A Certain Sacrifice is the singer Madonna's first movie, made in September 1979, written and directed by Stephen Jon Lewicki. Madonna starred with Jeremy Pattnosh and Charles Kurtz.
The movie itself is an "oddball" indie, shot on-and-off over two years for a paltry sum of $20,000 (with virtually all of the actors in the film unpaid) in New York City. Madonna played the part of Bruna, a Lower East Side resident who lives with three "love slaves" (one male, one female, one transgender). Bruna meets Dashiell (Pattnosh) in the water fountain in Washington Square Park and the two "fall in love". Bruna tells her lovers she doesn't need them anymore. They attack her sexually (this scene caused controversy since Madonna is topless). Later, Bruna is raped by Raymond Hall (by Kurtz) in a bathroom at a coffee shop. To exact retribution, Bruna enlists her love slaves and Dashiell to abduct the rapist. They dress up as hookers and lure him into a limo. They lead him to a theatre where a Satanic sacrifice is performed. Dashiell laters wipes Raymond's blood all over Bruna.
In 1985, A Certain Sacrifice was released on video to capitalize on Madonna's fame. Madonna tried to buy the rights from director Stephen Jon Lewicki for $5,000 unsuccessfully. Madonna, then tried to ban the film from being seen. Jon Lewicki invited her to view it and at the conclusion of the screening session Madonna reportedly was not happy with the result.
Despite Madonna's second thoughts about having participated in this movie, Lewicki had nothing but compliments for her. One of his oft-repeated stories was how he "discovered" Madonna and was amazed that she hand-wrote a three-page letter for a part that didn't even pay. She was only paid $100. To author Christopher Andersen, who wrote the 1991 biography "Madonna Unauthorized", Lewicki said: "That woman has more sensuality in her ear than most women have anywhere on their bodies."
Vision Quest is a 1985 film starring Matthew Modine and Linda Fiorentino.
Modine plays Spokane, Washington high school wrestler Louden Swain, who falls in love with Carla (Linda Fiorentino), an aspiring artist from Trenton, New Jersey, on her way to San Francisco. The film includes an appearance by Madonna, her first in a motion picture playing a singer at a local bar/restaurant (filmed at the Big Foot Tavern on North Division in Spokane), where she performs the songs "Crazy for You" and "Gambler". The film was released in some countries under the title of "Crazy For You."
The movie was based on the book by Terry Davis, filmed at Spokane's John R. Rogers High School (referred to as Thompson High School in the film). The school building has gone through major renovations since the filming, with the only recognized characteristic being the school's front entrance. (Interior cafeteria scenes were filmed at Joel E. Ferris High School on Spokane's South Hill.) (Some of the locker room scenes were filmed in the Shadle Park High School boys locker room.) The movie has become somewhat of a cult-classic among high school wrestlers for its various wrestling scenes, in particular Louden's extreme weight loss measures and workout regime.
In the film, Louden Swain is a wrestler who finds out after turning eighteen that he needs to do something in his life. He decides to drop weight to wrestle at the 168 division (he previously was the varsity 190 wrestler) to challenge Brian Shute, a menacing three time state champion from nearby rival Hoover High School, who has never been defeated in his high school career. After meeting Carla, he begins to fall in love with her. Despite her not wanting him to, he begins to lose sight of his goals as a wrestler. Along the way his drastic weight loss culminates in an unhealthy situation in which he gets frequent nose bleeds due to a lack of iron in his diet (which costs him a match that he was winning). He and Carla finally admit their love for one another, but she can tell he is losing his focus. She decides to move out and continue on to San Francisco, but not before seeing Louden's match against Shute. The title Vision Quest is explained when one of Louden's teammates Kuch, who believes heavily in Native American culture, tells him that he is searching for his place in the circle, which Louden comes to realize is true.
Differences from the book
* Louden wrestles at 137, not 168.
* Thompson High School, which was used in the film, appears to relate more toward Spokane North Central High School (which was oddly filmed at North Central's rival Rogers H.S.), was actually based on Spokane's Shadle Park High School, where author Terry Davis graduated from (Shadle's team made a brief appearance as Sherman High School).
* In the book, Carla was living with Louden, but for longer than the movie version and was actually settled down with him, living in Spokane.
* Gary Shute was the actual name of the character in the book that Louden was going to wrestle (the books ends when their match begins). He was also from Evergreen High School; rather than Hoover High School (which appears in the movie to be based on Mead High School).
* In the book Otto Laft had a much larger role than in the movie.
* Elmo, the cook who works with Louden, was actually a black former boxer, and Gene Tanneran, Louden's English teacher, was white and going out with a cheerleader. In the movie, Tanneran is a black former basketball player, and Elmo is white.
