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Kenneth Turan Kenneth Turan is the film critic for the Los Angeles Times and NPR's Morning Edition, as well as the director of the Los Angeles Times Book Prizes.
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Kenneth Turan

Opinion

Movies

Movie-Reality Check: How Real Is 'Real,' Anyway?

There's a reason people say "based" on a true story: Movies, however scrupulous, tend to heighten reality. Critic Kenneth Turan wonders how true a "true story" can ever really be on the big screen.

Movie-Reality Check: How Real Is 'Real,' Anyway?

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Review

Movies

'I've Loved You So Long': In Extremis, Sisters Still

Juliette Fontaine (Kristin Scott Thomas) has spent 15 years estranged from her family. When her younger sister reaches out to bring her back into the fold, long-buried secrets finally surface.

'I've Loved You So Long': In Extremis, Sisters Still

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Movies

Crowe, DiCaprio Clash In Tale of Spies And 'Lies'

Leonardo DiCaprio, as a CIA field agent, clashes with his spymaster, Russell Crowe, over methods and morals. Ridley Scott's direction is crisp, but this thriller is all surface, no intel.

Crowe, DiCaprio Clash In Tale of Spies And 'Lies'

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Movies

'Rachel Getting Married': Wedding Movie Bliss

In and out of rehab for a decade, a troubled young woman reunites with her family for her sister's wedding. Jonathan Demme's film dares to mix the bitter with the sweet, and it's suffused with both anxiety and joy.

'Rachel Getting Married': Wedding Movie Bliss

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Movies

'Appaloosa': Fun With The Guys, Until A Filly Arrives

With two laconic, unflappable heroes and a nicely psycho villain, Ed Harris' new Western does a lot right. The bit with the pretty young widow, unfortunately, isn't one of them.

'Appaloosa': Fun With The Guys, Until A Filly Arrives

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Review

Movies

'Burn After Reading' — And Repeat As Necessary

The Coen brothers' latest may be a comedy, but it's a Coen brothers comedy — meaning it's as bleak and hopeless as comedies are allowed to get before the laughter dies bitterly on your lips.

'Burn After Reading' — And Repeat As Necessary

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Review

Movies

'Hamlet 2': Something Deliriously Rotten

Steve Coogan stars as an Arizona drama teacher inspired to save his failing theater program — with a musicalized sequel to the best-known drama in the English language. The results? Tragically funny.

'Hamlet 2': Something Deliriously Rotten

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Review

Movies

'Vicky Cristina Barcelona': Woody Allen, Uninspired

Though Javier Bardem and Penélope Cruz almost redeem the film, the director's latest is almost as flat as its title. Critic Kenneth Turan is left wondering: Can't we just have the old Woody back?

'Vicky Cristina Barcelona': Woody Allen, Uninspired

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Review

Culture

French Thriller 'Tell No One' Gains Momentum In U.S.

Tell No One is a French thriller that was a hit in Europe, but it had a hard time finding distribution in the United States. Now it's been out for some weeks, and its audience is growing through strong word-of-mouth.

French Thriller 'Tell No One' Gains Momentum In U.S.

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Review

Movies

A 'Frozen River,' Treacherous And Deep

With its bleak landscape and bleaker plot, Courtney Hunt's directorial debut — a Sundance festival favorite — provides a moving portrait of two women's desperation in a Canadian border town.

A 'Frozen River,' Treacherous And Deep

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Review

Movies

'The Dark Knight': Through Shadows And Hype

The Dark Knight, the new Batman film with Christian Bale in the title role, may be the most hopeless, despairing comic-book movie in memory. It creates a world where being a superhero is at best a double-edged sword and any triumph is likely to be short-lived.

'The Dark Knight': Through Shadows And Hype

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Review

Movies

'Hellboy II,' Doing Justice To Comics (And Baddies)

The demon hero's latest adventure definitely packs the comic book's punch — but Guillermo del Toro's latest flick isn't just for fanboys. The filmmaker's prodigious gifts make it an actioner for all ages.

'Hellboy II,' Doing Justice To Comics (And Baddies)

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Movies

Up In The Air: It's 'Hancock,' Crashing And Burning

It has summer's most promising premise, but Will Smith's much-hyped superzero fable self-destructs after a plot twist so head-shakingly bizarre that even an indestructible crime-fighter can't shake it off.

Up In The Air: It's 'Hancock,' Crashing And Burning

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Movies

'Wall-E': A Robot Love Story with Heart to Spare

Robot love story and human cautionary tale, the film is daring and traditional, groundbreaking and familiar, apocalyptic and sentimental. It's a tonic in these times — and it proves Pixar still has its touch.

'Wall-E': A Robot Love Story with Heart to Spare

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Review

Culture

'Get Smart': Still Inept, But in All the Wrong Ways

TV's beloved secret-agent spoof gets a big-screen update — but like its bumbling hero, the film is constantly trying to be something it's not. The result: an unfunny comedy spliced with an unexciting spy caper.

'Get Smart': Still Inept, But in All the Wrong Ways

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