No, No (N)Annette

Some lucky bastards are watching Annette Bening doing her thing in Being Julia right now. The festival has begun and I am not there. But if I were there sitting in the darkened theater I would no doubt be reflecting on past Annette Bening glories and how all of my "this is a movie star!" synapses sort of spontaneously combusted in my head when I first laid eyes on her in Postcards from the Edgeand The Grifters.





My favorite Bening-bejewelled movie memories:

01 That joyfully naughty twinkle in her eye in The Grifters when she comes clean to her boyfriend and tells the story of the big con.

02 "Endolphins" Postcards from the Edge (hilarious)

03 "I feel like I should have a line or something" Bugsy

04 The cruel laughter in the bathtub in Valmont

05 American Beauty

bonus memory:

I know it doesn't really apply but I always "heard" Annette Bening's voice in Michelle Pfeiffer's line delivery of "Did somebody say fish?! I haven't been fed all day" in Batman Returns--which I sort of viewed spiritually/cosmically as LaPfeiffer's thank-you-for-getting-pregnant tribute to Annette since Catwoman was originally her role. Seriously, I did.