The Times has already online the first critical review of Filth and Wisdom, giving the film 3 stars out of 5. Here's what they say:

Today's world premiere was hailed as the hottest ticket in town, but many people at the Berlin Film Festival were expecting Madonna's directorial debut to fail spectacularly. Yet her new career got off to a surprisingly auspicious start without exactly convincing anyone that she should give up her old job.

Filth and Wisdom, a sprawling comedy, is a celebration of London’s ethnic stew, and stars Eugene Hutz as a Ukrainian gypsy with an intensely annoying habit of looking the camera in the eye and spouting gobbets of wisdom that have as much relevance to real life as Chinese fortune cookies. Hutz’s hero, Andriy, shares a dilapidated house with a collection of similarly unlikely characters. Vicky McClure's Juliette works in a chemist shop and steals medicine for African orphans. Holly Weston is a ballerina (also named Holly) and a pole dancer at Beechman’s Exotic Gentleman’s Club. Richard E. Grant is Flynn, a blind professor with a shock of grey hair and rooms crammed with unread books.

Andriy, who dresses up as a neo-Nazi and spanks men for a living, is also the narrator on Madonna’s picaresque tour around the hopes and dreams of the cast. “Without filth there cannot be wisdom,” muses Andriy, tweaking his alarming moustache. “They are two sides of the same coin.” Madonna puts a little too much faith in her writing powers (she earns a co-credit for the script). Most of the filth is actually frothy, life-affirming comedy. The spectacle of Andriy riding a half-naked man around his living-room gives a whole new meaning to the words “horseplay”.

What saves the film is its sheer exuberance, and, of course, the music. Andriy fronts a terrific, throbbing gypsy band (Gogol Bordello) when he’s not punishing grown-up school boys for not doing their homework, and Weston’s pole dancer gives Madonna plenty of tongue-in-cheek opportunities to plug some of her favourite songs. Inder Manocha’s weary Indian chemist has arguably the best moments of comedy. When he’s not ogling his shapely assistant (the beautiful and pure McClure), he is shouted at by his Indian wife.

That said, there is some clunkingly awful acting and a string of scenes that are so stagey they would fall over if they weren’t propped up by the cinema screen. The sight of Grant flinging books off shelves, and then flinging himself onto his carpet weeping tears of frustration, is a collector’s item, and one of the most inadvertently humorous scenes witnessed in Berlin for many a year.

Yet despite its many shortcomings and an ending so mushy and neat it would embarrass Richard Curtis, Madonna has done herself proud. Her film has an artistic ambition that has simply bypassed her husband, the film director Guy Ritchie. She captures that wonderfully accidental nature of luck when people’s lives intersect for a whole swathe of unlikely but cherishable reasons. Altmanesque would be stretching the compliment too far, but "Filth and Wisdom" shows Madonna has real potential as a film director.

Lies. The bitch can't even do anything on her own in her "music career" much less direct her own film. I know it was really Guy in director's chair and she's just taking the credit AS ALWAYS. Old hag! She's so over.

By now, you would think ppl would think twice before letting her be in a movie...much less make one

thekidsgirl said:

You saw the film!!?!

Holy crap! this looks like an AAlmodovar film!

JoeTyler said:

AAlmodovar? Who's that?

SoulAlive said:

well, I dind't know him myself until he got international success with All about my mother and Talk to her ; some of his films are funky stories about freaks, prostitutes, losers and desperate people, just like this Madonna film (which I think it will be just a flop with some cult following...)

JoeTyler said:

DrownedMadonna has several clips from the film.I don't know what to make of it Looks like some kinda British comedy?

JoeTyler said:

So you mean she ripped off the idea for this film too, just like so many other things?!

Oops, I didn't mean to say "ripped off," I meant that she was stronly influenced and inspired by the other person's work!

some spanish reviewers are saying the film is pretentious and pointless.

too bad!

SoulAlive said:

Even if you're not a film geek, you should know about Pedro Almodovar being a Madonna fan She mentions him in Truth Or Dare (when she's all nervous about meeting Antonio Banderas, who'd been in some of his films)...

His latest (as far as I know) is Volver w/ Penelope Cruz:



[Edited 2/14/08 6:01am]

Here's a negative one, just for good measure

http://news.yahoo.com/s/n...f88LvK.nQA

Director Madonna as good as actor Madonna: critics

By Mike Collett-White1 hour, 10 minutes ago

Critics damned Madonna's first feature film with faint praise on Thursday and suggested her career behind the camera might be as successful as her acting.

"Filth & Wisdom" had its world premiere at the Berlin Film Festival on Wednesday and early reviews agreed a poor-to-average movie was saved by its exuberance.

"Ragged, uneven and potholed with some dire dialogue and performances, the film's cockeyed optimism and likeable leads conspire to bring a smile by the time it's done," wrote Ray Bennett of movie publication the Hollywood Reporter.

Screen International's Jonathan Romney argued "Filth & Wisdom" was not as bad as some of Madonna's appearances in front of the camera, such as "Shanghai Surprise" and "Swept Away," but it was "likely to be forgotten as quickly as most of them."

