Thomas Caldwell
Tomatometer-approved critic
Thomas Caldwell is a writer, broadcaster, film critic, public speaker and film programmer based in Melbourne, Australia. He currently reviews film on ABC Radio Melbourne and has previously appeared on radio discussing films on ABC Radio National and Triple R (3RRR 102.7FM). Thomas is the author of the secondary school textbook Film Analysis Handbook, which was published in 2005 by Insight Publications, with a revised edition published in 2017. His film reviews, articles and interviews have appeared in The Age, Overland Literary Journal, Senses of Cinema, Metro, Screen Education and The Big Issue. He won the Ivan Hutchinson Award for Writing on Australian Film in the 2010 and 2015 Australian Film Critics Association (AFCA) Writing Awards.
Movies reviews only
| Rating | T-Meter | Title | Year | Review |
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Triangle of Sadness (2022) |
Triangle of Sadness is far from subtle about what it wants to say, but it is hard to resist its depiction of wealthy, powerful and beautiful people as they are stripped of dignity and autonomy. - ABC Radio Melbourne
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| Posted Dec 08, 2022
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Bones and All (2022) |
A film as seductive as it is strange, where all its contradictions work to remind us of just how exciting cinema can be. - ABC Radio Melbourne
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| Posted Nov 23, 2022
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Armageddon Time (2022) |
The film is driven by an uneasy momentum into a new vision of America where inequality and prejudice are increasingly ingrained, and opposition to them is increasingly failing. - ABC Radio Melbourne
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| Posted Nov 09, 2022
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The Woman King (2022) |
An exciting character-driven spectacle of historical conflict, political machinations and heroism. - ABC Radio Melbourne
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| Posted Oct 27, 2022
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The Stranger (2022) |
A highly sophisticated film about fractured identities and the way the trauma of a violent crime continues to resonate beyond the original incident. - ABC Radio Melbourne
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| Posted Oct 12, 2022
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See How They Run (2022) |
In the end it all breezes by with ease and is enjoyable at the time while not feeling completely satisfying on reflection. It is cinematic comfort food aimed at a broad audience and it delivers an enjoyable diversion. - ABC Radio Melbourne
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| Posted Sep 28, 2022
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The Quiet Girl (2022) |
So much of the film is carefully crafted to feel delicate and fragile, yet the whole time it is really showing us something so completely grounded and honest about how simple it is to show children kindness and love. - ABC Radio Melbourne
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| Posted Sep 16, 2022
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Both Sides of the Blade (2021) |
Less an exercise in cynicism, more an uncomfortable examination of unpleasant truths. - ABC Radio Melbourne
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| Posted Aug 31, 2022
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Good Luck to You, Leo Grande (2022) |
In increasingly puritanical times where sex and even mature conversations about sex are almost absent from mainstream cinema, it is so refreshing to be gifted a film that treats the topic with the respect and joy that it deserves. - ABC Radio Melbourne
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| Posted Aug 17, 2022
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Official Competition (2021) |
Like many satires Official Competition feels like it could only have been made (and maybe fully appreciated) by people who love what is being mocked. - ABC Radio Melbourne
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| Posted Jul 20, 2022
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Compartment No. 6 (2021) |
It transcends cultural differences, it transcends conventional movie romance narratives, and the feelings it stirs up cannot necessarily be easily explained. - ABC Radio Melbourne
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| Posted Jul 07, 2022
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Ali & Ava (2021) |
Seeing both characters find their ways through their pain and loneliness to be true to each other and themselves is what makes Ali & Ava such a rich, warm and rewarding cinema experience. - ABC Radio Melbourne
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| Posted Jun 22, 2022
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Benediction (2021) |
Through what has become Davies's recognisable mosaic style of presenting moments rather than conventional scenes, a complex portrait of Sassoon gently unfolds. - ABC Radio Melbourne
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| Posted Jun 09, 2022
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Top Gun: Maverick (2022) |
Top Gun: Maverick is a triumph, designed to capitalise on the love audiences have for the iconic original, but also with plenty for non-fans or complete newcomers to also enjoy. - ABC Radio Melbourne
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| Posted May 26, 2022
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Little Tornadoes (2021) |
