Last week, indieWIRE ran a provocative piece by Anthony Kaufman about the financial woes of THINKfilm, one of my favorite indie distributors. Kaufman detailed the cash flow problems at THINKfilm, which were causing acrimony between the distrib and many of its filmmakers, who were alleging that the distributor hadn't paid what it owed to them, as well as to advertising companies charged with marketing films under THINKfilm's banner.

Now indieWIRE has a follow-up piece up by Eugene Hernandez, which says that director/producer Alex Gibney, whose film Taxi to the Darkside won the best documentary Oscar this year and was supposed to receive a major theatrical push by THINKfilm following its win, is seeking more than $1 million in damages from the ailing distributor.

While THINKfilm did pay the film's producers the minimums guaranteed by their contract on May 5, Gibney's complaint alleges that THINKfilm failed to disclose that it did not have the financial resources to support the film's theatrical push following its Oscar win, and "jeopardized the success of the film by failing to abide by the terms of contracts it entered into with public relations firms and advisers and failed to pay such firms for work done and expenses incurred."

Could it be that Sidney Lumet is back? I'm a cynic, and a snobby '70s movie fan, and I've been hesitant about seeing Before the Devil Knows You're Dead -- I know I'm terrible; the movie is supposedly really, really good; I'm just being lazy -- so I can't offer that statement. Besides, there are people who don't think he was ever gone to begin with. Still, his latest is his best reviewed film in many years. Our own Erik Davis called it "captivating" and pointed out that Lumet took an otherwise forgettable story and made it "exceptional in every way -- from its execution to its acting" (OK, I really need to see this already). Well, it seems that Funky Buddha Group, which financed Devil, is happy enough with Lumet's work on that film; the company has just agreed to collaborate with the filmmaker on two more movies, with an option for a third.

So what is Lumet's next project, and will it be a disappointment after the greatness of Devil? (a cynic never stops doubting). According to Variety, it's called Getting Out, and it involves a prison break. Written by Lumet himself (and not adapted from anything this time, either), the script deals with, "a man desperate to regain his freedom while entangled in deadly head games with his prison psychiatrist and the woman he desires." Honestly, it doesn't sound too exciting, or interesting. But then, I like Lumet's The Wiz, so maybe you shouldn't listen to me (don't worry, it's not one of my favorites, like Dog Day Afternoon, 12 Angry Men and especially Network all are). But who should you listen to? People like our own Jeff Anderson, an obvious Lumet fan, who called Devil one of, "the year's best American films," or do you listen to our own Ryan Stewart, who referred to Lumet as a "non-master" and called Devil, "a pointless and annoying timeline-pretzel ... only to arrive at a Greek tragedy climax that has a plot hole so large you could drive a Hummer through it." You can see why I've been hesitant and cynical, now, can't you?

Fall 2007 is shaping up to be the season of illogical movies. First there was the much-praised Gone Baby Gone, which has a third act twist that's logically crazy and impossible in practicality, and now there's Before the Devil Knows You're Dead, a film from the aging non-master Sidney Lumet that twists its narrative into a pointless and annoying timeline-pretzel and in doing so drains every ounce of energy and motivation from the piece, only to arrive at a Greek tragedy climax that has a plot hole so large you could drive a Hummer through it. (Don't worry, I won't spoil it, but I'll just say this -- cops?) That both both films contain performances by Amy Ryan may be their saving grace -- Ryan has a lock on Best Supporting Actress this year that's as tight as Ben Foster's lock on Best Supporting Actor, but that's not enough to push Before the Devil over the line. Nor is its high-grade cast, that includes Philip Seymour Hoffman and Ethan Hawke. Even Marisa Tomei's frequently naked breasts don't get it done.

