Thomas Jay Ryan Movies

In this independent coming-of-age story, Nathan (Stephan Bender) is a shy and awkward teenager who has moved to a small town in Louisiana with his father, Harland (Thomas Jay Ryan), and mother, Vivian (Diana Scarwid). Nathan is attracted to other boys, but he's had a hard time coming to terms with his sexuality after years of being sexually abused by his father. Living next door to Nathan is Roy (Max Roeg), who attends the same high school and makes pocket money driving the school bus. Nathan is infatuated with Roy, and one day while they're doing homework together he discovers Roy is also interested in him. Nathan and Roy become lovers, though Roy notices that Nathan seems more familiar with gay sex than his experience would lead him to expect. Roy and two friends from school go camping one weekend, and he invites Nathan to join them; Roy's friends don't know he's gay and aren't especially open-minded, and after spending several hours swapping stories of ghosts and grisly folk tales, they begin to wonder why Roy and Nathan insist on sharing a tent. However, everyone is in for a surprise when the furtive lovers are confronted. Featuring musician Rickie Lee Jones in a supporting role, Dream Boy features an original score from acclaimed singer-songwriter Richard Buckner. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Filmmaker Lynn Hershman-Leeson examines a strange miscarriage of justice amplified by post-9/11 hysteria in this imaginative fusion of documentary and docudrama. Steve Kurtz is an artist and political activist who was an associate professor at the State University of New York's Buffalo campus and a member of a politically oriented creative collective known as the Critical Art Ensemble. In the spring of 2004, Kurtz was preparing an installation of pieces commenting on the potential dangers of genetically modified foods for the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art when his wife, Hope Kurtz, unexpectedly suffered heart failure. Kurtz called 911 to report the emergency, but by the time the police arrived she was dead. While looking through Kurtz's home, authorities found petri dishes used to grow bacteria and genetically modified flies the artist had obtained for his exhibit; soon, a Hazmat crew had sealed off the house, and Kurtz was behind bars under laws designed to combat bioterrorism. While Kurtz purchased his materials legally through the Internet and the case against him is flimsy at best, the FBI has refused to drop charges against him, in part because the federal government is eager to strengthen bioterrorism laws rather than call attention to their flaws, and in part because the Food and Drug Administration would prefer to keep critics of bioengineered food (which the FDA has embraced over the objection of many in the scientific community) as quiet as possible. Since Kurtz is not able to tell his own story on camera, for the film Strange Culture Hershman-Leeson has combined interviews and newsreel footage with cinéma vérité-style re-creations, featuring actors Thomas Jay Ryan as Steve Kurtz, Tilda Swinton as Hope Kurtz, and Peter Coyote as Steve's associate Robert Ferrell. Strange Culture also features an original score by pioneering experimental rock group the Residents. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

An artist who compromises his work for money finds his heart and soul are also being toyed with by his new patrons in this drama. Robert (Peter Sarsgaard) is a playwright who has recently lost his longtime lover and business partner, Malcolm (Bill Camp), to AIDS-related illnesses. Robert has written a screenplay about their relationship, called "The Dying Gaul," and is interested in selling the project to powerful producer Jeffrey (Campbell Scott). However, while Jeffrey likes the script, he tells Robert that he's not about to spend money on a film about a gay couple -- though he'll give him one million dollars for the screenplay under the condition he turns the character of "Maurice" into a woman so the film will be easier to sell. While Robert is secretly appalled by the idea, he's also deep in debt and wants the film to be made, so he agrees to make the changes. Robert is soon invited into the inner circle of Jeffrey and his wife, Elaine (Patricia Clarkson), herself a talented screenwriter until their marriage put an end to her career. Jeffrey finds himself fascinated by Robert, and soon begins seducing him both physically and intellectually, while Elaine is also deeply attracted to him. As Robert and Elaine become close friends, she also begins pursuing him in on-line chat rooms, playing on his emotional weaknesses as she fashions a story of her own. The Dying Gaul was the first directorial credit for playwright and screenwriter Craig Lucas. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

