Alien Encounters: Sci-Fi Movies and the Cold War Culture of the 1950s. Film critic, Robert Horton, will examine the underlying political and social anxieties that resulted in the alien-invasion scenarios of 1950s science fiction films, citing movies both thoughtful (Invasion of the Body Snatchers) and silly (Earth vs. the Flying Saucers). Using clips to illustrate, he will discuss individual titles that provide angles on Atomic Age concerns. Comparisons will be drawn with similar offerings today (including the 2005 War of the Worlds remake), demonstrating how pop culture always reflects its era.