James Berardinelli#Career

{{Infobox writer

| name = James Berardinelli

| image =

| imagesize =

| caption = Berardinelli in May 2015

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1967|09|25}}

| birth_place = New Brunswick, New Jersey, U.S.

| occupation = Writer

| period = 1992–present

| genre = Fantasy

| subject = Film

| website = {{URL|reelviews.net}}

| spouse = {{marriage |Sheryl|August 21, 2004}}

| children = 2

| alma_mater = University of Pennsylvania (BS, MS)

| education = Cherry Hill High School East

}}

James Berardinelli (born September 25, 1967){{Cite web |url=http://www.reelviews.net/reelthoughts/1984 |title=1984 |date=August 3, 2009 |access-date=June 15, 2015 |publisher=Reelviews.net |last=Berardinelli |first=James |quote=...turning 17. Beginning September 25 [1984], I could drive and see R-rated movies without an accompanying adult. |archive-date=June 15, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150615005151/http://www.reelviews.net/reelthoughts/1984 |url-status=live }} is an American film critic. His reviews are mainly published on his blog ReelViews. Approved as a critic by the aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, he has published two collections of reviews of movies on DVD and video. He is also a fantasy novelist, publishing a trilogy from 2015 through 2016 known as The Last Whisper of the Gods.

Personal life

Berardinelli was born in New Brunswick, New Jersey and spent his early childhood in Morristown, New Jersey.{{Cite web|title = Frequently Asked Questions|url = http://preview.reelviews.net/faq.html|publisher = Reelviews.net|access-date = June 12, 2015|archive-date = June 15, 2015|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150615004805/http://preview.reelviews.net/faq.html|url-status = live}} When he was nine, his family moved to the township of Cherry Hill, New Jersey, where he attended Cherry Hill High School East. Later he moved to Piscataway.{{citation |title=Amateur film reviewers take opinions to the Internet |author=Robert Stevens |journal=Kansas City Star/ Los Angeles Times |quote=James Berardinelli is not a professional movie reviewer, but he plays one on the Net. Log onto his Web site ReelViews, and you'll find 1,200 film reviews that the Piscataway, N.J., electrical engineer has written since he started posting messages on Internet newsgroups in 1992. |date=June 27, 1997 |page=17 |url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=KC&p_theme=kc&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EAF4487611910C6&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM}}

He attended the University of Pennsylvania from 1985 to 1990, obtaining both a bachelor's and master's degree in electrical engineering. After graduating he worked for Bellcore Company, now Telcordia Technologies. He worked during the next 15 years "in a variety of fields, including fiber optics, video testing, and software systems."

Berardinelli has categorized himself as an agnostic and a libertarian. He resides in Mount Laurel, New Jersey with his wife, Sheryl, whom he met through his website.Schneider, Dan. [http://www.cosmoetica.com/DSI16.htm "The Dan Schneider Interview 16: James Berardinelli"], Cosmoetica.com, December 12, 2008. Accessed July 14, 2016. "I was born in New Brunswick, lived in Old Bridge for a year, then spent my childhood in Morristown and my teenage years in Cherry Hill. I went to college at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, then returned to New Jersey to live in Bridgewater, Hillsborough, and Mount Laurel, where I currently reside."Boatman, Gail T. [http://www.burlingtoncountytimes.com/life-style/day-in-the-life/when-the-lights-go-down-his-work-begins/article_801faf47-c2a9-532c-87d9-090c2d27f823.html "When the lights go down, his work begins"], Burlington County Times, February 18, 2015. Accessed July 14, 2016. "MOUNT LAUREL — Like movie fans everywhere, James Berardinelli will be in front of his television set, Sunday, watching the Oscars."{{Cite web|url = http://www.reelviews.net/reelthoughts/11-years|title = 11 Years|date = January 26, 2007|access-date = July 19, 2015|website = Reelviews Movie Reviews|last = Berardinelli|first = James}}{{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/Reelviews/status/767431540477272068| title = James Berardinelli on Twitter|publisher = Twitter| date = August 21, 2016}} They have two children: a son born in May 2010, and a daughter born in November 2019.{{Cite web|url = http://www.reelviews.net/reelthoughts/welcome-michael|title = Welcome, Michael|date = June 11, 2010|access-date = June 21, 2015|website = Reelviews Movie Reviews|last = Berardinelli|first = James}}{{cite web|url = http://www.reelviews.net/reelthoughts/reelthought_1577637046|title = Rewinding 2019: The Year in Review|date = December 31, 2019|access-date = January 3, 2020|website = Reelviews|last = Berardinelli|first = James|quote = I missed a good part of November due to the birth of my daughter}}

