The Number 23

It's been simply ages since I last saw a thriller at the cinema... can't even remember the last time I did. So, yesterday, Noel and I had one of those "hey, let's ditch the kids and go to the movies" moments, and I was rather excited at the prospect of sitting in the dark, all comfy and enjoying the suspense of a great story.

Everything bar the "comfy" lived up to my expectations (Hoyts have fancy new seats that look big and comfy but are just big. When are cinema designers going to learn that people like to lean back slightly when sitting for 2 hours, not be held up straight as a broom?).

The Number 23 has a great story, great acting, and just the right amount of "thrill" for me. Jim Carrey is an excellent actor when he's not just pulling faces; I wish he'd do serious roles more often. All the supporting actors play well too and the story is told very naturally, despite the thematic weirdness.

The film did all the right things - drew me in, fascinated me, scared me, and tricked me. I really liked it. Visually it's intriguing, thanks to quite natural, unobtrusive lighting combined with so much of the set design incorporating the scrawls of a number-obsessed madman.

Thankfully, the ending is great. I thought for one disappointing moment that it was going to have a typical Hollywood "ignore the bad stuff and get on with our perfect life" ending, but it doesn't. It's still wuite Hollywoodish, but at least honest and realistic.

Plus, Noel and I very quickly became adept at rapid-fire mathematics and were picking out all the "23"s in car number plates, birthdates etc. On the way home it was hard to stop pointing out 23s and calculating all the numbers we passed.

I just tried adding all the corresponding numbers to the letters in my name. I tried a few different ways of adding and dividing, but couldn't come up with 23 at all. Oh well. I guess I won't go crazy.