To Die For

Director Gus Van Sant's triumphant rebound from Even Cowgirls Get the Blues is a wicked black comedy based on the novel by Joyce Maynard, which was itself inspired by the Pamela Smart case. Nicole Kidman won a Golden Globe (but was inexplicably snubbed by the Academy) for her chilling performance as media-maniacal Suzanne Stone, a public access weathercaster with dreams of being the next Barbara Walters. Matt Dillon co-stars as her ill-fated restaurateur husband. The indelible supporting cast includes Joaquin Phoenix (River's brother) as the hapless high school student who falls under her seductive spell, and Illeana Douglas as her sister-in-law who gets the last laugh. Recommended. (D. Liebenson)