With her bad self

With her handsome leading men

With her leading ladies

Madonna takes Venice (sans panting lion) with her film W.E., which will release in the U.S. in December after a North American premiere at Toronto. My positive review is written and waiting to be unleashed; this positive appraisal from the U.K. acknowledges the obvious, that some people took out their long knives before production began. This positive review from The Telegraph is fair; this abysmal one from The Guardian, not so much.

I assume reviews in the U.S. will be less cut with contempt (The Hollywood Reporter is politely unimpressed) considering over here, the couple's treatment is less a matter of national pride & prejudice. But regardless of what you read, this film is by NO MEANS a "risible" one-star piece of shit any more than it's a glorious, perfect five-star slice of heaven. More on my thoughts at the appropriate time.

Eat your heart out, Ida Lupino!

And you, too, Dorothy Arzner!

S'more pix:

Video of her at and after her presser:

Flowers from a fanboy (P.S. Watch the presser to see Madonna admit she loathes hydrangeas and he must not really know what she likes...!):