Soundtrack by Tangerine Dream. The soundtrack also included songs by Journey ("Only The Young"), former Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow/Black Sabbath vocalist Ronnie James Dio ("Hungry For Heaven") and Red Rider ("Lunatic Fringe").
Desperately Seeking Susan is a 1985 film directed by Susan Seidelman and starring Rosanna Arquette and Madonna.
Arquette plays Roberta, a bored suburban housewife living in Fort Lee, New Jersey who is fascinated with a woman she only knows about by reading messages to and from her in the personals section of a New York City tabloid. This fascination reaches a peak when one such ad with the headline "Desperately Seeking Susan" proposes a rendezvous in Battery Park with the man who seeks her. Roberta goes to Battery Park too, and gets a glimpse of the woman, played by Madonna, whose life so fascinates her. In a series of events involving mistaken identity, amnesia, and other farcical elements Roberta goes from voyeur to participant in an Alice in Wonderland-style plot, ostensibly motivated by the search for a pair of stolen earrings.
The film captures the feel of a certain underground Bohemian/New Wave scene of mid-1980s New York City, a scene that in real life helped Madonna get her big break in the music business.
Madonna's role in the film remains one of her most acclaimed along with Evita.
Shanghai Surprise is a 1986 film starring Madonna and Sean Penn, produced by George Harrison's Handmade Films. Harrison appeared as a night club singer, and also recorded several songs for the film's soundtrack including the title track, "Shanghai Surprise".
The movie was panned by critics and failed at the box office. It was nominated for five Golden Raspberry Awards, 'winning' one of them, for Worst Picture.
Who's That Girl is the name of a film released on August 7, 1987 by Warner Brothers starring Madonna and Griffin Dunne. The film was written by Andrew Smith (writer) and Ken Finkleman and directed by James Foley.
Although popular among teenage audiences, the film did poorly financially. Its soundtrack, Who's That Girl, was much more successful, spawning a number-one hit in the title song "Who's That Girl". The film was released on video cassette on November 11, 1987. Madonna's world tour named Who's that Girl was a success in eighteen cities across North America, Europe, and Asia.
Bloodhounds of Broadway is a 1989 film directed by Howard Brookner.
Plot
New York, New Year's Eve, 1928. High Society dame Harriet Mackyle (Julie Hagerty) is throwing a party. New York's most fashionable and frivolous socialites will be there. They include luckless pony player, Regret (Matt Dillon), powerful gambling operator, The Brain (Rutger Hauer), the honorable but penniless Feet Samuels (Randy Quaid), and Broadway's most desirable show-girl, Hortense Hathaway (Madonna). During the final hours before dawn, fortunes are lost and gained, crimes committed and romance blooms in a night that promises to be the last big blowout of the Jazz Era.
Dick Tracy is a 1990 film based upon the Dick Tracy comic strip character created by Chester Gould. The film was directed by Warren Beatty, and originally released in cinemas by Touchstone Pictures. Beatty also starred as the iconic square-jawed detective. Co-stars included Madonna, Charlie Korsmo, Al Pacino, Dustin Hoffman, and Glenne Headly as well as numerous cameo appearances by famous actors and actresses (including Mandy Patinkin as pianist 88 Keys, Colm Meaney as a beatcop, and TV legend Dick Van Dyke in an unusual role as the corrupt District Attorney Fletcher).
The film won an Academy Award for Best Art Direction, Best Makeup and Best Music, Original Song (Stephen Sondheim) for "Sooner or Later (I Always Get My Man)". It was also nominated for Oscars for Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Al Pacino), Best Cinematography, Best Costume Design, and Best Sound.
Truth or Dare (known as In Bed with Madonna outside the United States and Canada) is a documentary chronicling the life of US pop superstar Madonna behind the scenes of her 1990 Blond Ambition Tour. Released in 1991, the film was generally well-received by critics (although condemned by a few, including bell hooks) and fared well at the box office. As of 2006; it is the fifth highest grossing documentary of all time (after Fahrenheit 9/11, March of the Penguins, An Inconvenient Truth and Bowling for Columbine) with a worldwide gross of $29 million.
Dangerous Game is a 1993 film, directed by Abel Ferrara, also known as Snake Eyes. The film stars Madonna, Harvey Keitel and James Russo.
The film opened in US theaters on November 19, 1993 and was trashed by critics. It gained a favorable place among Madonna's fans and critics throughout the years though as the film probably was too experimental back when it was first released.
Madonna herself was apparently not happy with the film itself. She was quotes as follows: "Even though it's a shit movie and I hate it, I am good in it." She also mentioned how the actual script was much better and her part was much stronger written. However director Abel Ferrara changed a lot of it in the editing room.
Also noteable: This was the first film to be produced by Maverick's film division.
