Tag Archives: Udo Kier

1977 Films, Favorite Film of the Year, Horror, International, International Horror, Italian, Italian Horror, Supernatural Horror, Top 100 Films, Top 20 Horror Films, Top 250 Films, Top 40 Horror Films

Suspiria-1977

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Suspiria-1977

Director Dario Argento

Starring Jessica Harper

Top 250 Films #53

Top 40 Horror Films #11

Scott’s Review #339

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Reviewed January 9, 2016

Grade: A

Suspiria is a horror masterpiece, made in 1977, by my favorite Italian horror director, Dario Argento.

A combination of complex storytelling, glossy colors, and a unique art direction makes this film a treasure and an influence in “the look” of a film attempting to achieve an interesting art direction choice.

The color red is highly prevalent throughout Suspiria, which is fitting given the film’s subject matter of witchcraft and demons. The musical score is brilliant and chilling.

This film is perfect and one of my favorites.

The film takes place in Germany, and the opening sequence is fantastic. We meet our heroine, Suzy Bannion (Jessica Harper), an American ballet student, as she arrives in blustery Munich to attend a prestigious ballet school.

The shot of the driving wind and rain as she exits the airport is a great example of this film’s ultimate style.

Suzy meets a creepy taxi driver who takes her to the school, where she witnesses a frantic student, Pat Hingle, fleeing. A mysterious voice over the intercom then denies Suzy access to the school.

The film’s focus then briefly shifts to Pat’s perspective as she meets a sinister fate while staying with a friend.

One fantastic aspect of Suspiria is that we know something is wrong at the ballet academy; we do not know what or who is involved. With great creativity, Dario Argento builds a set that is modern and sophisticated yet laced with an undercurrent of menace.

As we meet the supporting characters, Madame Blanc (Joan Bennett) and Miss Tanner (Alida Valli), we know something is not right with them either. Blanc is kindhearted; Tanner is a drill sergeant, but both seem to have something to hide and claim to know nothing of Pat’s terror.

There is also Daniel, the blind piano player, whose seeing-eye dog suddenly turns vicious.

The plot is complex and does not always make perfect sense, but the elements of Suspiria make it a masterpiece.  Pat’s death scene is laced with greatness as she dangles from a high glass ceiling dripping blood. Her hysterical friend is sliced to bits by the falling glass.

This is the best double-death scene in horror film history.

When creepy maggots invade the school, leaving the girls feeling unsafe, the film goes all out. A later scene involving Suzy’s best friend and fellow student, Sarah, attempting to flee the school via the basement, only to struggle in a pit of razor wire, is splendid.

Much of Suspiria is dubbed in English, mainly because the actors speak either German or Italian. Still, Jessica Harper and Joan Bennett have distinctive voices that lend texture and richness to the dialogue.

Suspiria (1977) is a grand horror film, not solely for its mysterious story, but for all the added components that Argento throws into the mix- strange characters, weird sets, and a heavy dose of blood-red- pretty fitting.

2007 Films, Horror, Italian, Italian Horror, Satanic, Supernatural Horror, Top 250 Films, Top 40 Horror Films

Mother of Tears-2007

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Mother of Tears-2007

Director Dario Argento

Starring Asia Argento

Top 250 Films #227

Top 40 Horror Films #35

Scott’s Review #1,360

Reviewed May 13, 2023

Grade: B+

Mother of Tears (2007) is a film I have a great fondness for, and I’ll never forget its debut in my life.

It is the very first film my husband and I saw in a movie theater together. So, I’m pretty partial to the nostalgic feeling it evokes on a personal level.

Both fans of esteemed horror director Dario Argento, we cohabitated in the dusty art theater one rainy Saturday evening following a delicious Italian dinner on one of our first dates.

The atmosphere was nearly as perfect as an Argento film itself since he is known for operatic, visceral, and visual perfection.

The film is the concluding installment of Argento’s supernatural horror trilogy The Three Mothers, preceded by Suspiria (1977) and Inferno (1980. It depicts the confrontation with the final “Mother” witch, known as Mater Lachrymarum.

Grisly deaths await several unlucky Italian citizens after an American archaeology student named Sarah Mandy (Asia Argento) innocently releases a demonic witch from her ancient prison.

A mysterious urn comes into her possession, and when it is attempted to be restored at the Museum of Ancient Art in Rome, all hell breaks loose.

Sarah has a personal connection to the witch because her mother was once embroiled in a feud with the witch.

Making Mother of Tears a family affair and a source of comfort for viewers of Argento’s work, daughter Asia plays the lead character. At the same time, younger brother Claudio co-produces the picture with Dario.

Religion is always a fun theme in horror, especially in the oft-targeted Roman Catholic church. Like The Exorcist did in 1973, and many other horror films followed over the years, the religion is mocked in the kindest of ways.

