spec-4

(2013-05-10 19:39:27)

A good movie.

So there's not as much flash as the Matrix, and there are no Jedi Nights,but this is a good movie (if you have a brain). I'm convinced it isgettingsuch bad ratings because of the same reason other movies get bad ratings,people are just stupid! Yes, this movie works so brain, so if you don'thave one, stay home and watch Friends, or Dilbert. If you areintelligent,go see it, it's good fun.

Gustavo S. D. Bastos

(2013-05-10 12:27:48)

This is our future?

An intriguing thriller that makes you thinking about the possibilities ofthe virtual reality.If this movie was casted with Keanu Reeves and L. Fishburne the successwould be greater than The Matrix 'cause the script is better than the otherand keeps you seated all the time. It doesn't need the special effects tokeep you interested. But the cast is very good though. Muller has a smallbut crucial character that he plays very confidently.

CatTales

(2013-05-06 19:49:23)

gosh darn good

Though the trailer gives away most of the plot - the old switcharoo playednot only on the protagonist but on ourselves as well - it's still veryentertaining, even chilling, and much more interesting than the usual Us vs.Them Terminator-future of "The Matrix," or the unsatisfying "Open your Eyes"(aka Vanilla Sky). It's also a little (either too, or comfortingly) familiarbecause the plot is driven by a murder mystery, which perhaps derailedaudiences who just wanted to see a single-genre film. However it effectivelykept me engrossed (and thankfully did NOT turn into a goofy faux noir like"Bladerunner" with it's ceiling fans and lines like "talk about beauty andthe beast, she's both."). Anyone familiar with the Twilight Zone, Star TrekNG, Stanislaw Lem or Phil Dick, won't be too surprised by the conceptspresented, but there are some clever new wrinkles, and luckily a hip senseof humor. Also anyone who inwardly grumbles at the yet-again Hollywoodnostalgia-inducing yellow tinting of the 1930's will get a chuckle when ourhero reemerges to the present and also complains about it to his programmerbuddy. My only complaints are the Shaft-like detective(seemed out of place);also Craig Bierko can over-emote, and oddly looks different moment tomoment(like a young Raymond Burr, then William Shatner, then Brendan Fraser,etc).

(2013-05-06 06:55:56)

The Thirteenth Floor

Despite all the bad reviews I have read for this film, I LOVED IT! I have watched it numerous times and I still continue to watch it. If you are a sci-fi buff, you will like this. I saw this in the theater and, unfortunately, it was only there for about 2 weeks (or less). I think I recognized the twist before it happened, but this movie definitely keeps you in anticipation. I think The Thirteenth Floor would have definitely gotten more of the spotlight had it not been released at approximately the same time as Matrix, but if you've seen the Matrix, you'll most likely enjoy a great flick like Thirteenth Floor.

(2013-05-06 10:12:23)

characters' actions made ZERO sense

I'm getting really tired of saying this about movies, but this yet another movie that had an interesting idea, but poorly executed. That preceding sentence may as well be my username. In this case, it wasn't the overall thread of the story that was the problem, but individual scenes that were so unrealistically written/directed that I unfortunately have no choice but to assume that the movie makers were either 1) on drugs, or 2) just got off drugs.There's never been a movie where I look at the story and say, "ok, that's just not believable, this story is just too over the top to take seriously." I never say that. I'll respect any story someone wants to tell me as long as the movie follows some sort of internal logic, and has its characters reacting and interacting with their world in a manner that approaches some semblance of realism. This movie lacked exactly that, here are some examples:-When Ashton first finds out from Hall that his world is not real, he becomes *extremely* hostile and is ready to kill Hall. Why are you in such a hurry to off the ONE GUY that can give you more insight into this unbelievable revelation? You'll of course feel angry, but wouldn't you want to get more information on this first before you murder him, if you still plan on going that route?-One of the characters explained to Hall that when he was driving down the highway and eventually stopped, he was completely terrified by what he saw ahead of him (referring to the digital holographic structure that Hall would eventually see). Umm, a sane person would ask the next obvious question: "WHAT DID YOU SEE?" Why would you not ask that obvious followup question? Don't you want to know what he was so terrified by? Instead Hall keeps that same stupid worried look on his face.-When Hall is talking with the girl in the grocery store, the girl eventually asks, "you're not from around here, are you?", and tells Hall that he looks familiar. What the hell. If he looks familiar, then why is she assuming that he wouldn't be from around here? What kind of person even talks like that? Who was the script supervisor? Did they even have one, or was he one of the people on drugs?-When one of the characters gets pulled over by a cop, the cop asks for his driver's license. The character tells him he forgot it at home. The cop then says, "check your glove box." When was the last time you got pulled over, tell the cop you don't have your license/registration, and have the cop suggest you check your glove box? Give me a break, that was just an amateurish attempt at building suspense since we find out a second later that there's a gun in the glove box.Yeah, thinking about this movie makes me angry.

Blake French

(2013-05-06 04:22:43)

A really complicated but involving film--Craig Bierko is great. *** out of ****.

THE THIRTEENTH FLOOR (1999) ***Starring: Craig Bierko, Gretchen Mol, Armin Mueller-Stahl, VincentD'Onofrio, Dennis HaysbertDirector: Josef Rusnak 120 minutes Rated R (for language and violence) By Blake French:The forth movie to come down the road this year detailing our world beingnot what it seems is called "The Thirteenth Floor," and is a stunning pieceof work that is both involving and challenging. The film once again isfuturistic, but not so much as that the audience has a hard time relating tothe concepts. Most of the movie takes place in an artificial world, but bythe time you'll figure that out it will be two late.Even as the first scene took place, I knew that this would be a very hardfilm to follow. So I took out my trusty notepad determined that no plotpoints or important events would get by me. I was correct that the film wasnot an easy one to hold on two. But given the fact that we have already seenthis idea in "The Matrix" earlier this year, I feel that I handled myself inan understandable manner. The story begins about twenty years in the future, as an elderly man namedHannon Fuller is mysteriously killed, stabbed to death by an unknownperson. We later learn that Fuller was conducting a top secret researchproject that got a little out of control, and in result, he planned to shutit down for good. The project is a mind machine that allows a person to lie down on it andtransform their reality to a world as realistic as our own, in 1930's LasAngeles. The people there are just as real as you and me. They can think,react, and interpret information. However, this device is becoming a littletoo dangerous. Thus Fuller's attempt to destroy it was interrupted by hisgraphic death. We then meet on of Fuller's partners named Douglas Hall, who is at firstaccused of the murder because he did not want the project to be shut down.The police question him, become suspicious, and ask him not to leave townfor a few days. Doug then meets a woman who claims to be the daughter of Fuller, Jane, whomakes a puzzling disappearance after showing up at his work site. He sooncatches up with her, however, and states the fact that Mr. Fuller had nodaughter. Things get very complicated from here. Craig Bierko's performance is more than capable of getting an Oscarnomination. He is Douglas Hall, and plays out like a "Dr. Jeckel and Mr.Hyde" type character. Both his characters are more than clear andbelievable; this is one of the better performances I have seen this year.Gretchen Mol ("Rounders," 1998) also does quite well in her role, althoughher character is a bit strained. Vincent D'Onofrio is almost up there withBierko with a double role, but even he has trouble adapting to the change ofenvironments and climaxes. Armin Mueller-Stahl's character, Fuller, was apleasure to relate to and endure. I think "The Thirteenth Floor," is what audiences were looking for in lastyears bomb "Dark City." That film lacked a story. Not to mention it was allover the wall in action. "The Thirteenth Floor," was a vary focused film:The action was pinpointed to only what was necessary to though the plot, thestory stays within the boundaries and is solid and thought provoking. Theenvironment was very well developed. The only thing that this movie ismissing is a firm grip on reality. That was a joke.

