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Exclusive: Veteran indie executive and filmmaker Jeff Lipsky is hooking up with Kino Lorber to launch The Jeff Lipsky Collection on growing streaming service Kino Now. The collection, which becomes available on March 5, will include five out of seven of Lipsky’s directing efforts dating from 2006-2019. Other filmmakers who are similarly represented with Kino Now Auteur Collections include Jean-Luc Godard, Lina Wertmüller, Derek Jarman, István Szabó and F.W. Murnau.

On the Lipsky roster are Flannel Pajamas (2006), a relationship story co-starring Julianne Nicholson and Justin Kirk; family drama Twelve Thirty (2011), starring Jonathan Groff; surreal comedy Molly’s Theory Of Relativity (2013) with Sophia Takal and Lawrence Michael Levine; character study Mad Women (2015), co-starring Reed Birney and Jamie Harrold; and Holocaust-themed family drama The Last (2019), starring Rebecca Schull. Lipsky hopes to add his first film, 1997’s The End, to the collection as soon as its restoration is complete.

Says Lipsky, “Being inducted...

With readers turning to their home viewing options more than ever, this daily feature provides one new movie each day worth checking out on a major streaming platform.

Relationship dramas have been done and redone so many times over that the premise of “Flannel Pajamas” may sound untenable, but give it time, and Jeff Lipsky’s talky romance finds its purpose. When indie distribution maverick-turned-filmmaker Lipsky’s 2006 sophomore feature premiered in U.S. Dramatic Competition at Sundance, it coincided with the early stirrings of lo-fi American cinema later dubbed “mumblecore,” and at first blush may look a lot less ambitious. A two-hour chronicle of lovebirds Nicole (Julianne Nicholson) and Stuart (Justin Kirk), the movie sees the pair finding immediate chemistry on a blind date, vibing with their respective families, and speeding into an ill-advised marriage that gradually disintegrates from the moment it begins. All along, they talk, talk, talk — enough...

On March 13th, 1964, a woman named Kitty Genovese was stabbed to death outside of her apartment building in Kew Gardens, New York. As reported by the New York Times, 37 neighbors reportedly witnessed the murder and did not intervene. The story became emblematic of the “bystander effect,” a social psychology phenomenon that argues the greater the number of bystanders, the less likely it is that any one of them will help a victim in need.

Read More: ‘Orange is the New Black’ Star Samira Wiley Speaks Out On Season 4’s Most Emotional Moment

Though the supposed 37 bystander story has since been disproven, the new film “37” fictionalizes the myth and peeks into the lives of three disparate families, a lonely neighbor, and the doorman who might have witnessed the murder, and examines their decisions not to intervene by understanding their day-to-day struggles. The film stars Samira Wiley (“Orange is the New Black...

October is upon us. The leaves are changing. Sweaters are becoming more abundant. Awards contenders are popping up in theaters nationwide. But those are far from the only films opening throughout the coming weeks. Below, you’ll find every planned theatrical release for the month of October, separated out into films with wide runs and limited ones. (Synopses are provided by festivals and distributors.)

Each week, we’ll give you an update with more specific information on where these films are playing. In the meantime, be sure to check our calendar page, where we’ll update releases for the rest of the year. Stay warm and happy watching!

Week of October 7 Wide

The Birth of a Nation

Director: Nate Parker

Cast: Aja Naomi King, Armie Hammer, Gabrielle Union, Jackie Earle Haley, Mark Boone Junior, Nate Parker

Synopsis: Set against the antebellum South and based on a true story, “The Birth...

"If you show weakness, people will walk all over you." Do you know the story of Kitty Genovese? A trailer has debuted for the film 37, inspired by the true story of the murder of Kitty Genovese in 1964. The title refers to the 37 people who were witnesses to her rape and murder, yet did nothing to stop it. The film is told entirely from the perspectives of her apathetic neighbors in Queens, who chose not to get involved for fear of unintended consequences. The ensemble cast stars Samira Wiley, Michael Potts, Maria Dizzia, Jamie Harrold, Thomas Kopache, Lucy Martin, Adrian Martinez, Sophia Lillis, Marquise Gary and Christina Brucato as Kitty Genovese. This trailer shows promise, even though it seems so depressing. Here's the first official trailer (+ poster) for Puk Grasten's 37, straight from Vimeo (found via Tmb): 37 is a powerful drama and a fictional account of the night Kitty Genovese was murdered in 1964, Kew Gardens,...

