 2 (2025) 91% EDIT “The meta sight gags, cleverer-than-clever verbal puns, and, of course, exhilarating set pieces remain, but this Zootopia furthers the pro-diversity, pro-equity, pro-inclusion message of the first film. ” – That Shelf Nov 28, 2025 Full Review Shelby Oaks (2023) 55% EDIT “Shelby Oaks benefits from a solid, well-directed supporting cast and Camille Sullivan’s intense, grounded performance as Mia.” – That Shelf Nov 25, 2025 Full Review Chainsaw Man - The Movie: Reze Arc (2025) 96% EDIT “The literal 2D explosion of sound and images–a sensory assault to some and the realization of anime dreams for others–will leave a lingering impression long after the end credits roll and the theatre lights return.” – That Shelf Nov 25, 2025 Full Review Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere (2025) 61% EDIT “Scott Cooper's Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere is an overly familiar, painfully reductive, downbeat drama.” – That Shelf Nov 25, 2025 Full Review Predator: Badlands (2025) 86% EDIT “Predator: Badlands only stumbles when Trachtenberg’s ambitions outstrip budget limitations and the script that too often relies on overused genre tropes rather than originating tropes of its own. ” – That Shelf Nov 25, 2025 Full Review The Running Man (2025) 62% EDIT “Wright’s nimble direction, retro-futuristic production design, and Glen Powell’s personification of a rage-filled anti-hero-turned-hero, make Wright’s adaptation a worthwhile, if ultimately frustrating, experience on the big or small screen.” – That Shelf Nov 25, 2025 Full Review
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