News

Exclusive: Celebrating his 50th year as an indie filmmaker and distributor, Jeff Lipsky is prepping the release of his eighth feature as director. Goldilocks and the Two Bears is due to open domestically via Glass Half Full Media in July for a limited theatrical run, followed by a general release in late summer/early fall. Check out an exclusive clip above.

Goldilocks introduces a trio of new actors: Claire Milligan, Serra Naiman and Bryan Mittelstadt. It’s directed and written by Lipsky, produced by longtime collaborator Nick Athas and shot by Zak Ray with production sound mixed by Caleb Mose (O.J.: Made in America).

Filmed entirely in Las Vegas, the movie centers on a man and a woman – travelers who’ve all but given up on futures that might have been glorious. When a stranger enters their midst, a woman on the run from her own demons, the...

If there were any justice in this sick, sad world, history would remember 2017 as the year that people woke the hell up and stopped taking Julianne Nicholson for granted. There isn’t, and it won’t, but that shouldn’t stop us from giving America’s most under-appreciated screen actress the credit she’s been owed since the last century. Raw and intractably real in a number of small indies that you’ve probably never seen (“Tully,” “Flannel Pajamas”), just as good in a handful of larger films that you probably have (“Kinsey,” “August: Osage County”), and even better in three new movies that you’ll be able to see in the next few months (including “I, Tonya” and “Novitiate”), the elfin Massachusetts native may spend the brunt of her time working “Law & Order” gigs on TV, but she has an authenticity that bigger stars can’t buy and a...

Great news for fans of filmmaker Jeff Lipsky, her controversial and critically acclaimed sixth feature “Mad Women” is now available digitally, for rent or download, on Amazon and Vimeo-on-Demand.

The official synopsis reads: "'Mad Women' is a dark satire about Harper Smith, a middle-aged mom who, following a one-year prison sentence for having committed an act of conscience, becomes a local hero and folk legend in her small community of Iris Glen, NY. She runs for local office but has much grander aspirations up her sleeve. She is a woman accustomed to personal challenges: She lost her third child at the age of three to cancer, her first-born daughter, a pediatrician, is in Ukraine having joined Doctors Without Borders, her own mother lost an eye in her youth in an archery mishap, and her husband, a successful and beloved dentist, commits statutory rape under the influence of LSD at a rock concert. It’s up to Harper and her middle daughter, Nevada, to persevere, and they do, as a most unlikely mother/daughter bond emerges."

About the genesis of “Mad Women” Lipsky explains: “I began writing 'Mad Women' in early 2013, just after President Obama’s second inaugural, moments after a season of political drivel came to an end, and seemingly seconds before cable outlets began their non-stop palaver about the 2016 election. So I set out to conjure up my personal candidate, one whose idealism can’t be blunted, even as the world would be playing whack-a-mole with her. When I finished the script I knew there could never be a ‘Harper Smith.’ But now that Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump are front-runners, well, now I’m not so sure anymore!”

“Mad Women” marks the third consecutive collaboration between Lipsky and co-star Reed Birney (“House of Cards,” 2014 Tony Award nominee “Casa Valentina”). It also spotlights three extraordinary actresses – Kelsey Lynn Stokes, Christina Starbuck, and Sharon Van Ivan (John Cassavetes’ “Opening Night”) and marks a reunion for Lipsky with Jamie Harrold who co-starred in “Flannel Pajamas.” Lipsky’s previous films include “Twelve Thirty,” “Molly’s Theory of Relativity,” and “Once More With Feeling,” which along with “Flannel Pajamas,” have starred Justin Kirk, Julianne Nicholson, Jonathan Groff, Mamie Gummer, Chazz Palminteri, Drea deMatteo, Linda Fiorentino, Cady Huffman, Rebecca Schull, Halley Feiffer and Barbara Barrie.

Sofia Vergara didn't exactly look excited to play Catchphrase with Jimmy Fallon on Tuesday's Tonight Show.