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.

Regner Grasten Film and Game 7 Films on Wednesday announced the ensemble cast for their fictional account of the night Kitty Genovese was murdered in 1964.

Samira Wiley (pictured), Michael Potts, Christina Brucato, Jamie Harrold, Maria Dizzia, Evan Fine, Thomas Kopache, Sophia Lillis, Lucy Martin and Adrian Martinez are among the cast.

Puk Grasten makes his feature directorial debut and wrote the screenplay, based on his Slamdance 2013 short of the same name.

The film explores the lives of a group of families living in the Kew Gardens area of Queens in the 1960s who do not intervene when they witness the murder of 28-year-old Kitty Genovese, to be played by Brucato.

Asger Hussain and Yaron Schwartzman of Game 7 Films produce and the executive producers are Regner Grasten and Tove Grasten of Regner Grasten Film. New Danish Screen, the new talent section under The Danish Film Institute, co-funds the project.

The ensemble cast is set for 37, a film inspired by the horrific 1964 murder of Kitty Genovese and a group of neighbors who witnessed the attack and did nothing as she screamed for help. Written and directed by first-time filmmaker Puk Grasten, 37 stars Samira Wiley, Michael Potts, Christina Brucato, Jamie Harrold. Maria Dizzia, Evan Fine, Thomas Kopache, Sophia Lillis, Lucy Martin and Adrian Martinez. Asger Hussain and Yaron Schwartzman of Game 7 Films are producing…...

Recently, CBS released the new,official,synopsis/spoilers for their upcoming "Elementary" episode 20 of season 2. The episode is entitled, "No Lack Of Void," and it sounds like things will get pretty interesting as Holmes and Watson take on a case, involving anthrax poisoning, and more. In the new,20 episode press release: When a pickpocket dies of anthrax poisoning, Holmes and Watson will race to find the source to prevent an outbreak. Press release number 2: A pickpocket will die of anthrax poisoning, putting Holmes and Watson on the trail of the toxin’s source in order to prevent more deaths. Guest stars will feature: Ron Raines (Ian), Garrett Dillahunt (Bart MacIntosh), Brandon Espinoza (Apollo Mercer), Michael Medeiros (Joe Bey), Jamie Harrold (Coogan Burl), Dennis Flanagan (Jeremy), Larry Mitchell (Uniform Cop), Brett G. Smith (Esu Captain), and Jay Ward (Esu Officer). The episode was written by Liz Friedman and Jeffrey Paul King,...

Just who are the geekiest computer geeks of the large and small screen? Here’s Michael’s list of suggestions…

Jim Carrey had a point when he said, “Free cable is the ultimate aphrodisiac”, as frankly, anyone who can hand out free cable is going to be popular.

However, even The Cable Guy might find his social influence supplanted these days by the nearest computer geek. Gradually, computers have developed from a niche interest into something that everyone depends on to get through life. As a result, the computer geek has enjoyed a transformation from outcast to linchpin.

The geek is a stock character of both the big screen and the small. A character such as Garth from Wayne's World doesn't fit into our narrow definition of a computer geek. Does he use his Amiga to create a colourful poster for his friends’ rock concert? Yes. Does he put a...

The Tribeca Film Festival is as much a staple of New York City as the buildings lining its streets or the cab drivers flipping you off. We are inundated with countless new projects from across the planet, all packed into a few days. This year's lineup didn't leave much room for our lovely horror, but there were some moments to be had! Tell-Tale was one of them. Before the film screened, director Michael Cuesta took the stage, thanked us all for coming, and then took a picture of us to send to producer Ridley Scott, who regrettably could not be there. We all said "Cheeeeeeese!" and away we went.

"Terry (Josh Lucas) is a struggling single father, abandoned by his wife years earlier, who prides himself on taking good care of his young daughter. His life is finally looking up after he recently received a successful heart transplant, and he...

