Before The Devil Knows You’re Dead

ETHAN HAWKE HAS COME A LONG WAY, BABY

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Ten years ago we thought Ethan Hawke was a loser. Uma Thurman had just divorced him and he spent his days looking like a slob, hanging around coffee shops in New York with his unemployed actor cronies. Nights were spent in bars drinking too much and making rude comments about other patrons. To our surprise, Ethan pulled his act together and has evolved into an accomplished writer and actor. We particularly loved him in “Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead “ with Phillip Seymour Hoffman. Above, Ethan is dressed like a fancy man for his appearance on a talk show to promote “Boyhood.

Photo Credit: Pacific Coast News

SYDNEY LUMET’S LAST MOVIE MIGHT BE HIS BEST

Director Sydney Lumet died this weekend, making this the perfect opportunity to revisit one of his greatest films – one that hardly anybody saw. Lumet started his career with “12 Angry Men” and “Dog Day Afternoon” but his LAST movie “Before The Devil Knows You’re Dead” filmed in 2007, is a criminally ignored masterpiece of storytelling, and just as good as any of his early work. We’re reprinting our comments on the film after it was passed over by the Academy:

One of the Academy’s biggest mistakes this year was ignoring the movie “Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead.” It’s an amazing roller coaster ride of a movie with unexpected twists around every corner. The story is absolutely brilliant and SO much fun to watch. Ethan Hawke and Philip Seymour Hoffman have never been better. If Academy members had SEEN this film they would certainly have nominated Hoffman for this movie and not Charlie Wilson’s War. Easily one of the most entertaining movies of the year and well worth the price of admittance. Make an effort to find it and see it.