The Thirteenth Floor Brought Simulation Theory To The Big Screen

Back in 1999, we had two movies from the cyberpunk genre. There was The Matrix and The Thirteenth Floor. Both movies had distinct styles to them, but The Matrix became a sleeper hit. In fact, it ended up being so profitable that they made two sequels and are currently working on a new theatrical release. However, The Thirteenth Floor kind of came and went to the theaters and faded into obscurity. Given the fact that we are having more discussions about simulation theory these days, one would have to wonder if the movie would have been a hit If released today.

Admittedly, some of the plot might not make complete sense if you over think it, but the ideas proposed in the movie led to things that people such as Elon Musk discuss today. In the future (2024), they created different simulations that they could watch and observe. There were people created with feelings and emotions, and the simulation creators could even jack into the simulations and assume the lives of the people in that simulation for a brief amount of time.

It's a bit difficult to discuss the premise of this movie without giving away spoilers, so I'm afraid I must give that warning now. If you don't want the movie spoiled, you can stop reading. The simulation in this movie is based on 1999 Los Angeles. In it, the people of that world have created their own simulation. It's based on 1937 Los Angeles. Basically, we have simulated people creating a simulation within their simulation, but they are unaware that they are also in a simulation.

Hannon Fuller is the creator of the 1937 simulation. The character is played by Armin Mueller-Stahl, and Armin also plays the role of Gierson in the 1937 simulation. He's an older man, and basically the Fuller character uses the Gierson character to act out his fantasies with women. Fuller's lead assistant is Douglas Hall, played by Craig Bierko. Craig definitely has a Jeff Goldblum quality about him. In the 1937 simulation, his character is John Ferguson.

Obviously, the idea that you can create a simulation within a simulation alone isn't enough for a movie, so you need a story. In this case, Fuller discovers a terrible secret and is trying to contact Hall to let him know. He leaves a message with the 1937 bartender Jerry Ashton, played by Vincent D'Onofrio. Before Fuller can speak with Hall, he is murdered. Hall becomes the prime suspect, and what's worse is he's got a memory blackout. He doesn't really know where he was.

As detective Larry McBain, played ably by Dennis Haysbert, begins his investigation, the mysterious Jane Fuller, played by Gretchen Mol, arrives on the scene. She's claiming to be the daughter of Hannon Fuller, but the old man never told Hall that he had a daughter. Jane would like to shut down the simulation, but it's revealed in Hannon's will that Hall has inherited the business. 

Hall wants to figure out what Hannon Fuller was trying to tell him, and he's also a suspect in the murder investigation. When the bartender from the (1999) bar the night that Fuller was murdered shows up to shake Hall down for money to cover up his alleged deeds, he ends up getting murdered as well. Hall is the prime suspect there too, but Jane Fuller presents him with an alibi. He was with her at the time. 

The story takes an interesting turn when the Ashton character decides to read the note that Hannon had given him for Hall. He investigates it for himself and discovers that the 1937 world that he lives in isn't real. He drives to the edge of the simulation, and at that point he basically snaps. When Hall as the character Ferguson comes back to try to get the note from Ashton, it results in a brutal fight scene. However, Hall ends up discovering what the note said. Hannon was trying to tell him that the 1999 world that he lived in was a simulation too.

There's a bit more to this story as it builds up. We get a bit of a love story between the Hall character and Jane Fuller. There's good chemistry between the two, but you may question how she is in love with Hall. There's an explanation, but you basically have to take her word for it. Again, the writers needed a plot. The simulation theory is the backdrop of the story they are trying to tell, and they definitely draw upon science fiction elements as the story wraps up. 

Somehow, the Ashton character makes it out of the 1937 simulation and into the body of Jason Whitney, also played by D'Onofrio. He thinks he's seeing the actual reality, but Hall now understands that this world isn't real either. There's an interesting scene where Ashton is standing next to the big computer that runs the 1937 simulation, and he makes the comment that the machine is breathing. This is not unlike what they say about the D-Wave computer technology we are using these days, but those computers weren't in existence at the time the movie was filmed.