James Christopher of the Times, in a review billed as "exclusive," was among the film's biggest fans, giving it three stars out of five.

"What saves the film is its sheer exuberance, and, of course, the music," he said. "Altmanesque would be stretching the compliment too far, but 'Filth and Wisdom' shows Madonna has real potential as a film director."

At the other end of the scale, Peter Bradshaw of the Guardian gave one star to the 81-minute movie.

"Madonna has been a terrible actor in many, many films and now -- fiercely aspirational as ever -- she has graduated to being a terrible director," he wrote.

"She has made a movie so incredibly bad that Berlin festivalgoers were staggering around yesterday in a state of clinical shock."

"Filth & Wisdom" follows three oddball flatmates in London chasing dreams of fame and fulfillment while doing unsavory jobs to make ends meet.

Its main character, A.K., is played by Ukrainian Eugene Hutz, and the music from his real-life punk band Gogol Bordello is used extensively throughout.

Madonna told reporters the basic point of the story was to explore the "duality" of life, between "light and dark," "right and wrong," and that the filth and wisdom of the title were not so very far apart.

"The message in ... Madonna's first outing as feature film director ... is that all of us can find peace of mind if we just get in touch with our inner slut," wrote Bennett.

The 49-year-old singer said this week she planned to make more movies in the future, and she is unlikely to be too bothered by what the critics say.

Asked on the red carpet whether she would read the reviews, she replied: "I'll just let my managers tell me what they say. I don't want to read it myself."

sosgemini said:

CalhounSq said:

The line in bold is my favourite.
[Edited 2/14/08 7:24am]

CalhounSq said:

now that´s a wonderful film right there!

Tuls101 said:

Hell Naw!

MikeMatronik said:

The word "ambitious" is often used to describe a film that does not succeed on its own terms, but gains respect for the effort.

Personally, I'll take the apparently uncharted route of seeing it before judging it.

It's probably a piece of shit, this being Madonna and film.

The reviews I've read have all been negative.



I do love it when Madonna attempts abstraction and profundity.
[Edited 2/14/08 19:06pm]

I watched these links on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/wa...3dNtL2HXIs
http://www.youtube.com/wa...re=related

It has Madonna written all over it -- sex-focused themes and brash, flippant dialogue lined with pseudo-philosophies. It's a bit raw, as in unbaked. The dialogue scenes are awkward and student-y. But somewhat endearing in their self-consciousness, if that makes any sense. It's not great, but not the worst I've seen either. Kind of fun. It often breaks out into music-videoesque sequences and these parts are stronger. I love the jumping stills montage sequence at the end of the first clip -- reminds me of what I love about the video element in her live shows.

I'd have to see the whole thing, but so far I'd give it 3 out 5...

She could be a very good director if she really took the time to hone the craft. It needs more time invested...would benefit from more writing, more editing, more rehearsal, seems a bit thrown off. But if she took the time to hone it, it could be good!

Typical first feature quality, except she has rights to include Madonna and Britney songs which most independent directors can't afford.

heart, where ya been? and why are you trying to be fair and balanced towards madge? come on!!! she sucks when it comes to films!! harder then she sucks d....uhhh...heart, where ya been? how are ya?

VoicesCarry said:

Even the one supposedly "positive" review drops more than enough hints to let you know the film is shit.

P.S. Shouldn't the title of this thread be changed?

sosgemini said:

I dunno...it seems I can only get on the org anymore when I'm home sick with a cold, which is now. Besides, my last org-fest...when I was home sick with a cold about a month ago...I got way too involved in P&R. Then I experienced a serious revulsion to this site and had to take a break. Can't stay away forever though.

And don't you know I'm an unadulterated madge fan? Everybody loves to jump all over her neophyte efforts -- but the thing that fascinates me... Here is someone who could just rest on her laurels, and everyone seems to pray that she does just that. Be a fading pop star, accept your natural fate and aging process, and simply disappear. The fact that someone so successful is still willing to put herself out there and embrace new artistic challenges that aren't exactly safe -- I mean her husband is already a successful director... I think this should be applauded. She speaks on a panel at the Berlin Film Festival bombarded by questions from the press about her fragile first feature and it's an incredibly vulnerable position.

Sure you can say she has an overactive ego, and that she steals material and other people's talent and she is wealthy and privileged enough to make anything work for her. But when it comes down to it, she puts her name on something and takes credit for it as the artist, whether it is good or bad. She is ultimately a risk-taker and incredibly brave considering how in the spotlight she is and how much intense criticism she gets. Obviously, she has a sincere life-long interest in growing as an artist and pursuing her potential as such, and unlike many others, turns this desire into action. At least, that's how I see it.

And having been through film school, and sat on many film festival committees -- I can somewhat guage the quality of her work against everything else that is out there, not just films that get wide distribution. It's not great, but I've seen a lot worse.

heart, this i will say...you are too cool for school.

sosgemini said:

Really? From that post? I thought I might be getting into a big argument!

heartbeatocean said:

That's how I see it too.

Cinnie said:

Madonna's lifelong interests are money, power and fame (and she has admitted this herself). And, yes, she has turned those desires into action.
[Edited 2/18/08 18:58pm]