71 - Poison Ivy 2: Lily

Connection to DANCE 'TIL DAWN - Alyssa Milano

Dear Alyssa Milano,

I hope you are well, I am just writing this letter to know that I wanted to thank you so, so much for helping me through puberty - the likes of Poison Ivy 2 and Embrace Of The Vampire - I enjoyed watching those films late on a television and went to bed with pleasant thoughts. I still thank you are something of a goddess. 

Yours sincerely 

Me

So puberty heh - do I really have to spell it out? --- I've got to be honest during those oh so important puberty years, late on before sleep-time I would scour the Satellite (Sky) channels, even those in German looking for actresses (remember this was pre-internet days for me) hoping for some skin and would sometimes get lucky, Drew Barrymore flashing in Boys On The Side, Uma Thurman in Dangerous Liaisons, Juliette Lewis in Strange Days - there was other of course, but it was with Alyssa Milano I felt like I hit pay dirt - with both Poison Ivy 2 and Embrace Of The Vampire.

I should acknowledge that I am not under any pretenses that these are good movies - I know they are not - the sad truth is Alyssa Milano is someone who is lacking in decent starring roles, there is just some actresses I really like and that is the case, but they'll get watched because they are in said movie.

Poison Ivy 2 is not as good as the first one, which you might recall I said was not great but better then it had any right to be, and yeah the story just isn't as compelling here - but, but Alyssa Milano droooooooooooools...

This time Poison Ivy is Lily, who starts the film more naive then damaged, she's an art student who finds a box with a diary and nude photos (of the girl who's diary it is - Ivy) and she gets the desire to have the same sexual desire/conquest that she has and the begins acting more like the girl of the diary.

Xander Berkley gets to be the old guy this time around that we don't want to see them do stuff with (but they do), he's her art teacher and she babysits his kids and we have a paranoid beau for her this time rather then a female friend (which was an asset for the first movie I think).

We do indeed get some Milano boob action, so for that alone I am entirely grateful for this film (1998 me is very happy so is 2014 me to be honest).

Overall, feels more soft core then the predecessor which is only good in the that because of you know Alyssa Milano, but as a film taking away the moments that I am clearly a pervert it's just not an overall interesting film.

P.S. seriously sorry for being a pervert.

69 - She's Out Of Control

Connection To WE'RE NO ANGELS - Wallace Shawn.

Noted film critic Gene Siskel said after watching this film he became so depressed and considered quitting his job of film critic (but seeing Say Anything the same day showed him that everything was alright with the world)... so in my opinion, talk about overkill, if I was to make a list of the 100 worst films I have ever seen, this would be nowhere near it mostly because, here's my confession here - I quite liked it.

We all of our own opinions but seriously of likely the 1000's of films Siskel saw, he said this made him depressed, maybe because Siskel wasn't a child of the 1980's so maybe we are viewing things a bit differently this to me was likable 80's goodness - that's a word I keep using again and again I've found I don't think it's because necessarily I struggle for words but for me it can go a long way in a film - while if it's a comedy the jokes can sometimes fall flat but if there is something... likable about the film it leaves me with a good experience of watching the film.

She's Out Of Control sees Tony Danza as the father to 2 girls, one just turned 15 (Ami Dolenz who was 20 at the time of production, that's why I have no problem putting a picture up of her from the film) who goes away for a couple of days. Dolenz is awkward with braces so his girlfriend Catherine Hicks gets her braces removed and a makeover and by the time he comes back there's a line around the block for the newly "beautiful" daughter.

Yeah, so it's not an entirely original plot, there is probably about a 1000 films or TV shows that have had a similar plot but within that here was stuff I found entertaining - Wallace Shawn is a shrink who Danza keeps following the advice and pretty much fills his head with paranoia, who is probably the most enjoyable part of the movie, we also have a young Matthew Perry here as well who plays a jerk pretty well. Dustin Diamond pops up briefly as a kid on the bach and Todd Bridges as a water man (who I assume was just doing his real job... I keed I keed)

It's Ami Dolenz film though if we are not convinced that all these boys would be wanting to get into pants it just wouldn't be convincing, she's very cute and think even plays the change pretty well compared to a lot of films where the characters go through makeovers. Also the film ends with one of those airport scenes where it's only possible pre-9/11.

Overall, I enjoyed watching the film, if critics give it bile maybe over people out there will dislike it, but it would be ideal for somebody doing an 80's night.