"You always make me do these weird American games that I don't know how to play," she complained, adding that she didn't even have the energy to high-five Fallon.

They were joined by James Marsden and Fallon's sidekick Steve Higgins.

"Can I say words in Spanish?" the Hot Pursuit star asked. "No," was the answer.

"It's an insect. It's red and has black dots on it," Fallon said as his clue for Vergara.

"Una mariquita!" the Colombian star guessed, confusing the other contestants, until she added correctly,...

Exclusive: The latest film helmed by Jeff Lipsky, an indie distribution veteran and Adopt Films co-founder, is due for domestic theatrical release in July via Plainview Pictures. Mad Women, a dark satire, is the sixth title in Lipsky’s oeuvre, which also includes Flannel Pajamas and Molly’s Theory Of Relativity. The story centers on a beautiful woman in her late 40s who conspires to commit a crime of conscience, becomes radicalized in prison, and upon her release…...

Adopt Films has acquired all U.S. rights to “Molly’s Theory of Relativity” from filmmaker Jeff Lipsky (“Flannel Pajamas”). The specialty distributor plans a March release. Lipsky’s drama follows a 28-year-old astronomer who has just lost her job as she encounters both family and strangers over a long Halloween night. Sophia Takal, Lawrence Michael Levine, Reed Birney, Daisy Tahan, Cady Huffman, Adam LeFevre, Rebecca Schull, Tom Morrissey and Nicholas Lampiasi star. Nick Athas and Inna Braude produced; Samuel Baumel and Wesley Wingo are executive producers. Adopt Films will next release Ursula Meier’s “Sister,” Christian Petzold’s “Barbara,” Miguel Gomes’ “Tabu” and the Taviani Brothers’ “Caesar Must Die.”...

I started working with Dp Martina Radwan about a year ago on the feature documentary, Mentor (addressing bullying and teen suicide in Mentor, Ohio) I further had the pleasure of working with her on a recent music video for the band Shearwater. It is a gift, as a director, to find a Dp who you can quickly fall into a shorthand with, creating your own visual language, and trusting in the collaborative process. Radwan and I found this with each other.

Her narrative work includes Flannel Pajamas, by Jeff Lipsky; Singapore Dreaming, one of the first Singaporean feature productions and the winner of several international awards; Rain, the first indigenous film of the Bahamas, produced and directed by Maria Govan; The Killing Floor, a thriller produced by Doug Liman & Avi Arad and the horror film Train, a Millennium Films production, both directed by Gideon Raff.

Her most recently-released documentaries include...

Glee star Jonathan Groff has shrugged off the fan frenzy generated by his first full-frontal nude scene, insisting he never meant to cause a commotion by stripping off.

The Broadway star revealed all in a brief scene for Twelve Thirty, a drama he shot a few years ago but which was only released on DVD earlier this month.

Fans were quick to post stills from the film online and the images then spread to dozens of blogs, but Groff admits he's not too bothered by the images.

He explains, "I did that movie a couple years ago. I really loved doing that movie, and Jeff Lipsky, our director, had done this thing, Flannel Pajamas, which had some nudity in it as well, and the thing about the nudity in that movie that he was trying to capture in our movie was the reality of it, and not trying to hide it or cut away when people would normally be naked, so, I don't know, it's just a movie I did!

"I don't think about how it'll end up on the Internet. I just do my work and whatever happens, happens. I love that you're so concerned about me... I appreciate your concern."...

Akin to his 2006 relationship drama (Flannel Pajamas) in terms of sheer brutal honesty, it comes as no surprise that Jeff Lipsky's new distrib shingle Adopt Films has picked up Quebecois helmer Anne Émond’s feature debut. Nuit #1 which could be translated as "one night stand" or "night number one" becomes pick-up number two for the new distribution company -- a July release is being eyed for the vividly emotional rollercoaster of a ride. Gist: Thesps Catherine De Léan and Dimitri Storoge play a couple who meet at a rave and end their night at his apartment. The first part of the film is an erotic and candid portrait of their lovemaking. They continue to talk until dawn, often in uninterrupted, brutally honest monologues. Worth Noting: The pic picked up a special citation at Tiff this year: “Anne Emond’s Nuit #1 was simple and raw. It reminded us of the...

Millennium Entertainment will release the 2010 independent film noir-ish drama Shadows and Lies, starring James Franco (127 Hours), on Blu-ray and DVD on June 7.

Drifter James Franco makes his way to New York in Shadows and Lies.

Originally titled William Vincent, the movie’s story turns on an eccentric drifter who just happens to be named William Vincent (Franco). He returns to New York after being away for years and comes to the rescue of a woman he barely knows, Ann Julianne Nicholson (Flannel Pajamas). She’s apparently in trouble with a young gangster (Josh Lucas, Life as We Know It) who has previously hired William to work for him doing various nefarious deeds and chores.

Written and directed by Jay Anania, Shadows and Lies played a few festivals in 2010, including the Tribeca Film Festival, and was described by Variety as a “quasi-experimental/existential drama.”

The film’s release on Blu-ray and...

More casting for Marc Webb’s Spider-Man reboot is underway. Heat Vision reports that Campbell Scott (Rodger Doger, Music and Lyrics) will play Peter Parker’s father while Julianne Nicholson (Kinsey, Flannel Pajamas) while play his mother. The parents leave their son an orphan and it is “unclear if they will appear in flashbacks, in a prologue or during the course of the movie.” They have yet to appear in any previous Spider-Man film.

Another on-screen Spidey couple has also been added. Slumdog Millionaire star Irrfan Khan will play a previously unknown villain called Van Atter. Annie Parisse (How To Lose a Guy In 10 Days, Rubicon) will play his wife. They join the following:

Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker/Spider Man Emma Stone as Gwen Stacy Rhys Ifans as Dr. Curt Connors/The Lizard Martin Sheen as Uncle Ben Sally Field as Aunt May Denis Leary as Captain George...

Portia Reiners, Jonathan Groff, Twelve Thirty Jeff Lipsky's Twelve Thirty opens at New York’s Angelika Film Center on Friday, Jan. 14, 2011. In the cast: Jonathan Groff, Mamie Gummer, Karen Young, Reed Birney, Portia Reiners, Halley Feiffer, Rebecca Schull, and veteran Barbara Barrie (Oscar nominee for Breaking Away in 1979). A sneak preview of Twelve Thirty will take place on Jan. 10, 2011, at the Film Society of Lincoln Center, which will also screen Lipsky's Flannel Pajamas (2006), starring Justin Kirk (Weeds) and Julianne Nicholson (Law & Order: Criminal Intent). Members of the cast and crew of both films will be on hand at the event for Q&A sessions. (See trailer at www.twelvethirtymovie.com.) The Twelve Thirty synopsis below is from the film's press release: Twelve Thirty is the story of three women and the two men in their lives. In the Langley’s Cedar Rapids household, the mother, Vivien (Karen Young), is...

Flannel Pajamas lives up to its title, it captures ordinary moments quite nicely. It's a long film, some parts feel mundane, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing. I liked this movie and its simple focus on a couple in their apartment. I watched it in two sittings, pausing it somewhere around the 50 minute mark and yes, it's slow at times, but if you stick around to the end credit song there's a good chance you'll come to the same conclusion: it was worthwhile.

Available on Netflix.

Official Website: www.flannelpajamas.net...

More Spring Preview: [Theatrical Calendar]

[Repertory Calendar]

[Jason Reitman's Favorites]

Over 85 films will be filing through arthouses and multiplexes between now and the end of April, but nearly triple that number will be accessible from the comfort of home, whether it's on demand, online or on DVD. Here's what will be hitting televisions, computer screens, Netflix queues and store shelves this spring.

