Noah Hawley’s new television series “Fargo” has been held in critical acclaim, having already aired two seasons, and with an upcoming third season starring Ewan McGregor, Carrie Coon and Mary Elizabeth Winstead. In between, Hawley has created what could potentially be one of the most twisted and confusing mind-benders of all time: “Legion.”

      A TV show based on the Marvel comic book character of the same name, “Legion” is the story of David Haller, a severely paranoid, schizophrenic mutant (a person with abilities that normal humans lack) with the ability to hear people’s thoughts and move things with his mind. With the help of his romantic interest and her mysterious companions, David goes on a journey to find out just who he really is…and isn’t.

      From the start, “Legion” messes with your mind. Set in a non-specified ‘60s/‘70s blend of a world, characters, events and places pop up with no frame of reference. Under no circumstance can you go into this show knowing every single thing that will happen on screen. Some things are put there as references to other things, and other things simply occur just to mess with your head, such as a random choreographed dance sequence in the first episode. Are we perhaps meant to see the show the way David sees things himself?

      The very British “Downton Abbey” and “Beauty and the Beast” star Dan Stevens portrays the American David Haller, and so far, I do not detect any slip in his attempt at an American accent. Take notes, Ewan McGregor. Portraying his friend Sydney “Syd” Barrett (named after the bassist of Pink Floyd), who has the ability to switch bodies with another person if she touches them (I know, it is complicated to explain, but visually is easy to understand), is Rachel Keller, a relatively newer actress who most notably appeared as Jean Smart’s two-timing granddaughter Simone Gerhardt in “Fargo Year 2.” Smart, who previously appeared in and won awards for her Emmy-nominated role as the steely crime matriarch Floyd Gerhardt in “Fargo Year 2,” makes yet another triumphant return to form as Melanie Bird, an empathic psychotherapist who uses unconventional methods to help David hone his psychic powers. Fun fact: Jean Smart joined the series immediately when asked by Hawley, despite knowing nothing about the source material. That, my friends, is true devotion.

      Aubrey Plaza resurfaces from her role as April Ludgate on “Parks and Recreation” to play David’s friend Lenny, who has a history of drug abuse and may or may not be real. Bill Irwin, Jeremie Harris and Amber Midthunder appear as fellow specialists of Bird’s. Katie Aselton portrays Amy Haller, David’s sweet but misguided sister who tries everything to remain positive in spite of her brother’s mental illness. Interestingly enough, Amy’s clothing and hairstyle are certainly reminiscent of the mid-1960s, and yes, there are shag carpets. There are several references to Marvel’s “X-Men” comics, since David Haller originated as the time-dispersed son of Professor Charles Xavier in the comic books, such as Melanie Bird’s white ensemble and blonde hair, a possible nod to Emma Frost. Sydney appears to be loosely based on Rogue, with her powers involving touch.

      The show goes above and beyond in its depiction of mental illness. David, Lenny and Sydney are institutionalized at the start of the show at Clockworks, where everyone wears orange (this is a nod to “A Clockwork Orange”) and are subjected to rather unconventional methods of treatment. David’s mental illness serves as the catalyst for the rest of the show. David himself is an unreliable narrator, since we know from the get-go that he is not (completely) crazy. Even after learning that he’s not crazy, his lifelong traumas, his difficulty in controlling his mutant abilities and hints that at least some of his problems are psychological in nature constantly make you question everything that’s happening whenever he’s on screen. Whom can he trust, and what can he feel?

      Sources: Comic Book Resources, Hollywood Reporter

      Who would have thought that the 2017 Oscars would have given us one of the most controversial moments of the year? The Academy Awards were in full swing on Feb. 26. Hosted by late-night host Jimmy Kimmel, the awards were a mixture of joy, sorrow, confusion and controversy. Let me also say that Black History Month started off with Beyoncé pregnant with twins and ended with “Moonlight,” a queer African-American film, winning Best Picture at the Oscars. Could this be a sign that change is finally happening?