Career

Starting in January 1992, Berardinelli began writing movie reviews, his first being a review of the 1991 drama Grand Canyon.{{cite web |url=http://movie-reviews.colossus.net/faq.html#7 |title=ReelViews FAQ |website=movie-reviews.colossus.net |access-date=11 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19971221145419/http://movie-reviews.colossus.net/faq.html#7 |archive-date=21 December 1997 |url-status=dead}} His first review published to the Internet was of the 1992 drama Scent of a Woman, which was posted both to Usenet and his Colossus Inc-hosted{{cite web |url=http://www.colossus.net/ |title=Colossus -- World Wide Web Provider |website=www.colossus.net |access-date=11 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19961101034906/http://www.colossus.net/ |archive-date=1 November 1996 |url-status=dead}} website, ReelViews.{{cite web |url=http://movie-reviews.colossus.net/faq.html#15 |title=ReelViews FAQ |website=movie-reviews.colossus.net |access-date=11 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19971221145419/http://movie-reviews.colossus.net/faq.html#15 |archive-date=21 December 1997 |url-status=dead}}

Roger Ebert referred to Berardinelli as "the best of the Web-based critics" in 2001,{{cite web|publisher=Rogerebert.com|url=http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/saving-silverman-2001|author=Ebert, Roger|author-link=Roger Ebert|title=Saving Silverman|work=Chicago Sun-Times|date=February 9, 2001}} and wrote a foreword for the 2003 book, Reelviews, a collection of Berardinelli's reviews.{{cite web|url=http://www.reelviews.net/reelthoughts.php?identifier=637 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130624171312/http://www.reelviews.net/reelthoughts.php?identifier=637 |archive-date=June 24, 2013 |title=The Ebert Foreword |work=Reelviews |date=April 13, 2010 |url-status=dead }} Berardinelli is a member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association and is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic.{{cite web|title=JAMES BERARDINELLI|url=http://www.rottentomatoes.com/critic/james-berardinelli/|website=Rotten Tomatoes|publisher=Fandango|access-date=April 20, 2016}}{{cite web|url = http://www.criticschoice.com/members/jberardinelli/|title = James Berardinelli|website = Critics' Choice Awards|access-date = February 19, 2018|archive-date = May 4, 2020|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200504201203/http://www.criticschoice.com/members/jberardinelli/|url-status = dead}}

In January 2004,{{cite web |url=http://movie-reviews.colossus.net/reelthoughts/jan_2004.html |title=Archived copy |website=movie-reviews.colossus.net |access-date=11 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050526113232/http://movie-reviews.colossus.net/reelthoughts/jan_2004.html |archive-date=26 May 2005 |url-status=dead}} he began his blog ReelThoughts, by which time his reviews could attract as many as 100,000 readers,{{citation |url=http://archive.wired.com/entertainment/music/news/2004/02/62453 |title=Invasion of the Web Film Critics |magazine=Wired |author=Jason Silverman |date=February 28, 2004 |access-date=October 3, 2014}} up from around 1,400 weekly readers in 1997.{{citation|title=In Online World, Everyone Can Be A Critic|journal=South Florida Sun-Sentinel / Los Angeles Times|url=http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/1997-06-17/lifestyle/9706160115_1_internet-life-review-http|date=June 17, 1997|access-date=December 16, 2009|archive-date=July 24, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110724235817/http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/1997-06-17/lifestyle/9706160115_1_internet-life-review-http|url-status=dead}} In August 2006,{{cite web |url=http://www.movie-reviews.colossus.net:80/ |title=ReelViews: Movie Reviews and Criticism by James Berardinelli |website=www.movie-reviews.colossus.net:80 |access-date=11 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060820132824/http://www.movie-reviews.colossus.net:80/ |archive-date=20 August 2006 |url-status=dead}} the site moved to ReelViews.net, a domain Berardinelli had originally registered by late 2000.{{cite web |url=http://www.movie-reviews.colossus.net:80/main0.html |title=ReelViews: James Berardinelli's Movie Reviews |website=www.movie-reviews.colossus.net:80 |access-date=11 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20001204020500/http://www.movie-reviews.colossus.net:80/main0.html |archive-date=4 December 2000 |url-status=dead}}

