Danny Baldwin

Danny Baldwin has been writing about film on the Internet for over a decade, initially for BucketReviews and now for Critic Speak. He holds a Master's degree in Critical Studies from the University of Southern California and in past years served as a member of both the Online Film Critics Society and the San Diego Film Critics Society. Danny's favorite films include “The 400 Blows,” “Imitation of Life" (1959), “My Neighbor Totoro” and “The Silence of the Lambs.” He lives in Los Angeles.

Weekend Box Office: “The Dark Knight Rises” in spite of Aurora massacre

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With wall-to-wall coverage of the Aurora massacre on television, it’s no surprise that “The Dark Knight Rises” did not open to record-breaking numbers (nor should that be of paramount concern to anyone right now). But even as many stayed away from the multiplex–particularly families, I hear from theater managers–the epic conclusion to Christopher Nolan’s Batman […]

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Review: “Americano”

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In promotional interviews, filmmakers frequently talk about making so-called “personal” movies, but rarely do moviegoers feel the tangible presence of this vague, mildly self-important adjective in the films themselves. Mathieu Demy’s “Americano” is another story; while not autobiographical, it could not more clearly be the work of its maker. Demy’s approach is not simply an

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New trailer for “The Master” offers new revelations about P.T.A.’s vision

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In my recent Comic-Con thought piece, I vowed that we at Critic Speak would never again post marketing materials, including trailers, without a good reason for doing so. Well, I think there are a couple of good reasons to check out this new trailer for Paul Thomas Anderson’s “The Master,” unless you are committed to

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“Lawrence of Arabia” coming to Blu-Ray and back to theaters — will it help sell digital?

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The long-awaited Blu-Ray release of David Lean’s 1962 epic “Lawrence of Arabia” will finally happen on November 13 (pre-order it here), but perhaps the more interesting piece of news is that the restoration is also headed for theaters. “One night only” digital presentations of older films have become common over the past few years, thanks

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Weekend Box Office: “Ice Age 4” opens OK, “Ted” holds well

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“Ice Age: Continental Drift” opened to $46m in the top slot at the box office this weekend, a solid-but-unimpressive figure that puts it well below this summer’s prior kiddie tent-poles, “Madagascar 3: Escape to Africa” and “Brave.” Whether or not the animated film ends up regarded as a domestic success or failure will largely depend on

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Friday Box Office: Fourth “Ice Age” fails to match up to predecessors

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Despite a stunning start overseas, “Ice Age: Continental Drift” could not live up to the box office standard set by its predecessors on Friday, opening to an OK-but-unimpressive $16.5m. That’s barely more than the original’s $13.5m, but keep in mind that the original opened in March, when kids were in school for Friday matinees. But

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A ‘Con’ is right: Why Comic-Con is destructive to film journalism and fanhood

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Regular readers of Critic Speak probably realize the absence of something that nearly every other movie blog on the web is currently running: Comic-Con coverage. I figure it’s best that I clue everyone in as to why, because our reasons for avoiding the popular convention will significantly influence the site’s content from now on. Those

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