The plot: two brothers scheme to knock over their parents' jewelry store. Mom and pop will get the insurance money, they'll get the loot, and everyone's rent gets paid. Sounds pretty simple, only -- pause for effect -- something goes wrong. What goes wrong is Rosemary Harris, who re-confirms here what she proved in the Spiderman films -- she can't act worth a lick. Harris plays the boys' mother, who unexpectedly stops the thief they send in to rob her with a handgun and also gets herself shot in the process. 'Big emotion' is not something that should ever be required of Harris, and I felt a tinge of relief when she was dispatched early on in the film -- the less screen time she takes up the better. The boys' father, played by the excellent Albert Finney, sets out to make it his mission in life to find the "guy who did this." And so it begins ... or ends ... or something. The timeline in this film is so herky-jerky that for all I know, my interpretation of its events could be completely wrong.

I miss many things about living in New York -- the people, the restaurants and bars, Central Park, the smell of baked ass that overtakes the city this time of year (OK, not that last one). But what I miss the most has got to be the film "scene." Getting a coffee and taking the subway to a movie on a Sunday morning always filled me with happiness. NYC also puts on one of the best film festivals in the country -- the cleverly named New York Film Festival. Showcasing 28 films, the fest will be held this year at Frederick P. Rose Hall in the Time Warner Center. Screenings are set for September 28 through October 14th, and this year's lineup is a real doozy. It includes new films from Sidney Lumet (Before the Devil Knows You're Dead, with Ethan Hawke and Philip Seymour Hoffman), Catherine Breillat (The Last Mistress, just grabbed by IFC), Todd Haynes (I'm Not There, his Bob Dylan movie), Abel Ferrara (the promisingly titled Go-Go Tales, starring Willem Dafoe), Noah Baumbach (following up the excellent Squid and the Whale with Margot at the Wedding), the ascotted Peter Bogdanovich (profiling one of my favorite bands with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers: Runnin' Down a Dream), and Brian DePalma (an Iraq war drama called Redacted).

Wes Anderson's new film (can't wait!) The Darjeeling Limited will open the NYFF. The Coen Brothers' new one No Country for Old Men (really really can't wait!) will be the "centerpiece" of the festival. And Cannes '07 jury prize-winner Persepolis, an "animated coming-of-age" story directed by Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud, will close the fest. Also showcased will be Cannes favorites like Gus Van Sant's Paranoid Park, Julian Schnabel's French-language The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, and Palme d'Or winner 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days. In addition, there will be five classic films screened, including John Ford's first major film -- The Iron Horse. Probably the most anticipated of that bunch is Ridley Scott's "definitive cut" of Blade Runner, in honor of that film's 25th anniversary. An evening called "The Technicolor Show" should be a major attraction, as it's introduced by Martin Scorsese. Head over to Yahoo Movies for the full roster.

You know what most movie trailers need? Marisa Tomei, completely topless. You know what else they need? An end tag that tells us the film is "now in post-production"! You know what else they need? Long, drawn-out clips of Philip Seymour Hoffman and Ethan Hawke, as down-on-their-luck businessmen planning to rob a mom and pop store that happens to be run by their own mom and pop. Needless to say, this trailer, for Before the Devil Knows You're Dead, is my favorite of the year so far. I didn't even know much about this film before watching, and the one drawback is probably that I now know too much. The trailer gives away so much of the plot that I think I can even figure out what the third-act is going to be all about, and that's a little too much information. This is a trailer that's popped up on a French website, so before they release it to the U.S., I would advise that they substantially trim down those final scenes with Albert Finney -- that's just more than we need to know.

I'll admit that I'm not a terribly big fan of Sidney Lumet -- I skipped Find Me Guilty, in fact. And the screenwriter is apparently a first-timer, so there's nothing to go on there. But I like all the actors here -- Ethan Hawke, especially, is always able to do some good work when he has the right material. Annoyingly, there's no U.S. release date for this film yet, even though it's opening in France in late September. If everything goes to plan, I'll be in Europe around that time this year anyway, so maybe I'll be able to see it in a French theater.

It's not a surprise to anyone, of course, but that "Oscar Winner" line on Philip Seymour Hoffman's business card is really working out for him. Why, just today, Variety has news that he's been cast in not one, but two high-profile new movies -- and one of them even has the Great Tom Hanks in it! I'm sure Hoffman's all a-flutter at the thought of sharing the screen with Forrest Gump himself.

