Shelley's life-long love affair with the movies dates back to the Saturday afternoons spent at the Redford Theatre in Detroit. Growing up with her parents and four siblings, the Saturday matinee was a favorite rainy day activity. Her first job in high school, behind the candy-counter at Detroit's Royal Theatre, firmly fixed her passion for film.

The Royal was essentially an art house, though that term wasn't used to describe it. A step beyond the typical neighborhood theaters, the booking policy was eclectic. First run features included Alfie, Blow Up, Darling, Cool Hand Luke, A Thousand Clowns, The Graduate, Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolfe, A Man and a Woman, A Fistful of Dollars, and other fresh innovative films of the late 1960's that are now classics. No wonder Shelley developed an affection for the movies. Alternately, there might be a week of theme related films such as Sabrina to introduce the run of My Fair Lady, moving from a still-thriving movie palace downtown into second run. "I got a hands-on film history course as a bonus to earning pocket money," she recalls.

Before videotape or cable, The Royal also telecast special events live by closed circuit television. The championship bout between then Cassius Clay (Ali) and Sonny Liston and the annual Indianapolis 500 were big reserved seating sell-outs and major occasions at the Royal. Other than in person, this was the only way to see such an event and very few theaters carried the expensive live telecasts. The Royal Theatre was special.

Since that time, Shelley has not been content to watch the small screen for movies that were made for the big one. "The big screen simply is a much richer experience. The sense is similar to viewing a painting in the Louvre rather than a reproduction in an art book. It pales by comparison,"

says Shelley. "For me, atmosphere and the mood created by a film is an essential element. If that's not successful, it just doesn't work. This is what makes viewing a film in a theater, as most filmmakers intended, so important. A good sound system and the cleanest print allow the true artistry of the creative elements to come through. Great direction, screen writing, acting, music, and cinematography are best showcased in the best setting. Of course, a theater does not a great movie make, but it certainly allows for the purist experience of getting lost in a film, without distractions or worse: pan and scan mutilation."

At The Royal, an art deco gem, the huge mirror that formed the backdrop of the candy counter could slide up into a pocket in the wall above. The view was straight down the main center aisle to the stage and the enormous screen. Shelley confides, "Too often, I missed the beginning and the end of the movie because the elegant lobby was crowded with moviegoers cueing up for the next show. We were not to reveal our secret lookout with a lobby crowd busy buying popcorn. At other times though, we could get away with lifting the mirror enough to have the best seat in the house." Many of those movies Shelley saw over and over again, every night for weeks.

During college, Shelley moved to San Francisco, where the lure of the Fillmore and the Avalon, the vast Pacific, and the freedom of the 1970's were irresistible. One apartment out near the beach was just a block from San Francisco's beloved Surf Theatre, where she spent many hours with friends seeing the films that at that time played only on the west or east coast. "After the film, we would walk through the streetcar tunnel under the Great Highway with a jug of wine and sit on the beach." After seven years in San Francisco, she returned to Michigan. With her two sons, Daniel and Alex, and after several corporate moves with her former husband's company, she landed in Chicago, where she has lived since 1990. In addition to writing about film for Reel Movie Critic, she works for Lyric Opera of Chicago.

Growing up in the volatile atmosphere of the 1960's and 70's, social justice issues have always been very significant for her. A preferred subject in film as in real life, there is much to learn about diverse cultures and all aspects of life from movies. Work for organizations including Handgun Control, Inc., Big Brothers Big Sisters and Literacy Chicago allowed her to try to help be an agent for change in our troublesome world.

Shelley has studied film at the University of Chicago under Chicago Tribune critic Michael Wilmington and Chicago SunTimes critic Roger Ebert. She travels to film festivals whenever possible. Her major focus for Reel Movie Critic is art, independent, and world cinema. Favorite film haunts are The Gene Siskel Film Center and the Music Box Theatre, the best big screens in town, taking her back to The Royal and The Redford in Detroit. Miraculously, the Redford survives nearly intact and offers a classic movie series. Shelley visits once in a while and sits up in the balcony. It feels like going home.