The movie is interesting for the fact that we are having these discussions about artificial intelligence and potential simulated realities. If simulated people could be created, would they think, feel and love? Would they in effect be alive, even just within the confines of the computer program? Could you have feelings for a simulated person? And of course, the question posed more recently by Elon Musk is could people living in a simulated reality create a similar simulation?

This is the theory that Musk has spoken of in some of his interviews. As we create more realistic looking games and simulations, we can create worlds that are indistinguishable from our own. He theorizes that at that point we have to consider the real possibility that we ourselves are living within a simulation. It's a real head-scratcher of a theory, and though some scientists raise the notion that it's at least possible, many others scoff at the idea.

The Thirteenth Floor proposed an ambitious idea that might have been a little bit ahead of its time. The Matrix took on these themes and did them differently and perhaps a little bit better. However, this movie wasn't without its charm. If you're open to these types of possibilities, it will make you think about things. It proposed ideas that were not being talked about in movies up until then. It's an above-average film that's certainly worth checking out. It doesn't have all of the action that The Matrix has, but it still has a decent plot.

New Amazon Prime Series Upload Raises Potentially Interesting Discussions

YouTube videos has become a regular source of entertainment for me these days. I don't currently have a TV set hooked up here and couldn't afford the outrageous cable bill to get the full experience anyway. These days, the model is shifting to different internet streaming sites, including Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime.

I do try to support the content creators that I watch on YouTube by viewing the ads unless they drone on for longer than 2 minutes. In this case, a commercial came on for a a new series that will stream on Amazon Prime. Oftentimes, these advertisements for movies and new series peak my interest. If it's within my budget, I'll even check some of that stuff out. This commercial showed a new series called Upload.

I'm aware of the transhumanist movement we have in the world today. Some people will say it doesn't exist. Some will say that it's for the betterment of mankind. I am suspicious and skeptical of the ways that they want to integrate technology into our everyday lives, and I tend to think it's not necessarily a good thing. It doesn't mean it's all bad, but I believe a lot of it isn't really necessary. By saying that, I'm sure I'll manage to upset a few people who believe in all of this stuff.

I am of the belief that things that have been pushed by people like Ray Kurzweil will become more a part of our reality in the years to come. Integrating technology with biology will become a thing. Artificial Intelligence will become smarter, and this will result in mankind actually having meaningful conversations, friendships and even relationships with AI one day. This is sort of illustrated in a rather entertaining movie with Joaquin Phoenix and Scarlett Johansson called Her.

In this particular series, a man is injured in a crash, and he has a choice to make. This is set sometime in the future, and he can go into surgery or have his essence uploaded into a virtual afterlife. It would be catered to what he wants for his eternity. I'm a little bit interested in what people might think about this sort of future and how it's portrayed, but making this part of our reality doesn't appeal to me at all. I'm not interested in having somebody create my ideal existence in the reality we live in now as my eternity.

I believe this sort of thing is based on our fears about what's next. I believe the more people are attached to this plane of existence and their possessions, the more they will have a fear of the unknown. What happens after we die? I'm sure there are people who have no faith that we continue on beyond this life, and the more afraid they are of that fact, the more they would want to push for this sort of technology to happen. Could this become a real thing in the future? When? 50 years from now? 100 years? 

I know there are people working on this sort of technology, because you can read articles on the subject. People are paying for the opportunity to be uploaded into a computer to live on from there. Whether the technology exists or not, they are hoping that this is possible. Some will maintain that some sort of procedure is possible. They will say that it's not actually you but a computer's representation of you that in some respects might even fool people into thinking it is you. However, they claim that you will actually die when the procedure happens.

