Displaying items by tag: Michael Kamen

I wanted to do something a little different here at The Bits today.

This being a Friday afternoon, and with the recent passing of Robert Duvall much on my mind, I wanted to call your attention to a film that I think features one of his finest performances.

But the sad reality is, thanks to studio apathy and/or a dispute between the film’s director and distributors (as reported here back in 2019), some of you may not even be aware of it.

First though, a bit of regular site business: We’ve got three more new disc reviews for you to enjoy here at the site today, including…

Dennis’ look at Don Siegel’s The Verdict (1946) on Blu-ray from our friends at the Warner Archive Collection.

Stuart’s thoughts on Mabel Cheung’s An Autumn’s Tale (1987) on Blu-ray from Imprint Asia and Via Vision.

And finally, Tim’s review of Roy Ward Baker’s Scars of Dracula (1970) in 4K Ultra HD from Hammer Films via the good folks at Kino Lorber Studio Classics.

More reviews are on the way for next week (including one or two from yours truly), so be sure to check back for them.

All right… with that aside, let me tell you about a little gem of a film called Open Range (2003).

Based on the 1990 Western novel The Open Range Men by Lauran Paine, and featuring a screenplay by Craig Storper, this Kevin Costner-directed project was both a critical and box office success, if a modest one, and it currently holds a respectable 79% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes (with an audience rating of 84%). [Read on here...]

“With his wealth of dramatic stage experience, Timothy Dalton seemed ideally suited to this harsher take on Bond, bringing both depth and sensitivity to the character while creditably articulating his quiet rage and single-mindedness. This was Bond, but not as we knew him — now much closer to the tone, if not the setting, of the original Fleming texts.” — Thomas A. Christie, author of The James Bond Movies of the 1980s

The Digital Bits and History, Legacy & Showmanship are pleased to present this retrospective commemorating the 30th anniversary of the release of Licence to Kill, the 16th (official) cinematic James Bond adventure and second (and final) entry to feature Timothy Dalton as Agent 007.

Our previous celebratory 007 articles include Moonraker, Quantum of Solace, From Russia with Love, Never Say Never Again, Live and Let Die, Octopussy, Casino Royale (1967), Tomorrow Never Dies, Die Another Day, Dr. No, The Living Daylights, The Spy Who Loved Me, You Only Live Twice, Diamonds Are Forever, Casino Royale, For Your Eyes Only, Thunderball, GoldenEye, A View to a Kill, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, Goldfinger, and 007… Fifty Years Strong.

The Bits continues the series with this retrospective featuring a Q&A with an esteemed group of film historians and James Bond authorities who discuss the virtues, shortcomings and legacy of 1989’s Licence to Kill. [Read on here...]