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A film is more than mere celluloid that has been
exposed to light. It’s what happens to that celluloid
when light is applied again, casting shadows on the wall.
rich clineShadows on the Wall is the UK's first film ezine, published electronically since March 1995. But its origins go back much further....

A journalist by training, Rich Cline has been obsessed with cinema since he was about 8 years old. Born in Los Angeles, Rich moved with his family to Quito, Ecuador, in 1976. His parents and brother still live there.

Rich graduated from an American high school in Quito, then returned to Southern California for university, earning a bachelor of arts in journalism/mass communication. While a student, he started writing weekly film reviews for a local newspaper in 1981, but after graduation he had to get a real, paying job.

Shadows on the Wall was first published in Los Angeles in September 1985 for a readership of 120. But even then the readers were located all across North, South and Central America; the Far and Middle East; Africa; Central Asia; and Western and Eastern Europe.

Rich continued publishing Shadows while living in Miami for six years and then moved to England in May 1992. The Shadows ezine made its debut in March 1995; this website went online in October 1996.

Rich is a member of London Film Critics' Circle, Online Film Critics Society and Fipresci. He also reviews films every week on BBC Radio 5 Live and contributes regularly to First, Heat, Idea, QX, Film Threat, Film Focus, Real Movie News, LBC Radio, Channel 4, NBC/Bravo, BBC News 24 and other outlets as a freelance. He served on the New Filmmakers Forum jury for the St Louis International Film Festival in 1999, 2000 and 2001, and on the Fipresci jury at the Torino Film Festival in 2006. When not watching films or writing about them, Rich is a freelance journalist, lecturer and designer. back to the top

S T A T E M E N T   O F   I N T E N T
critics' circle, est 1913

online film critics society

fipresci

Shadows on the Wall
November 1985
  1. As an art form, film must accurately reflect our society if it is to teach us anything. I can't expect film characters to hold my moral standards any more than I can expect that of someone on the street. But I can look for overriding moral statements.
  2. Look at all aspects of a film: direction, acting, writing, pacing, lighting, editing, etc., including entertainment value. I'm seeking cinematic excellence, creativity and originality.
  3. Remember that it's just a movie. All of it. True stories are dramatised and documentaries can be slanted. Movies are not the stuff of life, just someone's opinion of it.
  4. Don't choose to see a film based on one person's statements. Even critics are only stating their opinion, nothing more. I may disagree with others entirely.
  5. Don't reject or select a film based on its rating or classification. Find out why it got that rating. There are fine, uplifting R-rated films, and atrocious, immoral G-rated ones. These classifications are not a reliable indicator of film content, merely a small group's opinion. (NB. In the US the Motion Picture Association of America rates films G, PG, PG-13, R or NC-17. The British Board of Film Classification certifies films U, PG, 12A, 15 or 18.)
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