The Descent (2005) - Marshall's intensely claustrophobic cave horror

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+ Best Monster Movie of the Year + Best Gore Movie of the Year + Best British Movie of the Year

The ingenious poster for Neil Marshall's The Descent

QUICK REVIEW:

A group of adrenaline-junkie women friends meet in the smallest populated part of pure nature America, because the American in the bunch wants to take them on a wild cave exploration, which is to mark a new beginning for their friend Sarah, who lost her husband and child tragically a year before.

SPOILER Their death in a car accident is seen in a sequence in the first act, which is very impressive, although our emotional engagement in the tragedy remains absent. Once the women, - who balance among themselves in being tough, reckless and annoying, - finally descend into the cave, the film very quickly becomes extremely scary. The Descent might be the most claustrophobic film ever made.
The lightning and the entire time spent in the impressively created cave is commendable, (cinematographer Sam McCurdy (The Devil's Double (2011))), SPOILER and the cave monsters are gross. I did not care for the ambiguous ending, - but be aware that there are at least two different endings out on different versions of the film, as the US version provides closure, whereas the European one seems to have this ambiguous ending.
The Descent is written and directed by Englishman Neil Marshall (Dog Soldiers (2002)), and it gets your blood pumping!

 

Related post:

 

2005 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I] 

In lieu of a trailer for the film, which isn't on Youtube at the moment, here's a video of director Marshall talking Game of Thrones, which he directed two episodes of, in 2012 and '14

Cost: 3.5 mil. £ (approximately 5.01 mil. $)
Box office: 57.1 mil. $
= Huge hit
[The Descent was shot in England and Scotland with the caves built in the Pinewood Studios outside London. The film's release in the UK was marred by the July 7 2005 Islamist bombings in London, including in its underground system, which undoubtedly cooled some audiences' desires to see a horror movie about being trapped underground for a while. The film competed with another, bigger cave-set horror film, The Cave (2005), but were able to premiere nearly two months before that film and became the hit of the two. In North America, The Descent had an 8.9 mil. $ opening weekend as #5 and grossed 26 mil. $ (45.5 % of the total gross). The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were the UK with 4.8 mil. $ (8.4 %) and France with 2.7 mil. $(4.7 %). Roger Ebert gave the film a perfect 4-star rating. The Descent Part 2 (2009) is also a (much less successful) fact. The Descent is certified fresh at 85 % with a 7.3 critical rating on Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of The Descent?

The Revenant (2015) - Nature outdoes itself in Iñárritu's showy, solemn macho-spectacle

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Leonardo DiCaprio looks fierce on the icy poster for Alejandro Gonzáles Iñárritu's The Revenant

The Revenant is the 6th feature from Mexican master filmmaker Alejandro Gonzáles Iñárritu (Babel (2006)). It is the true story of tough frontiersman Hugh Glass, based on Michael Punke's (Last Stand (2007)) 2002 novel The Revenant: A Novel of Revenge. Iñárritu wrote the script with Mark L. Smith (Vacancy (2007)).

Glass and his half-Indian teenage son are part of a larger pelt group in the high north, who are attacked by Indians and have to flee without their pelts. But the road back to camp is long, fraught with dangers from outside and within the group.

Leonardo DiCaprio (Revolutionary Road (2008)) gives what appears a trooper's performance here in his Oscar-winning moment, and his glamorous star persona is a real hurdle to get past here in this for him unusual role. 'Leo the trapper' is a reach. But the strong performance, surrounding male ensemble, - in a truly macho movie, - and fabulous nature and cinematography slowly wins you past it.

Tom Hardy (Warrior (2011)) is great as a homicidal psychopath in Revenant, - but we already knew that. Hardy's ability to play violent, unstable men have by now been established to the point where his great performance here as one more also becomes semi-comical to me. (Remember Bronson (2008), Warrior, Lawless (2012), The Dark Knight Rises (2012), Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) or Legend (2015), for instance...?) Revenant suffers a bit from the same overwrought ominousness that plagued Dark Knight Rises. There is a lack of let-up, of contrast, levity or calm.
In a supporting part, Domhnall Gleeson (Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (2015)) gives another impressive performance. This Irish actor is among the most exciting shooting stars at the moment.
Revenant is technically incredible, - especially the battle scene in the beginning, - and it becomes a rousing, violent adcenture.

