Spider-man - A. Tobey Maguire is the perfect Peter Parker, good-hearted and shy. How could anyone have doubted him? He and Kirsten Dunst, despite her dyed red hair, make the most adorable couple ever. The movie is the most fun when it's about them, Peter as himself, or Peter just learning to be superhero. The effects are not so charming; the final impressively giddy web-swinging sequence doesn't quite erase the previous, weaker ones from memory.

Ocean's Eleven - C. Eh . . . Entertaining enough to rent, but I grew bored when I saw they'd have the perfect little million-dollar gizmo for every situation. Yawn.

Lantana - A+. You must see this movie! Originally a play, the seven or eight main character's lives intertwine (and don't) in surprising ways. The story starts with a mystery, confounds expectations at each turn, and delivers a satisfying wrapup (maybe too tidy for some but I like neat endings on my stories, happy or sad, and there's a little bit of each here). Geoffrey Rush has the fewest lines but delivers the most powerful emotional punch. Rent it. Now.

Sidewalks of New York - B. If you're in a relationship, you might enjoy hearing these different people's takes on relationships. If you like Edward Burn's usual shtick (the confident, centered guy unaffected by neurotics and creeps that surround him) you might enjoy watching him do the same old same old. I did not buy the Maria Tedesco character at all, though.

To Die For - A+. The movie that changed my mind about Nicole Kidman. (She was in that godawful car-racing move with Tom Cruise years ago; it left an indelible negative impression on me.) She goes just the right distance over the top in this dark, dark Gus Van Sant comedy. Joaquin Phoenix is almost too much to watch but I could not tear my eyes off him.