Poison Ivy: The Secret Society (2008)

So much average

Entertaining from beginning to end, it maintains the spirit of the franchise while establishing it's own seal with a fun cast

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

The biggest problem with this movie is it’s a little better than you think it might be, which somehow makes it worse. As in, it takes itself a bit too seriously, which makes most of the movie feel kind of dull.

I have a bit of a soft spot for bad B-movies made by naive filmmakers who seem to think that they are doing a good job. Those movies that will never get the exposure like 'The Hobbit' gets, due to the very limited release; mostly the umpteenth direct-to-DVD sequels nobody ever heard of from a franchise (loosely applied) they hardly know, and very few will ever rent or buy, especially when it receives a considerable amount of beating from all kinds of review sites.I happened to catch this naughty little underachiever recently in its unrated DVD edition. Now I'll admit that 'Poison Ivy 4: The Secret Society' is a movie to steer clear from: it is a B-movie in any sense of the word, with risible acting, sub-par screenplay, below average directing and very limited production values (the music and photography are too generic to make an impression). In the old days, I would say that it was even worse than a average TV series, but series of late have been of remarkably high quality, so that comparison would not be fair. And yet, there is a thing to say about forming one's own opinion instead of clinging slavishly to the judgment of others. Especially bad movies get an increasingly worse reputation from people who haven't seen it, but simply copy the judgments of others and then add some. I still want to see 'Movie 43' and 'After Earth' and rate them for myself when I am ready for it. Had I obediently followed the recommendations, I would have missed 'Grown Ups' and 'Bitch Slap', which I both loved. And let us not forget the immortal words of the great and late Roger Ebert on 'Basic Instincts 2' (slightly paraphrased): "I cannot recommend it, but... why the hell can't I? Because it's god-awful? What reason is that to stay away from a movie? God-awful AND boring... now THAT is a reason!" Now, you could describe Poison Ivy 4 as 'god-awful', but that would be overstating it. It isn't boring or annoying, I simply found it lacking overall, but too cute to get mad at. Much of that is thanks to Miriam McDonald as the unconvincing leading lady Daisy. She couldn't act her way out of a dating site commercial, but somehow she was cast as a cute freshman out-of-town genius who gets admitted into a highly exclusive college course. She is supposed to be very smart, straight A's and all, yet she is so adorably naive to have sex on the first date with an obvious bad boy who has the word 'womanizer' practically burnt into his forehead. Yet, when he predictably cheats on her (next day already!), I couldn't help feeling a bit sorry for her feeble attempts to sulk and pout. I genuinely hoped that poor Daisy would be more prudent from now on. No such luck: she doesn't get suspicious when she is approached by a sinister secret sorority that is unquestionably linked to the death of her predecessor. It doesn't help that most characters are surprisingly quick to believe the 'it-was-an-accident' explanation, especially since we never hear any convincing details of this accident. The sorority itself is ruled by a queen bee called Azalea (Shawna Waldron) with equally limited acting skills. She is so diabolic and insincerely nice that the word 'bitch' is practically burnt into her forehead. Of course, cute Daisy doesn't notice, not even when she is abducted, more-or-less forced to join, and then exploited. You keep wondering how effective Azalea is as leader of this supposedly powerful and secret society: it is supposed to have influences everywhere, but outside, nothing more than a rumor; yet everyone on campus seems to know and warn about it. When the girls want to burn womanizer's car in retaliation, they even have to do it themselves, out on the open street. What, no lower-level thugs to do the filthy work? Strangely, the secret and sophisticatedly-sounding motto, 'Concordia res parvae crescunt' (small things grow through harmony), is proudly displayed on their headquarters (I assume the writers chose it since it was already displayed on the building where they were allowed to film).Not much is unpredictable or surprising in the remainder of the movie, although this all-powerful organization is surprisingly easily defeated. Some of the older actors (like Greg Evigan as the professor) do a lot better than the younglings, except for the female detective, who even beats Daisy in underacting (but isn't as cute). There is some nice, non-offensive nudity, twice from Azalea pretending to be a femme fatale (at least her body language is better than her acting), and twice from Daisy (she is required to be completely nude for a tattoo on her lower back, so don't worry, all functional :-). Yet, the movie takes itself quite serious, with much less focus on sex scenes and more on plot than comparable erotic B-movies. The fact that it was released by New Line Cinema, a quality house since the 'Lord of the Rings' movies, may signify that they intended to produce a genuinely smart erotic thriller cross-breed of 'The Craft' and 'The Skulls'. Or they simply left it to their direct-to-DVD department to make a few quick bucks. Next time, read the script first, guys.Not wanting to kick an already dead horse, I maintain that while I do not applaud or recommend this movie, judging it has not been without a sense of (guilty) pleasure. It should be mandatory viewing for those who claim that most of the stuff that comes out of Hollywood is really really bad, because nothing puts things back in perspective than a genuinely mediocre movie. I found it quite endearing, which is why I award it 4 stars instead of 2. Thanks to Daisy. You poor thing, you definitely deserve better than to be fooled by womanizers and bitches! You definitely deserve a better movie...

