MOVIE REVIEW: 10 Days In A Madhouse will stick with you! - Best Feminist

Going on this journey with Nellie Bly, 10 Days

In A Madhouse will stick with you!

10 DAYS IN A MADHOUSE MOVIES REVIEWS BEST FEMINIST

5 out of 5 STARS



January 18, 2015 By Erika Jones

Sitting in the theater, I squirmed in my seat, impatient for the movie to begin and finally see Nellie Bly up on the big screen.

Well, okay. Cards on the table, I didn't really know anything about Nellie Bly before discovering this movie, save a few passing remembrances of grade school history classes various "important people to know" but I should have! Come on, a badass feminist icon getting a film all about her? Yes please. So finally, when the screen projected the familiar green rating sign and the lights dim in the theater, the first images of the film appeared.

At first I was a bit skeptical - a medical room, a woman being held down while being watched over by a well groomed authoritarian looking man (what turns out to be a fascinatingly complicated and quietly tragic performance by Christopher Lambert). The chilling scene is well done, but familiar. Oppressed girls, cruel white men, tears. Everything is terrible.

Was this what the film was going to be? I laid back in my seat, preparing myself to settle in for two hours of thrashing, beatings, and crying women, watching Nellie's spirit be broken by the system. oh what a world, isn't it Nellie?
But then the movie surprised me.

After the opening credits had rolled, (an unsettling yet mesmerizing slideshow of old photographs, slowly having been made to move- listing slightly to one side, or a rogue arm waving hauntingly back at the audience) the movie begins on a different note, we are finally introduced to a chipper bright eyed Nellie Bly (played by the equally exuberant newcomer Caroline Barry) as she approaches an old timey news building.

Bly's incessant smile is almost comical, in fact being pointed out and chastised as she talks to a superior inside the news building. It's there that she gets her famous marching orders - to feign insanity to get into 'the madhouse'- Blackwell's lunatic Asylum. Just these first 20 minutes of the movie prove a nice reprieve from the intensity of the opening scene, even having a few fun borderline silly moments and touching performances.

And Bly's fearless nature, seeming to ignore all of the patriarchal bonds shackled on her as she walks confidently into a room (and a career) full of men was exciting and inspiring. I was on board, I was hyped! and when the time came for Bly to go into the madhouse, I shifted uncomfortably in my seat, anxious for how this aspect of her journey would be portrayed.

"I was on board, I was hyped! and when the time came for Bly to go into the madhouse, I shifted uncomfortably in my seat, anxious for how this aspect of her journey would be portrayed."

The madhouse is dirty, and uncomfortable to watch. The abusive crew of negligent nurses in the asylum, spearheaded by a delightfully dark and unstable Ms. Grupe (Played by Alexandra Callas) deliver equal part disdainful indifference and malice to the patients of Blackwell's. There are cringe worthy scenes of violence, and an array of colorful patients, but what had me leaving the theater so satisfied was the theme of hope.

It is an interesting phenomenon, because even through all of the unspeakable cruelty and horrible conditions, you can't help but believe in the plucky Nellie Bly- due in no small part to newcomer Barry's ability to carry the story of our heroes infallible good nature so deftly. There is growth with many characters- good and bad, portraying a refreshing array of grays shaded in between the black and white of good and evil, caretaking and cruelty.

The film is intense, difficult to watch at times, and yes there is thrashing and crying. But what's important is what they're using the violence to show- not just to victimize these women, but to uplift and show the unyielding resilience of not only women, but people.

Going on this journey with Nellie, watching her fight and persevere, her famous unfailing optimism grows, changes, evolves- but it never quite leaves her, or us. 10 Days In A Madhouse will stick with you. The struggles, the injustices, the hope. but mostly I think it'll be that great wide smile of Nellie Bly's.

Jada Pinkett Smith condemns Academy Awards for lack of diversity among nominees

There is no excuse for the lack of diversity amongst nominees...

Jada Pinkett Smith condemns Academy Awards for lack of diversity among nominees

BY PETER SBLENDORIO 

 

NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

 

Sunday, January 17, 2016, 11:58 AM

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Jada Pinkett-Smith Debates Boycotting the Oscars Due To Lack of Diversity in Nominations

Entertainment Tonight

She's certainly not thanking the Academy.

