The Gus Van Sant series runs through June 21 at the Brattle Theatre. To Die For screens tomorrow, Wednesday, June 13. Showtimes for all the movies in the series are available on the Brattle's website. And don't worry - they left out the ill-advised Even Cowgirls Get the Blues and the Psycho remake.

To Die For seems out of character for Van Sant because it doesn't have the grit of his other work. The plot of an ambitious woman who seduces three lunkheaded teens into killing her husband is Lifetime-movie material. But, when paired with a script from writer Buck Henry and a hell-on-heels performance from Nicole Kidman, To Die For becomes one of Van Sant's best.

Sometimes Kidman's iciness causes her to stand out like a sore thumb in other movies, but this time her persona works as she plays a small-town gal who will do anything to get on television. The character, Suzanne Stone Maretto, is a dangerous mix of ruthless and stupid. Henry's script gives her free license to blurt out what's on everyone's mind - particularly the movie's refrain: "You aren't really anybody in America if you're not on TV."

Promotional still of Nicole Kidman and her victims - including Joaquin Phoenix.