Bill Sage Movies

A gay teacher at a private high school in Connecticut finds his career and personal life in jeopardy after being accused of inappropriate conduct with a male student. All Michael wanted was a place to make a home with his partner Daniel, the owner of a small catering business. He thought that if he just maintained a low profile his sexuality wouldn't be an issue. But when a troubled student levels a serious accusation at him, Michael discovers that homophobia still runs rampant in his quiet, sheltered community. Later, things go from bad to worse for Michael when the student runs away from home, prompting his financially destitute mother and her opportunistic boyfriend to tray and make some quick cash over the controversy. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

A Brooklyn youth witnesses his mother's brutal murder as a young boy, and grows up to become a vigilante after vowing to track down her killer in this intense psychological thriller. Sean Donovan was just a schoolboy when his family fell victim to a violent carjacking that robbed him of a mother and left his father a broken man. Years later, 17-year-old Sean (Caleb Steinmeyer) hasn't forgotten, and he certainly hasn't forgiven. Sean still visits the local police station frequently, thumbing through mug shots in hopes of finding the face of the man who killed his mother. While his father (Bill Sage) descends into alcoholism, Sean spends his nights prowling the deepest, darkest corners of the city on a grim mission of revenge. When a drug dealer attempts to make a victim out of Sean, the straight-A student unleashes his primal instincts and embraces the rage that has swelled up inside of him for years. Meanwhile, haunted homicide detective Teresa Ames (Zulay Henao) learns that a vigilante is on the loose, and she makes it her mission to end his brutal rampage. Could it be that the same quiet teen she works with by day is the lawless warrior she hunts by night? ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

