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DVD The Thirteenth Floor
Computer scientist Hannon Fuller (Armin Mueller-Stahl) finds something extremely important. Knowing that he's marked for assassination, he leaves a message in the virtual reality world he's designed, hoping it will be found by colleague Douglas Hall (Craig Bierko). Hall is a suspect in Fuller's murder and indeed finds a bloody shirt in his house, with no recollection of what he did the night before. Hall plunges headlong into Fuller's world (a re-creation of 1937 Los Angeles) to try to unravel the slaying and is soon knee-deep in confusion and trouble. What this film lacks in character depth and plot cohesiveness it makes up for in special effects and high concept. Fans of films like Blade Runner, Dark City, eXistenZ, and even the game Sim City should find this appealing. Of course, there's the question of letting the computers do all the heavy lifting in films while the humans walk through the plot (an all-too-familiar scenario in 1999), but the re-creation of '30s Los Angeles is certainly something to see, pallid script and acting or not. The Thirteenth Floor is a stylish modern-day noir that raises questions about technology versus reality, all the while wrapped up in a murder-mystery story line. --Jerry Renshaw
There are a few elements of this movie that might appeal to some people.
Firstly, it presents a clearer, more sensible idea of how virtual reality works than its 1999 movie siblings "THE MATRIX" or "eXistenZ". And it does it thoughfully, without mind-numbing action scenes and special-effects.
Secondly, the virtual reality world recreates L.A. in the 1930s with richness, yet it doesn't stray too far from a realistic look.
Bonus extras are Armin Mueller-Stahl's, Vincent D'Onofrio's and Dennis Haysbert's performances, Gretchen Mol's lusciousness (also enjoyably down-to-earth as a grocery clerk), and exquisite direction and photography (Josef Rusnak, Wedigo von Schultzendorff)
On the DVD, director Rusnak makes the accompanying commentary in the way I like -- he comments on what we're watching with relevent and interesting behind-the-scenes info.
I rewatch this film (and film with commentary) frequently for those reasons.
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.
Not for multiple viewings
I watched this movie yesterday,and I just cant help but be a little bit dissapointed. I think the premise is great; is this world real? Or is the world they make up in the computer world real, or is anything real anymore as characters take up to three lives each as they go in and out of these cyber worlds? It gets fuzzy in places, and makes one wonder that after an hour and 20 minutes, this whole story is getting more and more complicated.
Actors in this movie do a great job, but it doesn't have enough characters to make it suspencful enough, it doesnt make it hard to figure out who is killing whom, even though the explanation @ the end is a bit far fetched.
My boyfriend really liked this moive, but I dont think I would ever want to watch it again. And you know a movie is a gem, when in the middle of it, you daydream of whens the next time you get to watch it again.
Not with this one, curiosity satisfied, and no need to go back to it.
Director David Cronenberg's eXistenZ is a stew of corporate espionage, virtual reality gaming, and thriller elements, marinated in Cronenberg's favorite Crock-Pot juices of technology, physiology, and sexual metaphor. Jennifer Jason Leigh is game designer Allegra Geller, responsible for the new state-of-the-art eXistenZ game system; along with PR newbie Ted Pikul (Jude Law), they take the beta version of the game for a test drive and are immersed in a dangerous alternate reality. The game isn't quite like PlayStation, though; it's a latexy pod made from the guts of mutant amphibians and plugs via an umbilical cord directly into the user's spinal column (through a BioPort). It powers up through the player's own nervous system and taps into the subconscious; with several players it... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Jennifer Jason Leigh - Jude Law Director(s): David Cronenberg DVD Release Date: Released the 19 October 1999 Usually ships in 24 hours
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If you're a fan of brooding comic-book antiheroes, got a nihilistic jolt from The Crow (1994), and share director Alex Proyas's highly developed preoccupation for style over substance, you might be tempted to call Dark City an instant classic of visual imagination. It's one of those films that exists in a world purely of its own making, setting its own rules and playing by them fairly, so that even its derivative elements (and there are quite a few) acquire their own specific uniqueness. Before long, however, the film becomes interesting only as a triumph of production design. And while that's certainly enough to grab your attention (Blade Runner is considered a classic, after all), it's painfully clear that Dark City has precious little heart and soul.... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Rufus Sewell - Kiefer Sutherland - Jennifer Connelly Director(s): Alex Proyas DVD Release Date: Released the 28 July 1998 Usually ships in 24 hours
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Based on a short story by sci-fi master Philip K. Dick, Impostor holds considerable appeal for genre enthusiasts, who will instantly recognize trace elements of the Dick-based Total Recall and Blade Runner. Fortunately, derivative plotting doesn't detract from director Gary Fleder's capable handling of briskly paced action involving Spencer Olham (Gary Sinise), a weapons designer suspected of being an alien robot with an assassin's agenda. The year is 2079; Earth is at war with an alien race called the Centauri, and its dome-sealed cities are intensely monitored by the Earth Security Agency. A high-tech chase ensues between Olham and his ESA pursuer (Vincent D'Onofrio), testing the bond of trust between Olham and his physician wife (Madeleine Stowe). This... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Vincent D'Onofrio - Shane Brolly Director(s): Gary Fleder DVD Release Date: Released the 09 July 2002 Usually ships in 24 hours
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James Cameron wrote the script for this not-so-futuristic science fiction tale about a former vice cop (Ralph Fiennes) who now sells addicting, virtual reality clips that allow a user to experience the recorded sensations of others. He becomes embroiled in a murder conspiracy, tries to save a former girlfriend (Juliette Lewis), and has a romance with his chauffeur and bodyguard (Angela Bassett). Cameron's ex-wife, director Kathryn Bigelow (Point Break), brought the whole, busy, violent enterprise to the screen, and while the film's socially relevant heart is in the right place, its excesses wear one out. Some of the casting doesn't quite click either: Fiennes isn't really right for his nervous role, and Lewis is annoying (and unbelievable as the hero's much-yearned-for former... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Ralph Fiennes - Angela Bassett - Juliette Lewis Director(s): Kathryn Bigelow DVD Release Date: Released the 14 August 2001 Usually ships in 24 hours
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Confidently conceived and brilliantly executed, Gattaca had a somewhat low profile release in 1997, but audiences and critics hailed the film's originality. It's since been recognized as one of the most intelligent science fiction films of the 1990s. Writer-director Andrew Niccol, the talented New Zealander who also wrote the acclaimed Jim Carrey vehicle The Truman Show, depicts a near-future society in which one's personal and professional destiny is determined by one's genes. In this society, "Valids" (genetically engineered) qualify for positions at prestigious corporations, such as Gattaca, which grooms its most qualified employees for space exploration. "In-Valids" (naturally born), such as the film's protagonist, Vincent (Ethan Hawke), are deemed genetically flawed and... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Ethan Hawke - Uma Thurman - Jude Law Director(s): Andrew Niccol DVD Release Date: Released the 22 May 2001 Usually ships in 24 hours
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