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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, at age 12, graduating from an international school then returning to Southern California for university. He earned a bachelor of arts in journalism/communication arts.

While a student, he started writing film reviews for a local weekly newspaper, but after graduation he had to get real, paying jobs as a graphic artist, copywriter and as a writer-editor for a variety of charity organisations.

Shadows on the Wall was first published in Los Angeles in September 1985 for a readership of 120. 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 as a newsletter while living in Miami for six years and after he moved to England in May 1992. The Shadows ezine made its debut in March 1995; this website went online in October 1996.

Rich is the Hon Secretary and of the London Film Critics' Circle and the Chair of the London Critics' Circle Film Awards. He is also a member of the Online Film Critics Society and Fipresci.

He has served on the Fipresci juries at the Torino Film Festival (2006) and Berlin Film Festival (2009), the Iris Prize Festival (2010) in Cardiff, and was on the New Filmmakers Forum jury for the St Louis Film Festival (1999-2001).

He is also a regular film critic for BBC Radio 5 Live, Contactmusic, Heat, QX, PressTV and as a freelance has contributed to Rotten Tomatoes, Film Threat, IndieWire, Channel 4, NBC/Bravo, The List, Five, BBC News 24, Sky News, LBC Radio, Century FM, Classic Gold Radio, IGN, North Coast Journal, What's On in London, The Face, Film Focus, Idea, Real Movie News, Filmnet, First, Take 1, Naviga*tor, Man About Town and other outlets.

When not watching films or writing about them, Rich is a freelance journalist, lecturer and designer. He has covered eight Olympic Games for radio and television.

CV >>

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.)