As an ode to previous works involving children, a child is massacred, and more than one baby is sacrificed in the name of Mater Lachrymarum, so be forewarned if this is a dealbreaker for some.

Who doesn’t enjoy a coven of witches flocking down on Rome, screeching at passerby folks and wreaking havoc on the sacred city, now overcrowded with demons?

For the bloodthirsty types who crave a healthy dose of bloodletting, Mother of Tears lets the floodgates spill wide open.

One poor woman is speared through her private area and upwards, while another’s mouth and face are expanded until they pop. Several eyes are violently gouged.

You get the idea.

It’s recommended to watch Suspiria and Inferno first for chronological ease, but this isn’t a must; a stand-alone viewing will do just fine.

Nothing can match the sheer madness and visual mastery of 1977’s Suspiria, and Mother of Tears is the weakest of the three films, but this is not a gripe, merely a comparison.

They work well together, and the final confrontation involving Sarah and Mater Lachrymarum’s fight over a red tunic is the highlight.

The dark texture of the filming mixed with glowing lights and red colors is easily noticeable. This aligns well with religious or occult characters such as a monsignor, a cardinal, and various witches.

The film, though American-made, feels Italian and is quite authentic. Further, it naturally sits well with films of Argento’s heyday, the 1970s and 1980s. Most, if not all, actors appear to be Italian or European, adding flavor and culture to the experience.

If one has traveled to Rome, many exterior shots of the ancient city appear, adding to the enjoyment. Sarah ravages the streets and scurries through the vast train station in one powerful sequence.

Since trains are the main mode of transportation in Italy, viewers can transport themselves back to a previous trip.

To know Dario Argento is to love him. Mother of Tears (2007) may not measure up to his very best works, but it is an entertaining and enthralling visit to the macabre world.

It may or may not win over new fans, but it will satisfy the director’s existing fans.

2007 Films, Halloween, Horror, Slasher

Halloween-2007

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Halloween-2007

Director Rob Zombie

Starring Malcolm McDowell, Scout Taylor-Compton

Scott’s Review #1,234

Reviewed February 27, 2022

Grade: B

I’ve seen director/musician/entertainer Rob Zombie tear down the house as the headlining second stage act at the metal festival Ozzfest in the 2000s.

He’s a striking individual with ferocious energy and a creative persona.

He’s also quite brave to undertake such an undertaking as remaking the legendary slasher film Halloween from 1978.

The results of his 2007 effort, titled Halloween, are a mixed effort, but props to him for having the guts to try.

As with other horror films he has directed and his music, there is brutality and rawness mixed with nastiness and a grim outlook. He wisely focuses on the character of Michael Myers, but fills in too much backstory for my liking.

Part of the appeal of the crazed killer is his mysteriousness.

Both Daeg Faerch and Tyler Mane play Michael.

The story is a bit of a remake.

The new aspect focuses on events that begin on Halloween when ten-year-old Michael inexplicably butchers a school bully, his sister, her boyfriend, and his abusive stepfather.

He is sent to a mental hospital for the next fifteen years, becoming despondent and fixated on making papier-mache masks.

The second part is more familiar territory.

Nearly two decades later, he breaks out, intent on returning to the town of Haddonfield, Illinois. He arrives in his hometown on Halloween to hunt down his younger sister, Laurie (Scout Taylor-Compton).

The only thing standing between Michael and a night of bloody carnage is psychologist Dr. Samuel Loomis (Malcolm McDowell).

I stress the near-impossible task Zombie faced in remaking, or even reviving, a film as iconic as John Carpenter’s 1978 masterpiece. Without even pen to paper, there would immediately be those who would mock and trivialize any attempt.

Zombie both wrote and directed the film.

He immediately provides a reason for Michael’s dirty deeds. Close with his mother, played by Zombie’s real-life wife, Sheri Moon Zombie, who does a fantastic job, Deborah is a struggling stripper married to an abusive man.

So Michael’s earlier butchery can be somewhat understood by audiences.

My preference is how Michael’s parents were portrayed in the original in their one brief scene. They appear to be an upstanding middle-class couple with a nice house and family. This makes Michael’s psychotic rampage all the more vague and confusing.

A fabulous scene at the mental hospital showcases an ominous moment. It’s Halloween Eve, and Doctor Loomis visits the despondent Michael in the outdoor yard.

The audience knows he will escape, but not when or how things will erupt and who will be slashed; we know the bloodletting will soon commence.

The rest of the film is standard fare and a letdown compared to the ambitious first half, though there is far more violence and gore than one could imagine. The film feels haunting and brutal, with Zombie’s uncompromising approach kicking the killings up ten notches.

It’s like the original Halloween on steroids.

The casting highlights start and stop with the exceptional Malcolm McDowell as the tortured Loomis. The famous actor, forever known as Alex in A Clockwork Orange (1971), carries the film with his expression-filled, crystal blue eyes and tremendous acting ability.

