Source: Cinema Crazed (www.cinema-crazed.com) Reviewer: Felix Vasquez Jr.

“Why did I even long for a Grind House revival, when it was happening right under my nose? You may be surprised to hear this, but I can be a bit slow witted at times. Right now, there are about a hundred young directors creating movies, all of whom are just clamoring to re-invent the Grind House and exploitation genre, and they just don’t get enough of the credit that they deserve for accomplishing what Hollywood has tried so desperately to do. The proof in the pudding is this utterly fantastic production short from Cinephreak Pictures that aces every feeling and novelty you get from a Grind House film, with a touch of Blaxploitation for good measure. Bilinski adds a production quality to the film that’s just all out exhilarating to watch, from the groovy opening theme, to the montage set to a neon backdrop, it was almost as if American International had distributed it themselves.

The plot to “Foxxy Madonna” is a bit of a more supernatural vibe, as Foxxy is a gun slinging, trench coat sporting fighter for good, battling all sorts of demonic baddies. When a mob boss named Black Death plans to release a toxin to poison the world for a bigger scheme, Foxxy Madonna is on the case. One of the true highlights beyond the genuine atmosphere is the great direction by Bilinski who is able to conduct great action scenes on an obviously low budget, and make it look so streamlined from the very beginning. The entire film has an overall grainy quality to it that helps with the experience and paired with the great script, the film simply never misses a beat. There’s also Monica Barajas who bears a slight resemblance to Frigga of “Thriller: A Cruel Picture,” popping cigarettes in her mouth like it’s a bodily function, and blasting her weapons with sheer precision, she’s a bad ass of a heroine, and she’s drawn with enough depth to warrant a rally from the viewers, and Bilinski thankfully never turns her into a cliché. Jomar Banks is a great antithesis to Foxxy Madonna providing an over the top antagonist that’s entertaining and threatening enough to warrant him a proper threat, and the two just tussle from the first time they meet, and Bilinski never lets up. I wish all directors were this inventive in their short film efforts, and Bilinski just aims for the sky, here.

The best way I can put it is: This movie fucking rocked. It’s rare there are films out there under twenty minutes that can tell such a linear and entertaining narrative, with sheer creativity, imagination, and an atmosphere that perfectly capture the Grind house motif. I’m surprised, and this movie is excellent.”

Source: Fatally Yours (www.fatally-yours.com) Reviewer: The Film Fiend

“It seems that every bloke and bird on this jolly green planet is in negotiations to produce and/or direct their own low-budget grindhouse-inspired feature these days. Be it blaxploitation, horror, or old-fashioned kung fu, the dodgy films produced during the 70’s have suddenly become a white hot pop culture commodity, due in part to the generous amount of hype surrounding the failed Quentin Tarantino/Robert Rodriguez collaboration Grindhouse released earlier this year. Listening to former emo kids flaunt their limited B-movie knowledge is definitely a surreal experience, especially since most are deathly allergic to anything produced before 1991.

Mime director Jakob Bilinski’s 2006 National Film Challenge entry Foxxy Madonna vs. The Black Death seems to have a deft understanding of what made the cheap action flicks from this by-gone era so impossibly appealing. Clocking in at a breezy 16 minutes, the film manages to capture the true essence of the grindhouse experience without coming across as either embarrassingly desperate or overly calculated. By the time all is said and done, most viewers will curse the Gods of Homage for not allowing this film to blossom into the complete full-length production it was destined to be.

Here’s the setup: Foxxy Madonna (Monica Barajas), covert agent of G.O.D., is instructed by her monotone superiors to infiltrate the hideout of the notorious Black Death (Jomar “Dez” Banks) before he unleashes a deadly virus upon the world’s unsuspecting population. Armed with a pair of shiny hand cannons and a set of ultra-spiffy martial arts skills, our heroine must complete her seemingly impossible mission before everyone and their creepy uncle is pushing up the proverbial daisies. In true grindhouse tradition, the film’s so-called “plot” takes a back seat to the oh-so explosive on-screen shenanigans, allowing you to slip easily into the action without wading through a tub of needless exposition. Additionally, the handful of performances we’re presented with are suitably wooden, though I’m not entirely sure this was intentional.

