About this column:
Keith Heffintrayer opines on the absurdities of life, government, local news, sports and, on occasion, movies and television. When I heard that Darren Aronofsky was going to be directing a film about ballet dancers, I wondered aloud just how it could work, as the soft innocence of ballet is in direct conflict to the gritty, pull-no-punches style that he has used in his previous films. Somehow, beyond any of my wildest expectations, Aronofsky took the story of "Swan Lake," and twisted it into a dark, psychological nightmare. At face value, the storyline is quite common. Nina, played by Natalie Portman, is chosen to play the role of the Swan Queen in an upcoming production of "Swan Lake." She faces …
A few weeks ago, I sent out a distress signal to my friends and family, fearing I had exhausted all the good titles on the Netflix Instant Queue. I had one simple request: Recommend a movie that I haven't seen. To my rescue came a friend who insisted that I view the movie "Bronson." While the premise didn't exactly have me jumping for joy, I proceeded cautiously into what would become one of the more enjoyable viewing experiences in recent memory. The movie features actor Tom Hardy as Michael Gordon Peterson, a British prisoner with an appetite for fighting. Though originally imprisoned…
In a landmark victory for the gay and lesbian community, the United States senate has repealed the 17-year-old Don't Ask Don't Tell policy, which clears the way for gay servicemen and women to serve openly in the Armed Forces. While I fully support the repeal, and believe that anyone willing to defend their country should not have to hide their identity, the timing of the repeal is absurd, and will now cause already strained leaders and resources to shift focus onto an issue that, quite frankly, could have been dealt with at a time when the United States wasn't fighting two separate wars. …