Another winning choice is Brad Dourif as Sheriff Lee Brackett. Classic film fans will remember the actor as a person with a mental health condition in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest in 1975, for which he was Oscar-nominated.

Scout Taylor-Compton does a decent job as Laurie Strode, but can anyone compare to Jamie Lee Curtis? I snicker at the thought. The rest of the actors portraying the teen friends are okay, but not memorable.

Followed by Halloween II in 2009, Halloween (2007) received enough attention at the time to give fans a flurry of excitement, but with the later recreation and reprisal by Jamie Lee Curtis and others from the original, the Zombie offerings won’t be remembered well.

It’s dirty, bloody, and raw but never terrifying.

Zombie adds story points, some that work and some that don’t, but I give the man much respect for dusting off a film as brilliant as Halloween (1978).

2000 Films, Drama, Independent, Independent Drama, Musical

Dancer in the Dark-2000

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Dancer in the Dark-2000

Director Lars von Trier

Starring Björk

Scott’s Review #365

Reviewed January 9, 2016

Grade: A

Dancer in the Dark is, in my opinion, one of the most important, inventive films of the 2000s and is proudly one of my favorites of all time.

However, the film is not pleasant to watch and is quite painful and depressing, if the truth be told.

But the relevance and sheer emotion the film elicits are more than enough reason to be exposed to it, if only once, perhaps.

Director Lars von Trier is a master of creative and disturbing, dreamlike films that are odd, non-linear, or otherwise open to interpretation.

He has directed such gems as 2011’s Melancholia and 1996’s Breaking the Waves, to name but two.

In Dancer in the Dark, he uses handheld cameras, which add a lot of grit to the film, giving it an almost documentary-style, grainy, shaky look.

The addition of musical numbers mostly written and performed by the star, Björk, is a wonderful touch.

Speaking of Björk, words cannot express what a brilliant performance she gives in the film, and the raw emotion she expresses in her starring role is awe-inspiring.

So great was the stress of filming Dancer in the Dark that, to my knowledge, she has never made another film.

She was shamefully overlooked in the Best Actress Oscar category- an omission that is one of the biggest fails in Oscar history.

Tensions were reportedly high on the set of Dancer in the Dark, as Björk reportedly despised her director, never missing a chance to tell him so, disappeared from the set for days on end, and spat in his face.

Co-star Deneuve, a former French megastar, reportedly did not get along with Björk.

Despite all the drama, the stars managed to pull together a masterpiece.

Björk plays Selma, a Czech immigrant living in Seattle with her young son. The year is 1964. Selma is poor, struggling to survive by working in a clothing factory alongside her best friend, Cvalda (Deneuve).

Selma and Cvalda escape their dull lives by watching classic musical films at their local cinema. To make matters worse, Selma is suffering from a degenerative eye disease, causing her to lose her sight gradually.

She struggles to save enough for surgery for her son, who is sure to suffer the same fate without it.

Selma frequently imagines musical numbers in her day-to-day life involving friends and co-workers. When a tragic event occurs, and Selma is accused of a crime, the film takes a very dark turn.

The conclusion of the film will always require handkerchiefs as it is as powerful as it is gloomy.

The aspect I love most about Dancer in the Dark is that it smashes barriers about what film art is and throws all of the rules out the window.

Lars von Trier, famous for this, created a dreamy, independent hybrid musical-drama, a dynamic, tragic, emotional experience all rolled into one great film.

Oscar Nominations: Best Original Song-“I’ve Seen It All”

Independent Spirit Award Nominations: 1 win-Best Foreign Film (won)

1994 Films, Comedy, Screwball Comedy

Ace Ventura: Pet Detective-1994

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Ace Ventura: Pet Detective-1994

Director Tom Shadyac

Starring Jim Carrey

Scott’s Review #106

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Reviewed July 12, 2014

Grade: D-

Ace Ventura: Pet Detective is a silly comedy from 1994 starring Jim Carrey as a goofy private investigator specializing in pet rescue.

He is fairly inept but is hired by the Miami Dolphins to find their stolen mascot.

The film is ridiculous on almost every level- bad clichés, bad acting, mostly by the football players, and a dumb plot.

The saving grace of the film is Jim Carrey, who defined the goofy, slapstick film star of the 1990s and, although over-the-top, is quite funny with his weird gestures and absurd mannerisms.

If the writing were only slightly better- think Dumb and Dumber (1994) or The Mask (1994), this film would have been almost enjoyable, but.

Still, it’s the definition of dumb fun, just a little too far, and sooner rather than later, it becomes convoluted and tedious.

A cameo appearance by Dan Marino, obviously a poor actor, just made this movie seem sad and desperate.

Sean Young is appealing as the villain.