Related posts:

2015 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED IV]

2015 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED III]
2015 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]
2015 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]

Iñárritu with DiCaprio on the set of The Revenant

Watch the trailer for the film with German and French subtitles here

Cost: 135 mil. $
Box office: 224.9 mil. $ and counting
= Too early to say
[Glass' story was adapted before, in Man in the Wilderness (1971). Development began in 2001. The production went way over budget, (it was supposed to be a 60 mil. $ film) and months over schedule: Filming took from October 2014 - August 2015 in the US, Canada and Argentina. Hardy had to drop out of Suicide Squad (2016) for the film, thereby losing a part as another homicidal maniac I'm sure, (damn!...) It was an exhausting shoot also due to Iñárritu's insisting on shooting only using natural light and chronologically, although Hardy has claimed that this wasn't possible. Several crew members were fired or quit. Revenant had a 39.8 mil. $ first wide weekend in North America, # 2 behind Star Wars VII. It was #1 two weeks later, and was also #1 abroad collectively. It is the top-nominated film for the Oscars in February with 12 nominations. It is likely to become a commercial success within the next couple of months. The Revenant is certified fresh at 82 % with an 8 critical average on Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of The Revenant?

Deep Blue Sea (1999) or, Big Hungry Fish

♥♥

+ Best Shark Movie of the Year 

Saffron Burrows (Mozart in the Jungle (2014-15)) should have stayed out of the water on the poster for Renny Harlin's Deep Blue Sea

QUICK REVIEW:

Sharks with enlarged brains haunt a marine station during a big storm. A group of people fight for survival.

Deep Blue Sea has almost no scares, but it has enormous explosions and a strong primary star, sharks.
The script, by Duncan Kennedy (Curse of the Talisman (2001)) and Donna Powers (The Italian Job (2003)), is pitiful, the dialog downright ridiculous. 
Thomas Jane (The Mist (2007)) and LL Cool J (Grudge Match (2013)) are both okay, everything considered, while Michael Rapaport (Pound Puppies (2010-13)) is highly unbelievable as a professor. Finlander director Renny Harlin (Cliffhanger (1993)) adds yet another botch to his resume with Deep Blue Sea.

Related reviews:

Renny Harlin: Cleaner (2008) or, Suit-Wearing Papa Cleaner-Man! 

1999 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess 
Die Hard 2 (1990) or, John McClane: Back for Seconds! 

Watch the original trailer for the movie here

Cost: 60 mil. $
Box office: 164.6 mil. $
= Box office success
[It has been reported that the film was devised by Kennedy in an act of purging himself of having witnessed a victim of a shark attack by writing it. The film was shot entirely in Mexico, with a high level of awareness and references paid to of/to Steven Spielberg's killer shark masterpiece Jaws (1975). It opened #3 with 25.1 mil. $ (including Thursday screenings) in North America, where it grossed 73.6 mil. $ (44.7 % of the total gross). Deep Blue Sea is rotten at 56 % with a 5.6 critical average on Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Deep Blue Sea?
Besides the obvious Jaws, what are some good shark movies in your opinion?

Die Another Day (2002) - Tamahori makes a thrilling, grand piece of Bond escapism

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This cool poster for Lee Tamahori's Die Another Day promises mouth-watering spectacle galore

QUICK REVIEW:

Bond is captured and tortured for months in North Korea, before he gets traded out for the diamond-freckled villain Zao. Zao's boss goes to Iceland, in a new body ...