When the female admissions officer of an extremely exclusive private school is murdered, the detectives are plunged into a world where one's future social status is determined upon getting into the most prestigious school at the earliest possible age. Cell-phone evidence indicates that the murdered woman had plenty of enemies, most of them parents of children who'd been rejected for enrollment. But the key to the solution of the case is in the hands of the dead woman's snobbish employer Wyatt Scofield (Roger Rees), whose high-toned arrogance quickly has the detectives and the lawyers alike contemplating a little mayhem of their own. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In this offbeat sci-fi-drama, Rosetta Stone (Tilda Swinton) is a scientist specializing in biogenetics who has made a major breakthrough in artificial biological engineering. Rosetta has created a type of Self-Replicating Automaton, which looks like a human being, but is in fact part machine and part living organism. In order to survive and reproduce, Rosetta discovers her SRAs need certain human genetic compounds that are found only in male semen. Hoping to kill two birds with one stone, Rosetta programs one of her SRAs, Ruby (also played by Swinton) to seduce men Rosetta has found through a website offering paid "fantasy dates," which will provide both needed materials and ready cash. Ruby brings back used condoms, and shares the contents with her fellow SRAs Marine and Olive (both also played by Swinton). However, after their assignations with Ruby, the men find themselves with a strange illness that leaves them with skin outbreaks and the inability to perform sexually. Two health investigators (James Urbaniak and Karen Black) begin interviewing the men infected, which sends them on a trail leading back to Rosetta and her research lab. Meanwhile, the more Ruby comes in contact with humans, the more she finds herself falling under the sway of human emotions, and she finds herself falling in love with Sandy (Jeremy Davies), a shy man working at a photocopying center. Shot on digital video equipment by acclaimed cinematographer Hiro Narita, Teknolust was screened at the 2002 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

In Richard Sylvarnes' debut feature as writer, director, cinematographer, and editor, a beautiful Japanese woman (Miho Nikaido) is found wandering the streets in a daze. She's brought to a hospital where a young doctor, Dr. John Bennett (D.J. Mendel), haunted by a past tragedy, discovers a mysterious connection to her. Bennett has been resisting the advances of Dr. Samantha (Lisa Walter), while grieving over the accidental death of his wife (also played by Nikaido). When the strange, mute woman shows up, Bennett consults a psychic (Thomas Jay Ryan) in an effort to determine whom the woman is. Is she a ghost of some sort? Why has she appeared to him now? As the specifics of his wife's death are explored through flashbacks, Bennett uncovers some disturbing answers as to the identity of the woman. The Cloud of Unknowing was shot on digital video on a very low budget. Hal Hartley produced the film for Sylvarnes, who worked as a still photographer on Hartley's Henry Fool, in which Ryan played the title character. Nikaido and Mendel have also appeared in Hartley's films. The Cloud of Unknowing was shown in competition at the 2002 Tribeca Film Festival. ~ Josh Ralske, Rovi

The six-part made-for-television Artists' Specials Series is an entertaining and educational collection of children's films. Programs focus on a significant segment of an artist's life. Biographical information is mixed with fiction to create compelling stories reflecting turning points in the lives of revered art world figures. In Degas and the Dancer, children are introduced to one of the undisputed masters of the late 19th century, the Parisian realist/impressionist, painter, and sculptor Edgar Degas. Born into an aristocratic family in 1834, Degas became best-known for his paintings featuring ballet dancers. In this program, the artist becomes acquainted with a young ballerina Marie von Goetham and is inspired by her deep commitment to her art form. Through this relationship, the two make important discoveries true to all artists. Other videos in the series include Mary Cassatt: American Impressionist, Rembrandt: Fathers and Sons, and Monet: Shadow and Light. The highly acclaimed series is suitable for youngsters age eight and older. ~ Sally Barber, Rovi

Hal Hartley directed this French-produced comedy about the Second Coming of Christ (Martin Donovan), with Thomas Jay Ryan in the role of Satan. While a gambler (David Simonds) and a waitress (Miho Nikaido) talk with Satan in a hotel bar, Jesus arrives at JFK airport with Magdalena (PJ Harvey). Jesus has been sent down to end the world by breaking the Seven Seals on a computer disk in a bowling alley locker room. Made in digital video blown up to 35mm, this film is part of the French "Collection 2000 Seen By" television series of one-hour films about the Millennium (and the only one by an American director). Shown at the 1998 Cannes Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi