Sever years earlier, however, Armitage wrote and directed "Miami Blues," a darkly humorous neo-noir-satire starring Alec Baldwin as a sociopathic killer who assumes the identity of the curmudegeon cop (Fred Ward) on his trail after stealing the detective's badge, gun, and, yes, dentures.

Produced by Jonathan Demme and starring a young Jennider Jason Leigh, this underappreciated film is extremely violent and witty in equal parts and a crafty subversion of its genre.

Here's hoping Armitage strikes gold again in 2011.