Regardless, it works within the confines of picture, staying true to such obscure amateur hour outings as TNT Jackson and Velvet Smooth. As long as you know what to expect from Foxxy Madonna, I don’t foresee too many complaints from those educated in the ways of wonky cinema.

The only real complaint I have is the film’s length — it just left me wanting more. Which, I suppose, is a good thing. Foxxy Madonna rightfully deserves the full-length treatment, though I seriously doubt that’s going to happen anytime soon. However, given the success of the like-minded throwback Lethal Force, I’d say there’s definitely a market for this sort of tongue-in-cheek nonsense. It’s something I believe Bilinski should devote a few moments of serious thought to.

Foxxy Madonna vs. The Black Death is one snazzy action flick. It still blows my mind that this was filmed over the course of one weekend, especially when I’ve seen lesser efforts by filmmakers who spent months attempting to perfect their own low-budget grindhouse epic. Granted, the 2006 National Film Challenge version is a little different than the spit shined “director’s cut,” but it still showcases the talents of a group of determined individuals who might just have a bright future in show business. There’s also a very good reason why this film won “Best Use of Spy Genre” at the aforementioned short film competition. It’s a sizzling stick of Grade-A Superfly TNT.”

Source: Film Apocalypse (www.angelfire.com/planet/filmapocalypse) Reviewer: Film Apocalypse

“Imagine if Quentin Tarantino were to direct a short film staring a sexy female goth version of James Bond working as a secret agent for God and his crew. That will give you a pretty good idea of what to expect from Foxxy Madonna vs The Black Death. Although just over 15 minutes in length, the film manages to pay tribute to the classic 70s action movie genre in style and mood while presenting a story with a fresh voice. From the funky title graphics to the groovy music, the creators have actually done a good job of capturing the overall vibe of the 70s without shooting on film. The quality of the production was good. Although I have seen no-budget projects with better visual quality, this one is definitely better than average.

Writer / director / editor Jakob Bilinski has done what few multitasking, no-budget film makers have done by competently tackling each of his positions without letting any area suffer. The story offers more than the average action movie plot and doesn't have any spots where it feels dragged out. The computer effects are used well and add to the film rather than detract from it as is so often the case. The lead role of Foxxy Madonna is played impressively by the attractive and talented Monica Barajas. Jomar 'Dez' Banks also delivers a noteworthy performance at The Black Death. In summation, Foxxy Madonna vs The Black Death has a solid story, fluid editing and competent crew which all add up to equal an entertaining and very watchable no-budget short film.”

Source: Micro-Shock Cinema (www.dorkswithoutfaces.com/microshock) Reviewer: Isabele Da Morte

“An action packed indie short by Cinephreak pictures....Jakob Bilinski, in association with Tao films. Who's film FOXXY MADONNA V/S THE BLACK DEATH won an awrad for Best use of "spy" genre - Filmapalooza 2007 'Who is Jakob Bilinski"?? You ask,,, He is a very creative and talented independent film director. He is the man who brings great films to the screen such as: FOXXY MADONNA V/S THE BLACK DEATH, CONCENTRIC, 37 WEST, MIME, and soon to be bringing SHADE OF GREY to the screen. All top notch flicks in the world of independent films.

His latest film, "FOXXY MADONNA V/S THE BLACK DEATH" , in association with TAO FILMS, is definitely one to talk about. An action packed from start to finish short film that will leave you craving more when the credits role. With an old James Bond, Charlie' s Angels, neon, retro, groovy feel type of opening. A unique and great touch I might add. Meet FOXXY MADONNA...

