The Technological Singularity

Movies like "Her", "The Terminator" and "The Matrix" have a concept known as the Technological Singularity (or just the Singularity) as part of their basic plot.  So what is the Singularity? 

"Popularized by science fiction author Vernor Vinge as well as inventor and now Google director of engineering Ray Kurzweil, the Singularity is a theoretical point in future history when artificial intelligences exceeds the power of the human mind, become self-aware and dramatically change the balance of power on the planet while simultaneously transforming the very nature of humanity itself." Excerpt taken from Mashable.com.

Read more about the Singularity, AI in movies and the recent Golden Globe winning movie "Her" here.

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Holiday Movies Online

There is nothing like a holiday movie to start off the season right.  Mashable has a list of 14 holiday movies you can watch online here. 

Some of their titles are questionable: Is Die Hard a holiday movie, just because it happens during a Christmas party?  Nevertheless, many classics are listed, such as Elf and A Christmas Story, along with live links to several options for viewing them online. Pick your favorite and enjoy!

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Human Rights Watch International Film Festival

The 20th annual Human Rights Watch International Film Festival is scheduled from June 11 through June 25. This year, over 20 films are featured, touching human rights issues across the globe. One particularly interesting film is The Reckoning -- a documentary about the International Criminal Court.




Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Breadlines and Champagne

For a fascinating, in depth look at depression era entertainment, check out Breadlines and Champagne--a series of depression era movies that will be screened at the Film Forum from February 6-March 5. The series will screen 50 movies over the course of four weeks, many of which deal with issues that are particularly relevant today: unemployment, corruption and banking crises. You'll also get to watch the work of some amazing actors and directors--Mae West, Frank Capra, Barbara Stanwyck, Clark Gable and Ginger Rogers, to name a few.



Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Obscenity Laws and The First Amendment

If you are interested in obscenity laws and the First Amendment, you might want to check out Obscene. Obscene is a documentary about Barney Rosset, the founder of Grove Press and the publisher who fought obscenity laws in order to bring classics such Lady Chatterly's Lover and Henry Miller's Tropic of Cancer to the United States. Rosset is also receiving an award from the National Book Foundation.


Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Human Rights Watch International Film Festival

The 2008 Human Rights Watch Film Festival will be screening at the Walter Reade Theater at Lincoln Center from June 12-26. This festival features works that "help to put a human face on threats to individual freedom and dignity, and celebrate the power of the human spirit and intellect to prevail." Films are selected on the basis of artistic merit and human rights content. This year's program features films from several countries addressing a broad range of issues such as access to health care, civil war and human trafficking



Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat