I Heart Huckabees
Before the film, mathematician and author Joseph Mazur will talk about math and the myth of coincidences.
In David O. Russell's self-described "existential comedy", environmentalist Albert (Jason Schwartzman) enlists the services of "existential detectives" Bernard (Dustin Hoffman) and Vivian (Lily Tomlin) to solve the meaning of a succession of strange coincidences. The investigators conclude that the backstabbing Brad (Jude Law) -- a public relations manager at big-box retailer Huckabees -- is at the root of Albert's angst. Brad tries to turn the tables, however, by hiring the philosophic duo for his own nefarious purposes. Co-starring Mark Wahlberg and Naomi Watts.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Joseph Mazur is Professor Emeritus of Mathematics at Marlboro College, in Marlboro, Vermont. He holds a Ph.D. in Mathematics from M.I.T., is a recipient of fellowships from the Guggenheim, Bogliasco, and Rockefeller Foundations, among others. His works have appeared in Nature, The New York Times, The Guardian, The Wall Street Journal, Slate, Science, and many other publications. He has been profiled in media venues such as NPR's "The Hidden Brain" and PRI's "Innovation Lab", CBS, the BBC, Vox, Radio Australia, Radio Ireland, and dozens of others. He is the author of Euclid in the Rainforest: Discovering Universal Truth in Mathematics; The Motion Paradox: The 2,500-Year Old Puzzle Behind All the Mysteries of Time and Space; What’s Luck Got to Do with It? The History, Mathematics, and Psychology behind the Gambler’s Illusion; Enlightening Symbols: A Short History of Mathematical Notation and Its Hidden Powers; and Fluke: The Math and Myth of Coincidence. The Clock Mirage: Our Myth of Measured Time is his latest book.
