4 - Permanent Midnight

Connection To POISON IVY - Cheryl Ladd baby!

In 1998, Ben Stiller would make There's Something About Mary, which besides from being a great comedy seemed to mean Ben Stiller could only make one of two film about them 1 - a comedy or 2 - a comedy where embarrassing stuff happens to Ben Stiller, but hey you can't entirely blame Stiller on all this, it's what the studios want more then likely --- 1998 also saw Stiller star in this drama which was based on the autobiographical book by Jerry Stahl, a TV writer in the 80's/90's who wrote for popular shows such as ALF and Moonlighting as well as having an heroin addiction.

The film really failed to get an audience on initial release, and it's never been re-assessed in the last few years which is a shame because it's probably one of Stiller's best performances and is a pretty good film.

Stiller is telling most of the film in flashback to a woman (Maria Bello) that he picked up, she knows he's a recovering addict and he tells the story starting with a green card marriage to Elizabeth Hurley who sets him up with a job writing for not-ALF (it's called Mr. Chompers here but it's an obvious expy), he does well with it until his drug use gets him kicked off the show, he then gets a shot at another show where the star is a recovering addict but she insists he kicks the habit first and after attempting to be on a methadone program a new dealer introduces him to more drugs and it ends up costing him his job.

Hurley throws him out when after telling him she's pregnant (his kid - the two did have some sort of feelings) but she kicks him out when he shoots up in the bathroom almost straight away, the strain is even further put on when he shows up to the birth high. The final flashback is Hurley getting him to look after the baby in desperation and ends up trying to get a fix with the baby still in the car.

One aspect that's surprising of the film working is some of the supporting cast known from working with Stiller in comedies - Janeane Garofalo and Owen Wilson - as well as people like Fred Willard popping up, it's surprising it's doesn't fuck up the tone of the movie for people, which the same can be said for Ben Stiller, there was a danger the film could make people in the more dramatic stuff but it's never the case. I think this movie is more convincing then many drug films in the drug are bad m'kay category maybe because you feel the addiction and even the moments of getting clean are such a choir and the mess that has been made because of the stuff and it feels quite non-judgmental.

Overall I'd say it's certainly a four out of five film for me, which may rise if I thought about it more - it's certainly behind Trainspotting and Requiem For A Dream but I still rate it highly enough.

3 - Poison Ivy (1992)

Connection To BATMAN & ROBIN - you see what I did there, you see that film had a character called Poison Ivy and this film is called... (no need to spell it out boy)

Poison Ivy was released in 1992, when Drew Barrymore was still in her wild child years - she wasn't little Gertie anymore - and it's fair to say most of her films from this time period are not her best work, however I'd say Poison Ivy because of the erotic elements is probably her best remembered - though I wouldn't quite say it's an erotic thriller, it's not necessarily the Barrymore film to watch for your T&A (the awful Doppelganger probably as a scene more suited).

Poison Ivy opens with the narration of Sylvie (Sara Gilbert) watching "Ivy" on a swing commenting on her slutness then her own comments about sexuality saying she is not a lesbian, and contemplates her sexuality before saying she told her mother to get a reaction, this opening scene takes on new meaning in the years after when Gilbert came out (and only just a few weeks ago got married).

I mentioned this opening narration mostly because it keeps a interesting thing over the movie, perhaps Sylvie really is confused about her sexuality and it adds proceedings and lets Ivy get away with more then she would otherwise - the two girls became friends and Ivy seems to move in with the family - an illness stricken mother (Cheryl Ladd) and the father (Tom Skerritt) who is a TV personality on the verge of fading.

The dad of course shares inappropriate glances on the young woman, before Ivy's true intentions come to light - which ends up with with Ivy seducing the father (the love scene in the rain on the car is well done) and then later SPOILER Ivy kills the mother in what appears to look like a suicide (the mother had shown those tendencies earlier) END OF SPOILER

I think the film's strength is the main relationship between the two lead girls and also the fact Ivy is never portrayed OTT in her misdeeds and it seems she really is trying to make it a family in her own insane way.

I wouldn't say it's a great film but it's a better film then it seems to have any right to be, it could have gone down the way of being completely soft-core but the characters at least are well written enough. Drew Barrymore excels in her role and Gilbert deserved to get a few more bigger roles then has. Enjoyable.