CorumJI

(2013-04-17 15:16:08)

Fairly standard

This movie is not bad, although you can see where it's going about 20minutes before it gets there. It's pretty much a standardwhat's-real/what's-not xlated to modern VR terms.The central character is a Brendan Fraser clone, who is part of adevelopment team working on a virtual reality sim designed to emulate1930sLos Angeles, with virtual characters, etc. When the company president isbutchered in an alleyway, all the signs point to him as the culprit. Thehowand why are the meat of the film. It's enough story to be entertaining forwhat is clearly an FX vehicle.Very little is made of the 30's LA connection (no real Hollywoodconnection,in other words), except for certain scenes used to "drive" around and showopen, undeveloped space where no doubt there's none these days (The roadsseem more highly developed, i.e., modern, than it seems they ought to be,but I can't say for sure -- and certainly this can be a "flaw" in the sim,not a "flaw" in the movie)It's primarily an exercise in "how can we make this into an apparentlyvirtual world"? The FX are much more subtle in this than in "The Matrix",which it clearly begs comparison to. In the end, I'd have to say that "TheMatrix" is better -- but this is certainly not a bad movie. I recommenditif you want something mildly entertaining but not overlydeep.

kimi_layercake

(2013-04-17 06:42:31)

"Innovative And Revolutionary"

"The Thirteenth Floor" is a science fiction film based on alternatereality or virtual existence. It centered around two scientists who ontheir quest of virtual simulation, stumbled upon a revelation thatleads to murder and shocking twist and turns.Cast wise, Amazing. I have never seen any movie of Craig Bierko, buthis acting is very good in the movie. His masculine and rugged charmworks great for him. Gretchen Mol looks stunning throughout the movie.Armin Mueller-Stahl and Vincent D'Onofrio were perfect in theirrespective pivotal role. rest chipped in well."The Thirteenth Floor" storyline might be inspired from multiplesources but it's storyline has formed the basis for lots of movies,including "Inception", a fact accepted by Chris Nolan himself.Beautiful screenplay and very good set design wields a very unique andfascinating look to the movie. The special effects are very creativeand realistic.Overall, "The Thirteenth Floor" is a must watch movie. It goes muchbeyond the average science fiction movie. Actually, It's a cult movie.My Verdict: 7/10

Jonas Lindberg

(2013-04-15 09:39:14)

Living in a fantasy?

When I first heard about this film I've got the impression that it would bea lot like the film Matrix. But when I at last got the chance to see it Imust admit I changed my mind. Even if it has a lot in common in it's basicswith the Matrix film it has gone one step further. Matrix had in my opinionmore focus on nice special fx and hard action. I really liked this film,even though it lacks in special fx:s, and without spoiling the film I mustadmit it's makes you wonder if this world we live in is real or if we arejust some programmers fantasy waiting to be deleted...

res0owwh

(2013-04-14 16:59:33)

The Thirteenth Floor illustrates a created reality within a created reality and briefly illustrates the original creating reality (all that is known or allowed to be known/displayed at that time).

POSSIBLE SPOILERS HEREIN!This movie is akin to The Matrix in its illustration ofalternate/parallel/hierarchal realities and/or existences. Additionally,itruns some parallels with The Game, starring Michael Douglas.It openly depicts three separate realities stacked one upon the other, thestacking being determined by the amount of conscious awareness of thecreators of each, respectively.From a philosophical and spiritual viewpoint, at least one major teacherhastouched upon this subject matter with his statement, "In my Father's housethere are many mansions".From some quantum mechanics physicists' viewpoints, such occurrences areonly a matter of time, if they have not already actually begun in theordinary 3-D reality. Some quantum physicists categorize such situationsas"virtual reality".Computer Technology is based upon and was created by human consciousness;humans created computers. Super-humans or God (gods) created humans, withor without computers. Consciousness itself creates. This movie deals withconsciousness using computers to create, therefore, it can be considered ananalogy for human consciousness.Key words and phrases in the movie regarding truths in the reality are(please note that some quotes are summarily only): "How many worlds arethere?" "Thousands." "I'm not even real." "You have a soul, Fuller did.""You can't just plug your brain/mind into this thing and not expect to beaffected by it." "These people are real; they as real as you and me." "Iam a reflection of his character profile." References to deja vu and "inanother life". "Now we can beat the s**t out of and try to drown oneanother; that's always fun.""I think, therefore I am" - Descartes.Naturally, these realizations, if accepted, can lead to deeper seeking foranswers to the reality(s). This movie is classified as "fiction with apurpose". It can be considered an analogous teaching.

Kubrick7-2

(2013-04-12 05:49:21)

Did I miss something?