Blue in the Face is a 1995 comedy directed by Wayne Wang and Paul Auster. It stars Harvey Keitel, Madonna, Giancarlo Esposito, Roseanne, Michael J. Fox, Jared Harris, Lily Tomlin, Mira Sorvino, Lou Reed, Mel Gorham, and Jim Jarmusch.
Blue in the Face was filmed over a five-day period as a follow-up to Wang's 1995 movie, Smoke. During production of Smoke, Keitel and the others ad-libbed scenes in-character between takes and a sequel was made using this improvised material.
Lily Tomlin was nominated for an American Comedy Award as "Funniest Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture" for her performance in this picture.
Evita is the movie adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber's stage musical based on the life of Eva Perón. Directed by Alan Parker and starring Madonna, Antonio Banderas and Jonathan Pryce, it was released December 14, 1996 and grossed $50,047,179 in the U.S. box office and $143 million worldwide.
The film received a warm reception from many critics. It was nominated for five Academy Awards and won the award for "Best Song" for "You Must Love Me". Evita also had five Golden Globe nominations and three wins (Best Picture - Comedy or Musical; Best Original Song, "You Must Love Me"; and Best Actress in a Comedy or Musical, Madonna) and was one of the National Board of Review's Top Ten Films of the Year.
Die Another Day is a James Bond film made by EON Productions and the fourth and final film to star Pierce Brosnan as Ian Fleming's James Bond. It was released in 2002 and produced by Bond veterans Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli. It was the third Bond film not to feature Desmond Llewelyn as Q, and the first not to feature him since Live and Let Die (1973), due to his death in December of 1999.
Die Another Day, being the twentieth Bond film and also being released the year of the Bond film franchise's "40th Anniversary," pays homage in previous James Bond films[2] and additionally references several Fleming novels as well as novels by other official Bond authors.
A Certain Sacrifice is the singer Madonna's first movie, made in September 1979, written and directed by Stephen Jon Lewicki. Madonna starred with Jeremy Pattnosh and Charles Kurtz.
Vision Quest is a 1985 film starring Matthew Modine and Linda Fiorentino.
Desperately Seeking Susan is a 1985 film directed by Susan Seidelman and starring Rosanna Arquette and Madonna.
Shanghai Surprise is a 1986 film starring Madonna and Sean Penn, produced by George Harrison's Handmade Films. Harrison appeared as a night club singer, and also recorded several songs for the film's soundtrack including the title track, "Shanghai Surprise".
Who's That Girl is the name of a film released on August 7, 1987 by Warner Brothers starring Madonna and Griffin Dunne. The film was written by Andrew Smith (writer) and Ken Finkleman and directed by James Foley.
Bloodhounds of Broadway is a 1989 film directed by Howard Brookner.
Dick Tracy is a 1990 film based upon the Dick Tracy comic strip character created by Chester Gould. The film was directed by Warren Beatty, and originally released in cinemas by Touchstone Pictures. Beatty also starred as the iconic square-jawed detective. Co-stars included Madonna, Charlie Korsmo, Al Pacino, Dustin Hoffman, and Glenne Headly as well as numerous cameo appearances by famous actors and actresses (including Mandy Patinkin as pianist 88 Keys, Colm Meaney as a beatcop, and TV legend Dick Van Dyke in an unusual role as the corrupt District Attorney Fletcher).
Truth or Dare (known as In Bed with Madonna outside the United States and Canada) is a documentary chronicling the life of US pop superstar Madonna behind the scenes of her 1990 Blond Ambition Tour. Released in 1991, the film was generally well-received by critics (although condemned by a few, including bell hooks) and fared well at the box office. As of 2006; it is the fifth highest grossing documentary of all time (after Fahrenheit 9/11, March of the Penguins, An Inconvenient Truth and Bowling for Columbine) with a worldwide gross of $29 million. 
Dangerous Game is a 1993 film, directed by Abel Ferrara, also known as Snake Eyes. The film stars Madonna, Harvey Keitel and James Russo.
Blue in the Face is a 1995 comedy directed by Wayne Wang and Paul Auster. It stars Harvey Keitel, Madonna, Giancarlo Esposito, Roseanne, Michael J. Fox, Jared Harris, Lily Tomlin, Mira Sorvino, Lou Reed, Mel Gorham, and Jim Jarmusch.
Evita is the movie adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber's stage musical based on the life of Eva Perón. Directed by Alan Parker and starring Madonna, Antonio Banderas and Jonathan Pryce, it was released December 14, 1996 and grossed $50,047,179 in the U.S. box office and $143 million worldwide.
Die Another Day is a James Bond film made by EON Productions and the fourth and final film to star Pierce Brosnan as Ian Fleming's James Bond. It was released in 2002 and produced by Bond veterans Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli. It was the third Bond film not to feature Desmond Llewelyn as Q, and the first not to feature him since Live and Let Die (1973), due to his death in December of 1999.