Out of all the "Poison Ivy" I have seen, this one is like none of the three. To me, this is like "Heathers" meets " Mean Girls" only more serious. Here you have an orphaned teen named Daisy(Miriam McDonald), who lives in a small town ranch, who gets to go to s very prestigious college. Fitting in is one thing, proving your worth is another. Earlier, a student in the college died under mysterious circumstances. She catches the attention of two people: Blake(Ryan Kennedy) and the clique, the Ivies. The leader Azalea(Shawna Waldron), seduces Blake one afternoon to get ahead. In order to keep the scholarship for themselves, the Ivies go to every length to get it. Even make the new girl one of them. Blake would warn Daisy about Azalea and the Ivy society. Especially when Azalea killed his father, the dean of the college(Greg Evigan). After the scandal in college, Daisy goes back to her boyfriend, realizing her heart belongs to him. Keeping the situation to yourself is best, rather the blowing the lid of a college with secrets. Different from the first three, but it retained the same seductive manner as usual. So don't jump the gun on it, watch it and be the judge yourself. 2 out of 5 stars.

***SPOILERS**** The film "Posion Ivy" is a womens or girls version of the super secretive Yale Skull & Bones Club. It's there where only the best brightest and most of of all corruptible of all the students who can cut the mustard pickle or each other throats can become its members. It's when out of town as well as state student Daniel "Daisy" Brooks, Miriam McDonald, arrives at the exclusive New England Beckshire Collage that she catches the eye of the president of the all womens Ivy Club the sexy and witch-like Azalea-the name fits-Burgess played by Shawna Waldron who seems to have the hots for the very naive as well as pretty country girl. After Daisy's parents were killed in a car crash a year ago she have a major life change and decided to leave home as well as her boyfriend farmer Will, Brendon Penny, and get a degree in international politics in order to broaden her horizons and end up getting elected for high office. It didn't take that long for Daisy to realize that her life was going to change not for what she hoped to be the better but for the worst.It was Blake , Ryan Kennedy,the son of professor Andrew Graves, Greg Euigan, who clued Daisy into what to expect by at first trying to hit in on her. The way to make it big in this place Beckshire Collage Blake hints is for Daisy is join the all womens Ivy League or Club and then all her troubles in making her grades in class as well as romantic endeavors & financial problems will all be over. Being a straight A student Daisy didn't have to worry about her grades but when her bank account, that she's paying her tuition with, mysteriously dried up she decides to join the club that turned out the biggest mistake she made in her entire life.***SPOILERS*** It in fact was Azalea who started the downfall of the secretive Ivy Club in her greedy attempt to get professor Graves to give her passing marks in his political science class. The club that boasts to have had as it's members the most powerful and influential women in the world which included Margeret Thatcher Hillery Clinton Madonna as well as Oprah Winfrey soon went to pieces. That's when Azalea started to target both Professor Graves and his son Blake in retaliation for her personal failure in him not getting her a passing mark in his class! The by now completely out of control Azalea went so far as embarrassing Daisy who didn't put out for her, in getting the professor to pass her, by secretly video taping her having sex with Blake Graves and putting the entire hot XXX-rated no holds bar and all clothes off sequence on the internet. It was when Azalea went a bit too far in murdering Professor Graves, for giving her failing grades, and trying to frame Daisy with the crime that her goose was finally cooked or in this case drowned. Getting Azalea , through a hidden tape audio recorder,to admit her crime or crimes in her having another girl murdered for not following orders resulted into a violent cat fight between the two sexy and scantly clothed girls. That after a sword throwing contest ended with Azalea almost going under in the collage swimming pool. But with now the news becoming public about the secretively Ivy Club and even worse then that in exposing it's #1 man or in this case woman being non other then the late professor Graves' wife the Dean of Beckshire Collage Elisabeth Graves, Catherine Hicks, that turned out to be the final nail on its coffin. In not only exposing it's evil and fascist like agenda of degrading and using men to advance it's members rise in the US and well as foreign political and financial systems but going so far as as blackmail and murder in order to do it.

I have not seen any of the other Poison Ivy movies, but I know the premise had to do with a young seductress, along the lines of Amy Fisher. This movie, which I think would be part four, doesn't really have much to do with that formula, although they do end up putting in a scene between a student and a teacher.This episode is more like the Skulls series--a secret society that sucks in an innocent country girl and draws her into a world of manipulation. She is attending a fancy private school, which she is only able to do because she had the talent to be awarded a scholarship. The majority of the kids she interacts with are there because they have money, and bit by bit, she is distracted from her studies until she is caught up in their world of deceit.What I didn't like about this movie is that everything was completely formulaic--I had seen it all before, and knew where it was all going. In addition, the resolution was completely ridiculous--the girl gets a taped confession that supposedly brings down the entire infrastructure of the secret society. We are hardly supposed to question how her flimsy evidence would hold up against a multi-million dollar defense team that the families would certainly bring against her.So the country girl ends up going back to her boyfriend to help him build his dream home on their multi-acre rural paradise. My vote is a three out of ten. It's one of those movies that could only appeal to kids who are too young for the subject matter, because anyone older than early teens already knows what's going to happen anyway.