thelaird Reviews

The Number 23 (2007)

Where's Alfie?

[2/10 · 25 February 2007]

Why do I want to find Alfie? Well, I want to ask him what's it all about? I just don't have a clue what this film was trying to do or say.

Last Sunday I walked out of 'The Science of Sleep'. Today (Sunday), I went to see 'The Number 23'. My Sundays must be cursed as I picked another humdinger of a film.

The plot? Em...eh...I'll have a think about that and I'll get back to you. In fact, I think that film should be buried in a plot.

My mind wandered throughout this film. I was thinking about my shopping list, the next film I'll go to see and I also made a mental note never to buy 'The Number 23' when it comes out on DVD!!

The biggest disappointment was Virginia Madsen. How could someone who had appeared in a film as good as 'Sideways' appear in rubbish like 'The Number 23'?

This was a serious film for Jim Carrey, so why did I find myself laughing. It wasn't just me - fellow audience members laughed too.

This gets a looking at my watch score of 4 or was it 5? I am a credit watcher, well I was up until 'The Number 23'. I couldn't get out of the cinema quick enough.

This film is 90-odd minutes too long.

The Science of Sleep (2006)

There's a first time for everything...

[1/10 · 23 February 2007]

I have never walked out of a film before.....until that fateful Sunday afternoon when I went to see 'The Science of Sleep'!! I always stick with a film, but for some reason this film was just so bad that I had to get up and leave.

I love surreal films. I loved 'Eternal Sunshine'. I hated this. I couldn't make head nor tail of what was going on. It bored me rigid. It made me ill too!! A few jerking camera shots made me feel sea sick.

Do I regret walking out? No. Do I care how the film ended? No.

This was, as we say in Scotland, utter mince. If you are made to go and see this film, take your knitting!!

A Sense of Freedom (1981)

I say old chap!!

[28 November 2004]

I was so disappointed when I put this disc into my machine. The dialogue is dubbed in Standard Scots!! Even though in many cases it's the original actors supplying the dialogue, it still sounds very strange. Native Scots will find this difficult to watch due the strange accents. Accents that sound very unnatural. Accents that are neither Kelvinside nor Morningside. I have not made it to the end of this DVD because the dubbed soundtrack is so annoying and off putting.

The distributor missed a trick with this release. The American DVD release of Gregory's Girl has two soundtracks – English and Scottish. They could have done the same with A Sense of Freedom.

Let's hope that STV release this drama in its original form.