       The show started out fine; Justin Timberlake opened with his hit song that I won’t even waste my time discussing. Jimmy Kimmel opened with several “jokes,” ranging from Isabelle Huppert getting past Homeland Security to calling out Meryl Streep for being overrated. (In all honesty, she stole Amy Adams’ nomination, so the criticism, joking or otherwise, is perfectly valid. Meryl could have a kidney removed, and she would still get nominated.)

      My favorite outfits of the night belonged to the stars of “Hidden Figures”: Taraji P. Henson, Janelle Monáe and Octavia Spencer. The three presented alongside one of the real-life women portrayed in the film, 98-year-old NASA physicist Katherine Johnson.

      There was a (questionably) staged moment with “unsuspecting” tourists who clearly were so “unaware” that they were not actually visiting a museum of Oscar gowns, but rather the actual ceremony. Bags of candy also launched down from the sky several times, and Ryan Gosling gave his bag to one of the tourists.

      Nicole Kidman was as radiant as always, and she ended up clapping like the Grinch. “Nicole’s Grinchhands” was trending on Twitter as a result, forcing the lovely Aussie to give a literal clapback in response: “you try to clap when you’re wearing half-a-million dollars worth of jewels.” She was very excited when doughnuts floated down from the sky in mini-parachutes toward the end of the show.

      Casey Affleck won for his boring film produced by Matt Damon, and I honestly expected Brie Larson to drop the award on his foot. This begs the question: should Hollywood be glorifying those accused of sexual assault, like Affleck? Emma Stone, Viola Davis and Mahershala Ali won for Best Actress, Supporting Actress and Supporting Actor, respectively. Ali is the first Muslim man to win an Oscar, and, according to theGrio, this year’s Academy Awards “marked the most African-American actors to win in a single night since 2007.” However, Davis and Ali, both people of color, won for supporting roles rather than lead roles. Is Hollywood still biased?

      Emma Stone won for “La La Land,” and while I detest the film, I liked her speech. She at least mentioned Isabelle Huppert, the lovely French goddess who should have won over her. “Suicide Squad” and “Hacksaw Ridge” combined won more awards than there are Oscar-winning female directors. Is this lack of Oscar-winning female directors a problem? However, this means that since “Suicide Squad” won an Oscar, you can accomplish anything in your life, so go get that job promotion/ring/man.

      The most talked-about and most controversial moment in Oscars history occurred that evening, when  Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty presented the award for Best Picture. One of the Academy’s accountants accidentally gave Beatty a copy of the Best Actress envelope instead of the Best Picture envelope. Beatty looked confused as he silently read the award and showed it to Dunaway, who assumed it meant “La La Land” won  Best Picture, but, in actuality, “Moonlight” was the winner. It was an awkward moment when the “La La Land” team up on stage had to give their award away to the cast and crew of “Moonlight” instead.

      Watching Ryan Gosling’s face, I could tell he only did “La La Land” for a paycheck. Warren Beatty looked confused. One could only guess what was going through Faye Dunaway’s mind, but I am sure Bette Davis is up in heaven laughing hysterically at her second female nemesis’ flub, though in the end it all worked out. “La La Land” losing Best Picture is a milestone in history, and, as Alphonse Elric puts it, “humankind cannot gain anything without first giving something in return. To obtain, something of equal value must be lost. That is alchemy’s first law of equivalent exchange.”

      In spite of the horrendous mix-up, I loved the outfits, I didn’t mind the humor and I was glad to have witnessed the powerful “Moonlight,” a film about black queer love and relationships, win Best Picture. The only other question I have is how the Academy is going to outdo themselves next year.

      Sources: theGrio, Twitter, Vanity Fair, YouTube

     “Shame isn’t a strong enough emotion to stop us from doing anything at all. Believe me.” One of the most overlooked of all of the award-winning films that were released this year, Paul Verhoeven’s psychological thriller “Elle” is certainly one of the darker-themed ones. The film is a remarkable study of emotion, sexuality and revenge. The film concerns one woman’s quest to seek revenge against her rapist, but this is not your typical rape-to-revenge film. The film is corrosive, and it tempts you with its sly camera angles and reaction shots.