NEW YORK -- IFC Entertainment has picked up all North American rights to Larry Fessenden's eco-horror thriller The Last Winter for its IFC First Take day-and-date release program.

The acclaimed feature, which premiered in the fall at the Toronto International Film Festival, features Ron Perlman, James LeGros, Connie Britton, Kevin Corrigan, Jamie Harrold and Fessenden as members of a remote Alaskan oil-hunting team haunted by an unseen presence, which may or may not come from their imaginations.

Winter will be given a platform theatrical release and a simultaneous VOD release in mid-September. The film screens todayfri and Sunday at Film Independent's Los Angeles Film Festival.

The film was produced by Jeffrey Levy-Hinte ("thirteen," Laurel Canyon). Writer-director Fessenden's credits include the arty horror films Wendigo and Habit. He has produced many genre films through his Glass Eye Pix production co., which handled production duties on Winter with Anidote Films.

IFC vp acquisitions and productions Arianna Bocco negotiated the deal with Sarah Lash from Cinetic Media, who represented the filmmakers.

PARK CITY -- Who said there are no second acts in American lives? Veteran indie executive Jeff Lipsky returns to Sundance on the other side of the aisle as writer-director with his beautifully executed and provocative second feature, "Flannel Pajamas". A thoughtful dissection of the courtship and marriage of two ultimately mismatched New Yorkers, film is destined to be a conversation piece among sophisticated couples. Pic should have a healthy run in art houses and a long afterlife on cable and DVD.

What starts out seeming like a poor man's Woody Allen morphs into something closer to an American version of "Scenes From a Marriage". Stuart (Jason Kirk) and Nicole (Julianne Nicholson) meet on a blind date at a hip Manhattan dinner and magic happens. Pretty soon it's picnics in the park and hot sex on the floor of his high rise. Their mutual need and attraction makes for instant chemistry, but Lipsky lingers a bit too long introducing characters in that first scene instead of getting down to business.

All at once, we meet Stuart's mentally unstable but charismatic brother Jordan (Jamie Harrold, resembling a young, manic Jim Carrey) and Nicole's best friend Tess (Chelsea Altman), whom Stuart takes an instant dislike to and proclaims evil.

Nicole, an adorable freckle-faced Catholic girl, is the kind of woman who comes with a lot of baggage, which she dutifully unpacks as the film unfolds. Stuart, an attentive Jewish guy who makes s a living inventing fictionalized sales pitches for Broadway shows, starts out glib and becomes more vulnerable and likable as the film progresses. Kirk and Nicholson are utterly convincing as the ill-fated couple and give the proceedings a total sense of realism.

The lengthy courtship and honeymoon period could benefit from some judicious trimming in the early going, but things really get interesting once the relationship hits the skids. The first signs of trouble in paradise occur are on a trip to Missoula, Montana where they go to spend the Christmas holidays with Nicole's five siblings and divorced parents. Stuart inexplicably gets the chilliest of welcomes from Nicole's artist mother Elizabeth (Rebecca Schull).

The warning signs, of course, are there, and Lipsky does a good job planting the seeds of discord. When two people are so desperate for contact they find reasons to fall in love. For Stuart, he says he wants to protect someone, and Nicole is the one he's chosen. For Nicole, she's trying to rewrite a devastating family history that she keeps buried. Not a good formula for success in marriage.

Lipsky cleverly peppers his script with some stunning surprises that literally made the Sundance audience gasp. The first involves Stuart's harsh attempt to control what he considers the potential corrupting influence of Tess's promiscuity on his wife. The other, a classic confrontation between husband and mother-in-law, is a scene of hair- raising power as Elizabeth totally lays her cards on the table about why she hates him so much. The pathology in the family runs even deeper than he thought. In addition to being beautifully played by Schull, Lipsky's writing here is razor sharp.

Since the film has been created by a man, with presumably some autobiographical elements, it's not surprising that the story is told more from Stuart's perspective and he ultimately emerges as the more sympathetic and sane person. Because of that, this could be one of those films that sharply divide male and female audiences and make for spirited late night discussions.

