Change Your Image
buzz-music-49244
Reviews
Next Exit (2022)
It's really just a love story after all.
OK, so the premise is a bit suspect, I mean it has to be set in a parallel world that exists at the same time as this one, after all, the cars are the same, mobile phones are the same and highway motels and diners are the same but, if we accept this and just focus on the two main characters it's a road trip worth taking the journey on with them.
I'm not too sure why they chose to use Karen Gillan for her role as Dr. Stevensen as you only see her for a few separate moments on a screen within the movie and whilst I think she is a great actor; anyone could have been used in that role. Maybe she was an executive producer, who knows?
By contrast, Rahul Kohli as Teddy and Katie Parker as Rose put in excellent performances as you watch each of them dig deeper and reveal so much more about their characters.
If you decided to watch this because you found it listed under Sci-Fi then you will be disappointed, but if you accept that this isn't really what it's trying to be you will find it enjoyable, so go ahead and take at chance and watch it but be warned you need to hang in and let it unfold.
The Clearing (2023)
Can be tough to watch but should be rated higher than it is.
It is obvious where this story has been taken from in recent Aussie history and it throws down a real challenge when bringing it to a streaming series, but in the steady hands of Grace Otto it becomes compelling viewing.
There is a stellar cast involved but it must be said that if this was a standalone movie, Miranda Otto as Adrienne Beaufort, gives an Oscar worthy performance and seems to inhabit her character as it evolves with each episode. Teresa Palmer is exceptional as the now grown Amy and her character embodies all that you would expect from someone who had been raised in such a cult until the age of thirteen and still maintain such an odd connection with its' leader as an adult. Julia Savage as the young Amy is mesmerizing and someone to watch as is Lily LaTrobe playing Asha.
For me, Guy Pearce is not stretched particularly in his role but Kate Mulvany is a powerhouse in her character whilst Anna Lise Phillips and Erroll Shand both reveal the behaviour that is so commonly observed in people caught under the spell of a cult leader.
I was initially hesitant to watch this when it was first advertised as the thought of watching, however potentially fictitious, a variation of what had been revealed on investigative programmes years ago was not all that appealing, but it deals with a subject that we should be made aware of and is exceptional viewing.