Arts & Entertainment Actor Jonathan Groff plays a character named Jeff in Twelve Thirty. Mother-Daughter Drama Filmmaker introduces his film Twelve Thirty at the Detroit Film Theatre. Suzanne Chessler Special to the Jewish News I ndependent filmmaker Jeff Lipsky drafts his scripts using his own first name for one of the main characters. After the script is finished, the character usually is no longer known as Jeff. That's not what happened with Lipsky's fourth film, Twelve Thirty, a mother- daughter drama being screened Filmmaker Jeff Lipsky March 25-27 and April 1-3 at the Detroit Film Theatre. "I'd never had a character named Jeff in my earlier films so I decided to leave the name alone," says Lipsky, 57, who will introduce the March 25 presentation and answer questions after that viewing. "The scene in which Jeff loses his virginity is the only autobiographical scene in the movie." Jeff enters the dysfunctional world of the Langley household, which includes Vivien (Karen Young), the mother; Mel (Portia Reiners), a 19-year-old mirror of her mother; and Maura (Mamie Gummer, real-life daughter of Meryl Streep), a v iar I Nate Bloom mat Special to the Jewish News Kosher Wimpy Opening on Friday, March 25, is the teen-oriented animated/live action film Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules, a sequel to Diary of a Wimpy Kid, which came out last year and was a surprise box-office hit. Both films are based on best-selling novels by Jeff Kinney. As the sequel begins, main char- acter Greg Heffley is now in seventh grade and trying to deal with his parents' misguided attempts to have him and Zachary his older brother, Gordon Rodrick, bond. 40 March 24 2011 22-year-old daughter with feelings of alienation. Playing Jeff is Jonathan Groff, who originated the role of Melchior Gabor in Spring Awakening on Broadway and starred as Jesse St. James (star of New Directions' rival choir Vocal Adrenaline) on the musical TV series Glee. Jeff's romantic interest in Mel affects the course of family relationships that include the distanced father (Reed Birney). Lipsky, who visited Detroit for the screening of Flannel Pajamas, a film based on his failed marriage, also has been in town to distribute others' independent films, the longtime focus of his profes- sional life. The Jewish writer-director talked about his work with the Detroit Jewish News: JN: How do you describe your film? JL: It's an honest portrayal of characters engaging in my three central and common themes, which are family, love and sexu- ality. There is a series of extraordinary events taking place inside of a week. JN: What motivated the movie? JL: Two films motivated the creation of the story. One was a 1980 Russian movie, Adam's Rib, a comedy about three genera- tions of Russian women living under the same roof in Moscow. The other was The Graduate. Zachary Gordon, who just turned 13, played Greg in the original and repris- es his role in the sequel. Gordon, who has a big list of TV and film credits (starting when he was 8) was recently interviewed by Babaganewz, a website for Jewish kids. He was born and raised in Southern California. When asked what sort of Jewish background he has, he said: "My family and I keep kosher. We always have. When we were in Vancouver both times (filming Wimpy Kid and Rodrick Rules), we went to a synagogue on the weekends and for Yom Kippur. I go to a Jewish summer [sleepover] camp in Malibu called Hess Kramer Camp. I do a lot of fun things there. We say prayers every day. We celebrate Shabbat and sing songs." About bar mitzvah plans, he said: "The rabbi is helping us plan my bar JN: How do the women in the film relate to the women in your own life? JL: I admire, am fascinated by and respect the women in my life who have very strong voices and are very strong-willed, confident and willing to allow their partners, friends and relatives to have their own identities. That's certainly what Vivien and Mel have in common. In the case of Maura, I know women who surrounded themselves, as she does, with other young women perceived as inferior because of dealing with self-image problems. JN: How does filmmaking compare to film distribution? JL: I love film distribution. It's how I've made money my whole life. It was my film school, especially in my years work- ing for John Cassavetes and being his friend. That said, I wanted to make films since I was 10 years old, and nothing has been comparable. There is nothing like being a writer-director surrounded by creative collaborators to contribute to my vision. JN: Does anything in general stand out about your cast? JL: I was able to find outstanding actors who are age-appropriate. JN: What do you want to cover in your talk? JL: I plan to have a guided discussion about themes, commonalities with my other films and influences. Maybe I can find someone to finance the next movie. JN: What's the next movie about? JL: The next film is about an astrophysi- cist. Even if the focus of a film is not a professional focus, it's always part of the backdrop of who the characters are since what we do professionally occupies most of our waking hours. Coming up with careers forces me to do research in fields I have known nothing about. Twelve Thirty will be shown at the Detroit Film Theatre in the Detroit Institute of Arts 7 p.m. Friday-Saturday March 25-26; 2 p.m. Sunday, March 27; 9:30 p.m. Friday-Saturday, April 1-2; and 4 p.m. Sunday, April 3. Filmmaker Jeff Lipsky introduces the film and answers questions for the March 25 performance. $6.50-$7.50. (313) 833-7900; www.dia.org . mitzvah now. It will probably be later this year. I'm going to have a big party. And my brothers have given me some advice about preparing for the Haftarah: 'Relax and have fun with it. It will prob- ably go by faster than you think."' Mildred Pierce Returns The 1945 film Mildred Pierce, with Joan Crawford in the title role, was a huge hit. Pierce is forced to be her family's breadwinner and support her two young daughters after her mar- riage to her chronically unemployed husband ends in divorce. A murder opens the film, and the story of Pierce and her family unfolds in flashback. The original was brilliantly paced by director Michael Curtiz of Casablanca fame. Mildred Pierce stands alone as almost the only film of its era in which the heroine was both a divor- cee and a businesswoman. HBO has remade Mildred Pierce in a five-part minise- ries that begins on Sunday, March 27, and runs each successive Sunday through April 10. Kate Winslet stars as Pierce. Mare Winningham, 51, plays Mildred's Mare aide, Ida. Playing Winningham her oldest daughter Veda is Evan Rachel Wood, 23. The tal- ented cast includes recent Oscar-winner Melissa Leo. (If you don't get HBO; note that the series will be released on DVD by Evan Rachel year's end). I I Wood