Given the film's limited budget (reported to be less than a million dollars) and the lightening fast shoot, film is a remarkable achievement for a sophomore director. Paul Hsu's subtle piano score handles highly emotional moments with great restraint. And other tech credits are strong enough to deliver Lipsky's achingly romantic vision of love in a time of cynicism.

FLANNEL PAJAMAS

Gigantic Pictures

Credits:

Director Jeff Lipsky

Writer: Lipsky

Producers: Jonathan Gray, Brian Devine, Jason Orans

Executive producer: Simon Channing-Williams

Director of photography: Martina Radwan

Production designer: Len X. Clayton

Music: Paul Hsu

Costume designer: Amy Bradshaw

Editor: Sara Corrigan.

Cast:

Stuart Sawyer: Justin Kirk

Nicole Reilly: Julianne Nicholson

Elizabeth: Rebecca Schull

Jordan: Jamie Harrold

Tess: Chelsea Altman

Bill: Tom Bower

Megan: Stephanie Roth Haberle

No MPAA rating

Running time -- 124 minutes...

Ally McBeal star Gil Bellows is teaming with Kissing Jessica Stein star Jennifer Westfeldt to star in writer-director Stu Pollard's indie dramedy Keep Your Distance. Christian Kane, Kim Raver, Elizabeth Pena, Stacy Keach, Jamie Harrold, Rick Overton and Cynthia Martells round out the cast. Shooting is under way in Kentucky. Distance is described as a character-driven project centering on a radio talk-show host (Bellows) and what happens when he meets a pharmaceutical sales rep from out of town (Westfeldt). They accidentally form a bond based on something lacking in all of their other relationships: trust. Pollard is producing the $1.2 million-budgeted feature along with producer Christina Varotsis. A native of Kentucky, Pollard is repped by Innovative Artists Agency and Chris Ridenhour at Tavel Entertainment. He made his directorial debut in 1999's Nice Guys Sleep Alone. Westfeldt is repped by UTA and Tammy Rosen at the Personal Management Co. She recently wrapped another indie, 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover. Bellows is repped by ICM and Brookside Artists Management. He next stars in Blind Horizon.

A familiar story about an awkward and under-romanced young woman's coming to terms with herself and the world, "Swimming" is exceptionally well-made and impressed screening audiences at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival. Directed and co-written by Robert J. Siegel (co-producer and co-writer of HBO's "Descending Angel"), the under-$500,000 indie bowed at Slamdance, made the trip to Rotterdam, the Netherlands, and could prove to be a prestigious limited-release item for an enterprising distributor.

Siegel's classy approach is a selling point for more-patient adult audiences and women from teens on up. The likable and focused cast includes Lauren Ambrose ("Can't Hardly Wait"), Jennifer Dundas Lowe ("The First Wives Club"), Joelle Carter ("The Horse Whisperer") and Jamie Harrold ("Erin Brockovich").

Set in Myrtle Beach, S.C., but with situations and characters that are universally recognizable, "Swimming" is a carefully composed and orchestrated drama, with a fair amount of character-driven comedy and totally involving performances. On screen for most of the film's 90 minutes, Ambrose is excellent as local lonely-heart Frankie, kind of plain, always sincere, the withdrawing sister of and co-restaurateur with grumpy Neil (Josh Pais).

She works hard and doesn't complain, content to let Neil be the boss and deal with all the headaches of running a beachside cafe. Located next to a piercing salon owned and operated by Frankie's best friend, Nicola (Lowe), the diner is a recurring location, as is the beach. A steady stream of vacationers creates an expectant romantic atmosphere that Frankie is unable to take advantage of, while a male contemporary, Brad James Villemaire), is a tanned young bohemian who scores easily.

While cuter and wilder Nicola is a good friend to her, Frankie finds a slightly older, more mature role model in tall heartbreaker Josee (Carter), Brad's free-spirited new girlfriend who is hired by Neil as a waitress. Self-assured, able to handle men of all persuasions, taking a special interest in Frankie that almost becomes romantic, Josee is the spark that causes the lead to take a chance or two.

