Madonna somehow directed a movie without anyone being the wiser. It's called Filth and Wisdom and stars Gogol Bordello frontman Eugene Hutz and some other quirky folks.
And surprisingly? It doesn't look like the worst piece of trash in the world. Hell, it looks better than The Beach and Evita combined, so basically it's better than the sum total of you and your husband's film career thus far.
Trailer after the jump:
Wow, this looks…not bad? I mean sure, Gogol Bordello is basically a Russian Pogues cover band, and they have sort of become a staple of "look it's an indie!" film that really isn't (see also: Wristcutters), so having the frontman star and sing in your film is perhaps a danger signal of trying to hard but!
It doesn't look terrible for what it's trying to be, which I'm gathering is sort of down-on-their-luck Fully Monty-esque dark comedy. It's got the requisite slightly off-kilter characters (an anorexic obsessed with African babies! A porn star who wants to be an actress!) and all that's missing is Natalie Portman as an epileptic and you've got yourself a indie quirk on your hands, Madonna.
Btw, for all those purists out there, I'm using the word "indie" as an aesthetic term here, although since Madonna executive produced it, the film probably qualifies as an independent feature in the traditional sense as well.
First reviews agree: It's not the absolute worst. One assumes it helps that you didn't write the script.
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I saw a screener of this, yesterday, and it's actually quite good. It's fun, but it's actually more poignant than I thought it would be. It doesn't blow you away, no, but it's worth the ride. And she did actually work on the script. I met Madonna, a couple of years ago, and while it was relatively brief, I did get the impression that she now finds her recording career as a pop artist to be creatively limiting (I asked her about the failure of American Life - I think she was pissed that she tried to be a true artist and everyone caned it) so perhaps she has found an avenue to put herself into. It makes sense, and it certainly works better than her acting!
hey idiot. the movie is called "swept away" not "the beach."
Funny you mentioned 'American Life', I was just listening to some of it today, and, once again, found myself thinking that it's one of her best albums. I'm an admitted admirer of her work/career, and the album isn't perfect, but it has some really beautiful, deeply creative songs (the single 'American Life' in no way does it justice). If it had been released in our current political climate I think it would've done much better; I think it'll end up being looked at like 'Erotica' now is- a high-quality album that was overshadowed by the controversy of the time.
I've been anxious to see 'Filth & Wisdom' since I heard about it last spring; the premise sounded like something that would appeal to me even while some people were starting to be dismissive already, because of the director. It looks like fun! And I know it'll have the Madonna insight I've come to find so vaguely comforting and familiar. She really is a creative chick and her striving doesn't bother me at all anymore.
I adore this film because if you know well Madonna, she has totally projected her personality in this film. Much fun, very emotional. Great!
Grrr i hate when reporters cant research, it make any article they do seem amateur.The film Guy directed was not called the Beach it was called Swept Away, He did not direct Evita (Alan Parker did), and that film was a bloody good film (hence good reviews and Golden Globe Win for Madonna)
Google is your friend, USE IT!!!
Has Gogol Bordello EVER covered The Pogues? or, maybe, does the writer of the article not understand what a cover band is?
I don't think any of the members are from Russia, either. Hutz is from Bosnia or Bulgaria or some Eastern bloc country that starts with B.
I think.