The last really tremendous Bond movie so far is the #20 in the movie series, Die Another Day, an opulent joy from beginning to end. Only Madonna's (Evita (1996)) title song and a nasty editing habit of injecting slow and fast-forward again and again weigh down slightly.
Otherwise this is a perfect mix of a modern update of the franchise and old-fashioned tongue-in-cheek Bond. Halle Berry (Things We Lost in the Fire (2007)) is incredibly sexy and sweet; Rosamund Pike (Gone Girl (2014)) is fantastic as a frosty bitch; Zao (Rick Yune (The Man with the Iron Fists (2012))) is a handsome heavy; and Pierce Brosnan (Love Is All You Need/Den Skaldede Frisør (2012)) is in his ace in his 4th and final Bond movie, which is also definitely his best.
Die Another Day is written by Neal Purvis (Skyfall (2012)) and Robert Wade (Johnny English (2003)), based on Ian Fleming's (Dr. No (1958)) character, and directed by great New Zealander director Lee Tamahori (The Sopranos (2000), TV-series). It is a spectacular action movie.

Related reviews:

Bond: Spectre (2015) - Mendes' second Bond delivers
Skyfall (2012) - The overly celebrated third pout from Daniel Craig as Bond in slick production
A View to a Kill (1985) or, Once a Gentleman, Always a Gentleman! 
Diamonds Are Forever (1971) - Connery's last Bond adventure is a colorful romp
Casino Royale (1967) - The packed spy spoof frontrunner, a film very much of its time (spoof comedy - not part of the franchise)
Dr. No (1962) - Bond # 1 is one attractive package

A still from the great ice car chase in the final act of Lee Tamahori's Die Another Day

Halle Berry in her iconic bikini for Lee Tamahori's Die Another Day, paying tribute to Ursula Andress' bikini-clad performance in the first Bond movie, Dr. No (1962)

Watch a trailer for the film here

Cost: 142 mil. $
Box office: 431.9 mil. $
= Box office success
[Die Another Day is the 20th Bond movie, which also marked the 40th anniversary of the franchise. References to every previous film are build into the film. It was shot in 2002 in England, Iceland, Spain, Hawaii and in Norway. Berry had to undergo surgery as debris from an explosion flew into her eye. Madonna's title song, which was both Golden Globe-nominated and Raspberry-nominated (Best and Worst song nominations at different events that is), is the first title song sequence to directly reflect the film's plot since the first Bond movie. The film has more product placement in it than any previous Bond movie: 20 companies have their products in the film, which gave the production somewhere between 70-100 mil. $ but also drew criticisms, and the amount of product placement was reduced for the next film, Casino Royale (2006). Both North and South Korea took affront to the portrayal of their countries in the film, yet it still made 3.4 mil. $ in South Korea. It premiered at the Royal Albert Hall, which had been transformed into an ice castle, in London with Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Phillip in attendance, - the first Bond film premiere with the queen's attendance since You Only Live Twice (1967). Plans for a spin-off movie series around Berry's Jinx character was in development but was canceled by MGM to the franchise's English producers' resentment. The movie opened #1 in North America with 47 mil. $, grossing 160.9 mil. $ (37.3 % of the total gross) there. Its 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were the UK with 59.1 mil. $ (13.7 %) and Germany with 33.1 mil. $ (7.7 %). It was the highest-grossing Bond movie, not accounting for inflation, up until the release of Casino Royale. Die Another Day is rotten at 58 % with a 6.1 critical average on Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Die Another Day?

Dracula (1979) - Badham's sensuous, exceptional adaptation

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Frank Langella looks wonderfully hammy at the center of the poster for John Badham's Dracula

QUICK REVIEW:

Count Dracula in Frank Langella's (Frost/Nixon (2008)) guise holds an air of erotic danger, and his glistening, unhuman eyes are in this Dracula complimented by an outstanding Laurence Olivier (Marathon Man (1976)) with his own steely eyes as Van Helsing.