A man seeking to escape the past realizes that he'll first have to confront the present after receiving a desperate call from a friend on his deathbed. Harry Sweeny (Jamey Sheridan) is an aged but handsome divorcée with a grown son and a small business. He lives a comfortable life in a small town, where his main source of entertainment is stopping by the local diner to flirt with pretty waitress Muriel (Karen Young). But Harry's life hasn't always been this easy, and after getting a call from Tom Kelly (Steve Buscemi) he starts to remember why. Tom isn't long for this earth, and before he goes he seeks forgiveness from David Kagan, a fellow crewman that he and Harry knew from their Navy days. Unable to say no to an old friend, Harry sets out on a reluctant search for David, visiting old friends and drudging up painful memories in the process. Why does Tom feel like he needs David's forgiveness to pass on, and whose redemption is Harry searching for anyway? ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Two brothers set out in search of their estranged father in this road-bound family drama produced by Lee Daniels (Monster's Ball) and starring singer Mariah Carey. As siblings, Carter (Adam Rothenberg) and Ellis (Ethan Peck) never saw eye to eye. Now Ellis has been diagnosed with leukemia, and his only hope for survival is to track down their estranged father, who lives in Tennessee. Putting their differences aside for the time being, Carter agrees to join Ellis, and together the two siblings decide to hitchhike their way across the country. Along the way, Carter and Ellis cross paths with a waitress named Krystal (Carey), who has put her lifelong dream of becoming a singer on hold for far too long. Somewhere on the road to Tennessee, all three will discover the true power of hope, and the importance of family in times of need. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Monster's Ball producer Lee Daniels follows up his 2005 directorial debut, Shadowboxer, with this adaptation of author Sapphire's best-selling novel about an overweight, illiterate African-American teen from Harlem who discovers an alternate path in life after she begins attending a new school. Clareece "Precious" Jones is only a teenager, yet she's about to give birth to her second child. Unable to read or write, Clareece shows little prospect for the future until discovering that she has been accepted into an alternative school. There, with a little help from a sympathetic teacher (Paula Patton) and a kindly nurse (Lenny Kravitiz), the young girl receives something that most teens never get -- a chance to start over. Mo'nique co-stars in an inspirational drama featuring the debut performance of screen newcomer Gabourey "Gabbie" Sidibe. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Independent auteur Hal Hartley wrote and directed this satirical exercise in what he calls "fake science fiction." In the near future, following a violent overthrow of the American government, the United States has come under the rule of the MMM, a Multi-Media Monopoly which runs the country as a business. Every citizen now has a personal bar code, which is used to monitor his or her consumption of practically everything, including sex, now that aphrodisiacs have become the nation's biggest consumer product. Jack (Bill Sage) and Cecile (Sabrina Lloyd) are two MMM executives who are vying for the same level of advancement within the organization, while William (Leo Fitzpatrick) is a member of the Partisans, a cadre of anti-MMM activists who are attempting to bring down the corporation's rule, though they are regarded as both dangerous and powerless by MMM's leaders. In the midst of this situation comes a beautiful woman from the planet Monday (Tatiana Abracos), who knows about Jack's little secret -- he's a fellow alien hiding out on Earth. The woman has come to Earth to bring Jack back to planet Monday, but given the currently miserable state of Jack's life, he's more interested in having a relationship with her than heading back home. The Girl From Monday has its world premiere at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Two young men are haunted by similar events from their past, though the effects manifest themselves in very different ways, in this powerful drama from independent filmmaker Gregg Araki. In the summer of 1981, Brian (George Webster) and Neil (Chase Ellison) are both eight years old and playing on the same little league baseball team in a small Kansas town. One day, after a game, Brian blacks out after getting caught in a rainstorm, and five hours later he finds himself sitting in his basement with his nose bleeding and no memory of what happened to him. Over the years, the event -- particularly the missing five hours -- weigh heavily on his mind, and he becomes convinced that he was kidnapped by space aliens. Teenaged Brian (now played by Brady Corbet) becomes friends with Avalyn Friesen (Mary Lynn Rajskub), a woman who claims to have been abducted by aliens on several occasions, and she urges him to look to his dreams for patterns that might suggest what happened to him. Meanwhile, during the same summer, Neil developed a powerful crush on their little league coach (Bill Sage), who appeared to have also taken a shine to Neil. Neil's mother (Elisabeth Shue), seeing nothing wrong with their friendship, lets the coach look after Neil while she's off on one of her many dates, and before long Neil begins sexually experimenting with the older man. Neil's introduction to sex inspires him to become a hustler when he grows into his teens, and after burning his bridges in his hometown, Neil (now played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and his close friend Wendy (Michelle Trachtenberg) move to New York, where he continues to cruise for a living but under significantly more risky circumstances. One day, Neil is contacted by Brian, who after seeing one of their team photos from their days in little league suspects he might have some clues as to what happened to him in 1981. Mysterious Skin was based on the novel by Scott Heim, and marked the first time Gregg Araki made a film that did not originate with one of his own screenplays. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Actress Salma Hayek makes her directorial debut with this heartwarming drama based on the novel by Theodore Taylor. José (Eddy Martin) is a young boy from Mexico who sneaks into the United States in search of his father, a migrant worker. On the run with an injured arm and looking for a place to rest, José sneaks into a church in San Ramos, CA, and hides in a scaffolding above the pulpit. Blood from José's arm drips onto a statue of Christ, and the next morning when Josephina (Soledad St. Hilaire), a devoted member of the congregation, arrives for her daily prayers, she's convinced that the plaster figure is weeping tears of blood. Father Russell (Peter Fonda), the parish priest, isn't sure if this is a genuine miracle or not, though given the town's financial woes and his own waning faith, the timing would be good for one. As Father Russell tries to determine just what has happened, Josephina begins spreading word of the miracle, as and the story spreads, it becomes increasingly embellished. Soon curious believers and intrigued skeptics flood San Ramos, boosting the town's sagging economy, with Maisie (Mare Winningham), proprietor of the local cafe, one of the prime beneficiaries. Maisie, however, has also discovered and taken in José, and when she and her friend Cruz (Ruben Blades) learn the truth about the weeping statue, they're unsure if they should tell the townspeople just what has happened. The Maldonado Miracle was produced for cable television broadcast in a partnership between Hallmark Productions and the Showtime premium cable network. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Joseph Pierson's Evenhand is a film about a pair of police officers in a fictional but realistic Texas town. Francis (Bill Dawes) and Morning (Bill Sage) have the same goals as officers of the law, but their personalities and their approaches to their work are very different. Francis richly believes in serving the community, while Morning is a hotshot, lone-wolf type. This observant character study was screened at the AFI Film Festival. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi

One of the most talked-about movies of the 2000 Sundance Film Festival, this film, directed by Jon Shear, recalls the edgy, aggressively-political qualities of early '90s queer cinema such as Poison (1991) and Swoon (1991) -- and throws in a few nods to Martin Scorsese's late-night New York City odyssey film After Hours (1985) for good luck. Dashing young yuppie Charlie (Dan Futterman) is losing control of his life after the loss of his longtime companion Chris (Matt Keeslar). Alone in his apartment, he can hear his upstairs neighbors (Bill Sage and Megan Dodds) engage in noisy lovemaking that leaves him lonely, frustrated, and aroused. He wanders the neon-drenched streets of Manhattan at night as if he were a wraith. Later, at a bar with the amorous couple, the trio get into a loud, ugly argument about public displays of affection. Around this same time, Charlie notices a mysterious, tattooed stranger, and the two exchange looks. Intrigued, Charlie sets out looking for the man, and in the process, he launches himself on a nightmarish journey through the underside of New York. He happens upon an increasingly odd array of people, each telling progressively more bizarre tales that are purportedly true. German actress Barbara Sukowa appears in a cameo in which she tells Charlie of a sexual tryst she had in a bar's restroom. Alan Cumming appears as a friend who has a crush on Charlie, while Lothaire Bluteau plays a stammering bum. Soon reality and fiction, straight and gay all fuse and blur in Charlie's increasingly troubled psyche. ~ Jonathan Crow, Rovi

Stephen Kinsella directs this family comedy-drama about a single mom looking for a job and her son's slow slide to the streets. Rita Ronaldi (Callie Thorne) ekes out a living as a waitress until she is unceremoniously canned. Tough-minded but unskilled, she faces an uphill fight to find a job to support her and her teenaged son Matt (Rufus Read). Pudgy, bespectacled, and asthmatic, Matt is struggling himself, especially after he comes under the sway of local riff-raff Bret (Noah Fleiss), who loves sex, drugs, and leading helpless teens astray. Soon Matt worships Bret, and he descends into a life of criminality. ~ Jonathan Crow, Rovi

Bret Easton Ellis's dark and violent satire of America in the 1980s is brought to the screen in this unsettling drama with blackly comic overtones. Patrick Bateman (Christian Bale), the son of a wealthy Wall Street financier, is pursuing his own lucrative career with his father's firm. Bateman is the prototypical yuppie, obsessed with success, fashion, and style. He is also a serial killer who murders, rapes, and mutilates both strangers and acquaintances without provocation or reason. Donald Kimble (Willem Dafoe), a police detective, questions Bateman about the disappearance of Paul Allen (Jared Leto), whom Patrick murdered several days earlier. As Kimble stays on Bateman's trail, Bateman's mask of studied, distant cool begins to fall apart. American Psycho also features Reese Witherspoon as Bateman's girlfriend, as well as Samantha Mathis, Chloe Sevigny, and Guinevere Turner; the latter also co-authored the screenplay. Controversy followed the production from the start, when speculation that Leonardo Di Caprio would play Bateman sparked concerns that he would lure preteens to an R-rated movie. Di Caprio soon bowed out of the project, and original leading man Bale was reinstated. Later, a group of Toronto residents attempted to block filming in that city after Canadian serial killer Paul Bernardo claimed that Ellis's novel inspired his murder spree. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Jonathan (Kevin Corrigan) is a computer expert who is a bit shy and lonely, though he's recently begun courting a schoolteacher named Judy (Amy Ryan). One night, Jonathan encounters a Latina prostitute named Roberta (Daisy Rojas), whom he's convinced he knew as a child. Jonathan is immediately obsessed with Roberta, though not for sex, which she finds more puzzling than reassuring. Jonathan soon moves Roberta into his apartment, begins teaching her office skills, even asking Judy to help take care of her. Roberta is not sure what to make of Jonathan's improvement program, her short-tempered pimp is decidedly unhappy with this arrangement, and Jonathan's friends try to convince him he's making a mistake. This socially and politically charged melodrama was shown in competition at the 1999 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi