Whether or not you’re excited for the upcoming season, you probably have fond memories of a baseball movie. From Pride of the Yankees to Bad News Bears to Field of Dreams to A League of Their Own to Ken Burns’ legendary series, our national pastime seems to make for great comedy, drama, romance, and even documentary. Join us to talk about why these movies work even for those of us who aren’t sports fans!

The Beatles were an undeniable force in pop music when they burst onto American radio in 1964. But how much of the Beatles legend was created through film and television? From The Ed Sullivan Show to A Hard Day’s Night and Help!, and from The Beatles Anthology to Get Back, the Beatles used the moving image to shape their public image and their legacy. And that’s not even counting the movies about them!

We’ll say yeah, yeah, yeah to all of it as we explore the ways film and television helped create the Beatles we remember today.

100 years ago, Buster Keaton’s action comedy The General failed at the box office, heralding the beginning of the end for silent comedians. Now it’s on most critics’ lists of best films ever made. How did it get overlooked, and what brought it back into the fold? We’ll look at this and other Keaton classics and ask whether they, too, still hold up.

“When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.” But what does that mean when it comes to what may be the most prolific fictional character on screen? From 1908 to 2026, Holmes has been appeared on screens big and small over 250 times. The character affords a wide variety of interpretations and has been popular with some of the best performers of our times. Grab the nearest deerstalker hat, a briar pipe, and your best knowledge of deduction as we uncover “Whatis the truth of Sherlock Holmes?”

Fred and Ginger. Gene Kelly. The Nicholas Brothers. Cyd Charisse. Bob Fosse and Gwen Verdon. John Travolta. Patrick Swayze. Movie musicals often include dancing, but sometimes dance tells a story all its own. Even today, the Step Up series is introducing new audiences to the power of dance. We’ll look at some favorites, discover new ones, and look at how dance has evolved over the last century.

1776. Independence Day. These are dates, but also classic films about America. This Fourth of July will be the 250^th anniversary of the foundation of the US. Join us to talk about the movies that make us proud of our country. And if you’re not from here, tell us your favorite patriotic films! 

From Little Caesar in 1931 to a Sopranos prequel in 2021, we can’t get enough of a certain type of criminal. What are the origins of the gangster film and why do we like them so much? We’ll look at highlights and also explore what a gangster movie looks like around the world.

Classic Hollywood created some of the most iconic actresses in film history—but the greatest leading women were far more than glamorous studio puppets. They were comedians, dramatic powerhouses, innovators, and often the smartest performers in the room.

Join us to explore how actresses like Katharine Hepburn, Bette Davis, Audrey Hepburn, Barbara Stanwyck, and Judy Garland created unforgettable screen personas while navigating the limitations of the studio era and the unique demands on women in the industry.

From rugged cowboys to smooth-talking romantics, classic Hollywood offered models of masculinity that shaped American culture for decades. Together we’ll explore the stars who defined the “leading man,” how their screen personas were carefully crafted, and why audiences still respond to them today.

Through film clips and behind-the-scenes stories, we’ll look at how actors like Cary Grant, Gregory Peck, Humphrey Bogart, James Stewart, and John Wayne each represented a different ideal of heroism, romance, humor, and strength.

Marilyn Monroe was born 100 years ago in June. During her short and turbulent life, she changed her name, her persona, and the face of Hollywood stardom. What catapulted Norma Jeane Mortenson to the height of fame, and what can we take from her continued iconic presence in our culture?

The very first commercial film to use sound, 1927’s The Jazz Singer, was in a sense a musical. Why did movies sing almost before they could talk, and what have movie musicals meant to pop culture over the past hundred years? Are they merely escapist fluff, or can they offer commentary along the way?

James Dean, who died seventy years ago in September, left behind three classic films and a reputation for coolness that has long outlived his 24 years. What can we say about the influence he had on acting and culture, and what do East of Eden, Rebel Without a Cause, and Giant still have to say to us?

Sinners. Moonlight. Get Out. One Night in Miami. Recent years have seen an impressive array of critically and commercially successful films from Black directors in every genre. But African-Americans have been making movies since the beginning of film, even when they weren’t being seen. We’ll look at some of the pioneers of African-American cinema from Oscar Micheaux, Spike Lee, Charles Burnett, and Tyler Perry to today’s breakout directors like Jordan Peele, Ava DuVernay, Barry Jenkins, and Ryan Coogler.

Alfred Hitchcock made over 50 films in six decades and had a reputation for both transforming the genre of suspense and for being a difficult man to work with. We’ll explore his highlights, some hidden gems, and look at the legacy of his work still alive today over forty years after his death.

We all love a good laugh and a chance to escape. But have you ever thought about where the classic kinds of comedy come from? What connects Charlie Chaplin, Cary Grant, the Marx Brothers, and Some Like It Hot? We’ll explore the origins of humor in Hollywood and celebrate the pioneers of silent, screwball, and situation comedy with a view to appreciating our comedians as skilled technicians as well as just funny people.

Palm trees, beaches, volcanoes, and hula dancers have made Hawaii one of Hollywood’s favorite destinations for nearly a century. But beyond the postcard images lies a fascinating history of changing attitudes toward the Pacific and its people. From romantic musicals and wartime dramas to modern films made by Indigenous filmmakers, we’ll explore how movies have reflected—and sometimes challenged—our ideas about paradise, family, identity, and home. Along the way we’ll revisit beloved classics, discover remarkable international films, and see why the Pacific continues to captivate audiences around the world.

Robert Redford passed away last September at the age of 89. During his long life, he might have been remembered as an old school movie star, a celebrated director, or the founder of a major nonprofit that celebrates and promotes independent cinema–but he did all three with a grace and panache that will not easily be forgotten. Come celebrate his work before, behind, and beside the camera and remember the Sundance kid himself.

Teenagers as a modern concept arose around the same time as rock and roll and the drive in movie. We’ll look at how Hollywood capitalized on a teen sensation, who was watching and appearing in movies like Rock Around the Clock, and how rock and roll has been later addressed and assessed in biopics and nostalgia films.

Every culture has a tradition of stories of young lovers beating the odds. But how did Hollywood turn that basic storyline into the screwball comedy, the “meet cute,” and make the careers of actors from Cary Grant to Meg Ryan to Paul Rudd? Are they “just chick flicks,” or does “Much Ado About Nothing” prefigure the modern romance? Celebrate Valentine’s Day by getting a few recommendations and sharing your own!

From Tugboat Annie to Sleepless in Seattle to Fifty Shades of Grey, Seattle has a long history as a place to set a story, film a story, or even both! We’ll explore the legacy Seattle has left on film, what movies tell us about our city, what they leaves out, and share our favorites. Whether you’re a Fabulous Baker Boy, McQ, Elvis, or Lloyd Dobbler standing outside with a boombox, there’s something to discover about Seattle through the lens of how the rest of the world sees us.

What happens when a new generation of filmmakers grows up watching classic Hollywood, studies filmmaking in film school, and then gets the chance to reinvent the movies?

We’ll meet the filmmakers of New Hollywood—including Francis Ford Coppola, Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, David Lynch, George Romero, and Martin Scorsese—and explore the cultural and technological changes that transformed American cinema in the 1960s and ’70s. How did these filmmakers challenge the Hollywood establishment, and how did they change the movies we watch today?

Starting with the original series in 1966, and continuing up to today’s Strange New Worlds and Starfleet Academy, Star Trek on television and in cinema has shown us a future where we solve our earthly differences, meet and work with other species, and explore the stars. In this talk we’ll catch up on the series you might have missed and talk about the type of future they envision for us. How likely is that future, and what is science fiction’s role in showing us both the good and the bad possibilities? We’ll also talk about some of our favorite characters, moments, and scientific and cultural contributions directly related to this franchise which turns 60 this year! 

Time travel has been a literary device since at least 1733, but film took the concept and ran with it. Why are movies so enamored of time travel as a plot device, what are some of the most popular time travel movies, and what do they tell us about the times we live in?

Lon Chaney’s The Phantom of the Opera just turned 100. This Halloween, we’ll look back at how Universal turned a couple of Victorian novels into a genre juggernaut and revisit the origins of Dracula, Frankenstein, the Wolf Man, the Invisible Man, and all their descendants. Why was this type of story so successful in the early 1930s? And why has their legacy continued?

