DVD Review: The Number 23

Posted by Johnny Mercedes Categories: New Line, Drama, Horror, Mystery, Thrillers, Home Entertainment, New Releases, DVD Reviews

The slickly-directed and highly-stylized Joel Schumacher film about an ordinary man’s infatuation with an extraordinary number was released on DVD this week.  Starring Jim Carrey and Virginia Madsen, The Number 23 delves deep into the psyche of Walter Sparrow, a man all too ordinary, and a small red book that enters his life.  The thin, disheveled paperback tells the story of Fingerling, a detective whose encounter with the eponymous number grows into an obsession beyond the bounds of logic — an obsession that begins to take hold of Sparrow himself.

Although the film looks beautiful in every way, and the performances hold up enough to keep one intrigued, The Number 23 attempts to invoke malevolence from mathematical coincidence and superstition, and neither become anything more for it’s audience.

Please check out FilmCrunch’s full video review and textual review.

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The Number 23 Review: Doesn’t Add Up

Posted by Johnny Mercedes Categories: New Line, Drama, Mystery, Thrillers, New Releases, Theatrical Reviews

When Walter Sparrow, a bashful Animal Control officer, happens upon a mysterious book entitled The Number 23, his world view is suddenly turned upside-down.  Every page turned in the ominous-looking novel becomes another parallel to Sparrow’s own life and past experiences.  When Sparrow realizes that the ‘23’ obsession that haunts the book’s protagonist is becoming his own, he must suspend his own disbelief, pacify his worried family, and follow numerically complex and morbid clues to find the answer to the mystery.  Though sporadically intense and marginally intriguing, The Number 23 is just a mishmash of special effects and plot twists surrounding an obsession that never becomes very interesting.

The Number 23 stars Jim Carrey and Virginia Madsen and is directed by Joel Schumacher.  Rated R.

Click to continue reading The Number 23 Review: Doesn’t Add Up

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