Actress Jada Pinkett Smith slammed the Oscars selection committee for only nominating white actors for awards at next month's highly anticipated show — and even questioned whether actors of color should boycott the prestigious ceremony altogether. "At the Oscars, people of color are always welcomed to give out awards, even entertain, but we are rarely recognized for our artistic accomplishments," she wrote on Facebook and Twitter.

"Should people of color refrain from participating all together?" she continued. "People can only treat us in the way in which we allow. With much respect in the midst of deep disappointment, J."

Pinkett Smith was one of many people outraged by the lack of diversity among this year's nominees — especially considering this is the second consecutive year that only white actors were nominated for an Oscar.

One of the most notable snubs in this year's show is Pinkett Smith's husband, Will Smith, who dazzled in his dramatic portrayal of Dr. Bennet Omalu in 2015's harrowing NFL medical tell-all, "Concussion."

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Star Wars: The Force Awakens to Feminism - Column

The Force Awakens... addresses many of the feminist fans' basic concerns, sidestepping unnecessarily revealing costumes and passing the Bechdel Test — that is, the movie features at least two women who talk to each other about something other than a man. Women hold plenty of bit parts, portraying villagers fighting for their homes, combat pilots, mechanics, medics and a terrifying storm trooper captain. But the film also contains strong female role models who are both young and old. Gen. Leia is a seasoned leader with just a hint of the spunky, fearless teenager who once jumped into a Death Star garbage chute.

In Rey, I saw a character who would have thrilled and inspired 6-year-old me, but her storyline contains echoes of much more: The bravery of the World War II Army nurses I interviewed a few years ago. The desire for independence I see in my female students. The tenacity of my great-grandmother who, as a very young woman, walked alone across Europe to escape the shattered Austro-Hungarian Empire.  These are important and interesting aspects of the female experience and are too often omitted from pop culture.

Even the Force itself is illuminated primarily through female voices. Leia is the first character to utter the phrase “may the force be with you.” And while Han Solo tells Rey that the Jedi Order is real, it’s the mysterious Maz Kanata who presents her with a lightsaber.

Yes, Rey is overpowered and imprisoned by a villain in a black mask, but her capture is as much a path to personal discovery as it is a plot device to keep the boys moving along. And yes, it’s the quest for a man — Luke Skywalker — that drives the entire plot. But Rey is successful in finding him largely because of the wisdom and power of other women.

Read the full column here: http://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2016/01/05/star-wars-force-awakens-feminism-column/78265780/

The 5 Best Feminist Quotes Of The Past Week Were Heard By Millions & That's Something To Be Proud Of

The Golden Globes, the State of the Union, and, well, Twitter were among the biggest platforms for talking about feminism this week. If you think about it, it's remarkable — and inspiring — that these outlets have become platforms for gender equality given their reach in our country. Thanks to these platforms, the best feminist quotes of the past week likely reached millions of ears.

Last Sunday, an estimated 18.5 million people watched the 2016 Golden Globes. On Tuesday, more than 30 million people watched President Obama deliver his final State of the Union address. Although both of these audiences were smaller this year than last year, that's still millions of people hearing and watching a primetime program with feminist perspectives woven throughout. Then, of course, there's Twitter. There are hundreds of millions of people on Twitter around the world, and hundreds of thousands of new users signing upevery day. The best feminist tweets of this week weren't only posted to millions of followers (thank you, Emma Watson), but also retweeted thousands of times, hopefully reaching an even wider audience.

It's easy to celebrate when a big name (someone like President Obama) says something feminist — and we should indeed celebrate it. But this week, I'd like to celebrate the millions of people who heard or saw that feminism because, ultimately, isn't it a receptive audience that helps to make their statements so powerful?

Kate Winslet's Girl Power

Handout/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images

Kate Winslet was honored with the Golden Globe for best supporting actress for her role in Steve Jobs. Even before thanking her co-star Michael Fassbender and production team, Winslet proclaimed, "I just want to start by saying, what an incredible year for women in film." She continued her feminist thoughts in the press room afterward:

I just think that women are doing such great work. I think that there's a lot of us out there in the game. And I've been doing this for 23 years now; Cate Blanchett's been doing it for probably longer, actually. And then there's Helen Mirren and Jane Fonda. I mean, these wonderful women, who we're so fortunate to stand alongside and to learn from, still. And it's just incredibly exciting to have that array of skill for all of us to be inspired by and to be a part of. That is just wonderful. It really feels fantastic. And there's a real sense of girl power in this year in terms of performance. And it's just incredible to be a part of that.

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