YOUSSEF KDIRY (Chief Movie Critic) Born in the barbaric land of New Jersey on January 25, 1972, Youssef always felt a sense of cinematic destiny. He fell in love with the cinema at the tender age of 3.5, when his unsuspecting parents (Abdellatif & Isabel) took him to see JAWS in a crowded 42nd Street theater in the summer of 1975. The next time the planets aligned themselves (cinematically-speaking) was in May, 1977 when said father, Abdellatif, took his wide-eyed 5.5 years old son to a Wednesday afternoon screening of a little-known science-fiction called STAR WARS. The rest is (almost) history... Mid-1990s: After graduating from New Jersey CIty University with a degree in Media Arts, the aspiring Oscar©-winner honed his skills creating short films & videos, while paying the bills with a decade-long stint as a film critic/programmer at Home Box Office. In those 10 years, Youssef estimates that he had screened over 2000 movies (just for work)!! Further movie/DVD review gigs included stints at DVDTALK, MOVIE MANIA and THE CINEMA SOURCE. In 2006, Youssef launched his own review sites--moonstarfilmreviews.com & moonstardvdreviews.com--so as to continue writing his reviews on his own forum...and on his own terms. Currently, when not watching several movies per day for review or just sheer pleasure (either in a theater or at home on DVD), he writes, directs, lenses & edits various projects under the auspices of his own production company, The MoonStar Film Odyssey. Never one to just sit around and watch TV all day, Youssef continually quenched his thirst for knowledge over the years. Extensive training at New York University’s esteemed film/video program has enabled him to expand his filmmaking skills into the digital realm. In 2007, Youssef embarked to the next level of Scholastica by enrolling in San Francisco’s renowned Academy Of Art University online graduate studies program--where he is currently pursuing an accredited MFA in Motion Pictures & TV. Expect more to come from this rising star... contact: youssef@moonstarfilmreviews.com MEMBERSHIPS/AFFILIATIONS Independent Film Alliance http://www.moonstarfilmreviews.comhttp://www.moonstardvdreviews.comhttp://www.moonstarfilmodyssey.commailto:youssef@moonstarfilmreviews.com?subject=shapeimage_3_link_0shapeimage_3_link_1shapeimage_3_link_2shapeimage_3_link_3
Favorite Quote
 
“Success comes from good judgement.  Good judgment comes from experience.  Experience comes from bad judgement.”  --Somebody very wise (in all probability discussing the movie business...)