Consider the possibility that you don't die. I am a believer in God or a Creator who made us all. We are not a cosmic accident, and the very fact that we can communicate our hopes and dreams and experience the world around us is a miracle in itself. I won't attribute that to a specific religion as I believe religion serves the negative of dividing the people just as much as some of the good that it does such as helping the less fortunate. Suffice it to say, I'm a believer that we go on into a whole new existence that we may not understand from here to there.

Consider that the procedure to upload your essence or your soul into a computer is possible. You are dividing yourself from the Creator at that point, and you're also allowing your soul to be controlled in some respect by whoever it is that creates the computer program. Who might that be? Could that be the devil or whatever you want to call it? Could it be the force that seeks to control everything on planet Earth, and could herding as many souls as possible into a computer program be part of their grand plan?

I'm okay with dying and leaving this world behind. Survival instinct will surely kick in and bring me a little bit of fear, but I know I will get past that and embrace what comes next. Others I have known and loved have done the same. I have faith that it's not the end, but what if it does end with my death and there is nothing beyond that? Would it hurt me? I simply won't feel or know anything at that point. It will be into the void of nothingness for me, and I will no longer exist.

However, if my faith and belief is correct, I'll be going to another place beyond this. I'd rather go there than into some sort of fake existence created by man in the hopes of maintaining a type of reality that I know already. Considering what mankind does to each other in this society, I've come to believe that it doesn't really matter in the bigger scheme of the universe. We are more than we can even begin to realize as we live our lives here, but we are meant to learn more in the next life.

As a series idea, Upload has much potential for entertainment. Is this person communicating with other actual souls in the computer or are they in their own specific reality with AI communicating with them? Can they communicate with the outside world? From the commercial, it appears that this is the case. It will probably interest some people, and it could also inspire some meaningful conversation, just as the movie Her did when it came out. I might be interested in watching this show, but the actual reality that it proposes doesn't appeal to me at all.

Why I Have To Distance Myself From The Corey Feldman Saga

I've written a few articles that I may or may not post. I find a lot of what Corey Feldman is up to these days and what he's been revealing in his documentary and interviews to be problematic. It doesn't pass the BS test for me, and I simply can't make excuses for him because he was a victim as a child. What he's done has gone beyond that. I also don't believe that he's been completely honest and I am somewhat suspicious of the possibility that he's deflecting experiences that happened to him onto his supposed best friend.

Have you ever been drawn to something that you know is just bad? Like driving by an accident and knowing you shouldn't look, but you can't help yourself? This is what the Corey Feldman saga feels like to me these days. I'm emotionally invested in the story not necessarily just because of Feldman. True, I was a big fan of his when I was growing up and have always wanted to see him do okay in the world. I've been invested in this story because I know there's a dirty little secret going on in Hollywood that goes on in all facets of our world. It's used to control people and keep them in line at the expense of innocent lives. It disgusts me.

I've been looking at Corey Feldman and his story because I'm very suspicious of the idea that he knows much more than he is telling us now or will ever tell us. Furthermore, I think one of the reasons why people are more willing to listen to him is because they believe the same thing. Despite some of the problematic things that he's done since becoming a reality TV star 20 years ago, there are people who want to give him the benefit of the doubt. People are waiting for him to tell them something that he'll never say. Maybe he has nothing to say or maybe he does and will never say it. The problem is there's that sliver of doubt in people's minds that keeps them coming back to Feldman in the hopes of hearing something truthful. 

I've watched as some sort of LARP has developed online. People are taking sides against him in an organized fashion. They've been called the Wolfpack, and they have revealed some startling evidence against Feldman. Feldman has alleged that Corey Haim's mother is behind the group, and at this point I don't give a damn. I respect a woman who just wants to honor and remember her son, whom she loved. 

You don't want to look at any of this stuff, but you get drawn to it. The real problem is you're losing sight of what's important here. At least, I feel like I'm losing sight of it. It's the children who have gone through hell not just in Hollywood but in other facets of life at the hands of some disgusting adults. Children have died and continue to die over this, and it seems like nothing is done about it. Furthermore, some people even get on social media and make jokes about it. It's funny to them. It's disgusting to me. 

I cannot condone Corey Feldman telling a story that is not his to tell. I can only say I wish he'd tell his own story and leave it at that. I can only say I wish he would be truthful, but that's entirely up to him. Just as it's up to the Haim family to decide what needs to be said or doesn't need to be said on behalf of Corey Haim. 

It's the family's story to tell, and they get dragged through the mud every time Corey Feldman opens his mouth. Corey Haim is dead, and what saddens me is people aren't even remembering the person anymore. I point a finger of blame at Corey Feldman, and at this point even asking him to stop seems useless. Does he even care? I have my doubts.

Corey Feldman Has A Dominick Brascia And Marty Weiss Problem

I hesitate to say this because I am frankly very tired of the way Corey Haim's name has been dragged through the mud. However, I think I can write this without having to dive too deeply into other details. Corey Feldman named six names in his documentary, three of which he alleges molested Corey Haim. It's important to point out that the Haim family only acknowledges Dominick Brascia as having done anything to Corey Haim.

Corey Feldman has claimed on multiple occasions that he introduced Marty Weiss and Dominick Brascia to Corey Haim and both molested him. Another way to put it is that Haim would not have known these two people had it not been for Feldman. You can read Feldman's book, and the attempt to paint a picture of himself being a kid and not knowing any better. If left at that, one could be sympathetic for Feldman and Haim. You might be disgusted to hear about the things that happened to Haim, but Feldman himself wasn't an adult yet. He didn't know better.

Unfortunately, the story doesn't end there. Let's take a look at Marty Weiss. For all intents and purposes, he was the appointed adult in the room for Feldman at a time when his antics on the set of The Lost Boys nearly got him fired. Weiss was the compromise. He had to be there to be the adult supervision for Feldman, and Weiss was also present with Feldman back in the days of The Goonies. If you listen to Marty, he paints a picture of himself having seen things and knowing a bit about Feldman that Feldman would prefer not get out in public.

I will admit that having Weiss involved in the discussion of Feldman's documentary is a bit problematic. He has been convicted in another case involving Evan Henzi, and many people would suggest that Weiss got off very lightly in his sentencing. It's also worth noting that Feldman's people made comments on Weiss's case as it was breaking in the news. They were already working on their narrative as Feldman was writing his autobiography, Coreyography. Because Weiss was convicted in this other case, Feldman felt confident enough in naming Weiss without a pseudonym in his book.

Here's where people who might be a bit suspicious will want to ask a few questions. People who believe the stories about Michael Jackson, and I'm not necessarily counting myself among them, will notice that Weiss has suggested that he witnessed Feldman and Jackson in inappropriate situations. Weiss himself hasn't elaborated on this, though it may be written in his upcoming book, Thanks For The Infamy.

Why should anybody take what Weiss says seriously? His comments during the time he was arrested in the case of Henzi are rather disturbing. You can find all of that easily enough when you do your research. Suffice it to say, Weiss didn't feel he did anything inappropriate at the time. He's claiming to be on a path to redemption these days and has even been working on making amends with Henzi. That's a subject for a whole other discussion, but there are people who believe Weiss has done these things with other kids. His ties with child stars go back to Feldman himself. If Weiss alleges that he witnessed anything inappropriate between an underage Feldman and adults, should his testimony be taken into consideration? Is the fact that he's been convicted in another case grounds to say that nothing he says is true now?

The story continues as Feldman becomes an adult and is able to process what has happened. One could read his autobiography and make excuses for a kid who didn't know any better at the time. However, you can also fast forward to 2004 and the Young Artists Awards. Feldman received a Lifetime Achievement Award, which he gladly accepted. There is video footage of him accepting this award and thanking several people, including Weiss. Weiss is also seen in a picture with Feldman and his then-wife Susie.

It's also worth noting that in 2004, Corey Feldman was in his 30s and was pictured being chummy with a person he claims molested his supposed best friend. Furthermore, Feldman was a producer for the Lifetime movie A Tale Of Two Coreys. In the movie, it's depicted that the Weiss character and Haim are going to do something inappropriate that won't be shown on camera. The character playing Weiss was Feldman's longtime friend Keith Coogan. 

As An Open Secret revealed on their Twitter page, Coogan was seen pictured with Weiss on multiple occasions. On at least one of those occasions, Coogan knew fully well what allegedly happened between Weiss and Haim. His excuse was that basically Weiss photobombed him, which interestingly enough is the excuse Feldman uses for their picture in 2004. What do you believe?

In the documentary, Feldman doesn't really get into the details on Weiss as much as he does Dominick Brascia. He paints a picture of Haim almost being gay and wanting to be with Dominick Brascia. He paints a picture of an on-again-off-again romance between the two. He also says that when Haim ultimately confronted him in the mid-1990s and said he was hurt by the fact that Feldman was friends and roommates with Brascia, he broke off the friendship with Brascia.

The problem with this narrative is it's not true. Dominick Brascia was cast as one of the stars of the 1997 movie Busted. The movie would have filmed a year earlier for direct to video release. Depending on who you believe, Haim was fired from the movie because of drug problems or quit because he had a bad reaction to seeing Brascia on the set. In either case and despite the fact that Haim barely had any time on screen at all, Feldman none-the-less billed this movie as a Two Corey's vehicle despite the fact that it truly wasn't. Capitalizing on his friend's name to make money? You be the judge.

In the late 1990s, Dominick Brascia was interviewed as part of The E True Hollywood Story documentary about Corey Feldman. He was still listed as a friend of Feldman at that time. You can go further to 2007 and The Two Coreys reality TV series. Haim confronted Feldman about what had happened to him at the hands of one of Feldman's friends. In that scene, he alluded to the fact that Feldman still hung out with the guy. At this time, Feldman would be approaching 40 years old and be very well aware of the fact that what had happened was wrong.

What's more concerning is that Feldman has given different answers on the subject of Dominick Brascia and Marty Weiss at different times, and his explanations in the recent documentary differ slightly from what he said in his own autobiography. What exactly is the truth? I have gone on record as saying I don't necessarily believe anybody in this story is telling the whole truth, but Feldman is the ring leader in this thing. At this point, one could ask whether he's doing more harm than good to the cause of revealing what sick individuals are doing to children in Hollywood.

Making the matter worse is the fact that Feldman has been dangling the carrot in front of everybody of a big "Hollywood Mogul" that he would reveal. This started in his interview on ABC TV back in 2011, when Feldman said he couldn't name the person. There are some people who believe that Feldman still hasn't named the person he was truly hinting at, and a recent exchange Feldman had with an individual on Twitter suggests that he's worried that he could get in legal trouble if he ultimately named that particular name. 

Dominick Brascia could be seen as somebody going rogue or somebody working in cahoots with Feldman. In 2015, he told a story to the National Enquirer. The problem with Brascia is that at different times his story about the big name who supposedly molested Haim has changed. At one time, he was hinting that the person would be in their 70s today. By the time he sold the story to the National Enquirer, he revealed the name of Charlie Sheen. Conveniently, Feldman hid behind the excuse that he promised Judy Haim he wouldn't talk about her son any more and therefore couldn't comment.

Why would I suggest that Feldman and Brascia could have been working in cahoots at that time? Feldman needed the story to be leaked into the public consciousness. At that time, Charlie Sheen was having a bit of a meltdown, to say the least. He was an easy target. Brascia could put all of this story out there for the public, and at the appropriate time, Feldman would tell his story. This is a story that some have said has served more to defame Haim than to bring out any truth. Interestingly enough, Feldman refused to publicly acknowledge Brascia. 