In November 2015, Berardinelli published the first book in a fantasy novel triology entitled The Last Whisper of the Gods.{{Cite web|title = The Last Whisper of the Gods |url = http://www.reelviews.net/reelthoughts/the-last-whisper-of-the-gods|publisher = ReelViews Movie Reviews|access-date = June 12, 2015|first = James|last = Berardinelli}} The second book followed in January 2016, the third in March 2016.{{Cite web|title = James Berardinelli on Twitter|url = https://twitter.com/Reelviews/status/606814914494242816|access-date = June 12, 2015|publisher = Twitter|date = June 5, 2015}}

Berardinelli appears as a guest on the pop-culture radio program Fictional Frontiers every two weeks.{{Cite web|title = Fictional Frontiers|url = https://www.ffrontiers.com/6|access-date = June 12, 2015|date = November 3, 2019}}{{Dead link|date=September 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}

Annual film rankings

{{columns-list|colwidth=30em|

1993: Schindler's List{{Cite web |last=Berardinelli |first=James |title=Schindler's List |url=https://www.reelviews.net/reelviews/schindler-s-list |access-date=2022-11-17 |website=Reelviews Movie Reviews |language=en}}
1994: Pulp Fiction{{Cite web |last=Berardinelli |first=James |title=Pulp Fiction |url=https://www.reelviews.net/reelviews/pulp-fiction |access-date=2022-11-17 |website=Reelviews Movie Reviews |language=en}}
1995: Cry, The Beloved Country{{Cite web |last=Berardinelli |first=James |title=Cry, the Beloved Country |url=https://www.reelviews.net/reelviews/cry-the-beloved-country |access-date=2022-11-17 |website=Reelviews Movie Reviews |language=en}}
1996: Hamlet{{Cite web |title=1996 Top 10 |url=https://preview.reelviews.net/comment/top10_96.html |access-date=2022-11-17 |website=preview.reelviews.net}}
1997: The Sweet Hereafter{{Cite web |title=January 5, 1998 Commentary: Rewinding 1997 -- The Year in Film |url=https://preview.reelviews.net/comment/97_recap.html |access-date=2022-11-17 |website=preview.reelviews.net}}
1998: Saving Private Ryan{{Cite web |title=1998 Top 10 |url=https://preview.reelviews.net/comment/top10_98.html |access-date=2022-11-17 |website=preview.reelviews.net}}
1999: The War Zone{{Cite web |title=1999 Top 10 |url=https://preview.reelviews.net/comment/top10_99.html |access-date=2022-11-17 |website=preview.reelviews.net}}
Best of 1990s : Schindler's List{{Cite web |title=The Best Films of the 1990s |url=https://preview.reelviews.net/90s/best_90s.html |access-date=2022-11-17 |website=preview.reelviews.net}}
2000: Requiem for a Dream{{Cite web |title=2000 Top 10 |url=https://preview.reelviews.net/comment/top10_2000.html |access-date=2022-11-17 |website=preview.reelviews.net}}
2001: Memento{{Cite web |title=2001 Top 10 |url=https://preview.reelviews.net/comment/top10_2001.html |access-date=2022-11-17 |website=preview.reelviews.net}}
2002: Minority Report{{Cite web |title=December 31, 2002 Commentary: Rewinding 2002 -- The Year in Film |url=https://preview.reelviews.net/comment/123102.html |access-date=2022-11-17 |website=preview.reelviews.net}}
