John Patterson Movies

Ben (Nick Stahl) has a dream in which he rejects Justin's (Clancy Brown) offer of a Communion razor blade (in place of a holy wafer). He leaves Ruthie (Adrienne Barbeau) in a state, telling her of their activities, "It's a sin." He goes to confession for the first time, where he says of his mother, "I let her die." The priest responds, "Your mother chose to die," and Ben realizes that he's talking to Scudder (John Savage), who quickly vanishes. Sophie (Clea Duvall) gets drunk, and is shocked to have an erotic vision of Libby (Carla Gallo), which ends with the image of a bloody gash across her own hand. She then sees the worm in her bottle of mescal moving, and later blames it on Apollonia (Diane Salinger). Sophie also goes to Rita Sue (Cynthia Ettinger) for advice about Jonesy (Tim DeKay), because he's been spurning her advances. Rita Sue is no longer encouraging, telling Sophie, "Sometimes it just ain't meant to be." Jonesy wants to try to have a relationship with Sophie, but Rita Sue is not prepared to give him up. Later, in a fit of pique, Rita Sue upstages Catalina (Valeria Hernandez) in the middle of her dance routine. Catalina drags Stumpy to see Apollonia, who has nothing but bad news for him. Apollonia also reveals Jonesy's secret to Sophie. Lodz (Patrick Bauchau), who is quickly taking Samson's (Michael J. Anderson) place as Management's right-hand man, goes into town to buy a deadly snake, seeking to eliminate an obstacle between himself and Ben. With Reverend Balthus (Ralph Waite) and Dolan (Robert Knepper) both threatening to expose Justin's (Clancy Brown) strange powers, Iris (Amy Madigan) makes a shocking confession of her own to her brother. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide

Following the particularly messy death of a bakery owner, Federico (Freddy Rodriguez) has his hands full preparing the body for viewing. His task is complicated when the baker's foot goes missing -- little does he know that it's in the possession of Claire (Lauren Ambrose), who plans to use it to exact vengeance on her ex-boyfriend Gabe, who told the entire school about her toe-sucking exploits. Meanwhile, Nate (Peter Krause) learns that their business rival Kroehner has bought the house across the street, which he plans to turn into a cut-rate crematorium that will put the Fishers out of business. However, Kroehner's plan hits an unforseen obstacle when the house goes up in flames after Brenda (Rachel Griffiths) and Nate enjoy an incendiary session of their own in its abandoned living room. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, All Movie Guide

A witness could bring an organized crime family crashing down in this episode of the HBO television series created by David Chase. Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini) is distressed to learn that a witness has identified him as being in the area where a traitorous mob lieutenant was murdered. He visits his lawyer, Neil Mink (David Margulies), to discuss a strategy of stalling the feds, and delivers a bag of cash, Tony's rainy day fund for his wife and kids should he be arrested. Tony's also upset when his son, Anthony Jr. (Robert Iler), prefers to hang out with his friends at the mall rather than spend time with his dad, but Tony then promptly forgets his son's swim meet. After a meeting with Tony, Soprano family muscle Richie Aprile (David Proval) complains to Tony's Uncle Junior (Dominic Chianese) about the shoddy treatment they're both getting. Junior warns Richie about the treacherous Janice (Aida Turturro), who's letting Richie hold a gun to her head during sex. As payment for the massive gambling debt of his old pal, Davey Scatino (Robert Patrick), Tony and his crew take over Davey's outdoor store, running up the limit on all of Davey's lines of credit, intending to sell the merchandise on the street and bankrupt the business. A depressed Davey sleeps in a tent in his store, never returning home and contemplating suicide. Meanwhile, Pussy (Vincent Pastore) gives the FBI a list of investors in the Webistics scam and Tony's wife, Carmela (Edie Falco), has a crush on virile, widowed wallpaper hanger Vic Musto (Joe Penny), Davey's brother-in-law. Their flirtation threatens to become something more, but then Vic meets Davey for lunch and learns that Carmela's husband is a mob kingpin who has ruined Davey's family. Vic offers to pay for the college tuition of his nephew and breaks off his friendship with Carmela, sending an assistant to finish the wallpaper job. Tony learns that the witness against him learned of his identity and is now refusing to testify. The mob boss is so elated, he walks out of a therapy session with Dr. Melfi (Lorraine Bracco). His daughter, Meadow (Jamie-Lynn Sigler), learns that she's been accepted at some top colleges, giving the family cause for celebration. "Bust-Out," which was called "Deus Ex Machina" until a last-minute title change, originally aired March 19, 2000. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide

In this gripping outdoor adventure, a trip to the Himalayas becomes a deadly ordeal when a freak storm traps a married pair of hikers on a treacherous mountainside. That the husband is seriously injured only worsens matters. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

