If you see only 1 science fiction movie in your lifetime, let it be the 1980 The Lathe of Heaven based on Ursula K. Le Guin's classic 1971 scifi novel. Character of meek George Orr dreams reality and begins to question his existence. He can remember yesterday construct. Enter The Therapist, arrogant Dr. Haber. Brilliant @Bruce_Davison performance.Quoting (From couch to moon) "In the notes of her demystified translation of the Tao Te Ching (2009), Le Guin expounds on that "block of wood":Uncut wood—here likened to the human soul—the uncut, unearned, unshaped, unpolished, native, natural stuff is better than anything that can be made out of it. Anything done to it deforms and lessens it. Its potentiality is infinite. Its uses are trivial." end of double quoteyThe 1964 LBJ - Daisy TV Commercial Campaign AD shown only 1x. 1980's The Lathe of Heaven became the most-requested program in @PBS history. Both incredible and UNforgettable. Both now gadget ready.👀 "Reality What a Concept" ~Robin Willims 👄 Doctor Who and reflected realism. Hmmm!? Humans as provocative interactive cosmology. What's not to like!

The idea is interesting, a man can change reality with his dreams but these changes are at the mercy of his subconscious so we get an easy excuse for disasters and surprises.The special effects are awful, really cheap and comical at time.The acting is good, only a small cast who are fairly convincing in their roles.The plot is also good, the characters are believable in their reactions, some trying to control things others to escape.The film is let down by a poor ending, it is weak and silly and makes the film pointless.

When I first saw "The Lathe of Heaven" back in the 80s on PBS while in high school, I was completely mesmerized and blown away. This wasn't because of special effects, lasers or destructive monsters, but because of the psychological element of control and power that plagues the mind.Based on the phenomenal book by Ursula Le Guin, the film does the book justice. Though, in the end, a book is a book and a movie is a movie, lovers of the novel will not be disappointed.If you love a great story, full of conflict, tension and surprises, you will enjoy this romp through the mind of George Orr and his inherent angst and strife. For me, this is one of the most potent science fiction tales of all time, if not one of the most thought-provoking stories ever told. Regardless, don't miss out on the amazing book and Le Guin's remarkable imagination.

This film was the first film contracted by PBS and it really shows, as the movie had a minuscule budget. If you adjust for inflation, the film literally cost about as much as an Ed Wood, Jr. film to make! At times this shows, such as some liberal use of stock footage, minimalistic sets and negligible special effects---yet, oddly enough, the film is a pretty good sci-fi film. And when I say SCI-FI, I mean very deep and cerebral sci-fi. If you are looking for Darth Vader and cute little androids, this film is not for you--instead, it's set in the very near future and concerns a simple man with an incredible talent. Bruce Davison dreams and what occurs in the dreams actually become reality--as if everything we know to exist is totally dependent on his thoughts. If he dreams, for example, that you no longer exist, then you never really did! Because of his unique problem, Bruce consults with a scientist adept at working on dreams. However, each time this scientist tries to use the dreams to effect positive world change, the dream somehow backfires. A good example--when he wanted his patient to end overpopulation, a plague broke out and wiped out most of the inhabitants! Again and again, these attempts only make things worse.The film is an interesting blend of philosophy, existentialism and sci-fi. While it won't appeal to everyone, I at least appreciated how unique it was and how those involved tried to make something different. A noble effort that sometimes succeeds and often time fails--mostly due to a low budget. I wonder what this MIGHT have been like with a bit more money to make the aliens and some of the other plot devices not to incredibly cheesy.