Bram Stoker's (The Primrose Path (1975)) classic 1897 Gothic novel is here done complete justice in one of the best Dracula films of all time. It has an impressive lunatic asylum, Donald Pleasence (Escape from New York (1981)) as Renfield, handsome boating scenes and a castle so horrifying that half might have sufficed. Furthermore, John Williams' (Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (2015)) score is a delight.
This exceedingly affecting adaptation doesn't stand still for a second. W. D. Richter (Slither (1973)) wrote the screenplay, based on John L. Balderston (The Mummy (1932)) and Hamilton Deane's 1929 play, based on Stoker's novel, and great English director John Badham (WarGames (1983)) directed the film.

Frank Langella in one of his career's best roles, which he also performed more than 900 times on Broadway from 1977-80 and got Tony-nominated for, as John Badham's Dracula

In lieu of the trailer for the movie, which isn't currently on Youtube, here's Williams' exquisite love theme from the film

Cost: Reportedly 12.2 mil. $
Box office: Reportedly 31.2 mil. $
= Minor hit
[Dracula was filmed August - December 1978 in England. 1979 had no less than 3 big Dracula films: Werner Herzog's Nosferatu the Vampyre and the spoof Love at First Bite which was a fair success. Dracula opened in North America on 395 screens to a 3.1 mil. $ first weekend, ending up grossing 20.1 mil. $ (64.4 % of the total gross) there. Universal and the Mirisch Corporation, distributor and production company of the film, blamed its relatively small gross on the Dracula-crowded year. The film was desaturated for the 1991 laserdisc release, and the original color scheme is not available nowadays. Roger Ebert awarded the film 3½ stars, equal to the 5 ♥'s here. Dracula is fresh at 64 % with a 6 average on Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of John Badham's Dracula?
What is your favorite silver screen Dracula?

Departures/おくりびと (Okuribito) (2008) - Likable Japanese Oscar-winner

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Lead Masahiro Motoki (The Emperor in August (2015)) plays the cello under the sky on the poster for Yôjirô Takita's Departures

QUICK REVIEW:

A fired cellist and his wife move to his inherited childhood home, where he attains a new, controversial job as a mortician.

Departures is a fine film that begins in a silly-comedic way and ends SPOILER in a somewhat schematic, sentimental third act. The content, the particular, Japanese funeral rituals and especially the portrayal of the young couple at the story's center are the film's beautiful attractions, and also the cello and bathhouse scenes add a lyrical beauty to the film.
It is written by Kundô Koyama (Snow Prince/Sunô Purinsu: Kinjirareta Koi No Merodi (2009)) and directed by Yôjirô Takita (The Tropical People/Nettai rakuen kurabu (1994)).

Related posts:

2008 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]  

2008 in films - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]

2008 in films - according to Film Excess
 

Watch the trailer with English subtitles here

Cost: Unknown
Box office: 69.9 mil. $
= Uncertain
[But most likely a big to huge hit. Departures was made with some trepidation and difficulties, because funerals are apparently a taboo in Japan. The film opened #5 in Japan, peaking at #3 and drew 2.6 mil. admissions there, equal to 61 mil. $ (87.3 % of the total gross). The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were Hong Kong with 1.6 mil. $ (2.3 %) and North America with 1.4 mil. $ (2 %). The film got further interest from its win of the Best Foreign Film Oscar (against nominees The Class/Entre les Murs (2008), The Baader Meinhof Complex/The Baader Meinhof Komplex (2008), Waltz with Bashir/Vals im Bashir (2008) and Revanche (2008)), and it is the top-grossing Japanese film in Japan in 2008 as well as the 15th top-grossing film overall in Japan in 2008. Departures is certified fresh at 81 % with a 7.1 critical average on Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Departures?

Deadwood - season 1 (2004) - Milch presents a new f-ing take on the old frontier west

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+ Best New TV-series of the Year + Best Western Title of the Year

Five characters from David Milch's Deadwood stare you down on this poster for the first season

Deadwood is an HBO TV-series in 3 seasons from creator David Milch (NYPD Blue (1993-05)), based on the real town of Deadwood, South Dakota. The season comprises 12 48-60 min. episodes.