It's Fatal Attraction with a bit of gender and age fine-tuning in this made-for-TV melodrama. Bonnie Bedelia stars as Dr. Diane Weston, a professor in Shakespearean studies who has a brief fling with graduate student Jeff (Brian Austin Green). Once she has gotten over her attraction to Jeff, Diane tries to break off the romance, only to find out that he is obsessed with her. To win back Diane's "love", Jeff contrives to seduce the prof's daughter Tess (Gina Philips). And of course, when all else fails, things really get nasty (though no rabbits are boiled during the making of this picture)! Her Costly Affair made its NBC network debut on October 28, 1996. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Diedre Hall, popular star of the NBC daytime drama Days of Our Lives, plays herself in this made-for-TV biopic. Although she outwardly appears to "have it all"--beauty, fame, money, adulation--Deidre Hall lives in a state of constant torment because of her inability to conceive a child. "I will do anything in the world to have a family", declares Hall to her husband and, ultimately, the world. The actress' problem (exacerbated by six unsuccessful in-vitro fertilization procedures) not only causes the breakup of her marriage and her decision to forsake her soap-opera stardom at the height of her popularity, but also compels her to investigate the possibility of surrogate parenthood. Then, in 1991, she has a fateful meeting with a young and eminently fertile woman named Robin (Eve Gordon. In addition to the titular star, the film also features guest appearances by Hall's twin sister Andrea Hall-Gengler and several of her Days of Our Lives colleagues. Never Say Never: The Deidre Hall Story originally aired December 10, 1995. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Based on a true story, this made-for-television drama chronicles a couple's downward spiral into drug addiction. Meredith Baxter stars as Mary Ann Guard, a nurse who gets romantically involved with heroin abuser Guy Grand (Stephen Lang). Guy turns Mary Ann onto drugs and her once-stable life is suddenly out of control, with Mary Ann stealing from her hospital in order to support their habit. Her family decides to get her clean and get Guy out of her life by checking her into rehab. Mary Ann's rough road isn't over though, and she has to decide for herself which life she wants to lead. ~ Bernadette McCallion, All Movie Guide

Made for television, the two-part, four-hour Love, Honor and Obey: The Last Mafia Marriage is the true story of "mob wife" Rosalie Profaci Bonanno, here played by Nancy McKeon. Inasmuch as the teleplay is based on Ms. Bonanno's memoirs, it is perhaps understandable that she casts herself as an innocent bystander in the ongoing saga of Mafia activity in the United States, totally ignorant (at least at first) as to how her father Joe Profaci (Tomas Milian) and his chief mob rival Joseph Bonanno (Ben Gazzara) support themselves and their families. It is further suggested that Rosalie is completely in the dark concerning the mob connections of her husband Bill (Eric Roberts), Joe Bonanno's son; after all, how could anything be amiss when the Pope Himself calls to congratulate the bride and groom? Ultimately Rosalie sees the light when her husband enters a war against opposing mob families, and is subsequently thrown in prison. The rest of the story chronicles how Rosalie struggles to escape the onus of "Mafia princess", seeking out honest, mainstream work to take care of herself and her children. Love, Honor and Obey: The Last Mafia Marriage originally aired Mary 23 and 25, 1993 on CBS. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

With Marilyn Monroe permanently unavailable for comment, everybody and his uncle has come out of the woodwork since 1962 claiming an intimate relationship with the legendary film star (how did she ever find the time to be a film star?) Marilyn and Me is based on the reminiscences of one Robert Slatzer, who claimed to have been secretly married to Monroe back in her Norma Jean days. Jesse Dobson manages to keep a straight face as he recites his lines as Slatzer, while Susan Griffiths is as good a Monroe impersonator as any. Better still is Joel Grey as Marilyn's first and most influential agent Johnny Hyde, whose own close relationship with La Monroe is a bit easier to believe. Actress Terry Moore, who in the early 1950s was briefly groomed as a Monroe "substitute," plays a bit as Johnny Hyde's widow. Marilyn and Me is about as convincing as the Bugs Bunny cartoon What's Opera, Doc?, and not nearly as entertaining. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The acting of its stars saves She Said No from the "lurid dreck" category. Judd Hirsch is a successful but utterly amoral attorney who rapes Veronica Hamel. She sues, but he uses his legal expertise to walk free. Then Hirsch turns around and sues Hamel for slander (or for libel, depending on whether you believe the ads or the synopsis)--to the tune of ten million dollars! The lizardlike lawyer comes acropper when he forgets the unwritten rule of jurisprudence and acts as his own attorney. Lee Grant plays the DA on the case, who was denied the opportunity to retry Hirsch and is smarting for a chance to show the creep up. She Said No is better written than it deserves to be by Michael O'Hara. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

When a millionaire is murdered and his wife is wounded in a parking garage, it appears as though both were victims of a random armed robbery. But after detectives Greevey (George Dzundza) and Logan (Chris Noth) arrest a suspect, assistant D.A.'s Stone (Michael Moriarty) and Robinette (Richard Brooks) uncover evidence that another perpetrator was involved. And worse is still to come: It may be that the killing was deliberate, and that someone very close to the victim stood to profit from his death. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This TV film was the 2-hour pilot for the Gideon Oliver series. Louis Gossett Jr. stars as Oliver, an anthropology professor who uses his knowledge of other cultures to solve mysteries. In the opener, Professor Oliver tackles the murder of an ex-lover, who'd been investigating a cult of satanists. The storyline takes side trips into the porn industry and "snuff" films, but Gossett emerges with his dignity and reputation unsullied. Gideon Oliver was one of three rotating series telecast in 1988-89 under the umbrella title The ABC Monday Mystery Movie; the other components were B.L. Stryker and old reliable Columbo. When Mystery Movie was picked up for a second season, Gideon Oliver was not retained. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide