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.
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.
- 10/1/2015
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
Women on the Verge: Lipsky’s Overwrought Portrait of Dysfunction
Those having experienced the independent cinema styling of Jeff Lipsky won’t be surprised by the end product of his latest overblown cascade of maudlin litanies in Mad Women. A forced provocation ruinously scored by an endless patter of affected, hopelessly insincere bits of dialogue, the ineptitude is exacerbated by this being Lipsky’s sixth feature, and yet this production bears the same marks of amateurism as his previous endeavors. Shrill, annoying, and as graceful to observe as a symphony of tapered fingernails viciously excoriating a football field sized chalk board, the end result features overly rehearsed actors floundering through endless, exaggerated monologues.
Nevada Smith (Katie Lynn Stokes) is the product of a seemingly affluent environment. Residing in the privileged community known as Iris Glen, she is the second of three children belonging to her dentist father Richard (Reed Birney...
Those having experienced the independent cinema styling of Jeff Lipsky won’t be surprised by the end product of his latest overblown cascade of maudlin litanies in Mad Women. A forced provocation ruinously scored by an endless patter of affected, hopelessly insincere bits of dialogue, the ineptitude is exacerbated by this being Lipsky’s sixth feature, and yet this production bears the same marks of amateurism as his previous endeavors. Shrill, annoying, and as graceful to observe as a symphony of tapered fingernails viciously excoriating a football field sized chalk board, the end result features overly rehearsed actors floundering through endless, exaggerated monologues.
Nevada Smith (Katie Lynn Stokes) is the product of a seemingly affluent environment. Residing in the privileged community known as Iris Glen, she is the second of three children belonging to her dentist father Richard (Reed Birney...
- 7/8/2015
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
Chicago – The pain and passion of prepubescent youth and adolescence unravels in the excellent directorial debut of Daniel Patrick Carbone, “Hide Your Smiling Faces.” Carbone captures the isolation and meticulous boredom at a time of life when everything conspires to happen on a daily basis.
Rating: 4.0/5.0
The film is a meditation, with shades of Terrence Malick-like contemplation. When the suicide of a troubled boy resonates a wave of reaction in a rural town, two brothers look inward to their own fragility. The soul searching and almost beautiful ache of this snapshot is contained within the raw emotions exposed in the boys during their first experience of human mortality. The story is set in a property-less rural region of the country, a place where exploration is wide open, both in territory and soul. The boys are both seekers, and as the reality of death and the bitter sameness of their lives unfolds,...
Rating: 4.0/5.0
The film is a meditation, with shades of Terrence Malick-like contemplation. When the suicide of a troubled boy resonates a wave of reaction in a rural town, two brothers look inward to their own fragility. The soul searching and almost beautiful ache of this snapshot is contained within the raw emotions exposed in the boys during their first experience of human mortality. The story is set in a property-less rural region of the country, a place where exploration is wide open, both in territory and soul. The boys are both seekers, and as the reality of death and the bitter sameness of their lives unfolds,...
- 4/14/2014
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Premiering to enthusiastic reviews at the Berlin Film Festival (world premiere) and the Tribeca Film Festival (North American premiere), writer-director Daniel Patrick Carbone's debut feature "Hide Your Smiling Faces" is finally coming to theaters on March 28th. This coming-of-age story has been described as a "dreamlike portrait of adolescence unfolding over one hot, hazy summer." In his rave review, The Playlist's Rodrigo Perez writes that the film "skillfully articulates the inexpressible; the weird, beautiful struggle that is life." The film stars mostly unknown actors, including the talented young newcomers Ryan Jones, Nathan Varnson, and Thomas Cruz, in addition to Christina Starbuck, Colm O'Leary, and Chris Kies. Watch the trailer below for what appears to be an eerie yet poetic drama of youth that has been compared to Terrence Malick's "Tree of Life." The recent winner for Best New Director at the 36th Starz Denver Film Festival, "Hide Your Smiling Faces...
- 2/25/2014
- by Melina Gills
- Indiewire
It is amazing just how close to death (or severe injury) kids get on a daily basis. Two brothers -- Eric (Nathan Varnson) and Tommy (Ryan Jones) -- and their friend Ian (Ivan Tomic) use the densely forested landscapes surrounding their rural hometown as a giant playground. They explore long-abandoned structures, play with dead animals, swim in dingy lakes, aim [possibly loaded] guns at each other, stand eye-to-eye with a bear, and wrestle without any adult supervision. It may all seem a magical capturing of adolescence, but there is a menacing air (thanks to Robert Donne's eerie score) that seems to be following the kids around. The menace boils to fruition when Eric discovers a dead body, though we are given no hints as to which way the story will go next. There seems to be a murder-mystery lingering on the periphery of the narrative, but Eric and Tommy seem much...
- 4/25/2013
- by Don Simpson
- SmellsLikeScreenSpirit
Ifp recently congratulated the following eleven of its alumni projects screening at the 2013 Tribeca Film Festival:
Alias Ruby BladeDocumentary, HD Cam, 2012, 78 minutesDirector: Alex MeillierProducer: Tanya Ager MeillierIsa: Mercury Media
Kirsty Sword Gusmao aspired to be a filmmaker and instead became a revolutionary. Whilst working for the Timorese resistance she fell in love with the imprisoned guerilla leader, and risked everything. Together they fostered the birth of a new nation.
Cutie And The BoxerDocumentary, Dcp, 2013, 82 minutesDirector: Zachary HeinzerlingProducer: Sierra Pettengill, Patrick Burns, Zachary HeinzerlingExecutive Producers: Kiki Miyake, Lydia Dean PilcherIsa: K5 International
This candid New York love story explores the chaotic 40-year marriage of famed boxing painter Ushio Shinohara and his wife, Noriko. Anxious to shed her role of assistant to her overbearing husband, Noriko seeks an identity of her own.
Hide Your Smiling Faces Drama/Coming of Age, HDCam, 2012, 80 minDirector: Daniel Patrick CarboneProducers: Daniel Patrick Carbone, Matthew Petock, Zachary Shedd, Jordan Bailey-HooverCast: Ryan Jones, Nathan Varnson, Colm O’Leary, Thomas Cruz, Christina Starbuck, Chris Kies, Andrew Chamberlain, Ivan Tomic
An atmospheric exploration of life and death in rural America, Hide Your Smiling Faces vividly depicts the young lives of two brothers who abruptly come of age through the experience of a friend’s mysterious death.
Big Joy 82 min. – Documentary
What or who is Big Joy? Big Joy is James Broughton, pioneer of experimental cinema in the 1930s, and trickster poet who was a precursor to the beat movement in San Francisco. Big Joy is a documentary that explores the twists and turns in the life of a very colorful character, plus how art has the power to save lives and make the world a better place. Broughton is a role model of living one's life to the fullest, or "follow your own weird" as he called it. Big Joy features interviews with experts, colleagues, friends and lovers, plus images from his films, and the words of many of his kooky poems.
Let The Fire Burn 88 min. – Documentary | Drama | History
On May 13, 1985, Philadelphia police dropped two pounds of military explosives onto a city row house occupied by the radical group Move. The resulting fire was not fought for over an hour although firefighters were on the scene with water cannons in place. Five children and six adults were killed and sixty-one homes were destroyed by the six-alarm blaze, one of the largest in the city's history. This dramatic tragedy unfolds through an extraordinary visual record previously withheld from the public. It is a graphic illustration of how prejudice, intolerance and fear can lead to unthinkable acts of violence.
Big Men 99 min.- Documentary Director: Rachel BoyntonProduction Co: Boynton Films Production [Us]Country: United States
Dancing In Jaffa DocumentaryDirector: Hilla MedaliaProduction Co: kNow Productions [Us]Country: United States
Renowned ballroom dancer, Pierre Dulaine takes his belief that dance can overcome political and cultural differences and applies it to 11 year old Jewish and Palestinian Israelis. What occurs is magical and transformative.
Stand Clear Of The Closing Doors DramaDirector: Sam FleischnerProduction Co: M ss ng p eces [Us]
The story of an autistic youth named Ricky who, after a particularly difficult day at school, escapes into the subways. It's here that he starts his real journey, on a days-long voyage of discovery while, above ground, his mom frantically searches for him.
Bluebird
90 min. – Drama
Director: Lance Edmands
Production Co: Act Zero Films [Us]
In the frozen woods of an isolated Maine logging town, one woman's tragic mistake shatters the balance of the community, resulting in profound and unexpected consequences. Weaving together several connected story lines, Bluebird explores the profound and transcendent effects of a tragedy on an isolated American town.
The Genius Of Marian85 min. – Documentary | Drama | FamilyDirectors: Banker White | Anna FitchCountry: United States
The Genius of Marian follows Pam White in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease. Her son, the film maker, works with her as she attempts to write a book that tributes her mother, the artist Marian Steele. As Pam's family comes together to support her, they must also prepare for the new reality that Alzheimer's brings. The film is a powerful work of art with many visual textures, interweaving observational film making with super 8 family movies, Marian's paintings and old photographs. The Genius of Marian is both an intimate look at a much feared illness and a loving portrait of the meaning of family.
