Black Swan

So sad, so sad, to hear about the shootings in Arizona. It's one thing to have a free country and allow people their nutty beliefs. It is another thing entirely to allow them to arm themselves. And why shoot a child? I just cannot fathom it.

Christina Taylor Green, the 9-year-old girl killed in the attack on Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, was born on another sad day for the nation, Sept. 11, 2001.

Christina, one of six who died in Saturday's shooting, had been featured in the book, "Faces of Hope, Babies Born on 9/11" about children born on the day of the worst terrorist attack in U.S. history.

"She came in on a tragedy and now she's gone out on a tragedy, but the nine years in between were very special," her father, John Green, told CNN. "We're all going to miss Christina. We were four people, and now we're three."


*

I saw Black Swan with friends last night. Wow. What a terrific movie. The music and the dancing are amazing. Natalie Portman is riveting as the lead ballerina, Nina, struggling to mature as a dancer, escape her constrictive relationship with her mother, and learn to dance the Black Swan. Mila Kunis as Lily is a revelation -- she looked so familiar to me all through the movie, and only today did I realize she played one of the kids in "That 70's Show." My oh my has she evolved.

The movie veers into surreality, I think as a way to dramatize Nina's struggle. Images of skin rashes, and bleeding fingers, and distorted body extremeties will be hard to watch for the squeamish. It is quite effective, and affecting. I will never think of swan wings and feathers the same again.

Highly recommended.