Patrick Patterson Movies

Rob Morrow stars as investigating journalist Jonathan Neumann in this drama about police corruption in 1970s Philadelphia. When Neumann takes over the court beat for the Philadelphia Examiner, he quickly discovers wrongdoing at every turn, with cops beating suspects into often blatantly false confessions. As Neumann pieces together his story, he finds himself increasingly threatened by a posse of "goon squad" cops who tap his phone, break into his apartment, and even resort to physical assault. The Thin Blue Lie was originally screened on Showtime on August 13, 2000. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, Rovi

At the urging of her sister Joanne (Isabella Hoffman), battered wife Lisa Miles (Tracy Nelson) leaves her abusive husband Bill (Neil Mafin), taking her three children along with her. Refusing to let Lisa go, Bill continues to torment her, ultimately shooting her to death. As she lies dying in the hospital, Lisa begs Joanne to look after her children, and to seek out justice against Bill. In promising to do so, Lisa ultimately places not only her own life in jeopardy, but those of her own children as well. The Promise was made for the NBC TV network, where it was originally broadcast on August 15, 1999. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Carol Kane plays the wife of a murdered Mafia bookkeeper in Baby on Board. With her baby in tow, Kane tracks the hitman to the airport, intending to shoot the man. A pickpocket causes the gun to discharge prematurely, and now it's Kane who is being pursued. She commandeers a cab driven by Judge Reinhold, and the chase is on. As light as a feather, Baby on Board gets plenty of laughs from the basic situation as well as the fevered rapport between Kane and Reinhold. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Michael A. Gilbert's Office Party was the basis for the Canadian thriller Hostile Takeover (it also bears traces of "Wall to Wall War", an episode of the 1963 TV anthology The Richard Boone Show). David Warner plays a mild-mannered office worker who one morning kicks over protocol and pulls a gun, taking his co-workers hostage. It isn't that Warner is rebelling against a society that has kicked him around all his life, nor has he any beef against the company. It's just that he wants to be totally in control of a situation, a thrill he has never previously experienced. More than likely, the hostage situation could be resolved peaceably, but gonzo mayor John Vernon, jockeying for votes, insists that Warner be neutralized by a SWAT team. As these plans are formulated on the outside, Warner becomes obsessed with his new power, forcing his captives to humiliate themselves in various ways. This, in turns, leads to a breakdown in inhibitions amongst the workers--and an impromptu "group therapy" session! From this point on, dear reader, you're on your own: nothing that follows in Hostile Takeover is what one expects to happen, so henceforth we'll keep mum. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The 1920s-era play The Front Page was about a Chicago reporter who wants to retire and get married but is tricked by his editor into doing one last story -- which proves to be complicated. It was made into a classic film in 1931 and inspired the 1940 hit movie His Girl Friday, in which the reporter was changed into a woman. Billy Wilder also remade the original film in 1974. Switching Channels is a 1988 remake of His Girl Friday, with Kathleen Turner in the starring role, which has now morphed into that of a cable television network news anchor, Christy Colleran. She wants to marry a rich and handsome sporting goods manufacturer, Blaine Bingham (Christopher Reeve) and move out of town. But her ex-husband, John L. Sullivan IV (Burt Reynolds), who is also her producer and boss, gives her one final assignment to try to keep her around. Her reporting leads her into an investigation of a jail escape that follows a botched-up execution. Writer Jonathan Reynolds updated the original material. ~ Michael Betzold, Rovi

Alan Arkin plays a hapless architect named Jeffrey Martley, separated from his sprightly writer wife Diana (Mariette Hartley) and his wise-beyond-her-years five-year-old daughter Nancy (Sarah Stevens). When Nancy is injured in Jeffrey's camper, she is taken to the hospital where a misunderstanding leads doctors to believe she is the victim of child abuse. An imperious social worker, Gloria Washburn (Monica Parker), compiles a computer dossier on Jeffrey, and Nancy is taken away from him and put in an orphanage. When Diana finds out the situation, she gets back together with Jeffrey in order to try to get their daughter out of the orphanage. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi