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Critics list

Rich Cline

Tomatometer-approved critic
Biography:

California-born freelance journalist living in London since 1992, reviewing films for the BBC, Shadows on the Wall, magazines, newspapers and radio. Chair of London Critics' Circle; member of Galeca, Online Film Critics Society and Fipresci.

Favorites:

La Strada, Rear Window, Star Wars, Apocalypse Now, Citizen Kane, The Stunt Man

Critics' Group:
Location:

London, UK

Official Website:

http://www.shadowsonthewall.co.uk

Reviews

Movies TV Shows
Primate (2025) 78% 2/5 EDIT “Bonkers black humour and several extreme gross-out moments almost make this unhinged slasher-style horror movie watchable. But jump scares and shaky camerawork aren't frightening, and neither is the clearly fake chimpanzee causing the mayhem.” – Shadows on the Wall Jan 29, 2026 Full Review Kangaroo (2025) 92% 3/5 EDIT “The genuinely involving tale would have been more than enough without adding a villain and climactic peril, both of which are barely half-baked. Still, there are plenty of lively characters and cuddly joeys to keep us happy.” – Shadows on the Wall Jan 29, 2026 Full Review Two Prosecutors (2025) 95% 4/5 EDIT “This is a Kafkaesque tale that is laced with bitter irony, exploring ideas of justice and legacy through situations that sneak up on us with their present-day resonance. ” – Shadows on the Wall Jan 29, 2026 Full Review Romería (2025) 86% 4/5 EDIT “Writer-director Carla Simon skilfully crafts this involving internal odyssey, playing with both memories and unearthed secrets that swirl into pointed revelations.” – Shadows on the Wall Jan 29, 2026 Full Review The Love That Remains (2025) 94% 4/5 EDIT “The film's eye-catching imagery grows increasingly surreal, cutting through the warm surfaces to reveal churning undercurrents. This is a mesmerising and decidedly artistic slice of life that resonates in surprising ways.” – Shadows on the Wall Jan 29, 2026 Full Review The Wrecking Crew (2026) 75% 3.5/5 EDIT “Director Angel Manuel Soto leans into this a big, dumb movie about two big, smart men. And it's thoroughly watchable.” – Shadows on the Wall Jan 29, 2026 Full Review Worldbreaker (2025) 50% 2.5/5 EDIT “Director Brad Anderson's robust approach is oddly over-serious, which leaves the film feeling both obvious and corny.” – Shadows on the Wall Jan 29, 2026 Full Review Heavyweight (2025) 4/5 EDIT “The sheer machismo on display is perhaps a bit exhausting, but it's balanced by a terrific sense of underlying emotion.” – Shadows on the Wall Jan 22, 2026 Full Review H Is for Hawk (2025) 80% 4/5 EDIT “This is a warmly emotional film that avoids even a hint of sentimentality, capturing our interest with arresting imagery and resonant themes.” – Shadows on the Wall Jan 22, 2026 Full Review The Rip (2026) 79% 3/5 EDIT “There's enough going on beneath the beefy surface to hold the interest, although writer-director Joe Carnahan never bothers to meaningfully grapple with the central themes.” – Shadows on the Wall Jan 17, 2026 Full Review Kokuho (2025) 100% 4/5 EDIT “ It's a riveting look into the culture of a distinctive art form, with glorious on-stage performances and even more involving back-stage interaction. It's very long, but powerfully well-made.” – Shadows on the Wall Jan 14, 2026 Full Review Sound of Falling (2025) 95% 4.5/5 EDIT “With sparse dialog, director Mascha Schilinski hones in on the characters' innate curiosity. And a subtle whiff of surrealism creates an almost overpoweringly mesmerising vibe. ” – Shadows on the Wall Jan 14, 2026 Full Review 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple (2026) 92% 3.5/5 EDIT “ Gifted director Nia DaCosta infuses the film with intriguing soulfulness amid the flurries of gruesome nastiness.” – Shadows on the Wall Jan 14, 2026 Full Review People We Meet on Vacation (2026) 76% 3.5/5 EDIT “It's colourful and over-slick, but also funny and sweet.” – Shadows on the Wall Jan 9, 2026 Full Review The Chronology of Water (2025) 90% 3.5/5 EDIT “For her writing-directing debut, Kristen Stewart crafts an ambitiously artful adaptation of Lidia Yuknavitch's memoir. It's an impressive approach to storytelling that stresses senses and feelings rather than details and plot. ” – Shadows on the Wall Jan 9, 2026 Full Review The Plague (2025) 97% 3.5/5 EDIT “Writer-director Charlie Polinger reveals unnerving details in seemingly innocuous situations, leaning toward horror as he explores a particularly dark side of adolescence.” – Shadows on the Wall Dec 30, 2025 Full Review Marty Supreme (2025) 94% 4/5 EDIT “Shot in period style with grainy 35mm imagery and earthy sets and costumes, the film races through its narrative by the seat of its pants, matching the energy of the central character.” – Shadows on the Wall Dec 30, 2025 Full Review Song Sung Blue (2025) 78% 4/5 EDIT “Writer-director Craig Brewer and the gifted cast adeptly navigate this narrative with insightful storytelling and complex characters, and it does get seriously wrenching.” – Shadows on the Wall Dec 30, 2025 Full Review Father Mother Sister Brother (2025) 81% 4/5 EDIT “Writer-director Jim Jarmusch is particularly skilled at capturing the offhanded rhythms of human interaction, especially when things get rather awkward.” – Shadows on the Wall Dec 30, 2025 Full Review The Testament of Ann Lee (2025) 88% 4/5 EDIT “To recount the life of the founder of the Shakers, filmmaker Mona Fastvold boldly embraces period-style music and apocryphal anecdotes, crafting a heady epic that is eerily mesmerising and often engulfing.” – Shadows on the Wall Dec 30, 2025 Full Review The Vile (2025) 100% 3.5/5 EDIT “With stunningly dark-hued 16mm cinematography, director-cowriter Majid Al Ansari inventively evokes an unnerving atmosphere, deploying cinematic flourishes involving sound and light without the usual cheap tricks.” – Shadows on the Wall Dec 17, 2025 Full Review The Voice of Hind Rajab (2025) 95% 3.5/5 EDIT “It's a hauntingly current film that walks a very fine tightrope between exploiting victims of a tragedy and calling attention to a complex, horrific situation.” – Shadows on the Wall Dec 17, 2025 Full Review The Housemaid (2025) 74% 3.5/5 EDIT “This a silly, super-slick film that takes several severe turns along the way, giving the audience whiplash as we try to keep up with these people and their dark secrets.” – Shadows on the Wall Dec 17, 2025 Full Review The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants (2025) 80% 3/5 EDIT “The plot is so pointless that it's barely worth pondering, but the ridiculous characters will connect to the 10-year-old inside us all. The key is to avoid trying to make sense of it.” – Shadows on the Wall Dec 17, 2025 Full Review Is This Thing On? (2025) 86% 5/5 EDIT “Scenes feel improvised on the spot, and there's never a false note. The actors clearly relish playing unusually complex and likeable people who are simply trying to do the best they can.” – Shadows on the Wall Dec 17, 2025 Full Review
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