Despite the fact that Judy Haim herself revealed Dominick Brascia to be the one who molested her son in an interview with Dr Oz, Feldman refused to go public. You have to consider the fact that Judy went public and revealed a name that Feldman knew very well had done something inappropriate. If he truly cared about the Haim family at all, he would have come out and admitted that she was telling the truth or at least acknowledge that Brascia had done something, even if his version was different from Judy's version. At the time, Brascia was still alive. Therefore, it might have been problematic if Feldman had thrown his friend under the bus. What if Brascia went public with another story to the National Enquirer?

Feldman definitely has a Dominick Brascia and Marty Weiss problem. There's no way around it. Fortunately for him, Brascia is no longer alive and to our knowledge hasn't done a hidden interview or written a book that could reveal more. Weiss, however, is another matter. He's very much alive and writing a book. He also hints that he knows more about Feldman than Feldman is admitting. When you consider that, Feldman putting his team on the Marty Weiss/Corey Haim story back when Weiss was arrested makes perfect sense. There are a couple of ways of looking at this, maybe more.

Weiss maintains that nothing ever happened between he and Haim and Haim was a good kid. You can say that is what a pedo would say, and you may be right about that. I have my own beliefs that Weiss has done more things with other kids, though that's just my opinion on the matter. I am skeptical about the Haim story, though I don't completely dismiss it outright. But, let's consider the possibility that Weiss is telling the truth and Feldman has just made this up as a way to discredit him.

Why would Feldman do such a thing? If you're trying to reveal the true evil that's going on in Hollywood, telling a lie and making up a story that isn't true would only serve to do more damage to the movement itself. Real things have been happening to kids in Hollywood for years, and we certainly don't need lies mixed in there at a time when we're trying to shine the light of truth on things and bring about change. What would make Feldman lie about Weiss?

This could be true whether he's lying about Weiss or not. The reason he would work to discredit Weiss is so that any stories that Marty might tell about Feldman and his behavior would not be believed. If Weiss witnessed Feldman with Michael Jackson or any Hollywood executive, Feldman would potentially have more questions to answer. Obviously, he wouldn't want that. To make a preemptive strike and avoid having to deal with those potential issues, it makes perfect sense to discredit Weiss as quickly as possible. However, Weiss doesn't seem to be going away quietly here. He appears to be a man on a mission.

Another angle to look at when considering the Marty Weiss story and Feldman's ultimate Hollywood goals is pretty obvious. At one time when this video surfaced with Feldman thinking Weiss, Feldman had a simple response. He basically alluded to the fact that it was a professional courtesy thing. I guess you could compare it to all of the people who thanked Harvey Weinstein at the Academy Awards through the years and heaped loads of praise upon him. They might have known what the truth was, but they wanted to work in Hollywood.

Never forget the fact that Feldman has stuck around in Hollywood and acted in various B Movies over the last 25 years or so not just because acting is the only thing he knows. He's also hoping to get that big break in an A-list movie. Though that might seem doubtful, Feldman still hopes for the opportunity that one of his old executive friends will throw him a bone. So, thanking Marty Weiss is basically Feldman respecting the Hollywood industry and not rocking the boat.

Therefore, the skeptical observer would have to ask another question if this is the case. If Feldman is hoping for that big break in a big movie role to show everybody what he can do, would he announce somebody he knows was a pedo but happened to be a big executive? I'm not going to speculate on the names. There's too much of that going on as it is. You can use your own imagination. Think about one of those names. If you knew something about them and you could prove it, would you name that name if it meant permanently closing the door to a big opportunity? I think we all know the answer to that.

I don't know how else you can look at this situation. Corey Feldman has said many things on the subject of these two individuals, but the story has changed from here to there. He hasn't truly answered certain questions adequately in the minds of many people, and that makes this all pretty simple when you think about it. Corey Feldman has a Marty Weiss and Dominick Brascia problem, and it makes believing his story problematic to a critical thinker. I'm not going to deny that bad things have happened to Corey Feldman growing up in Hollywood, but I'm not sure we'll ever know the real truth.