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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

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Chess Prodigies Shine In 'Brooklyn Castle'

Documentary film has developed a new minigenre in the past few years: kids in competition. In Spellbound it was a spelling bee, and in First Position it was ballet. Now, chess in Brooklyn Castle. Critic Kenneth Turan has this review.

Chess Prodigies Shine In 'Brooklyn Castle'

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Family Secret Comes To Light In 'The Flat'

The flat is an apartment in Tel Aviv belonging to the grandmother of director Arnon Goldfinger. When she dies at 98, seven decades after emigrating from Germany, the entire family gathers to decide how to dispose of her possessions. Everything changes with a shocking discovery of a virulently pro-Nazi newspaper.

Family Secret Comes To Light In 'The Flat'

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Ben Affleck 'Smartly Directs' His New Movie 'Argo'

Argo tells an incredible true story: How a CIA agent rescued six Americans from the jaws of the Iranian Revolution with a little help from the good folks of Hollywood. Besides directing it, Affleck also stars in Argo.

Ben Affleck 'Smartly Directs' His New Movie 'Argo'

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Liam Neeson Is The Most Valuable Asset For 'Taken 2'

At a beefy 6'4", Liam Neeson, the star of Taken 2, certainly looks physically imposing, but he can also act. The counter-intuitive notion of casting someone who can be human and vulnerable as an action hero is what made the first Taken so watchable.

Liam Neeson Is The Most Valuable Asset For 'Taken 2'

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'Looper' Is 'Wild' And 'Wears Its Crazy Lightly'

Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Bruce Willis star as the present and future versions of a skilled assassin in Rian Johnson's mind-bending thriller Looper. Not to be missed is Jeff Daniels, who gives an electric performance as Abe, a man from the future fed up with living in the past

'Looper' Is 'Wild' And 'Wears Its Crazy Lightly'

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Eastwood Returns To Acting With A Baseball Drama

In Trouble with the Curve, Clint Eastwood plays Gus Lobel, a venerable scout for the Atlanta Braves who finds it increasingly difficult to mask the creeping ravages of old age. Gus is a cantankerous coot who trips over furniture because he is on the way to going blind, a condition he understandably tries to hide from his boss Pete, played by John Goodman.

Eastwood Returns To Acting With A Baseball Drama

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'Ambassador' Spotlights African Corruption

Danish filmmaker Mads Brugger posed as a diplomat to document rampant corruption in the Central African Republic. If the way Brugger is acting on camera makes us uncomfortable, the film asks, why aren't we doing more to stop it when it happens on a much larger scale.

'Ambassador' Spotlights African Corruption

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Langella Holds The Screen In 'Robot And Frank'

Robot and Frank is a movie that makes us believe that a serene automaton and a snappish human being can be best friends forever. It deftly uses elements from both science fiction and classic caper films to tell its futuristic tale. Frank Langella's sensitive portrayal of a geriatric career thief carries this sci-fi story.

Langella Holds The Screen In 'Robot And Frank'

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'Odd Life Of Timothy Green' Pushes Too Hard

The Odd Life of Timothy Green is a "when you wish upon a star" fable in the old school Disney style. Though the film's heart is pure, its execution is so cloying and contrived, it brings on tears of frustration.

'Odd Life Of Timothy Green' Pushes Too Hard

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Jeremy Renner Is 'Bourne's' New Lead Character

The Bourne Legacy is the fourth film in a franchise with the name Bourne in the title, but it's the first one without Matt Damon in the starring role. It seems like a radical change, but fans shouldn't be worried.

Jeremy Renner Is 'Bourne's' New Lead Character

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Back To The Future With 'Total Recall' Remake

Kenneth Turan reviews the film <em>Total Recall</em>, based on a story by Philip K. Dick and a remake of another film from the 1990, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Back To The Future With 'Total Recall' Remake

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Whatever The Country, No Such Thing As 'Easy Money'

Mrado (Dragomir Mrsic) is the enforcer for a Serbian drug cartel that controls business in Sweden, and one of three characters who clash in Easy Money. Weinstein Company hide caption

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Whatever The Country, No Such Thing As 'Easy Money'

A Chilean, a Swede and a Serbian cartel collide in a taut actioner set amid the Swedish drug trade. Kenneth Turan says the impressive skills of director Daniel Espinosa, who has a gift for building audience tension, make for a great summer thriller. (Recommended)

Whatever The Country, No Such Thing As 'Easy Money'

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'Amazing Spider-Man' Successfully Reboots The Series

The unmistakable air of Hollywood calculation hangs over The Amazing Spider-Man but this isn't necessarily a bad thing. The world was ready for new stars in a retelling of the comic book saga, thanks to strong performances from actors Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone.

'Amazing Spider-Man' Successfully Reboots The Series

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Who Knew? Honest Abe Rid The World Of The Undead

With a movie title like Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter, it's no mystery what the plot is. Young Mr. Lincoln is tutored by an experienced vampire killer and goes into training with his trusty ax. He bears a special grudge against vampires because they killed his mother.

Who Knew? Honest Abe Rid The World Of The Undead

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