Mel Valentin hails from the great state of New Jersey. He doesn't, however, live there anymore. After attending NYU undergrad (politics and economics major, religious studies minor) and grad school (law), he decided a transcontinental move to California, specifically San Francisco, was in order. Mel's written more than 1,400 film-related reviews and articles. He counts membership in the San Francisco Film Critics Circle as one of his proudest (and happiest) achievements.