Verso Univ Presents: Artificial Intelligence According to Hollywood

Monday Night at the Movies!

Join us EVERY OTHER Monday night starting Monday, July 14!

Meeting times: July 14 & 28, and August 11 & 25, 7:00 to 8:00 PM

Registration fee: $25 for all four sessions

Course description:

Long before AI began dominating business news headlines, moviemakers were exploring artificial intelligence in classics such as 2001: A Space Odyssey and The Terminator.

From Hal to Her, we have watched AI evolve as Hollywood has helped shape and define our collective vision of AI. So, what did Hollywood get right, and what did it get wrong? Perhaps, even more importantly, where do we go from here?

Join film critic, Joe Meyers, for an exploration of movies that tackle topics such as the future of mankind and look back at prescient films such as The Stepford Wives, RoboCop and Blade Runner, and consider answers to the questions these films raise.

The new installment of the Mission: Impossible franchise contains a plot that is strikingly similar to the plot of a cult classic produced 55 years ago - Colossus: The Forbin Project. What does this tell us about our thoughts about the future then and now? Why might this matter?

Be prepared for an illuminating and sometimes unnerving look at the many movies about the perils and benefits of Artificial Intelligence.

Some AI films that may be referenced:

Life Like

Colossus; The Forbin Project

Ex Machina

2001

Demon Seed

The Stepford Wives

Robot & Frank

Her

I’m Your Man

M3GHAN

Westworld

A.I. Artificial Intelligence

RoboCop

Blade Runner

Metropolis

The Terminator

Frankenstein

WALL-E

Desk Set

About the Instructor:

Joe Meyers has written features about movies, theaters, and books for more than 30 years for Hearst Connecticut Media Group and other publications. He has given talks at various libraries and arts organizations in Connecticut and has hosted many public interviews at the Stamford non-profit movie theater, the Avon, with guests ranging from Frank Langella and Paul Schrader, to Gene Wilder and John Cameron Mitchell. In the late 1970s, Meyers ran the first and only art house on the Delmarva Peninsula, the Lewes Cinema. In 2012, the Mystery Writers of America gave Meyers the Ellery Queen Award for his writing on crime fiction.

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Verso University is the Library’s lifelong learning and education initiative, serving up year-round offerings of classes, workshops, and lectures designed to further education and learning. Offerings run the gamut of educational opportunities, ranging from one-time lectures to ongoing courses to classes that meet weekly or perhaps monthly.

Verso University programs are made possible by the generous support of the Nancy J. Beard Lifelong Learning and Education Fund.

Also check out other Entertainment events in Westport, Workshops in Westport.