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.

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.)