By turn steely, sexual and unapologetically demented, Kidman's black-comic turn as a local cable weather girl climbing her way up the network power ladder with murderous resolve wasn't the first hint she'd given of the actress she'd become – “Dead Calm” had shown her gumption six years earlier, and she actually earned that odd 1991 Golden Globe nod for “Billy Bathgate.” But it was an unquestionably definitive breakthrough, and not just because it won her the Globe: the film revealed both her inclination toward risky anti-sweetheart roles, and her taste for left-field auteurs – “To Die For” was directed by a pre-”Good Will Hunting” Gus van Sant.

Awards: Best Actress (Comedy or Musical), Golden Globes; Best Actress, Broadcast Film Critics, Boston Film Critics, London Film Critics, Southeastern Film Critics; Best Actress nominee, BAFTA Awards.