VividSimon Simply Perfect

ShangLuda Admirable film.

Dynamixor The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

Marva It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

GD Cugham Madonna, like all good pop culture icons, was all things to all people. By the early nineties she, or her managers, saw that this could be consolidated by her seeming to embrace and become an avant garden patron saint of the LGBTQ+ community of the time. Madonna was seen on TV wheeling out Sandra Bernhardt as her girlfriend - she was in fact seeing Warren Beatty. She made a mainstream hit of 'Vogue', just a dance craze song in the old tradition but culled from underground gay and drag culture. Vogue and the Blonde Ambition tour it was part of, required young male dancers from the dance subculture it exploited. Madonna handpicked dancers and soon became the mother hen of an elite inner circle of the mainly gay men. 'Strike A Pose' catches up with the surviving members of Madonna's male dance troupe and discovers some whose lives were changed by it, some for the better, some now worse off. Archive footage shores up the stridently powerful woman we recall of Vogue era Madonna as a naive and superficial "issues" hound who used - or was advised to - the LGBTQ+ community to expand her market to the "pink dollar". However Madonna actually, personally cared. Through interview, segments of expressive dance and more than honest reminiscences. A startling and heartfelt deconstruction of those on the fringes of fame and a true interrogation of the sincerity of commercial pop art.

KarenKay It was really interesting to follow up on their lives. They have had so many struggles through the years trying to find their way in life. Although the guys don't hold resentment, I must say that this makes me dislike Madonna even more than I already did. In my opinion, she took hold of "kids" who thought they were family and when she was done with them, she was done...She's a very cold person.

babzilla-05403 What a fascinating exploration of seven dancers and the time they toured with Madonna. It brought back so many memories of the era. What I loved about this documentary was these men shared a very brief, crazy time in the spotlight, but they refused to be defined by this history. They have moved on, but they do recognize the importance of this time in helping them become the men they are.It's hard to explain to people just how groundbreaking Madonna was. She was a global sensation who refused to be held to conventional ideas, gender lines and sexuality. At that time, with limited general knowledge, AIDS & HIV were thought to be a death sentence. People actually whispered the words. Coming out was a huge step, and many people lived in fear of being outed. Madonna played a huge part in instigating open discussions.The physical beauty of the dancers is undeniable - their youth, prowess to command attention and ability is breathtaking. Thirty years later, their faces are still beautiful, and their stories continue to command attention. It was like seeing old friends, hearing their struggles - and some are heartbreaking - and feeling like their determination and spirits have helped them rise above and break free from what could have been a one-dimensional story. Well done!

peter billionaire Lots of crying. Documentary-makers love it. Almost everybody in the movie gets to cry. Coming out of the closet and AIDS, AIDS, AIDS. No, it is not "powerful." It is stagey and manipulative. The individual stories are familiar. The only difference is Madonna. Like the gay Waiting for Godot. Everybody talks about Madonna, but she's not there. "We were like a family" is the motif. I doubt that the dancers were really that naive. They were Madonna's employees. Did they really think that they were going to be pals with her once the tour was over? There is a shot of a mother watching a video of her dead son. There is a discussion of Bell's palsy. There is an awkward reunion dinner apparently staged for this film. It's as if the dancers know what is expected. Lots of hugging and more crying. Declarations of undying love and friendship. A cringe-inducing replay of truth or dare. Everyone aware of the cameras. It seems self- conscious. What do you do with your life if it peaks when you're 22? To be cast out of MDNA paradise. There are vague images of the dancers in what may be their present careers. One of them is a waiter, but it is implied that they are still in dance. No specifics are given. The idea is to leave on an upbeat note.