Eh, the fast cuts never have been that much of an issue to me if they are done right. Confessions started that trend and did it beautifully, but all of the following tours tried to replicate the style, and it always came across as super amateurish. I think the biggest flaws are the over-the-top color grading, overlays, and weird crowd noises.
I actually think of all the post-Confessions concert films, MDNA was really well done (outside of the bizarre crowd audio loop). The color grading was reminiscent of the Blond Ambition footage used in Truth or Dare, which I loved. I think it would have come across a lot better if it had been shot with film since that was obviously the sort of effect she was going for with that coloring – X2008 comes to mind. Rebel Heart was nice, too, but I didn’t need all the backdrop overlays since they were kind of lame on that tour. Hoping Madame X will be more along the lines of Confessions since she has Nuno and Ricardo handling it.
The MDNA tour DVD was okay. And it felt like it was all Miami. Rebel Heart was supposedly filmed in Sydney but those edits, Like a Virgin her costume changed every 30 seconds.
Some extra info I've gathered around Spoiler - There's no "Crave" nor "Sodade", but they'll be released as extras. - "Manifesto of Madame X" was moved to the beginning - Some songs were slightly trimmed down (Extreme Occident, Welcome to my Fado Club, etc.), nothing too massive - The audio sounds alright\not too processed and straight from the show itself. - There are some filters in it. (Black and White for the I Don't Search I Find beginning, a big red "X" over her too) - All fan moments (Polaroid, Beer Bitch, eyes are the window of the soul (I have absolutely no clue of what is this ddd) were included and from different cities. - Someone asked her about physical release and she smirked and said "Maybe" Mostly from DrownedMadonna.com and Infinity. I'm not too worried about the fast cuts because the atmosphere (+Director job) might help. It wasn't a massive huge Stage (so the camera won't just jump around from one part to another) and she didn't go through thousand changes (in costumes) during the Tour, so continuity should be alright. It seems like it is a quite long show, so they must try to keep it going instead of dragging around.
100% - I think that was my take away too, that the MDNA footage was processed in post to give it a film like quality. I really dislike some parts of Rebel Heart because they've cleared used cheaper DV cameras for certain shots and they stick out like a sore thumb, whereas the aesthetic for MDNA was consistent. One thing I did note from the Madame X trailer is that there aren't many close ups - I don't know if the shots were selected purely to show off the stage/dancers but I hope there are more (close-ups) in the actual film.
The MDNA tour DVD was horrible. The magic of the show was never captured in the live version on film. Yes, I've been to the live show. The part where they edited the Gimme All Your Luvin' iconic performance? The camera phone footages on YouTube by fans did more justice to that.
Like a Virgin/Love Spent is one of the greatest things she's ever done. A deeply personal feminist/political performance piece. The DVD presented it as a slideshow
I'll definitely watch the shows at some point (I bought a blu-ray player for Sticky & Sweet dd) but I'd rather keep the memories of the live shows for now yeah. I'll watch Madame X though.
I hope Sodade and Crave as extra means a bluray is sure. I can live without Crave but Sodade was amazing.
MDNA Tour DVD was fine, I saw it live so it adds something special. With that said, what about the audio mastering from MDNA Tour and Rebel Heart Tour? It sounds so crispy and sharp (and I've always enjoyed the tour audios). Whoever mastered the audio from The Confessions Tour, we need him back.
Long report on the Madame X screening! https://www.boyculture.com/boy_culture/2021/09/madonna-after-party-madame-x-premiere.html Matt is wrong about the travel ban though. There is a still a ban on travel from UK and the EU to the US. It is only being lifted in November for vaccinated people. ( There are exceptions though for US citizens and for certain business travelers who can show them coming is in the national interest of the US)
This is slightly concerning but I suppose it could look kinda cool ? Maybe it's just the aesthetic of the millennial directors ? Oh well, a lot of gigs these days are viewed via shaky iPhone footage due to YouTube - probably just a riff on that.
I think she just likes having mixed media. Professional cameras, handheld cameras, phone footage etc. It gives a sense of the excitement and unpredictability of a live performance.
Actually, that makes perfect sense because I remember W.E having a lot of different film stocks/handheld footage. I just don't like when it isn't done well, like on Rebel Heart.