Season one takes place within approximately two weeks of 1876 in the raw gold-digger camp, which is more or less run by Al Swearengen (Ian McShane (Sexy Beast (2000))), owner of the brothel and saloon The Gem. Our other protagonist is the former sheriff Seth Bullock (Timothy OIyphant (The Grinder (2015-16))), who founds a lumber store in the town with his business partner Sol (John Hawkes (The Sessions (2012))) and rich New Yorker madam Alma Garret (Molly Parker (House of Cards (2014-15))), whose husband SPOILER gets pushed to his death on the land he bought cheap.Western legend Wild Bill Hickok arrives with his companions; the drunken, miserable Calamity Jane and Charlie Utter, who opens a post office, SPOILER after Hickok gets shot dead by an embittered poker enemy by the name Jack 'the Coward' McCall, who is freed after a mock trial in town.

The details:

Powers Boothe (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (2015-16)) is spectacular as Cy Tolliver, the entrepreneur who opens Swearengen's competing brothel, The Bella Union, where he gets into trouble with a young conman couple, SPOILER who he later murders brutally in front of his closest employees, a soft, lesbian prostitute and a gay card shark, who consequently lose sympathy for their employer.
Other festive elements of Deadwood include the priest, who has some kind of brain tumor, which gives him seizures and makes him increasingly pitiful, until Swearengen shows mercy SPOILER and strangles him to death. - And the doctor (splendidly portrayed by Brad Dourif (One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975))), a choleric but honest man, who helps and falls for an invalid who works in The Gem.
The last of the town's residents I feel implored to mention is Mister Wu (Keone Young (Chuck Norris: Karate Kommandos (1986), TV-series)), who runs the Chinese part of town similarly as Swearengen, whom he respectfully calls 'Swegen!', runs the town general.
McShane is a force to be reckoned with and has one of his career's best parts in Swearengen. The show features raw aesthetics and innovative, refreshing (and very, sometimes even exaggeratedly expletive-laden) dialog. It is refined if psychologically somewhat flat, and not unlike a western soap opera, a good one though, mind you.

Best episode:

12. Sold Under Sin - written by Milch and Ted Man (NYPD Blue (1994-99)), directed by Davis Guggenheim (He Named Me Malala (2015))
The season's last episode is a royal finisher, in which Bullock goes against Garret's vile father and accepts the sheriff's star of Deadwood, while Swearengen cements his power, despite the town getting itself a mayor.

 

Related post:

 

2004 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]

Watch a trailer for the first season here 

Cost: Reportedly 4.5 mil. $ per episode, or 54 mil. $
Box office: None (TV-series) 
= Unknown
[Deadwood was an expensive show to produce, and it was finally canceled because of this I suspect. I have not been able to find its viewer ratings, (shoot me a comment with a link, if you do.) The season received 80 % positive reviews, according to Metacritic, based on 26 of them, which is the lowest of the three seasons. It is #69 on IMDb's Top 250 TV-shows where 60k+ users have given it an 8.8 average rating.]

What do you think of Deadwood season 1?
Other good western TV-series?

Dream Home/維多利亞壹號/维多利亚壹号 (Wai Dor Lei Ah Yut Ho) (2010) - Ho and Pang take home-hunting to a new, brutally violent level

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1 Film Excess nomination:

Best Practical Effects (lost to Inception)

+ Best Hong Kong Movie of the Year
+ Best Gore Movie of the Year
+ Craziest Movie of the Year

The totally awesome poster for Ho-Cheung Pang's Dream Home

In Hong Kong the housing situation is desperate. - Really desperate! Our female protagonist tackles her passionate home dream in an alternative fashion: Besides working really hard, she begins to eliminate the people standing in the way of her getting her ocean view.