2003: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King{{Cite web |title=December 28, 2003 Commentary: Rewinding 2003 - The Year in Film |url=https://preview.reelviews.net/comment/122803.html |access-date=2022-11-17 |website=preview.reelviews.net}}
2004: Maria Full of Grace{{Cite web |last=Berardinelli |first=James |title=2004 Top 10 - #1 |url=https://www.reelviews.net/reelthoughts/2004-top-10-1 |access-date=2022-11-17 |website=Reelviews Movie Reviews |language=en}}
2005: Munich{{Cite web |last=Berardinelli |first=James |title=2005: The Top 10 |url=https://www.reelviews.net/reelthoughts/2005-the-top-10 |access-date=2022-11-17 |website=Reelviews Movie Reviews |language=en}}
2006: The Departed{{Cite web |last=Berardinelli |first=James |title=Rewinding 2006: The Top 10 |url=https://www.reelviews.net/reelthoughts/rewinding-2006-the-top-10 |access-date=2022-11-17 |website=Reelviews Movie Reviews |language=en}}
2007: The Lives of Others{{Cite web |last=Berardinelli |first=James |title=Rewinding 2007: The Top 10 |url=https://www.reelviews.net/reelthoughts/rewinding-2007-the-top-10 |access-date=2022-11-17 |website=Reelviews Movie Reviews |language=en}}
2008: The Dark Knight{{Cite web |last=Berardinelli |first=James |title=Rewinding 2008: The Top 10 |url=https://www.reelviews.net/reelthoughts/rewinding-2008-the-top-10 |access-date=2022-11-17 |website=Reelviews Movie Reviews |language=en}}
2009: Avatar{{Cite web |last=Berardinelli |first=James |title=The Top 10 of 2009 |url=https://www.reelviews.net/reelthoughts/the-top-10-of-2009 |access-date=2022-11-17 |website=Reelviews Movie Reviews |language=en}}
Best of 2000s: The Lord of the Rings{{Cite web |last=Berardinelli |first=James |title=Closing out the Decade with Another Top 10 |url=https://www.reelviews.net/reelthoughts/closing-out-the-decade-with-another-top-10 |access-date=2022-11-17 |website=Reelviews Movie Reviews |language=en}}
2010: The King's Speech{{Cite web |last=Berardinelli |first=James |title=The 2010 Round-Up: The Top 10 |url=https://www.reelviews.net/reelthoughts/the-2010-round-up-the-top-10 |access-date=2022-11-17 |website=Reelviews Movie Reviews |language=en}}
2011: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo{{Cite web |last=Berardinelli |first=James |title=Rewinding 2011: The Top 10 |url=https://www.reelviews.net/reelthoughts/rewinding-2011-the-top-10 |access-date=2022-11-17 |website=Reelviews Movie Reviews |language=en}}
2012: Looper{{Cite web |last=Berardinelli |first=James |title=Rewinding 2012 - The Top 10 |url=https://www.reelviews.net/reelthoughts/rewinding-2012-the-top-10 |access-date=2022-11-17 |website=Reelviews Movie Reviews |language=en}}
2013: Before Midnight{{Cite web |last=Berardinelli |first=James |title=The 2013 Top 10 |url=https://www.reelviews.net/reelthoughts/the-2013-top-10 |access-date=2022-11-17 |website=Reelviews Movie Reviews |language=en}}
2014: Interstellar{{Cite web |last=Berardinelli |first=James |title=The 2014 Top 10 |url=https://www.reelviews.net/reelthoughts/the-2014-top-10 |access-date=2022-11-17 |website=Reelviews Movie Reviews |language=en}}
2015: The Hateful Eight{{Cite web |last=Berardinelli |first=James |title=2015 in Review: The Top 10 |url=https://www.reelviews.net/reelthoughts/reelthought_1451487953 |access-date=2022-11-17 |website=Reelviews Movie Reviews |language=en}}
