2 more reviews

1. ›The Thirteenth Floor - an undervalued science-fiction movie mixing imagination and reality@aurzeq1195d

   

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   Index

   Introduction

   Reality and imagination

   The movie

   Plot

   Conclusion

   Rating

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   Introduction

   Descartes stated, "I think therefore I am". But is this really true? Science fiction movies are challenging what reality means. The expansion of technology, the progress of knowledge, and the domination of information technology require new perspectives and experiences. With the help of literary elements from the past (such as the double or the travel through time that serves as a journey of self-discovery), science fiction continues its debate on man in a fresh and insightful way (the relationship between existence and the universal, the world as appearance). Beyond the visual finesse or the various levels of spectacularity, movies like The Cube, The Matrix, and this one all raise an uncomfortable doubt: being, thinking, imagining ... which category belongs to the dimension of reality?

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   Reality and imagination

   There is always a zone in between dream and reality where everything we imagine has such distinct contours that we can see, hear, and feel it. This frequently takes the form of a hastily constructed universe in which all of its inhabitants—which could count as few as two—move in accordance with our goals and ideals and in which we remove all filters by exposing our faces as they really are. Undoubtedly, "The thirteenth floor" begins on this level before moving on to something more intimate that successfully combines man's most basic emotions with his greatest fear: the depersonalization of himself.To doubt, or rather to know, that one is nothing, that one is controlled and that one doesn't have or has only very few choices to make, kills by definition the human being as such, relegating him to a video-game specimen. "The Thirteenth Floor" combines this deconstruction of reality with elements from The Matrix to portray a world—or rather, a series of worlds—that are observed and controlled by others and are solely used for entertainment and leisure (like in The Truman Show). By repeatedly fusing the created and the creator, as if emotions are something that transcends their own birth and serves as the link between imagined and experienced, the film's accumulation of events has the effect of flattening time and space. Points a and b become two equal and distinct spots where life flows continuously and with the same intensity both horizontally and vertically, losing their identity at one point after another. Man's intellect clashes with his violence and his arrogance toward others and neglects the power and purity of feelings. In this particular instance, the improbable love between Douglas and Jane (Gretchen Mol) becomes a symbol of optimism, demonstrating how nothing is impossible and that, despite all of the technology in the world, there will always be the magic of feelings and the undeniable purity of the "real" physical contact.

   

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   The movie

   I found the movie very interesting, however, it's sad that the box office did not recognize it. "The thirteen floor" is a movie that deserves consideration, especially in light of its narrative, which manages to be both well-calibrated and far from boring. Although it talks about other universes, there are no temporal paradoxes to solve or extremely intricate dimensional plots, so the script is just difficult on the surface. Yet, in this case, the main idea is what matters most.

   Excellent pacing, intriguing characters, and most importantly, no cheating on the audience. Apart from the ending, that leaves some room for confusion because the artificial mind is considered too lightly like interchangeable with the human mind, everything is made abundantly obvious, so it really isn't a major concern. The usage of computer graphics for the special effects is effective and (strangely) neither intrusive nor tacky. It paid the price for an ineffective marketing strategy when it was almost simultaneously released with The Matrix.

   

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   Plot

   The elderly Hannon Fuller and his assistant Douglas have created a new frontier of virtual reality in contemporary Los Angeles, on the thirteenth floor of a skyscraper where their company is headquartered. Using computer microchips, they recreated a door through which they can enter the Los Angeles in 1937. So, the two start living a life split between the past and the present. When Fuller is suddenly discovered dead, all the evidence seems to point to Douglas. Yet, the fact that it is unclear which of the two "realities" the murder took place in makes things more difficult. Then the virtual system starts to fall apart. Jane Fuller, the daughter of Fuller, gets curious and learns that Douglas, the "non-real" Douglas one, killed her father. Nevertheless, Jane also has a double personality. Her "other" name is Natascha Molinaro, and the man who is married to her is the person who used the computer to give Douglas the idea to murder Fuller.

   

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   Conclusion

   A movie like The Thirteenth Floor is meant to open the viewer's eyes and help them realize their own individuality in a world of simulations, relationships that are becoming more and more fake, and fictions of every type that are communicated by computers and the internet. There are and could be countless versions of ourselves, we can create countless characters to play, and we can create worlds that support other worlds, but everything has an effect. Sometimes it seems as though one's convictions are purely the product of illusions and dreams, but a dream or an idea might also be true. Douglas would say, "I am not real and you cannot fall in love with a dream!" yet increasingly, crazily enough, dreams are the greatest and most genuine parts of us, the parts we ultimately choose to live with. How could we not fall madly in love with them? > press here to scroll back to the index

   

   Rating

   My personal vote is:

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   8.0/10

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   _{Sources of image used for the post cover is this. Farewell image and text separators, created by me with Canva}

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2. ›Film Review: The Thirteenth Floor (1999)@drax1219d

   

   (SPECIAL NOTE: Capsule version of the review is available here.)

