Karen Benardello

Having published dozens of reviews of theatrical movies for Shockya.com since joining the website's staff in 2007, including such diverse films as 'ËœPriest,' 'ËœFast Five' and 'ËœMadea's Family Reunion,' Karen understands the plot points, acting and technical points trying to be told in a variety of genres. When she chooses the movies she's going to review each week, she purposely alternates between such genres as action, comedy, drama, horror and thrillers to not only attract a wide audience, but to diversify her writing skills.

As part of Karen's duties as the Senior Movies and Television Editor for Shockya, she has attended numerous screenings of movies in New York City, including 'ËœDaybreakers,' 'ËœOndine,' 'ËœWelcome to the Rileys,' 'ËœCasino Jack,' 'ËœSeason of the Witch' and 'ËœSomething Borrowed.' She incorporates information from the press notes she receives at the screenings, including the approach the director took while filming and why the screenwriter penned the script, to help give reasoning to her opinions of the movie.

Karen also has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Journalism, Print and Electronic, from the C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University. Before graduating in 2008, she wrote movie reviews for the school newspaper, The Pioneer, for three years. She worked closely with the entertainment editor to help clarify her viewpoints for my reviews on such movies as 'Tristan and Isolde,' 'The Grudge 2' and 'Into the Wild.' Working on The Pioneer helped sculpt the way she writes reviews today.