TeenageDocumentaryDirector: Matt Wolf (IV) Production Co: Cinereach [Us]Country: United States | Germany...
Alias Ruby BladeDocumentary, HD Cam, 2012, 78 minutesDirector: Alex MeillierProducer: Tanya Ager MeillierIsa: Mercury Media
Kirsty Sword Gusmao aspired to be a filmmaker and instead became a revolutionary. Whilst working for the Timorese resistance she fell in love with the imprisoned guerilla leader, and risked everything. Together they fostered the birth of a new nation.
Cutie And The BoxerDocumentary, Dcp, 2013, 82 minutesDirector: Zachary HeinzerlingProducer: Sierra Pettengill, Patrick Burns, Zachary HeinzerlingExecutive Producers: Kiki Miyake, Lydia Dean PilcherIsa: K5 International
This candid New York love story explores the chaotic 40-year marriage of famed boxing painter Ushio Shinohara and his wife, Noriko. Anxious to shed her role of assistant to her overbearing husband, Noriko seeks an identity of her own.
Hide Your Smiling Faces Drama/Coming of Age, HDCam, 2012, 80 minDirector: Daniel Patrick CarboneProducers: Daniel Patrick Carbone, Matthew Petock, Zachary Shedd, Jordan Bailey-HooverCast: Ryan Jones, Nathan Varnson, Colm O’Leary, Thomas Cruz, Christina Starbuck, Chris Kies, Andrew Chamberlain, Ivan Tomic
An atmospheric exploration of life and death in rural America, Hide Your Smiling Faces vividly depicts the young lives of two brothers who abruptly come of age through the experience of a friend’s mysterious death.
Big Joy 82 min. – Documentary
What or who is Big Joy? Big Joy is James Broughton, pioneer of experimental cinema in the 1930s, and trickster poet who was a precursor to the beat movement in San Francisco. Big Joy is a documentary that explores the twists and turns in the life of a very colorful character, plus how art has the power to save lives and make the world a better place. Broughton is a role model of living one's life to the fullest, or "follow your own weird" as he called it. Big Joy features interviews with experts, colleagues, friends and lovers, plus images from his films, and the words of many of his kooky poems.
Let The Fire Burn 88 min. – Documentary | Drama | History
On May 13, 1985, Philadelphia police dropped two pounds of military explosives onto a city row house occupied by the radical group Move. The resulting fire was not fought for over an hour although firefighters were on the scene with water cannons in place. Five children and six adults were killed and sixty-one homes were destroyed by the six-alarm blaze, one of the largest in the city's history. This dramatic tragedy unfolds through an extraordinary visual record previously withheld from the public. It is a graphic illustration of how prejudice, intolerance and fear can lead to unthinkable acts of violence.
Big Men 99 min.- Documentary Director: Rachel BoyntonProduction Co: Boynton Films Production [Us]Country: United States
Dancing In Jaffa DocumentaryDirector: Hilla MedaliaProduction Co: kNow Productions [Us]Country: United States
Renowned ballroom dancer, Pierre Dulaine takes his belief that dance can overcome political and cultural differences and applies it to 11 year old Jewish and Palestinian Israelis. What occurs is magical and transformative.
Stand Clear Of The Closing Doors DramaDirector: Sam FleischnerProduction Co: M ss ng p eces [Us]
The story of an autistic youth named Ricky who, after a particularly difficult day at school, escapes into the subways. It's here that he starts his real journey, on a days-long voyage of discovery while, above ground, his mom frantically searches for him.
Bluebird
90 min. – Drama
Director: Lance Edmands
Production Co: Act Zero Films [Us]
In the frozen woods of an isolated Maine logging town, one woman's tragic mistake shatters the balance of the community, resulting in profound and unexpected consequences. Weaving together several connected story lines, Bluebird explores the profound and transcendent effects of a tragedy on an isolated American town.
The Genius Of Marian85 min. – Documentary | Drama | FamilyDirectors: Banker White | Anna FitchCountry: United States
The Genius of Marian follows Pam White in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease. Her son, the film maker, works with her as she attempts to write a book that tributes her mother, the artist Marian Steele. As Pam's family comes together to support her, they must also prepare for the new reality that Alzheimer's brings. The film is a powerful work of art with many visual textures, interweaving observational film making with super 8 family movies, Marian's paintings and old photographs. The Genius of Marian is both an intimate look at a much feared illness and a loving portrait of the meaning of family.
TeenageDocumentaryDirector: Matt Wolf (IV) Production Co: Cinereach [Us]Country: United States | Germany...
- 4/23/2013
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
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