   Fate of the film can be set by mere timing. What could have been an interesting, thought-provoking, intelligent, well-done and mostly entertaining film can be banished into oblivion simply for being released at the wrong time. This is what happened to The Thirteenth Floor, 1999 film directed by Joseph Rusnak. It could have been easily remembered as one of the classics of science fiction cinema if not for misfortune of coming to cinema shortly after The Matrix, film that used the similar basic premise with much bigger budget, bigger stars, bigger hype and, consequently, bigger success.

   The plot is based on Simulacron-3, 1964 novel by of Daniel F. Galouye, one of the first literary works to deal with the concept of virtual reality. The novel was in 1973 adapted in World on a Wire, West German television miniseries directed by famed film maker Rainer Werner Fassbinder. The plot begins in 1937 Los Angeles where Grierson (played by Armin Mueller-Stahl) apparently lives a double life – by day he is modest bookseller a family man and by night he visits top night clubs and have good time drinking, dancing and having sex with showgirls. In one of those night clubs, aware that might not live for long, he gives message to bartender Ashton (played by Vincet d’Onofrio) to be given to some of his confidants. His fears are validated, but in 1999 Los Angeles where Grierson actually lives as Hannon Fuller, computer genius and billionaire running a company that developed revolutionary virtual reality program populated by “units” or avatars that look and behave like citizens of 1930s Los Angeles, unaware that they are part of simulation. Fuller used to “jack in” and take Grierson’s avatar in simulation to have some fun, but his life is ended by unknown killer. Douglas Hall (played by Craig Bierko), one of company directors and Fuller’s protege, takes over company but immediately finds himself to be the only credible murder suspect for Larry McBain (played by Dennis Haysberth), police detective investigating the crime. Hall tries to clear his name and becomes convinced that the key to mystery lies in the simulation, so he “jacks in” and takes avatar of 1930s bank teller John Ferguson. Upon return to real world, he discovers Fuller’s beautiful daughter Jane (played by Gretchen Mol), who might have some additional clues what happened to her father.

   In 1990s many films, especially those dealing with then fashionable concept of virtual reality, were described as “Blade Runner of our time”. There are many similarities between this film and Scott’s cult masterpiece, and some include initially bad reception by critics and poor box office results. Unlike Blade Runner, which managed to slowly rebuild itself through cult status and is now considered one of the most legendary films of its time, The Thirteenth Floor remained obscure. The reason can be found in critics’ dislike for its producer Roland Emmerich, who arrogantly and aggressively overhyped his bloated blockbuster Godzilla. Compared with that film, The Thirteenth Floor with its relatively small budget looks almost like a chamber piece. German director Joseph Rusnack nevertheless puts his meagre resources to good use, creating credible recreation of 1930s Los Angeles, while cinematographer Wedigo von Schutzendorff successfully creates contrast between simulation and 1999 world. The film pays a lot of homage to Blade Runner, most importantly by making a strange blend of film noir and futurism, a formula that worked so well in Blade Runner.

   But even better is the script co-written by Rusnack and Ravel Centeno-Rodriguez. The Thirteenth Floor explores the themes of reality, consciousness and identity, very much like The Matrix, but in more intelligent ways that Wachowskys’ film. Instead of complicated and unconvincing backstory, the plot is much simpler and easier to understand. Although his film has scenes of violence, Rusnack doesn’t use it gratuitously or as an excuse for “cool” action or revolutionary special effects. Almost anything in the script of The Thirtheen Floor makes sense, except few convenient and cliched concept necessary for couple of plot twists and obligatory happy end.

   One of the reasons why The Thirteen Floor didn’t attract much audience can also be found in lack of truly big stars. Craig Bierko, at the time known mostly for television work, is relatively bland in the role of protagonist and that blandness is even more visible when compared with formidable German character Armin Mueller-Stahl who plays interesting double role. Vincent d’Onofrio overshadows everyone with another double role – sinister-looking Ashton and his 1999 counterpart, Hall’s chief technician Whitney. Charming looking Gretchen Moll is also very good in the role of rather unusual femme fatale, someone who isn’t what it looks to be at the first sight.

   The Thirteen Floor became obscure, but this fate wasn’t justified. Unusually short running time only underlines the qualities many films of similar genre and with similar concept lack. As such it could be recommended both to fans of science fiction and quality cinema.

   RATING: 8/10 (+++)

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