Las Vegas has long been known for its gambling, nightlife, and live shows and bills itself as the “Entertainment Capital of the World.” But you don’t have to go there to get a taste for Sin City. Join us as Danny Ocean (both Frank Sinatra and George Clooney), James Bond, Hunter S. Thompson, Clark Griswold, and recent Oscar winner Anora show us the bright lights and dark underbelly of the Strip.

For Women’s History Month, we look at the ways women have always been active in Hollywood, not just as stars but behind the camera as well. Learn the ways pioneers like Anita Loos, Mary Pickford, Dorothy Arzner, Ida Lupino, Edith Head, and Hedy Lamarr forged new paths for women and made lasting contributions, even when they were not always celebrated in the moment. And celebrate the way directors like Kathryn Bigelow, Chloé Zhao, Greta Gerwig, Celine Song, and Nia DaCosta are paving the way today.

From the beginning of film, producers and directors have sought the works of the past to inspire their own. At first glance that might seem obvious–a story is a story, and we’ve always had our favorites. But in this class we’ll look at the different ways books have made their way to the screen, both the reasons (popularity, financial incentives, established credibility, creative and interpretive opportunities) and the concerns (medium, time constraints, fidelity, audience interpretation, visual complexity).

What makes a “good” adaptation? Why are certain works adapted over and over? How do you translate words into image, sound, and movement? What’s the place of “fidelity” in moving a story from page to screen? And what are some of the most successful–and infamous–film adaptations of the written word?

“When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.” But what does that mean when it comes to what may be the most prolific fictional character on screen? What is the truth of Sherlock Holmes? In this [three/four] week course we’ll get an overview of Holmes on film, delve into
the relative merits of each adaptation, and discuss the biggest question of all: Why is Holmes such an enduring character? [This is a much more in depth version of the one hour lecture.]

Horror, as a genre, has often been dismissed as low brow, inexpensive, or sensationalist fare. But in spite, or perhaps because of, this dismissal, the history of horror is also a history of what we, as a
society, fear. In this class we’ll take a look at how our concerns have been mirrored by movies over time and what horror says about those fears.

Starting with its origins in Gothic fiction, we’ll trace modern horror from the silent era through the monster films of the 30s, the atomic era and the Red Scare of the 50s, and onward with madmen-next-door, environmental threats, technological innovations run amok, religious extremism, immigration, and other fears. And we’ll look at how vampires, zombies, ghosts, haunted houses, and all the other trappings of the genre have become flexible containers for what really scares us about The Other… and ourselves.

We all ‘know’ that the Beatles reshaped popular music in the 20th century, but their impact on fashion, film, politics, and popular culture is sometimes taken for granted. This course explores the
Beatles’ extraordinary journey from postwar Liverpool to worldwide stardom and a legacy that reaches to the present day. We’ll trace their evolution from early Beatlemania to the innovative studio years to the parting of the ways, considering how their work reflected—and transformed—the turbulent 1960s. Along the way, we’ll examine the social and historical forces that shaped their rise, their impact on youth and identity, and the ways their image and music continue to resonate today.

The course combines lecture, discussion, music and video clips, but it is not a technical music appreciation class. No prior musical knowledge is required—just curiosity about the phenomenon that
was, and is, the Beatles and the world they helped shape.

Movies and television are more than entertainment. They are among the most influential ways societies express their hopes, fears, values, conflicts, and dreams. To understand film is also to gain a deeper understanding of the culture that produced it.

This course introduces students to the language of cinema while exploring how visual storytelling creates meaning. Through film clips, discussion, and historical context, participants will learn how filmmakers use image, editing, sound, performance, genre, and narrative to shape audience experience and communicate ideas.

At the same time, the course examines movies as cultural artifacts that both reflect and influence the world around them. From changing social values to historical events and collective anxieties, films provide a unique window into the concerns of their moment and the reasons certain stories continue to resonate across generations.

Designed for both casual viewers and dedicated movie lovers, this course offers practical tools for discussing and interpreting film while fostering a deeper appreciation for the ways cinema helps us understand ourselves and the society in which we live.