Where do I begin? This is possibly the worst movie that I have ever seen,bar-none. Seems to me that if you want to write a 30's Micky Spilanewhodunnit then do it, if you want to film a sci-fi flick then do it, thisfalls pathetically short on both counts. I'm sure a good story + a gooddirector + a decent cast (which you can't really blame here) you could pulla movie like this off. Listening to the alternate audio on the DVD itbecame dreadfully clear that the director was much more interested in setsand color palattes on Photoshop than on...well than on DIRECTING. Yetanother failure for Sony, they should stick to making electronics and giveup on the film industry...or hire some better directors...or get betterscreenwriters...actually I find it hard to believe that they could havedonea worse job in picking the crew.1 of 5 stars, i.e. if every movie on earth disappeared but this one, Iguessyou could watch it.

scrutiny

(2013-04-11 10:59:51)

A murder exposes a cyberworld in which it appears no one has control.

Don't you wish that when similarly themed films come out at the same timethat there would at least be a glimmer of reason why each film was made?Coming out on the heels of The Matrix and Existenz and even last year'sDarkCity, The 13th Floor feels so hideously familiar you wish the projectwould've been halted in the verbal stage. Trying to take a modern noirishslant on the virtual reality genre, Floor manages to impart loads ofproduction design but minimal amounts of plot, character, and what usuallyis rampant through these kind of films, wonder. Craig Beirko, theexcellentvillain from The Long Kiss Goodnight, is squandered along with theluminousGretchen Mol, and the ever reliable Dennis Haysbert, Armin Mueller-Stahl,and Vincent D'Onofrio. Invariably Roland Emmerich having his name attachedto this project might be a detriment after last year's Godzilla debacle.Ironically Haysbert starred in a film called Suture a few years back whichalso dealt with 'virtual' reality but unlike this film, Suture wasintelligent, noirish, and had probably a tenth of the budget. Catch thatfilm instead of this one.

dsharky

(2013-03-31 07:27:01)

A very very entertaining film

thirteenth floor is a very very entertaining film. As stated previously,similiar to Dark City and The Matrix. HOwever, this has more characterdevelopment. I was thorougly entertained even tho i've watched it threetimes. This movie contains twists, turns, and surprises that will grab yourattention until the very end. The ending also makes you feel really good. Igive it a 9 out of 10

(2013-03-30 21:12:56)

Are we a virtual reality inside a virtual reality?

Real interesting film here. The 13th floor is a brilliant conceptual film, and although I found it bit 'hollywood' with it's gratuitous 'action scenes', it still holds up as a really interesting story from start to finish. It also has one of those twists at the end that surprise you even when you thought all the surprises were understood. I like films that do that.The basic story of the movie is about a virtual reality software program that is so 'real' it actual can take a live person's consciousness and move into a cyber reality, like 1930 Los Angeles and the participant experiences life there exactly like his waking life here, only in that everything is the product of computer modelling. It's really a very interesting concept because that is what quantum physicists are saying our own brain does! All in all, a thoroughly entertaining movie. It's a brain teaser, and those who like science fiction and subjects that make you think outside the box, this one is a must see.

dull_hamsters_rule

(2013-03-16 01:42:47)

Pretty much a good movie

As the trend of "what is reality" movies in Hollywood continues, we'vebeen introduced to 'The 13th Floor'. Now, many have said that this isjust a pale clone of 'The Matrix', 'Dark City' and so on, and thatwatching this movie was a complete waste of time. I wouldn't reallyagree. Here are my pros and cons. Pros: 1) Makes you wonder about your ownreality. 2) Kind of interesting story, at least to those who findconsciousness and reality questions interesting. 3) There aren't manyspecial effects, but they weren't needed anyway. If you were expectingfighting scenes as in 'The Matrix', you'll be disappointed badly. 4)Romantic, someplace even heart-breaking parts of plot (like, whenDouglas Hall says to Jane Fuller: "How can you love me? I'm not evenreal").Cons: 1) Shallow character's personality. 2) Acting could've been muchbetter. 3) Nothing very important happened in the first hour of thestory. 4) Could've been deeper.If you liked movies like 'The Matrix', 'Dark City', 'Truman's Show' or'Existenz', I recommend you to watch this one.

Marc Peters

(2013-03-15 19:21:47)

Although hard to follow at times, an interesting movie.

My first day of psych. class we discussed the "how do you know everythingisjust part of a dream?". It sounds absurd at first, but brought about someinteresting discussion.Anyway, the reason I mention that, is that seems to be the premise of thismovie. I don't want to give too much away, so I'll just say that the movieis thought provoking. It's a Sci-Fi Thriller, so you can count on lots ofplot twists and action scenes. All in all, it's not a bad movie. The actingis average, and the ending is surprising. It *IS* hard to follow at times,so you may want to keep the remote control handy so you can rewind it atcertain parts.Much better than ExistenZ. Also, it's a lot different than The Matrix,although both have a dark theme. At least this one doesn't have any "A-Teammoments" where two people walk into a building and whack off about 300others all at once. :)

(2013-03-12 04:46:07)

Very good movie, but not The Matrix

I thoroughly enjoyed The Thirteenth Floor as a movie, but I should probably warn people who hear that it's "like The Matrix" that the similarities end after the basic concept of having a completely immersive virtual world. Fortunately for TTF, this is a very good thing. Where The Matrix took a relatively good concept for a movie and threw special effects at it, TTF took a similar premise and chose to do more in terms of development. Indeed, special effects in this movie are fairly minimal, with far greater effort and detail going into modeling 1940s Los Angeles than camera tricks.The plot is summarized in several other reviews, so I'll simply add my own comments. The movie has a fairly somber tone and a methodical pace. You'll probably see most of the developments well before they're revealed. However, I consider it a fallacy to believe that predictability is necessarily a bad thing. In the case of TTF, it springs from a very thoroughly fleshed out plot, which is a a nice contrast from random plot twists that are not uncommon in sci-fi movies.Comparisons between The Matrix and eXistenZ seem to occur a lot with this movie, but while they do all share a common basic concept, they're really very different movies. eXistenZ is really more oriented towards the idea of an immersive virtual reality as a game, and The Matrix towards that idea as a method of oppression, but The Thirteenth Floor really takes the idea and tries to really establish a solid story with human drama that might occur given this technology/universe.

Hunky Stud

(2013-03-11 19:54:43)

A Must-see if you are a fan of matrix

I thought that Matrix might be a copy of this movie. However, to mysurprise, both movies were made in 1999. Those two movies have similarconcepts.An audience has to be actively thinking in order to understand the logic andintelligence of this movie. The writer and screenwriter must have spent sometime to make up a story that flows so smoothly. Of course, there is oneobvious mistake. In order to make computers that are so sophisticated, I donot think that there could be only two workers working in the lab.It does not have all those high tech movement as in the Matrix, however, itis absolutely a smart movie. The common audience might not evenunderstand.I am glad that I have seen this movie. I have never heard about this movieuntil I accidently found it at a local library. Too bad, it did not make abig hit in the main stream. Otherwise, we can expect a sequel II.It is definitely a must see!

(2013-03-09 21:27:11)

A quiet cyber-mystery in the land of the Matrix.

Not an action movie as the trailers might suggest. More a cyber-mystery with a surpprise turn and an upbeat ending. A quiet Matrix-like movie combined with Murder, She Wrote. If you think there are internal inconsistencies it probably means you were not paying close attention to details and the theoretical construct, which you just have to accept. A new movie genre really. Seemingly predictable but not. Don't watch the trailers before the movie. DVD extras are weak compared to others, however.

(2013-03-09 06:55:58)

Clever sci-fi suspense with some twists

This movie is a clever tale of virtual realities within virtual realities within virtual realities, ad infinitum. But that's not apparent at the beginning so forget I mentioned that if you are a new viewer of the film. It starts off as a mystery story in a virtual world set in an historical backdrop. But things are not what they seem. Comparisons to the Matrix are not totally unfounded, but there are stark differences to the tone and story of these films. The 13th floor has a great ending that does leave you thinking hmmmm.... I enjoyed it but can see how it lacks the style and clever symbolism and dialogue that have made Matrix films such a big phenomenon. If you like this genre this is a terrific film to see and get you thinking about the nature of reality and what it would be like to be an artifically generated intelligence.