Robert Daniels

Robert Daniels has had a passion for films since, as a child, his father first introduced him to John Ford’s movies. He received his BA and MA in English Literary Studies from DePaul University. He’s Editor-in-Chief and founder of 812filmreviews.com. Robert has covered The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF: 18), The Denver Film Festival, The Chicago International Film Festival, the Chicago Critics Film Festival, Fantasia: 2018, and now, Sundance 2018. He is a member of the Chicago Independent Film Critics Circle (CIFCC), where his work can also be found. Robert is a Rotten Tomatoes approved critic and contributes to Indiewire‘s Weekly Critics Survey.

Articles by Robert Daniels:


  • Qualified Documentary Review
    March 14, 2019
    SXSW 2019: Qualified Review

    Director Jenna Ricker’s inspiring documentary Qualified is a testament to the sheer will and courage of race car driver Janet Guthrie.

  • Booksmart-Dever-Feldstein-in-car
    March 13, 2019
    SXSW 2019: Booksmart Review

    Director Olivia Wilde’s Booksmart is an endearing teen break-up and coming-of-age film rolled into one.

  • Salvage SXSW Review
    March 10, 2019
    SXSW 2019: Salvage Review

    Director Amy C. Elliott examines the Yellowknife tradition of scavenging the local garbage dump in her new documentary Salvage, which just had its SXSW premiere.

  • Monos Sundance
    February 12, 2019
    Sundance 2019: Monos Review

    Director Alejandro Landes’ Monos is a Lord of the Flies/Heart of Darkness allegorical epic film navigating Latin American mountains and jungles to bring a tale of disintegrating alliances and violent upheaval.

  • Blinded by the Light Sundance Review
    February 12, 2019
    Sundance 2019: Blinded by the Light Review

    When it comes to crowd-pleasing narratives, Sundance has had a good ear to the ground. Director Gurinder Chadha’s feel-good musical Blinded by the Light follows that tradition by mixing Bruce Springsteen’s classic songs with a real life coming-of-age story.