Enter Heath (Harrold), a pot-smoking hawker of tie-dyed shirts, who is similarly a sensitive soul and social nobody. It doesn't happen at the speed of light -- and where it arrives by the film's end is a poignant moment that's disarmingly mundane -- but Frankie and Heath hit it off, and that helps her handle a suddenly jealous and needy Nicola, as well as the calamity that half occurs when Josee has a fling with Neil.

A film professor at Purchase College in New York, Siegel optioned a script by one of his students, Lisa Bazadona, and then wrote the final draft with Grace Woodard. Inspired by "Marty", and having not directed a feature since the 1980 antiwar film "The Line", Siegel shows uncommon attention to the details of filmmaking -- from the subtle direction to the soundtrack, which is not loaded down with distracting songs.

SWIMMING

Oceanside Pictures

Director:Robert J. Siegel

Screenwriters:Lisa Bazadona, Robert J. Siegel, Grace Woodard

Producers:Robert J. Siegel, Linda Moran

Executive producer:Reginald Shelbourne

Director of photography:John Leuba

Production designer:Charlotte Bourke

Editor:Frank Reynolds

Costume designer:Laura Sewrey

Casting:Judy Henderson

Color/stereo

Cast:

Frankie Wheeler:Lauren Ambrose

Nicola Jenrette:Jennifer Dundas Lowe

Josee:Joelle Carter

Heath:Jamie Harrold

Brad:James Villemaire

Neil Wheeler:Josh Pais

Marianne Wheeler:Sharon Scruggs

Running time -- 97 minutes

No MPAA rating...

Brian Sloan's "I Think I Do" is a lightweight, 1950s throwback of a romantic comedy with a gay twist. Picture those Doris Day-Rock Hudson movies, minus Day, and you're pretty much there.

A little awkward around the edges, Sloan's first feature nevertheless has engaging qualities -- most notably an energetic, charismatic cast and a generous selection of Partridge Family songs. Strand Releasing should expect moderately pleasing returns in specialized markets.

Focusing on a bunch of twentysomething ex-college roommates who reunite at a wedding, the film's back story is established through a series of holiday-themed vignettes in which Bob (Alexis Arquette) not-so-secretly pines for bunkmate Brendan (Christian Maelen).

While sexual tension leads to the inevitable bout of wrestling, Bob's crush remains unrequited. A drunken attempt to force the issue results in a permanent rift in their relationship.

Five years later, getting together for the marriage of fellow former boarders Carol (Lauren Velez) and Matt (Jamie Harrold), we find Bob working as a soap writer in New York and living with the show's self-obsessed star, Sterling (Tuc Watkins). Sarah (Marianne Hagan), who had a brief fling with Brendan, is now a law student working for a senator, while Bob's old confidante, Beth (Maddie Corman), and professional "himbo" Eric (Guillermo Diaz) are both still partying as if it's 1989.

Of course, the late-arriving (literally and figuratively) Brendan, now a Boston schoolteacher, manages to turn the gathering upside down with a not-so-surprising revelation.

Though the farcical elements are played out with entirely predictable results, there's a breezy, Oscar Wilde-meets-Neil Simon quality to Sloan's writing and direction that could take interesting shape as his talent matures.

He coaxes some nice, lightly amusing performances from his fresh-faced cast. While Arquette has a weakness for the "mug" shot, he has good comedic instincts. As much-sought-after Brendan, newcomer Maelen has a sweetly vulnerable presence.

Production values are fine, with kudos to editor Francois Keraudren for knowing how to cut sequences to the aforementioned Partridge Family tunes.

I THINK I DO

Strand Releasing

Director-screenwriter:Brian Sloan

Producer:Lane Janger

Executive producers:Robert Miller, Marcus Hu, Jon Gerrans, Daryl Roth

Cinematographer:Milton Kam

Production designer:Debbie Devilla

Editor:Francois Keraudren

Costume designers:Kevin Donaldson, Victoria Farrell

Music supervisor:Gerry Gershman

Color/stereo

Cast:

Bob:Alexis Arquette

Brendan:Christian Maelen

Carol:Lauren Velez

Matt:Jamie Harrold

Sarah:Marianne Hagan

Eric:Guillermo Diaz

Beth:Maddie Corman

Sterling:Tuc Watkins

Running time -- 93 minutes

No MPAA rating...