Mother of Tears
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Movie Reviews of Mother of Tears
Movie Review: This movie is atmospheric, engorssing, and totally scary. Highly recommended!
Summary: 5 Stars
Yes it fits in the the other movies, but it stands on its own. A must buy for any cult classic afficianado. Just great!Movie Review: Gory, Stylish and Flawed.
Summary: 4 Stars
May Contain Spoilers
Set in present day Rome, a large chest is unearthed in an old cemetery and is sent to Rome's Natural History Museum for inspection. Once it is opened by an unsuspecting archeologist (who meets a heck of a demise BTW), it re-awakens the last surviving Black Witch known as Mater Lachrimarum (Mother of Tears) and restores her powers. She then summons all witches from every corner of the globe to travel to Rome and witness her return. In the meantime, Rome becomes engulfed in violence and chaos and it is up to our heroine Sarah (Asia Argento) to try to find a way to defeat this ungodly witch since she is linked to the current events through her deceased mother, who when alive, was a powerful White Witch.
Dario Argento finally finished his "Three Mother's Trilogy", the first being the classic "Suspiria" (1977) followed by "Inferno" (1980), with this rather nasty little horror flick. In comparison to the glorious original, it is sorely lacking. Not in the gore since there is an abundance of it here, but in its originality and overall execution. "Suspiria" is one of my favorite horror films of all times. Despite a bizarre storyline with loop holes galore, Argento was able to create a masterwork of suspense, creative camera angles, some nice cinematography with rich vivid colors despite the over-use of 70's cheesiness and a haunting score. "Mother of Tears", set several decades later, doesn't offer that kind of visual magic and although it's more visceral, the violence far more graphic, there is little to no suspense. With that said, this film entertained me immensely. Maybe it's because Asia Argento's edgy good looks is a sight to behold & she is incredibly sexy here (not to mention I love her accent) or maybe it's because it's been years since Argento gave us anything of high quality and this effort is better than most, if not all of his films released throughout the last 2 decades. Many state he lost his touch after 1987's "Opera" and I tend to agree to a certain extent although I immensely enjoyed his "Masters of Horror" entries- "Jenifer" and "Pelts". This film does offer a rather clumsy, mildly intriguing storyline as did the original. "Suspiria" made up for it with its clever execution. "Mother of Tears" made up for it, at least to me, with the wickedly explicit murder sequences and its pace. Despite a lot of mumbo jumbo, the pace is swift, moving from one elaborate murder sequence to the next (the impaling of one unfortunate soul for instance is cringe-worthy & even babies are not safe from this films wrath). Also worth mentioning is the great cast, Asia Argento, Udo Keir, Dalia Nicolodi all whom offer middling to good performances but Argento's films are not noted for their actors masterwork but more for Argento's creativity and lastly, the location shots of Italy are sumptuous.
Judging by its reviews, this is a love it or hate it type of film. Especially if you are comparing it to Argento's earlier greater efforts. However as a horror film, it delivered what it promised. It may lack suspense & wit but the gore, nudity, outrageousness and scenes which many will consider "bad taste" are here in abundance and for those that like this type of morbid entertainment, it will be time well spent. Recommended.
Movie Review: Not Suspiria, but a lot of fun.
Summary: 4 Stars
There seems to be alot of mixed reviews for Dario Argento's Mother Of Tears, the latest conclusion to the trilogy of the three mothers which began with Susperia and followed up with Inferno. It's the type of film that you either love or hate, while the film wasn't exactly perfect I still thought it was quite enjoyable and very entertaining. The main reason why some people were complaining was because of the acting was horrible, I also agree with this but then again Argento's films are known for their bad acting so I'm already used to that and the storyline was incoherent and there were a couple of weak characters but what really makes this film great was the stylish cinematography and over the top death and gore scenes which were just amazing, there was some stuff in here that was truly shocking even for me and I didn't even expect that.
Dario Argento still knows how to create an artistic death scene, he definitely has not lost his touch. I honestly thought it was way better than most of his recent stuff. And to think that some Argento fans were disappointed by this, the film was great but it did have a few flaws but all these flaws aside I have to admit that it was his best film in years. Anyway the film was about a mysterious urn, which is dug up during an excavation. The urn is then sent to Rome Italy for study where an archeologist named Sarah (Asia Argento) gets her hands on the mysterious object and proceeds to study it alongside her friend Giselle. However when Giselle is brutally murdered before Sarah can even start the background check on the artifact, she begins to realize that something sinister lurks within the urn and it has it's sights set specifically on her. Terror and chaos is unleashed upon Rome and Sarah who is very skeptical of the occult discovers that she has some exceptional powers. After witnessing a grizzly murder, the ominous kidnapping of a friend's son and a group of witches that seem intent on killing her, she goes on a quest to find the cause behind the madness and discover the extent of her powers. The plot might sound cheesy but its not, the film had a very weird and dark atmosphere and it had a couple of creepy and horrific scenes that are guaranteed to satisfy any hardcore Argento fan. Theres this one scene that starts off at the beggining of the film where Gisele who is Sarah's friend gets disembowled then gets strangled by her own intestines while being stabbed repeatedly in the mouth and stomach and its all shown in graphic detail, that basically shows how gory this film is. There is also a short but amusing cameo from Udo Kier as a priest who helps out Sarah.