She's more than just FOXXY, she's is an ass kicking, trench coat wearing, cigarette smoking, bad ass chic! An angel of sort, sporting not one but TWO pistols. She's more bad ass than Tomb Raider! Foxxy ( Monica Barajas of TAO FILMS ) has been hand picked by god herself ( Jennifer Berkemeier )....Yes, GOD is a female in this....high fives to the chic's...see guys we TOLD you GOD was a woman!) ha ha. Anyway's..... She has been hand picked by god herself to save the world from the evil villain "THE BLACK DEATH ( Jomar Banks ). THE BLACK DEATH is an evil mobster boss that is more less the world's worst enemy. He and his henchmen are up to no good. Plotting an evil plan to unveil a deadly poison in to the world. This Lord of Death is on a mission to destroy all that is good and pure in the world.

Can FOXXY MADONNA stop THE BLACK DEATH before it's too late? Or will the BLACK DEATH and his war lords destroy FOXXY before destroying the world? Will FOXXY save the day and the world, or will she die trying? FOXXY is living proof that dynamite comes in small packages. She takes her job and her mission seriously. Adding a touch of comical wit to her bad ass heroin personality. She kicks ass and destroys evil with out stopping to take names.

FOXXY MADONNA has definitely met her match when she comes up against THE BLACK DEATH and his henchmen, as they battle it out to the bloody end. Who will win???

I am going to leave that question unanswered, so that you the viewer can have a chance to find that out for your self when you watch this brilliant short and work of art. I hate spoilers, so I am not going to be the one to spoil the ending for you. I can however, assure you that you will NOT be disappointed!

Cinephreak pictures and Tao films have truly done a fantastic job on this piece, as a great team effort. Delivering an action packed short film that never misses a beat. Never a dull moment. From the start of the opening credits, to the end, I found myself on the edge of my seat and in awe of the quality of bilinski's work. Great visuals, great acting, careful well done camera work, and a creative story line. A top notch, well done indie film that has quickly become a favorite on my shelves of indie flicks.

Thanks to Jake bilinski I now have this new obsession with bad ass chic's in trench coats with pistols, who battle evil! Hell Yeah! Anyone need a body guard?? Call on FOXXY MADONNA! She can be my savior, body guar, or hero any day! Ha Ha.

All in all I was very pleased with this film, and have to congratulate Jake, those at Tao Films and everyone involved on a job well done. Their hard work and exhausting efforts to bring the audience a great piece truly shows in this film. I envy their talent. A group of film makers with great talent and a true passion for film making! NOW.........GO BUY THIS FILM AND SEE FOR YOURSELF...EXACTLY HOW BAD ASS IT IS!!!!!”

Source: The Movies Made Me Do It (www.moviesmademe.com) Reviewer: Chad Connolly

“What would you get if Foxy Brown were just a little bit lighter, fought vampires as well as criminals, had access to all sorts of high-tech gadgets, and belonged to an underground organization of "unorthodox secret preacher agents"? You'd probably get a little something like Foxxy Madonna, a throwback to the seventies action / exploitation fare that is done with a surprising amount of style and finesse.

The storyline for this short film finds Foxxy (Monica Barajas), a lady who is apparently one of the top dogs in this organization, being tasked with putting an end to the evil plans of the villainous Black Death (Jomar 'Dez' Banks), a man who has set out to unleash a virus upon the world which will rival the death toll of the black plague. This certainly won't be an easy task as Mr. Death has a pair of highly-trained henchmen (Phil Lechuga and David Barajas) at his side at all times, so Foxxy definitely has her work cut out for her. That's about it for the storyline side of things, as the vast majority of the fifteen minute running time is spent on the final showdown between Foxxy and the villains. This isn't a bad thing, mind you; fifteen minutes isn't exactly a whole lot of time to develop a deep storyline with tons of character development and back-story, so giving us the bare essentials in that regard and then letting the characters do their thing was the best decision one could have made.

So, with that in mind, how was the action? It was actually a pretty damned impressive action sequence, packed with some visuals which were a notch above the usual indie fare. It wasn't flawless from start to finish, but with some polish and a little more time (more on that in a moment), these guys could do some seriously kick-ass work in the field of action flicks.

This film was made as a part of the 2006 National Film Challenge, and part of the criteria for this challenge was that the filmmakers had to incorporate various items into their script: a certain character, a certain prop, and a certain line of dialogue. Oh, and they had forty-eight hours to write, cast, shoot, and edit the film before turning it in. I actually wasn't aware of this little fact until I had already watched the film and I walked away from it highly impressed regardless. Now, knowing this, I definitely have to tip my hats to these guys for pulling it off and coming up with something extremely slick and entertaining in the process.

Fans of action flicks (especially of the seventies variety) should give it some attention whenever it becomes available. I'm not sure when it'll be up for sale, but keep an eye on the official sites of the producers (Cinephreak Pictures and Tao Films) as well as Cinephreak's MySpace profile for details. 7/10.”

Source: Rogue Cinema (www.roguecinema.com) Reviewer: Joshua Samford

“There's one thing that draws me into the art of the short film, it is that filmmakers with such a short amount of time feel a little more free to experiment with just how far logic can be pushed before the ropes that hold the audience's attention just snap… …

Foxxy Madonna is a film that was thought of before Quinton Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez brought the term "grindhouse" into mainstream lexicon recently, but it is a film that showcases many of the same beautiful attributes of 70's film culture. The style, the attitude and the slightly over the top action. I have been a big fan of blaxploitation and all forms of cheesy action films for many years now and Foxxy Madonna just hit all the right notes for my viewing pleasure. The basic plot follows Foxxy Madonna, a spy who works for the church who also plays by her own set of rules. After an evil baddie (called The Black Death) murders one of Foxxy's compatriots and sets out to unleash a plague the likes of which the world hasn't seen since the middle ages, it is up to Foxxy to save the world. Armed with her weaponry she sets out to take on The Black Death and his henchmen.

Foxxy Madonna is just a fun movie, no two ways about it. The cinematography…is exceptional. The video is downgraded to make it seem more like a film from the 70's and along with the funky music, it is easy to be tossed back into the era of Foxy Brown, Truck Turner and Cleopatra Jones... except this time with priests! I just loved the film and I think a lot of others out there will too if they get a chance at seeing it. Foxxy Madonna is a well produced, well scripted and beautifully shot short film and I hope the filmmakers do well with it and more people can get a chance at seeing it. It's a fun ride and a throwback to one of the greatest eras in cinematic history. Definitely check it out!”

Source: Ryan’s Reviews (www.myspace.com/ryansreviews) Reviewer: Ryan

“Description (from imdb.com): There is a dark sect in the fight against evil - an elite underground organization of unorthodox secret preacher agents who get down for a higher power! Monica Barajas (Shade of Grey, Loss) is Foxxy Madonna - a butt-kicking, chain-smoking preacher chick with a small arsenal, a bad attitude, and a mysteriously powerful "crucifist." And she's gonna need em all as she's about to embark on her most dangerous mission yet! The notorious Black Death (Jomar "Dez" Banks - Shade of Grey, Mime) is about to unleash a virus of Biblical proportions upon the world. And it's up to the foxxiest of heroes to stop him. Whether it's preventing the plague to end humanity, burning a demonically possessed guy to death, or dueling fisticuffs with a chalkboard-wielding psychopath, Foxxy Madonna is up to the challenge!

Major Cast:

Monica Barajas as Foxxy Madonna / Sam Pinkerton
Jomar "Dez" Banks as The Black Death
Scott Ganyo as Gabriel
David Barajas as Chalkboard
Jennifer Berkemeier as G.O.D.
Troy Butler as The Possessed
Phil Lechuga as Henchman

Written by Jakob Bilinski, Edward Hatfield, and Christopher Wilkerson
Directed by Jakob Bilinski

When I first finished watching FMvtBD, my first impression was: not bad. Not overly awesome, but not bad. It was a fun, decently-fast paced modern theological exploitation flick, with servants of G.O.D. packing heat. The dialogue was snappy, but it could be a little slicker; the acting was good overall (which is better than most low/no budget flicks, where I would say that decent-at-best is the norm… but we know when you can't pay your actor you take the quality that you can get), but was inconsistent – some people were good, while others not so much. Don't get me wrong – I was entertained for the entire 15 or so minutes that I watched FMvtBD – I just wasn't blown away.

Then I watched an interview on the DVD where director Jakob Bilinski and "The Black Death" actor Jomar "Dez" Banks explained that this film was part of a 48-hour film fest, and was completed from first concept to final edit within a single weekend. Bilinski explained that they received an email with four "must-include" bits of information – a genre, a character, a prop, and a line of dialogue – and inspired by a recent viewing of the trailer for the (then) upcoming Tarantino / Rodriguez Grindhouse, FMvtBD was created. In a weekend. Let me recant my earlier middle-of-the-road stance… for a film made in a weekend, FMvtBD is an incredibly well designed, shot, and edited short. I have seen many shorts that had 5 to 10 times the amount of planning and execution time, and half (if that) the creativity, composition, sound quality, and overall entertainment value that FMvtBD crammed into a single weekend.

I recommend the director's cut, which incorporates additional scenes that were cut from the film fest version, as well as more in-depth post-production (as time was not a constraint on the director's cut). FMvtBD's director's cut includes color correction / manipulation to help achieve that slightly washed out / blown out 70's exploitation feel, as well as the requisite faux film scratches. Also included are decent digital effects, which can often ruin an ultra-indy production by betraying the budget... in looking damn cheesy. However, FMvtBD used the digital effects sparingly, and the effects that were included (mostly digital muzzle blasts and bullet hits) were well done. The film was shot on a "prosumer" camera, and for the most part the 16:9 print looks very nice; the only part of the film that appeared to be of lower quality were the shots in the (very 70's) opening credits, these seemed to have either been shot on a lower quality camera, or processed differently as they looked very "DV."

One thing that really impressed me about FMvtBD was the quality of the sound. Some of the foley-type effects sounded a little low-rent, but the dialogue quality was well above average for your typical low/no budget flick. And the sound in the film was well balanced – I didn't have to turn it up extra loud to understand the dialogue, nor did I have to turn it way down once the guns started popping. Overall, I was impressed by the quality of FMvtBD, especially considering the time constraints under which it was conceived and created. It was a fun little flick that left itself open for a continuation of the story – which I would gladly spend another 15 minutes watching.

Source: This is Some Scene (www.thisissomescene.com) Reviewer: The Angry Princess

“I had the pleasure of watching Jakob Bilinski’s “Foxxy Madonna vs. the Black Death,” which is a short story about a spy who has defected and went on to become bad and is planning on giving the world a little piece of his sickness with the help of a few of his cronies.

The Black Death used to be in the same spy unit as Foxxy Madonna but now she is tracking him down to see if she can put an end to his massive evil plan. I liked how the one character was named Chalkboard who never spoke and always wrote his thoughts on the board he kept under his trench coat. He was a trip.

On the way to confront The Black Death, Foxxy must defend herself against another obstacle - “The Possessed.” I had a lot of fun watching this and was eagerly drawn into the storyline and thought Jennifer Berkemeier’s portrayal of G.O.D. just seemed to be the right fit for that role and really can’t picture it portrayed any other way.

I am slowly becoming addicted to short films and intend to review more in the future- hopefully! For those of you who have not sampled a short yet- I suggest you do so…you’ll be just as addicted to them as I am. They’re short, sweet and get right to the point, how can you not like that?”