James Rocchi -- Bio and Outlets.

Raised in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, James Rocchi graduated from the University of Western Ontario with an Honors degree in English and History; outside of classes, his activities ranged from campus radio to competitive debating and public speaking -- which saw him win the Impromptu Public Speaking event at the World Debating Championships in 1992. After working as a campus radio program director after graduation, he came to California 11 years ago. Working in radio and music criticism, he began writing exclusively about film 7 years ago as one of the first 30 employees of the then-unknown Netflix.com, where in time he became the site's Film Critic; his reviews and media appearances were considered an essential part of building Netflix's name through PR tours and media appearances.

His current work as a film critic includes his work as a senior writer for the website Cinematical.com, a wholly-owned subsidiary of AOL; he also writes the weekly column 'Rocchi's Retro Rental,' recommending overlooked and forgotten films, for the San Francisco Chronicle's website. He's been the critic for on-air movie review segments for San Francisco's KPIX; he spent five years as the Film Critic for Netflix, reviewing new theatrical releases for the Netflix website as well as a national network of 30 TV and 40 radio partners. He's been featured on national TV programs ranging from MSNBC's Scarborough Country to A&E's Biography as an expert on film (as well as competing on Jeopardy! in 2000); he's also covered the Sundance Film Festival, Cannes Film Festival and Toronto International Film Festival for several years. He's also been blogging for the prominent website The Huffington Post starting in early 2008, providing a conversational column about the movies and life called "The Moviegoer."

Rocchi is respected by readers and his peers; Roger Ebert's review of the film Rendition actually quoted Rocchi's review of the film from the 2007 Toronto Film Festival. (Ebert: "Reading some of the reviews after I saw this film at the Toronto Film Festival, I was struck by a comment by James Rocchi on Cinematical.com: "Anytime someone tells you that you can't make an omelet without breaking eggs, immediately demand to see the omelet."")

Rocchi's work doesn't fit into the usual mold of the modern film critic: Unlike many of the 20-somethings blogging film on-line, Rocchi knows there's a world outside of the movie theater. Unlike many of the Baby Boomers writing reviews for traditional newspapers, Rocchi isn't afraid to talk about the broader cultural and political meanings of movies -- and doesn't hesitate to call Hollywood legends, old and young, on what he sees as their mistakes and missteps. His reviews are known for their sharp intellect, blunt frankness and quick wit, crafted in well-written sentences that also never fail to cut to the heart of the matter and let you know his opinion if you should commit your time, money and mind to watching the film in question. Reviewing Transformers, Rocchi notes how "I heard someone outside my screening say – without irony or sarcasm – that "It's not about the script; it's about the CG." That may be one of the most chilling things I've ever heard from a moviegoer, suggesting a world view where, to paraphrase 1984, if you want a picture of the future of entertainment, picture a CGI boot stamping on a human face – forever." Rocchi's review of United 93 pauses to imagine how depressing a more Hollywood take on the material would have been, "… with, say, a clenched-jawed Ben Affleck muttering "Let's Roll" and striding up the aisle as an Aerosmith song soars in Dolby. …" Rocchi's reviews are fresh and clever -- but always, always about film.