I'm Going to Tell You a Secret

You cannot review this without comparing it to Truth or Dare, even Madonna said in a recent interview that the two go together.

This time round its the Re-Invention (2004) tour that is backdrop, where in Truth or Dare (TOD) it was the Blonde Ambition tour (1990). The Re-Invention tour was hyped at the time because of the heavy focus on the back catalogue used, and the fans loved it. The same method of filming is used in IGTTYAS, black and white over colour for live performances. The dancers again are used as characters but this is where the film goes off track slightly. In TOD you managed to really got to know who the dancers were, you became familiar with their faces and humour. Here you rarely get any of that, all the focus is on madonna and Guy Ritchie. There just is not a good balance between knowing madonna and what its like being on a world-wide tour with madonna, dancers and crew. Yes the prayers are all here again but the edits are all so quick around back-stage antics. It all passes in a blur and you have no idea what really is going on. The live sections are better as you get a better feeling what it all looks like when its up and running. I thought that the whole film did not flow properly because everyone either went on for too long (meeting her dad at the ranch) or too quick, that back stage scenes. Madonnas children add some delight to the show, you become aware of the effects on them of what its like having madonna be on a world tour.

So the film is a great show of madonna in her 30's to madonna in her 40's. its a great in-look on family life and how it works around madonnas life. Its just a shame the tour/film has not as many characters this time around.

This film follows Madonna on her 2004 Re-Invention world tour and shows her show, backstage, preparations and her experiences travelling around the different places around the world. I have never been to a gig that is as big as a Madonna show – mostly I have been in mid-sized venues that are just about the music rather than being a spectacular event in the way that artists like Madonna, Prince and U2 are known for.

In this regard the film is pretty strong because it allows me to see the spectacle without having to pay the £50 and stand in a crowded auditorium. The musical numbers are impressive even if there weren't as many as I would have liked; I'm not a Madonna fan per se but she does have good tunes and her delivery is something else. The problem with the film is that it goes beyond the shows and behind the scenes with her, her family and her dancers. For me the problem was Madonna herself because she came across as rather insincere and rather full of emotional and spiritual babble. She shows this in the way she talks and the very New Age and American displays of emotion throughout – some viewers will no doubt see this as honesty and frankness in front of the camera but for me it was liked they had cherry picked all the moments of forced sincerity and put them into the film (did I mention Madonna was the executive producer?).

This is bad for most of the film but is never worse than the final 20 minutes when she goes to Israel. This final section is pompous and so annoying that it almost totally cancelled out the musical numbers (which did seem to be long ago by this stage). It is hard to take her seriously – she speaks to the dancers as if she were the wisest woman on earth (probably because her dancers seem to look at her as some sort of cross between Jesus and the Virgin Mother). I don't mean to be too hard because she occasionally is natural during the film (and God knows how she copes with that little b*stard Rocco smashing at everything every other minute) but the overall impression is one of insincerity, religious clichés and the sort of sentences that wouldn't seem out of place in very cheap fortune cookies.

Overall though, fans will love it because it is Madonna doing her thing on stage as well as being honest and "herself" behind the scenes. Those a little less blinded by adoration will still enjoy the stage shows but will probably struggle to swallow a lot of the behind the scenes stuff and religious babble. Madonna is a very talented entertainer who has lasted decades in an industry not designed for artist longevity and I applaud her for that; sadly this film only touches on that compared to the amount of time she spends coming off as the sort of American you would laugh at the second she walked away.

Sort of a Madonna: Truth or Dare part-two documentary from the Re-Invention World Tour. Again, we get a look at Madonna's process of working with her dancers and team. I think Madonna wanted to show how she had changed as an entertainer, and we get another look at her beliefs, her children and ex-husband. Did Madonna feel she was less mature than her previous movie, and was trying to show a more mature side? As for the show we only get flashes of some of the songs that are performed, which is really disappointing because Madonna is a great performer, and we miss that again with this documentary. For the future it would have been better if they had released the whole show because there are many songs that are missing. At the time there were discussions about politics, religion and the environment, that are still matters of concern today, and still create an argument. The DVD has bonus features including never-before-seen footage, and a live CD.

I was skeptical. The movie began, and the introduction had my attention right away. The color shifts or black-and-white- to color, back and forth, was very good. The music was hers, obviously, and were wise choices as the soundtracks. This movie made me see Madonna as less than simply a superstar, but as a human being, with her flaws very evident. The highlight of the whole documentary are the clips of her concert, which is probably the best she has ever done. The stage, the choreography and costumes are phenomenal. Madonna has proved that age simply made her get better,and that even though she may be under the radar sometimes, she is still very relevant.

The documentary "I'm Going To Tell You A Secret" is beautifully shot and is quite inspirational. Uplifting and optimistic, it takes you on a journey from the beginning to the end of the creative adventure of this project. It is a more mature Madonna that allows the viewer to see a certain side of her that has long been developing. Those who were expecting something more playful like her other documentary projects, they will be disappointed, but shouldn't be surprised because it is nothing like anything you have seen from Madonna before. Many people will ask, "what is her secret?" Is it metaphoric or was it an attention getter? The documentary is a revelation of the essence of her happiness -- her family and spirituality aside from all things material.