The Hanks flick, AKA Charlie Wilson's War, also stars Julia Roberts and tells the true story of "a rogue congressman (Hanks) and CIA agent (Hoffman) who found the means to secretly arm rebels to fight against invading Soviet troops in Afghanistan in the early 1980s." With a screenplay by Aaron Sorkin and the direction of Mike Nichols, it's heading into production this fall and is due out in far-off 2008, mostly likely during the Oscar-friendly end of the year. I can hear the ad copy now: "FOUR OSCAR WINNERS ... ONE INCREDIBLE STORY."

Before he starts protecting Afghanistan from the Commies, though, Hoffman intends to rob a jewelry store with his brother Ethan Hawke. Though he had previously been rumored to be co-staring in Sidney Lumet's Before the Devil Knows You're Dead, Hoffman has now officially put pen to paper, and will be joining Marisa Tomei (again with the Oscar winners) and Albert Finney in a story about a botched robbery that has major repercussions for the whole family of the thieves. This one stars filming next month, with an eye on a 2007 release date.

Word comes from Cannes that screen master Sidney Lumet, whose latest accomplishment was making Find Me Guilty and star Vin Diesel far more than tolerable, will next direct a thriller entitled Before the Devil Knows You're Dead. Though "advanced negotiations are currently under way with another award-winning male star" to fill one of the lead roles (the IMDb thinks it's Philip Seymour Hoffman), the movie already features a pretty stacked cast, including Marisa Tomei (girl has an Oscar, you may recall), Ethan Hawke, and the great Albert Finney.

Based on a screenplay co-written by Lumet, the movie tells the intense-sounding story of two brothers (one of whom seems to be played by Hawke) who come up with a plan to rob their parents' jewelry store. Not surprisingly, things don't go as planned, "triggering off a series of events that send them, their father (Finney) and Hawke's wife (Tomei) hurtling towards a shattering climax." Mmm ... shattering climax.

There's no word from Cannes about when the production will begin, or where the film will be shot.

There’s something reassuring old fashioned about Sidney Lumet’s Find Me Guilty. Despite its modern setting, the film is anchored firmly in a time when jokes were gags, Louis Armstrong sang about the whole world smiling, and directors had the confidence to make leisurely movies. Even in Find Me Guilty’s moments of weakness - and, believe me, they’re not hard to find - Lumet’s breezy confidence carries his film through, saving it from the trash heap of utter mediocrity.

Vin Diesel - with hair - stars as Jackie DiNorscio, a soldier in New Jersey’s Lucchese crime family, one of the “five families” than once ran mob activity in the area of New York City. In the late 1980s, 20 members of the family were brought to trial on 87 different charges; the trial ran for nearly two years, becoming the longest criminal trial in US history. Though 19 of the defendants hired lawyers, DiNorscio, a man who left school after eighth grade and whose legal experience stemmed entirely from his extensive jail time, elected to represent himself. For the next 21 months, his antics made him a thorn in the side of the defense, a source of constant irritation to the judge, and a complete wildcard in the eyes of the jury.

Constantly calling himself a “gagster, not a gangster,” DiNorscio used his bullish charm and natural instincts to find his way, sometimes, to success in the courtroom. Just as often, however, he was on the verge of being removed from the case, and he made an enemy of codefendant Nick Calabrese, who feared DiNorscio’s misbehavior would jeopardize all 20 of the defendants. As DiNorscio, Diesel is a strangely endearing combination of macho and insecure; he's blustery and fearless, but with a childlike eagerness to please that lurks just below the surface. What is so interesting about the performance is that one is never quite sure if the traits on display belong to his character or to Diesel himself. Since they work equally well for both, however, it doesn't matter which man we're really seeing: the performance succeeds and, as a result, convincingly raises Diesel above the level of what Lumet calls “a race car action hero” for the first time.