2016: Arrival{{Cite web |last=Berardinelli |first=James |title=The 2016 Top 10 |url=https://www.reelviews.net/reelthoughts/reelthought_1483033865 |access-date=2022-11-17 |website=Reelviews Movie Reviews |language=en}}
2017: Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri{{Cite web |last=Berardinelli |first=James |title=Rewinding 2017 - The Top 10 |url=https://www.reelviews.net/reelthoughts/reelthought_1514071574 |access-date=2022-11-17 |website=Reelviews Movie Reviews |language=en}}
2018: Shoplifters{{Cite web |last=Berardinelli |first=James |title=Rewinding 2018 (Part Four): The Top 10 |url=https://www.reelviews.net/reelthoughts/reelthought_1546100905 |access-date=2022-11-17 |website=Reelviews Movie Reviews |language=en}}
2019: Once Upon a Time in Hollywood{{Cite web |last=Berardinelli |first=James |title=Rewinding 2019: The Year in Review |url=https://www.reelviews.net/reelthoughts/reelthought_1577637046 |access-date=2022-11-17 |website=Reelviews Movie Reviews |language=en}}
Best of 2010s: Before Midnight{{Cite web |last=Berardinelli |first=James |title=A Look Back at the 2010s |url=https://www.reelviews.net/reelthoughts/reelthought_1577378280 |access-date=2022-11-17 |website=Reelviews Movie Reviews |language=en}}
2020: Tenet{{Cite web |last=Berardinelli |first=James |title=Rewinding 2020: The Year in Movies (The Top 10) |url=https://www.reelviews.net/reelthoughts/reelthought_1610806494 |access-date=2022-11-17 |website=Reelviews Movie Reviews |language=en}}
2021: The Father{{Cite web |last=Berardinelli |first=James |title=Rewinding 2021: The Year in Film (Including the Top 10) |url=https://www.reelviews.net/reelthoughts/reelthought_1640980774 |access-date=2022-11-17 |website=Reelviews Movie Reviews |language=en}}
2022: Avatar: The Way of Water{{Cite web |last=Berardinelli |first=James |title =Rewinding 2022 - The Year in Review (Including the Top 10 List) |url=https://www.reelviews.net/reelthoughts/reelthought_1672870748 |access-date=2023-02-23 |website=Reelviews Movie Reviews |language=en}}
2023: Past Lives{{Cite web |last=Berardinelli |first=James |title=Rewinding 2023 - The Year in Film |url=https://www.reelviews.net/reelthoughts/reelthought_1704292333 |access-date=2024-06-28 |website=Reelviews Movie Reviews |language=en}}
2024: The Outrun{{Cite web |last=Berardinelli |first=James |title=Rewinding 2024 - The Year in Film |url=https://www.reelviews.net/reelthoughts/reelthought_1704292333 |access-date=2025-04-23 |website=Reelviews Movie Reviews |language=en}}

}}

Bibliography

Berardinelli, James (2003) ReelViews : The Ultimate Guide to the Best 1,000 Modern Movies on DVD and Video, {{ISBN|1-932112-06-5}}
Berardinelli, James (2005) ReelViews 2: The Ultimate Guide to the Best 1,000 Modern Movies on DVD and Video, 2005 Edition, {{ISBN|1-932112-40-5}}
Berardinelli, James (2015) The Last Whisper of the Gods, ASIN B-016IWS-UN-M
Berardinelli, James (2016) The Curse of the Gift, ASIN B-019CPR-EH-K
Berardinelli, James (2016) The Shadow of the Otherverse, ASIN B-01BRSW-VH-S
Berardinelli, James (2017) The Lingering Haze, {{ISBN|1-520762-02-X}}