On Demand

Once you get through the masterful six-hour "Red Riding Trilogy" currently available on demand through May, IFC Films and their Sundance Selects label have quite the collection of festival favorites available to beam directly onto your TV in the next few months. It starts on February 17th with the Festival Direct release of the acclaimed John Bryant comedy "The Overbrook Brothers," about two siblings who find out they're adopted, as well as the Sundance Selects release of "Flannel Pajamas" director Jeff Lipsky's multi-generational comedy "Once More With Feeling," starring Chazz Palminteri as...

Former publicist Reid Rosefelt resurfaces today with the launch of SpeedCine, a site that acts as a database for legal film viewing and downloading on the web. It's a clever idea. You scan through the titles listed on the site, click one, and you're sent to a page with links to the various viewing options on the 'net. For example, say I want to watch Jeff Lipsky's Flannel Pajamas. One click and I see that I can instantly watch it on Amazon VOD or, if I have a subscription, via Netflix. I can also download to rent from Jaman or Amazon, or download to own from Amazon VOD. Antonioni's Il Grido? I can watch instantly at The Auteurs or download to DVD from EZTakes and iArthouse. Ilsa, Harem Keeper of the Oil Sheiks? I need a subscription to...

• [Exclusive Image - click on picture for larger version. Red West (left) and Souleymane Sy Savane (right). Photo Credit: © www.vesic.com, Hooman Bahrani. All rights reserved.] #32. Untitled Ramin Bahrani project Director: Ramin BahraniWriters: Bahareh Azimi and Bahrani Producers: Jason Orans (Flannel Pajamas) and Bahrani, Ted Hope (The Savages) Distributor: Currently Seeking Distribution The Gist: Written by Bahrani and Bahareh Azimi, this is a dramatization between a Senegalese cab driver named Solo and an ornery 70-year-old man named William (Red West). The North Carolina-based pair meet when William offers Solo $1,000 to drive him to a nearby mountain, where he plans to jump to his death. Fact: Actor Red West was Elvis' body guard. Yes, that Elvis. See It: With a knack at discovering the most appealing microcosms of life and creating compelling characters, this filmmaker is one of the more refreshing voices in indie film today and not since Jim Jarmusch's Night on Earth have we had the inkling to want to wanna see an exchange between driver and passenger. Get a double dose this year with Chop Shop (no.

...

• My first Sundance was a true madcap experience: too much to see, too many items to cover and not enough time in-between to sit down and write and I lost my only camera. While Sundance may officially have ended this past Sunday, Ioncinema.com’s coverage will continue on for the weeks, and months to come. Enjoy the coverage below and looking forward to next year for round 2. Sundance Journal: Preview - Jan.19 Sundance Journal Day 1: Opening CommentsJan.20 - Friends With Money Sundance Journal Day 2: Are You Shuttle Experienced? Jan.21 - A Little Trip to Heaven, It's Only Talk, Black Gold, Eve and the Fire Horse Sundance Journal Day 3: Star Gazing Jan.22 - Awesome I fuckin shot this?, Battle in Heaven, The Science of Sleep Sundance Journal Day 4: Gondry! Jan.23 - Sherryberry, House of Sand, Factotum Sundance Journal Day 5: Midway point Jan.24 - The Hawk is Dying,

...

• This year Ioncinema.com is covering the 2006 edition of the Sundance Film Festival Live from Park City, Utah. We’ll be on hand to cover the festival, and while we won’t be able to cover everything from A to Z: here is a comprehensive beforehand look at the selections in each of the festival’s sections. (Note: To access individual preview pages, simply click on the links below) January 19th to the 28th, 2006Counting Down: updateCountdownClock('January 19, 2006'); Nicholson & Kirk in Flannel Pajamas Come Early Morning - Joey Lauren Adams Flannel Pajamas - Jeff Lipsky Forgiven - Paul Fitzgerald A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints - Dito Montiel Half Nelson - Ryan Fleck The Hawk is Dying - Julian Goldberger In Between Days - So Yong Kim Puccini for Beginners - Maria Maggenti Quinceanera - Richard Glatzer Right at Your Door - Chris Gorak Sherrybaby (a.k.a:

...