A compelling and subtle film about Australian men coping with trauma and the world changing around them. - ABC Radio Melbourne
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| Posted May 12, 2022
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Petite Maman (2021) |
A seemingly small film that resonates with beauty and power. - ABC Radio Melbourne
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| Posted Apr 27, 2022
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Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022) |
The juggling act that Everything Everywhere All at Once pulls off between high concept outrageousness and real and recognisable moments of human failings often within the one scene is truly remarkable. - ABC Radio Melbourne
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| Posted Apr 13, 2022
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The Duke (2020) |
It is funny, sweet and sentimental without ever feeling overly saccharine or heavy-handed, even when it increasingly panders to expectations and pushes credibility to the point that it is clearly taking massive liberties with the details. - ABC Radio Melbourne
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| Posted Mar 31, 2022
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Turning Red (2022) |
A nuanced and compassionate exploration of how to reconcile differences, embrace change no matter how painful, and learn the value of seeing family members as human beings rather than extensions of yourself. - ABC Radio Melbourne
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| Posted Mar 17, 2022
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The Batman (2022) |
If nothing else, The Batman helps shift Batman back to being a hero for the people. - ABC Radio Melbourne
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| Posted Mar 03, 2022
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C'mon C'mon (2021) |
A very small and personal film about one man and one child articulates an overwhelmingly powerful and sincere subtext about community, family and the legacy we leave behind for the next generation. - ABC Radio Melbourne
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| Posted Feb 16, 2022
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Drive My Car (2021) |
Everything about the film is presented in plain terms and in plain sight, but Hamaguchi draws parallels and delivers reveals with so much gentle grace. - ABC Radio Melbourne
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| Posted Feb 02, 2022
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Nightmare Alley (2021) |
It is difficult not to embrace the film with the excitement of experiencing something so familiar presented in a way that feels as fresh and vibrant as it did 80 years ago. - ABC Radio Melbourne
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| Posted Jan 21, 2022
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The French Dispatch (2021) |
It is an exhilarating experience to watch a film made with so much joy, confidence and delight. - ABC Radio Melbourne
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| Posted Dec 09, 2021
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No Time to Die (2021) |
One of the most successful elements of No Time to Die is how well it blends the seeming contradictions of the Bond films. - ABC Radio Melbourne
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| Posted Nov 11, 2021
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Nitram (2021) |
A testament to how such troubling subject matter can be explored in cinema with integrity and sensitivity without sacrificing its power. - ABC Radio Melbourne
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| Posted Oct 28, 2021
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The Velvet Underground (2021) |
Haynes's achievement in visually creating the type of film that the band may have made at the height of their career is a perfect tribute to The Velvet Underground. - ABC Radio Melbourne
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| Posted Oct 14, 2021
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Hating Peter Tatchell (2021) |
If nothing else, Hating Peter Tatchell is a great overview of the incredible work LGBTIQA+ activists have achieved over the past five decades all over the world. - ABC Radio Melbourne
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| Posted Sep 30, 2021
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Pig (2021) |
One of the most unusual, touching and humanistic films about love and loss in recent years. - ABC Radio Melbourne
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| Posted Sep 16, 2021
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Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised) (2021) |
A vital record of a long-overlooked moment in American Black history where music and politics intertwined to create something hopeful, profound, defiant and unifying. - ABC Radio Melbourne
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| Posted Sep 04, 2021
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Respect (2021) |
Respect does have moments that truly transcend the limitations of its otherwise by-the-numbers approach and those are the moments where the music comes alive. - ABC Radio Melbourne
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| Posted Aug 19, 2021
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Rosa's Wedding (2020) |
There is real joy in seeing Rosa's subtle but mighty transformation. - ABC Radio Melbourne
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| Posted Jul 23, 2021
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Black Widow (2021) |
