Robert Daniels is a film critic and Associate Editor at RogerEbert.com. Born and raised in Chicago, he came of age on the west side of the city. His upbringing was loving but difficult, living in poverty and sometimes homelessness during his childhood. He eventually became enamored with reading, a love that guided him him earning his BA and MA in English Literature from DePaul University.

He embarked in a career in film criticism, when, in his second year of graduate school he created the blog 812filmreviews.com (a winking reference to Federico Fellini’s 8 ½, it’s also now a Substack). With his blog, he began covering North American film festivals: Sundance, SXSW, Tribeca, New York Film Festival, and Toronto International Film Festival. 

By his second year of reviewing for his blog he began freelancing at several esteemed publications: Polygon, IGN, Consequence, the Los Angeles Times, TIME, Filmmaker Magazine, Vulture/NYMag, IndieWire, and RogerEbert.com. 

In 2020, he became a contributor to The New York Times, where he currently contributes a monthly column featuring five action movies on streaming. He currently regularly writes for Letterboxd Journal, Reverse Shot, and Screen Daily. He’s contributed liner essays for the Criterion Collection and Vinegar Syndrome. 

Since 2021, he’s been a programmer for the Chicago Critics Film Festival and has served on the Gothams nominating committee for film performance. In 2023, he was named an emerging critic by Unifrance for the 76th Cannes Film Festival. Beginning in 2024, he became a ringmaster for Telluride Film Festival —introducing films and conducting Q&As at the Backlot Theatre. He’s also a regular speaker at Locarno Film Festival’s annual Critics Academy. 

He’s covered international film festivals: Berlinale, Cannes, Locarno, Karlovy Vary, and Busan.

As a critic, he’s interested in uplifting new directors and Black voices.