Mixed thoughts on The Golem (1981)

Piotr Szulkin's first feature film is set in a future sometime after a cataclysm. Scientists have been tasked with improving mankind and making men. They have succeeded and their ceation is walking among men but unable to work and trying to get by. As he tries to get get out of the city, the men who created him make adjustments...

Strange science fiction film is full of style and brooding mood, but I'm not sure beyond that. Actually what I remember most of the film is its look, the color toned imagery, more than the plot line. There is lots of discussion of our place in the world, free will and politics. While its heady stuff and food for thought I'm not sure it adds up to much in the end...though to be honest it's great that any film would try to get it all in one hour and a half feature.

Watching the film I had the feeling that Terry Gilliam has seen the film and minded it for his own films specifically 12 Monkeys and Brazil.  I'm pretty sure that this film is one that has influenced the last 30 years of science fiction films, even though most people don't know it. Its for the influence that I suggest trying to track the film down.

If I seem to be ambivalent about the film, and I am to some degree, you have to understand that I admire the intelligence of the film. Granted I don't think the film succeeds completely in what its trying to do, but at the same time I admire that the film is trying to be an intelligent discussion of ideas.

The film screens in the 25th as part of Lincoln Center's STRANGE LANDS INTERNATIONAL SCI-FI. For mor information and tickets go here

A few words on Hospital of the Transfiguration (1979)

New doctor arrives at psychiatric hospital. He soon realizes that the doctors are a crazy as th patients. However things become complicated when the Nazi's arrive.

I'm trying to work out how this film fits into the category of science fiction. More a drama than anything else the film's only real connection is that it was written by Stanislaw Lem who wrote the source novel for the films Solaris as well as many others.

To be honest I don't know what to make of the film. Its a good film but outside of the intrusion of the Nazi's there isn't much new here, even if some of the film is greatly disturbing.

Is it worth trying? Yes. Will you consider it one of the truly great films you've seen this year? Probably not. Personally I'm glad I saw it but I'm not sure I'll watch it again, then again I may down the road simply so I can feel I've given it a fair shake and taken it on it's own terms.

Hospital of the Transfiguration plays Monday at Lincoln Center as part of Strange Lands  look at International Science Fiction

Kin-dza-dza! (1986)

Two men in Moscow try to help a homeless looking fellow to get out of the cold. The man claims to be from another planet- however when they try to help him they find themselves transported to another planet.

Absurdist satire will either thrill you or bore you. To be honest I took a good half hour before I kind of clicked with the film and it's everyone has an angle angle. From my point of view it took that long to get through the nonsense to something interesting. Actually what was interesting was that it wasn't like any other science fiction film I've seen. Things are decidedly odd, frequently crossing into silly,but at the same time it makes a weird sort of sense.

Is this a great film? Probably not, on the other hand  the decaying industrial look is pretty cool and the visual effects are well done, and odds are its sensibilities is probably unlike anything you've ever run across.

If you're tired of big splashy Hollywood science fiction give it (and all the films in the Lincoln Center Strange Lands series) a try

Kin-dza-dza! plays Friday and Saturday at Strange Lands Lincoln Center's look at International Science Fiction. For tickets and more information go here.