For the most part Black Widow is a satisfying blend of comedy, drama and of course action. - ABC Radio Melbourne
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| Posted Jul 08, 2021
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The Sparks Brothers (2021) |
The Sparks Brother will no doubt be a treasure trove of information for fans of the band, but for newcomers it is an excellent introduction into the world of Sparks. - ABC Radio Melbourne
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| Posted Jun 24, 2021
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Cousins (2021) |
Demonstrates the power, accessibility and relevance of cinema when it is made unapologetically culturally specific. - ABC Radio Melbourne
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| Posted Jun 10, 2021
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Cruella (2021) |
Less a prequel and more a reimagining ... expressive, fun and enjoyable. - ABC Radio Melbourne
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| Posted May 27, 2021
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The Perfect Candidate (2019) |
The Perfect Candidate is ... not a film bursting with grand statements about injustice followed by explosive triumphs, but it is a film about everyday frustrations and small wins. - ABC Radio Melbourne
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| Posted May 13, 2021
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First Cow (2019) |
The fact that platonic male-bonding of this kind seems so unusual to see on screen speaks to how valuable it is to have it represented in First Cow. - ABC Radio Melbourne
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| Posted Apr 29, 2021
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Gunda (2020) |
The resolution is a strangely rewarding payoff due to how precisely it conveys and inspires a pure emotional response that feels earned and sincere. - ABC Radio Melbourne
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| Posted Apr 15, 2021
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The Father (2020) |
A remarkably powerful film to both admire and be deeply moved by. - ABC Radio Melbourne
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| Posted Apr 01, 2021
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Saint Maud (2019) |
Saint Maud is a distinct and bold work that will serve as a calling card for both Glass and star Morfydd Clark. It also has one of the most memorable final second of any film in recent years. - ABC Radio Melbourne
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| Posted Mar 18, 2021
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Nomadland (2020) |
Nomadland is a rich and rewarding character-driven film that blends almost documentary-like observational scenes of Fern's encounters with the people that she meets on the road with moments of sublime beauty. - ABC Radio Melbourne
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| Posted Mar 04, 2021
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Minari (2020) |
Minari is a triumph of storytelling, unfolding the experience of the Yi family with enough humour to balance out the more anxious moments, and a lightness of touch that allows the enormity of its emotional payoff to embrace rather than overwhelm. - ABC Radio Melbourne
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| Posted Feb 18, 2021
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The Nest (2020) |
A finely crafted psychological drama that very successfully delivers a much broader commentary about the lives and realities we build and destroy for ourselves. - ABC Radio Melbourne
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| Posted Feb 04, 2021
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Only the Animals (2019) |
Writer/director Dominik Moll crafts an intriguing film that ultimately leans more towards allegory rather than a conventional mystery. - ABC Radio Melbourne
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| Posted Jan 28, 2021
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The Furnace (2020) |
This is a bloody and thrilling adventure film that owes more to revisionist westerns than worthy period dramas. - ScreenHub
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| Posted Dec 15, 2020
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Cuties (2020) |
While at times very difficult viewing, there is no doubting the sincerity and integrity behind Cuties. - Cinema Autopsy
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| Posted Sep 17, 2020
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Greyhound (2020) |
This is a decent war film, but it struggles by not being exceptional and by its deifying treatment of Krause with all his praying, romantic aspirations and being the symbol of American greatness. - Cinema Autopsy
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| Posted Jul 23, 2020
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Relic (2020) |
It's a sophisticated and confident debut feature by filmmaker Natalie Erika James whose distinctive voice ensures that Relic holds its own against films that employ a similar approach to horror and personal trauma. - Cinema Autopsy
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| Posted Jul 11, 2020
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What Richard Did (2012) |
Up-and-coming actor Jack Reynor delivers an astonishing performance as Richard, evoking both sympathy and contempt from the audience. - Cinema Autopsy
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| Posted Apr 30, 2020
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