     Leading actress Isabelle Huppert has won numerous awards for her role as Michèle Leblanc, the CEO of a video game company and daughter of a famous serial killer, who gets assaulted in her home by a masked intruder. The very first scene shows her lying on the floor, her blouse open, as her attacker gets off of her and adjusts his clothes. We are given occasional reactions from her black cat who is watching nearby. This is unusually buried by the following undisturbed normalcy of her life. She almost carelessly spills the incident out to her friends and ex-partner as their sumptuous restaurant dinner is about to commence.

     “Elle” isn’t a story centered on rape and revenge; it has its mesmerizing genre swing set to outrival the rape. Michèle encounters amusing troubles with her son and his pregnant girlfriend. She, somewhat dispassionately, gives in to her close friend’s husband’s carnal desires that she once enjoyed. Michèle’s eccentricity toys with the audience’s empathy toward her for a while, and the audience never knows if all her maneuvers are just to strangle his sick, savage instincts. She boldly bares her sadistic side on a number of occasions. The guessing game can be easily won the few times Michèle is clueless about certain happenings: for instance, when she tries to find out about the sender of a gruesome animated video in which her face is morphed into one of the characters of her company’s popular video game. The attacker being the true victim of his attacks from the very beginning is what enriches “Elle”’s complicated beauty. “Elle”’s fluid sexual politics help to showcase a film that can be viewed as gloriously empowering. It is a biting portrait of a feminine resolve with sly humor mixed in.

     This film is Verhoeven’s comeback film. He is best known for films like “Starship Troopers” and “Black Book” (the latter of which stars the fiery red priestess Melisandre herself, Carice van Houten). Huppert’s performance has earned her critical acclaim, as she has won a Golden Globe award, a National Society of Film Critics award, the New York Film Circle Critics award, the Los Angeles Film Critics award and the Gotham Independent Film award, all for Best Actress, in addition to scoring 14 other awards for this role. She is also nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress, her main competition being “La La Land” lead Emma Stone.

     I believe this film is essential viewing for anyone to feel empowered, not to have shame be the reason one does not act out. As Michèle demonstrates, victims can rise above guilt to triumph against the face of evil.

     On Jan. 21, millions of women and men across the globe marched together in solidarity to protest, among other matters, the presidency of Donald Trump. Among the public marching were celebrities such as Ian McKellen, Nick Offerman and Cher. Several prominent female celebrities, specifically Scarlett Johansson, Madonna and Ashley Judd, delivered powerful speeches at the march to rally and empower women everywhere.

     Actress Scarlett Johansson, who focused her speech on speaking out in favor of Planned Parenthood, said, “For the more than 2.5 million patients a year that rely on Planned Parenthood services for cancer and STD screenings, birth control, safe abortion and pregnancy planning, these are uncertain and anxious times. Lawmakers in 24 states have tried to block patients from receiving care at Planned Parenthood. Congress has voted to limit reproductive services nine times. There are consequences to limiting access to what should be considered basic health care.” Her speech was cut off mid-sentence, and she left the podium in anger.

     In her speech, Madonna rallied a crowd with her fiery language, calling them to choose love over hate. She also said she “thought an awful lot about blowing up the White House.” This drew some criticism from many people. Singer and activist Cyndi Lauper criticized Madonna’s speech, stating, “I don’t think that it served our purpose. Anger is not better than clarity and humanity. That is what opens people’s minds.” Madonna later clarified some of her comments on Instagram, saying, “I do not promote violence, and it’s important people hear and understand my speech in its entirety rather than one phrase taken wildly out of context….I know that acting out of anger doesn’t solve anything. And the only way to change things for the better is to do it with love.” Trump slammed Madge, calling her speech “disgusting,” and a Texas radio station has vowed never to play any of her music again.

     Last but not least, we come to the most talked-about of all celebrity speeches that day, Ashley Judd’s slam poetry attack on Trump. Reading a poem titled “Nasty Woman” written by a 19 year old girl from Nashville, Judd’s words struck swift and fierce as she criticized Trump’s policies and behavior toward women.