Big props for this film for actually bringing forth a real issue, and as a side gain giving the audience a look into the gloomy face of Hong Kong.
The extremely explicit murder scenes of Dream Home really take their toll and certainly aren't for people with weak nerves, also because the effects are incredibly well-made. The music, by Gabriele Roberto (Exodus/Cheut Ai Kup Gei (2007)), is used inventively. Unfortunately, the film at a point begins to wallow in murder capacities, unpleasant violence-orgies and uncool CGI-head-shootings. I still found Dream Home to be a generally punky, audaciously flippant gore satire.
It is written by Kwok Cheung Tsang (Isabella/Yi Sa Bui Lai (2006)), Chi-Man Wan (Exodus) and co-writer-director Ho-Cheung Pang (Vulgaria/Dai Juk Hei Kek (2012)).

Related posts:

2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED III]
2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]
2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]
2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess

Watch the trailer with English subtitles here

Cost: Unknown
Box office: Unknown
= Unknown
[Dream Home was the first film of lead Josie Ho's (Contagion (2011)) 852 Films. Ho was inspired for the venture by the infamous Hong Kong action gore movie Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky/Lik Wong (1991). The original title of Dream Home translates to 'Victoria No. 1', a Hong Kong address conjured up for the film. Shooting took place March - May 2009 in Hong Kong's Causeway Bay area. The premiere was pushed out, because of disagreement between Pang and Ho: She vied for more ultra-violence while he wanted a more realistic style. The worldwide rights were bought by Fortissimo Films. Dream Home premiered at the Far East Film Festival in Udine, Italy, where two audience members reportedly threw up and one fainted. It played at other festivals and opened #4 in Hong Kong and made 378k $ there in its 6 weeks in theaters. Dream Home is fresh at 74 % with a 6.3 critical average on Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Dream Home?

Death in Venice/Morte a Venezia (1971) - Bogarde shines in Visconti's adaptation masterpiece

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An original French poster for Luchino Visconti's Death in Venice

QUICK REVIEW:

A German composer travels to a spa hotel in Venice for his health, and is there encapsulated in the youth of a Polish family staying there, Tadzio, while a mysterious illness sweeps the sinking city.

Death in Venice is an adaptation of great German writer Thomas Mann's (Buddenbrooks (1901)) 1912 novella of the same name, adapted by Nicola Badalucco (The Damned/La Caduta Degli Dei (1969)) and Italian master filmmaker Luchino Visconti (The Leopard/Il Gattopardo (1963)).
Dirk Bogarde (Victim (1961)) is outstanding as the Gustav Mahler-inspired protagonist, giving what is in my opinion one of the all time greatest actor's performances, in this beautiful, serene masterpiece of the human desire for beauty and death. Mahler's music is also used to great effect in the film.
Piero Tosi (The Damned) created the magnificent, Oscar-nominated costumes; Pasqualino De Santis (Lucky Luciano (1973)) photographed the resplendent images.
Death in Venice is an eminently ambiguous and complex ode to beauty in the world. Never to be missed.

Related review:

Luchino Visconti: The Leopard/Il Gattopardo (1963) - The greatest film ever made?

Dirk Bogarde with Björn Andrésen (The Simple-Minded Murderer/Den Enfaldige Mördaren (1982)) as Tadzio in Luchino Visconti's Death in Venice

Watch the original trailer for the film here

Cost: 2 mil. $
Box office: Unknown
= Unknown
[During shooting of the sun-chair scene seen on the picture above, Visconti struggled to find the right whitening creme for Bogarde's face: He eventually made the actor wear a paint that burned him, because it was unfit to wear on skin, but which Visconti thought just right. Bogarde was paid 0.5 mil. $, 25 % of the film's entire budget. Warner Bros., who were to handle distribution in North America, were nervous about the subject matter and wanted to write the film off, until the London premiere was attended by Elizabeth II and Princess Anne. The film was shown in competition in Cannes, where it was given the 25th Birthday Prize, (also for the director's entire work), while Joseph Losey's The Go-Between won the main prize. Tosi lost the costume Oscar to Nicholas and Alexandra (1971). Death in Venice is fresh at 76 % with a 7.3 critical average on Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Death in Venice?