by jim




Jennifer Connelly burst onto the scene, and into the hearts of big dorks everywhere, in her star making turn in the cult fantasy flick LABYRINTH. Jennifer's porcelain skin and Old Hollywood beauty guaranteed her opportunities to find more movie roles. Unfortunately, those "opportunities" were empty films like CAREER OPPORTUNITIES and THE HOT SPOT (which, we do respect for giving us great looks at Jennifer's boobs) and box office bombs, MULHOLLAND FALLS and the vastly underrated THE ROCKETEER. It seemed that Connelly would become a once aspiring starlet who just never made the move into actress. She would occasionally flash us glimpses of her talent (HIGHER LEARNING and INVENTING THE ABBOTTS), but only in small films that flew under the radar. It was the high profile misses (DARK CITY), that people would remember. So it appeared that Connelly's time in Hollywood would come and go and that she'd soon be reduced to Sci-Fi/Fantasy Cons, signing copies of LABYRINTH for twenty bucks a pop, nestled between Jeremy Bullock and Wil Wheaton.

Enter hot indie filmmaker Darren Aronofsky. He decides his sophomore effort would be a dark and grimy journey into addiction, and he would make a new opportunity for the talented girl from the Catskill Mountains. Connelly was soul crushing as the heroin hooked Marion Silver in REQUIEM FOR A DREAM. Combine that with her brief, but wonderful, appearance in POLLOCK and suddenly her career was renewed. Now with her follow up in the more mainstream Oscar contender, A BEAUTIFUL MIND, and her own nomination as Best Supporting Actress to boot it seems her long delayed career has finally reached maturation. Good for her. I've always liked Jennifer and I'm glad to this happening for her. Good luck, sweetie, and stay away from drugs.