Mother Of Tears definitely feels and looks like an Argento film. It has the Italian setting, the use of some Italian dialogue and alot of bloody moments. Then there's also the strange, creepy and weird moments which Argento is famous for adding into his brand of horror films. The story of the movie is intriguing and very eerie, as it follows the third witch of the "Mother" series The Mother Of Tears, a witch who thrives and derives her powers from the pain, suffering, and death of others. Along with the power to drive people to murder, suicide, and madness she also has many followers, including a group of witches. As you'll see in the film most of these witches have really bad hair and makeup and some of their acting was way over the top and laughable. Anyway the film was definitely worth while and was nicely shot with some great atmosphere and locations and plenty of memorable scenes in it making this one of Dario Argento's best although Asia's acting could have been alot better, I highly recommend this to Italian horror fans check it out.
Movie Review: The Father Of Horror Brings Us The "Mother Of Tears"
Summary: 4 Stars
The Italian Hitchcock, Dario Argento, brings the world to the brink of disaster in the "Mother Of Tears," the third installment in the Three Mothers Trilogy.
The Three Mothers are evil witches who spread death and destruction wherever they go. In the first film "Suspiria," the Mother of Sighs is destroyed in Freiburg, Germany by ballet student Suzy Banyon. In the next film "Inferno," the Mother of Sorrows is destroyed in New York City by music student Mark Elliot. I have written detailed reviews for both "Suspiria" and "Inferno."
In the third installment, art restoration student Sarah Mandy has opened an ancient urn, restoring power to the Mother of Tears, the most evil and beautiful of the Three Mothers. Chaos reigns n the streets of Rome. Citizens commit vicious, unexplainable crimes against each other as witches all over the world converge on the ancient city. Sarah races against time to kill the Mother of Tears before Rome falls again.
"Mother of Tears" is a family project. Director Dario Argento casts his daughter Asia Argento in the role of Sarah Mandy. She has starred in numerous films which her father has directed such as "The Stendahl Syndrome" (her debut), "The Phantom of the Opera" (Dario Argento's only gothic horror film to date), and "Trauma" (a giallo). Her superb performance as a gritty, gutsy police officer in "The Stendahl Syndrome" won my respect for her as an actress. Daria Nicolodi stars as the spirit of Sarah's murdered mother and is the real-life mother of Asia Argento and ex-girlfriend of Dario Argento. Nicolodi was the one who gave Dario Argento the idea for "Suspiria." She has also starred in numerous of his films such as "Deep Red," "Inferno," "Tenebre," and "Phenomena" - all of which are excellent Italian gialli except for the occult thriller "Inferno."
The plot, the gore, and the music of "Mother of Tears" reminded me much of "Demons" and "Demons 2," which were produced by Dario Argento and directed by Lamberto Bava. Instead of zombies, "Mother of Tears" has demon possessed individuals who are committing atrocious acts. The gory makeup is provided by Sergio Stivaletti and the pounding rock score is provided by Claudio Simonetti of the disbanded Goblin. Both of these highly talented men have worked with Dario Argento on numerous projects. In the film, there was some unnecessary use of gore and sexual perversion. Fortunately, it only hindered the plot rather than overwhelm it as in the case of "Jenifer" and "Pelts," episodes that Dario Argento recently directed for the cable series "Masters of Horror."
The gorgeous blue and red color scheme that was prevalent in "Suspiria" and "Inferno" is not found in "Mother of Tears." Therefore, it lacks the nightmarish, dreamlike quality of its two predecessors. However, this movie had a greater feeling of impending disaster, a disaster that would affect the entire world and not just a ballet school or high rise luxury apartment building.
Indeed, "Mother of Tears" is not the classic mega hit that was "Suspiria." Nevertheless, it is an enjoyable horror movie that can stand alone. This film will terrify and repulse you with its dark, barbaric images. The "Mother of Tears" is recommended viewing for fans of modern horror and for fans of Dario Argento, the Father of Horror.
Movie Review: Argento to the Extreme!!!!!!!!
Summary: 4 Stars
THE GOOD:
The Maestro is back!!!
And apparently has gotten alot more visceral in his old age.
(Which I personally blame Masters of Horror for. Thanx MOH!!!)
He's turned the sex & the gore ALL the way up for this final installment into the "3 Mothers series"
AND MAN IS IT EXTREME!!!!
Easily the most extreme piece Argento's ever done!!!!!!!!!
The gore & the nudity were magnificent!!!
Made me wanna kiss my fingertips.
Every, and I mean EVERY death scene will make you cringe like you have Parkinsons.
The direction was excellent,
the set-pieces were gorgeous,
the gore was astonishing, and the nudity was delightfully delicious.
But that's where the fun stops.
THE BAD:
Essentially all this magnificence is marred by terrible,
just god-awful writing and acting.
Jace Anderson the writer behind Crocadile, Mortuary, & Toolbox Murders really botched up this project.
Everytime someone would open their mouths, I would wince in pain.
The dialogue was honestly that bad.
There was no character development what-so-ever.
Most of the film, characters spent their time either researching,
or traveling from location to location to talk to other characters
you already forgot about.
Not one character shined through.
Each was as forgettable as the last.
Half the time I was asking "Who's that?" or
"Is that the same guy as that other guy??"
So many different elements of this flick could be considered god-awful.
The music was nowhere near up to par with that of Suspiria.
The plot skipped around, with no real sense of direction.
You never got that ominous dreadful feeling, it's predecessors portrayed.
The guiding voice of the main protagonists mother; &
the ability to see spirts using some kind of compact mirror spell,
was laughable at best.
And the ending seemed like it should have been different,
like it was screwed up due to budgetary restraints.
What should have been an epic conclusion to an unforgettable series,
was instead woefully amateurish and obviously rushed.
If you can turn your intelligence off for any length of time,
this is an excellent flick.
The gore & the nudity are the real stars here.
But if you need substance, story, and character development,
I would seriously look else where.
MORAL OF THE STORY:
Hell hath no fury, like a mothers scorn.