Christopher Pate Movies

This three-hour TV biopic of actress Natalie Wood emulates Citizen Kane by beginning at the end -- the tragically ironic drowning death of the water-phobic actress in 1981 -- then recounts her life story in flashback. Justine Waddell plays the adult Natalie, with younger performers Elizabeth Rice, Candice Moore, and Nadia Scappa portraying the actress in various stages of childhood, adolescence, and puberty. Although little Natasha Gurdin's Russian-born mother and father (here played by Colin Friels and Alice Krige) had drive and ambition, it was the girl herself who energetically and enthusiastically promoted her career as a child star named "Natalie Wood," and it was Natalie herself who demanded that producer stop casting her in cute-kid and ingenue roles and take her seriously as an adult -- even before she technically was one. Naturally, the film recounts Natalie's marriage to actor Robert Wagner (Michael Weatherley), the breakup of the union as she pursued affairs with the likes of Warren Beatty (Matthew Settle), and Wood and Wagner's ultimate reconciliation and remarriage. One might assume that the "mystery" of the film's title is Natalie's death by drowning -- to this day, no one quite knows how she managed to end up in the water -- but it also manifested in the enigma of Natalie herself, a woman who despite her aggressive and unending pursuit of fame and stardom might well have willingly given it all up just to be a wife and mother. In fine old Hollywood-biography tradition, the movie boasts an endless parade of celebrity lookalikes impersonating such friends and colleagues of Natalie Wood as James Dean, Edmund Gwenn, Marilyn Monroe, and directors Irving Pichel, Elia Kazan, and Nicholas Ray, as well as several real-life celebs offering their reflections on the film's protagonist, notably Margaret O'Brien, Robert Vaughn, and Henry Jaglom. Directed by no less than Peter Bogdanovich, The Mystery of Natalie Wood first aired over ABC on March 1, 2004. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The plot of the made-for-cable Official Denial is only partially summed up by the title. Parker Stevenson plays Paul Corliss, a hapless gent who is abducted by extraterrestrials. With no tangible proof, Corliss can't get anyone to believe his story. Even his wife Annie (Erin Gray) thinks he's hallucinating. But when the government can't cover up a second alien landing, Corliss is pressed into service to communicate with the space visitors. Someone really did their homework when putting together Official Denial; the film is both convincing and compelling. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Bobby McCain (Christopher Atkins) travels to an Australian beach to close a land development deal for his father (Elliott Gould) and to masquerade as a lifeguard to get the skinny on any potential competition. Once there, Bobby becomes sympathetic to the plight of the attractive club-owner who is trying to hold on to her land and her life guard team which is going to lose its certification if they don't get into shape. Using everything he ever learned in LA aerobics and fitness training classes, the buff Bobby does all he can to save her resort. He then begins working to sabotage his father's deal. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

This growing-up story, set in Australia during the '20s, features a young man (Christopher Pate) who gains from his wise grandmother's experience (Geraldine Fitzgerald). The 1977 film was produced and written by Michael Pate, who cast his son as the lead. ~ John Bush, Rovi

Dennis Hopper plays the title character in this true story of a 19th-century Australian gold-digger who is pressed into a life of crime. A six-year stint in jail doesn't provide reform, but does introduce him to an Aboriginal partner-in-crime (David Gulpilil). The duo then proceed to terrorize the province of New South Wales with no lack of violence. The TV version was retitled Mad Dog. ~ John Bush, Rovi