     “I am not nasty like the combo of Trump and Pence being served up to me in my voting booths. I’m nasty like the battles my grandmothers fought to get me into that voting booth. I’m nasty like the fight for wage equality. Why is the work of a black woman and a Hispanic woman worth only 63 and 54 cents of a white man’s privileged daughter?…I am nasty like my bloodstains on my bed sheets. We don’t actually choose if and when to have our periods. Believe me, if we could some of us would….Tell me, why are pads and tampons still taxed when Viagra and Rogaine are not?…Is the bloodstain on my jeans more embarrassing than the thinning of your hair?”

     Judd shared that her hatred of Trump goes even further. One of Judd’s best friends married into Trump’s family, and Judd has met him at social events regularly for more than 15 years. She stated that he once made gross remarks about the wife of one of his own family members to her (specifically about the woman’s breasts).

     Through their speeches these women sought to take a public stand for the rights of women everywhere. They also sought to inspire the next generation of women and let them know that men may currently hold most of the power, but the tides are shifting toward equality.

     Sources: Rolling Stone, Twitter, YouTube

     In 2016, we lost a lot of people, both famous and non-famous. It almost seemed like a rehash of 2009, another year in which a bunch of celebrities died. They dropped out one by one this past year: Prince, David Bowie, Natalie Cole, Alan Rickman and Patty Duke, to name a few. Nobody thought that it could get any worse than 2009, but oh, were they wrong. 2016 came along with a vengeance, and she was not going to stop until she had claimed the best of the best in show business.

     Just two days after Christmas, Carrie Fisher passed away in the hospital, with her mother Debbie Reynolds unexpectedly following a day later. Following a book tour to promote her second memoir, “The Princess Diarist,” on a Dec. 23 flight from the U.K. to Los Angeles, Fisher suffered a massive heart attack and was hospitalized on a ventilator, dying four days later. Fisher’s mother, Debbie Reynolds, went home and passed away the following day due to complications from a stroke, but it is said she died of a literal broken heart, with her last words being, “I want to be with Carrie.” Fisher’s remains were placed in a replica Prozac pill per her request, and she and Reynolds were buried side by side at Hollywood’s Forrest Lawn Cemetery. Mourners included Meg Ryan, Meryl Streep and Mark Hamill.

     It is a truly sad thing that mother and daughter are both no more, albeit both dying within hours of each other, but it can happen. Reynolds and Fisher seemed like a perfect mother-daughter combination in Hollywood, but this was not the case at first. Throughout her life, Debbie Reynolds put up with a lot of disasters, including husband Eddie Fisher leaving her for best friend Elizabeth Taylor. This, my friends, was the (wait for it…) “Brangelina” of the old Hollywood years. Reynolds holds prominence in films like “Singin’ In  The Rain” and “The ‘Unsinkable’ Molly Brown,” and younger viewers may recognize her as Aggie Cromwell in the 1998 Disney Channel film “Halloweentown” and the voice of Charlotte in the 1973 animated film “Charlotte’s Web.”

     Her daughter, Carrie Fisher, is pretty much defined by one role, and one role only: Princess Leia Organa in the “Star Wars” franchise. Before production started on “Episode IV,” due to the limited budget, the American cast and crew members flew economy class, rather than first class, to England. When Reynolds heard about this, she called director George Lucas to complain. Lucas handed the phone to Fisher who simply said, “Mother, I want to fly coach. Will you [expletive] off?!” and hung up. There were a number of oddities Fisher encountered during production of “Star Wars,” all of which she recounted in her memoir-turned-HBO comedy special “Wishful Drinking.” For example, when asked why she was not allowed to wear a bra during the filming of “Episode IV,” Lucas responded with a tart, “Because…there are no bras or underwear in space.” Fisher stated in her memoir, “I want it reported that I drowned in moonlight, strangled by my own bra” as a result. Fisher had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and battled addictions to cocaine and prescription medication. She claimed her drug use was a form of self-medication, and she battled these addictions throughout the ‘80s and into the ‘90s. Eventually she got sober and became an advocate for awareness surrounding mental illness and addiction. Prior to her death, Fisher had finished filming for the upcoming “Star Wars: Episode VIII,” and Disney has stated that there are no plans to “digitally recreate” her as they did in the “Rogue One” prequel. When asked about being defined as Princess Leia, she stated, “Princess Leia got famous. I just happened to look like her. I still am Princess Leia. It doesn’t go away when they say ‘cut.’ She can do anything; she can do what she can do, and she can do what she can’t.” In the end, we did not just lose a space princess: we lost an icon, a mental health advocate and a friend.

     Sources: ABC News; Carrie Fisher, “Wishful Drinking”; Vanity Fair

     Mental health is a very common yet complicated issue. Sylvia Plath wrote her only novel about it, a Roman à clef titled “The Bell Jar.” When we see celebrities who deal with mental health issues, they tend to be glamorized and mocked in the media. The arts as a profession is certainly guilty of sensationalizing mental illness, such as in the case of Frances Farmer or the film “Girl, Interrupted.” Celebrities such as Gary Busey and Amanda Bynes have had their illnesses made visible in the media. “Star Wars” actress Carrie Fisher ended up turning her battle with bipolar disorder into a book-turned-Meryl Streep-film “Postcards From the Edge,” and later a best-selling memoir and stage show titled “Wishful Drinking.” However, in most cases cries for help go ignored, and many celebrities are forgotten about or harvested into juicy fodder for the tabloids.

     On Nov. 18, actress Shelley Duvall appeared disoriented and ill on the television show “Dr. Phil.” In it, Phil “Not an Actual Doctor” McGraw interviewed a very disheveled and haggard-looking Duvall, who has not been seen on camera since 2002, on her life and experiences with mental illness. Duvall is best known for her roles in films like “Popeye” and “The Shining” and the television series “Faerie Tale Theatre” and has also been mocked and parodied on television sitcoms like “Family Guy.” Duvall has gained notoriety for her reclusive nature, with tabloids claiming as far back as 2006 that she is quite possibly insane, going so far as to enter a hardware store to request materials to board up a hole in her backyard to “prevent the aliens from coming out.” The 67 year old actress expressed delusions and spoke in nonsensical dialogue, stringing similar words and phrases together (for example, “I’m the only Shelley Duvall, Shelley Hack, Shelley Long, who’s the fat woman in that movie about the upside-down boat-P-P…Poseidon Adventure, that one. Winters, Shelley Winters.”) Duvall claims that the late Robin Williams is still alive, that she is being threatened by the Sheriff of Nottingham and that she has a “worrying disc” in her leg. During the interview she admitted, “I am very sick. I need help.” She was sent to a treatment center in California shortly after the taping of the interview, where she refused to take medication. She checked out after five days and is currently back in Texas. Several people, including actress Mia Farrow, actor Patton Oswalt and Vivian Kubrick, the daughter of “The Shining” director Stanley Kubrick, have called out Dr. Phil on this interview for exploiting and taking advantage of the mentally ill. Stanley Kubrick, in fact, is notorious for having feuded with Duvall on the set of “The Shining.” Kubrick not only told the cast and crew to ignore Duvall but infamously called for her to rehearse a scene where Jack Nicholson breaks down a door with an axe as she screams hysterically on the other side wielding a baseball bat more than 120 times, and it was so straining that clumps of Duvall’s hair fell out. Vivian Kubrick, perhaps feeling guilty about the way her father treated Duvall, has volunteered to raise money to get Duvall proper treatment; however, this is not without controversy, as Vivian Kubrick is a noted Scientologist. The Actors Fund has also volunteered to help obtain funds for Duvall’s treatment. Only time will tell what the future holds for the troubled actress, but now we finally know exactly what has happened to Shelley Duvall.

     In closing, I would like to note that mental illness is not something to be mocked or joked about, because in the end, one does not know what another person is feeling and going through. Several members of my family suffer from mental illnesses such as bipolar disorder. I grew up watching “Faerie Tale Theatre,” and I admire Shelley Duvall for her fascinating career. It pains me to see her exploited in the media like this. Her case is just one of thousands that occur every day under our noses, so I can only hope we do what we can to help those who are struggling with mental illness. If you or someone you know is struggling with mental illness, please tell someone, or contact the National Alliance on Mental Illness at nami.org or by calling 800-950-NAMI.

     Sources: Rolling Stone, Us Weekly, YouTube

     I believe there is a lot to be desired when a novel is adapted for the big screen. Sometimes an adaptation of a book can work, such as in the cases of “Stardust” and “Gone Girl.” Sometimes it does not work, like in the cases of “Fifty Shades of Grey” and the “Divergent” series. When Paula Hawkins released “The Girl on the Train” in Jan. 2015, it took the literary world by storm, selling 11 million copies worldwide. The rights to a potential film version were even in the works before Hawkins had finished writing the book. So how does “TGOTT” fare in today’s age of cinema?

     We open with Rachel, a divorced alcoholic prone to blackouts, living in New York with roommate Cathy (Laura Prepon) who takes the train to her work in human resources. In the novel Rachel is overweight and seemingly plain, but in this adaptation she is portrayed by the lovely English actress Emily Blunt. While on the train, Rachel fills her time with hobbies, mainly sketching in her notebook and taking swigs of vodka hidden in her Thermos. The train route passes by the house Rachel used to live in with her now ex-husband, portrayed by Jennifer Aniston’s real-life husband Justin Theroux. Her ex-husband Tom is now married to his mistress Anna, played by Rebecca Hall, who has a child with him. Rachel’s obsession with staring at her former residence migrates two doors down to the neighbors she never knew, a husband and wife portrayed by Luke Evans (who you see…uhhh…quite a “lot” of, if you catch my drift) and Haley Bennett. She gives them fictional names and fantasizes about them daily to quell her darkened desolation. Rachel’s obsession makes it difficult for her to be taken seriously when Megan Hipwell, the woman she saw from the train, disappears. Unable to recall exactly what happened when in a drunken stupor she tried to confront Megan on the night of her disappearance, she finds herself increasingly distressed as she tries to piece together the elements of her life and that night. Before you know it, she is being questioned by Detective Sgt. Riley, portrayed with an icy hardness by Allison Janney. Was it free will or foul play? Could Rachel be an unknowing witness? Or is she the perpetrator? She may be extremely dangerous…if she actually committed the atrocities she thinks she did. But most of the time she is too sloshed to take any action besides looking out the window.

     Directed by Tate Taylor (“The Help”), “TGOTT” is not quite your standard mystery movie. Often compared to David Fincher’s spellbinding 2014 blockbuster “Gone Girl,” “TGOTT” handles things a bit differently. The constant comparisons to “Gone Girl” annoy me, as “TGOTT” is its own entity. Rachel is unique in that she has blackouts from her drinking that deter her memory, which keeps you invested in putting the puzzle together. Blunt wanted to be chillingly realistic in her depiction of Rachel, so she actually attended Alcoholics Anonymous meetings to get a feel of what life is really like for alcoholics. It is not every day you would see a bundled-up Emily Blunt, makeup-free, sitting on a bench with a sippy-cup Thermos and a look of confusion. Her performance is positively spellbinding; she could almost be a Hitchcock protagonist. It is her journey, and the audience follows her along the way. (Be on the lookout for a surprise appearance by an aged Lisa Kudrow.) The three female leads, Rachel, Megan and Anna, are slightly darker and bleaker versions of the typical “three faces of Eve” motif: Rachel is the child, Anna the wife and Megan the seductress. For Megan and Anna in particular, Hayley Bennett and Rebecca Hall also give standout performances that will rise them to A-List, as Amy Dunne in “Gone Girl” did for Rosamund Pike. The twist in the film may be obvious to most, but in the end, I still believe this is a film worth watching.