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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

Review

Culture

'Syriana': Provoking Thought on the Fight for Oil

A power struggle over oil in the Middle East is the backdrop for the new film Syriana, starring George Clooney and Matt Damon. Critic Kenneth Turan says the movie is one of "paradoxes, contradictions and complications... it takes numerous risks, and thrives on them all."

'Syriana': Provoking Thought on the Fight for Oil

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Review

Culture

'Get Rich or Die Tryin'': Partly Artistic, Partly Pulp

The film Get Rich or Die Tryin' opens in limited release Wednesday. Critic Kenneth Turan says that while director Jim Sheridan turned out a quality film, it's marred by Sheridan's use of salacious material.

'Get Rich or Die Tryin'': Partly Artistic, Partly Pulp

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Review

Culture

'Jarhead': Less Than the Sum of Its Parts

Anthony Swofford's memoir of his time as a Marine in the first Iraq war, Jarhead, has been adapted to the screen. Critic Kenneth Turan says the movie has brilliant parts and excellent co-stars, but the picture rarely makes the emotional connection it's after.

'Jarhead': Less Than the Sum of Its Parts

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Review

Movies

'Paradise Now' Is a Life-and-Death Drama

Paradise Now is a powerful and provocative drama about the nightmare of terrorism. It gets its strength from its dispassion. It is uncompromising in its determination to explain, rather than justify, incomprehensible acts.

'Paradise Now' Is a Life-and-Death Drama

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Review

Culture

'North Country': A Real Event, Made to Feel Fake

North Country, starring Charlize Theron, is about the sexual harassment class action lawsuit that the women of EVTAC mines in Minnesota filed in the 1980s. Critic Turan says the taint of melodrama affects the entire movie, despite a good performance by Theron.

'North Country': A Real Event, Made to Feel Fake

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Review

Culture

'Squid and Whale,' a Model of an Indie Film

The Squid and the Whale won two awards at the Sundance film festival. It's now in theaters. Los Angeles Times film critic Kenneth Turan says the movie deserves both, calling it "acutely observed [and] faultlessly acted."

'Squid and Whale,' a Model of an Indie Film

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Culture

'Duma': A Boy and a Cheetah

Los Angeles Times film critic Kenneth Turan reviews Carroll Ballard's movie Duma about a boy and a cheetah. He says the film has the same magical qualities as Ballard's earlier films, Fly Away Home and The Black Stallion.

'Duma': A Boy and a Cheetah

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Review

Culture

'A History of Violence': A Ticking Timebomb

Film critic Kenneth Turan reviews director David Cronenberg's latest work, A History of Violence. Cronenberg directed films that many consider bizarre, such as Crash, The Fly and Naked Lunch. Turan says this film is less strange, but more disturbing.

'A History of Violence': A Ticking Timebomb

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Review

Culture

'Proof' Makes Winning Jump from Stage to Screen

Film critic Kenneth Turan reviews the movie Proof Gwyneth Paltrow, Anthony Hopkins, Hope Davis, Jake Gyllenhaal star in the film version of this Tony and Pulitzer-winning play about a mad mathematician whose daughter may have written his most celebrated proof.

'Proof' Makes Winning Jump from Stage to Screen

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Review

Culture

Dutch Noir: 'Memory of a Killer'

Film critic Kenneth Turan reviews Memory of a Killer, a Dutch noir thriller about a hit man who's developed Alzheimer's disease. The film is based on the much-praised crime novel series by Jef Geeraerts.

Dutch Noir: 'Memory of a Killer'

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Review

Culture

'Grizzly Man', a Dreamer Lost in the Wilderness

Timothy Treadwell spent 13 summers among the grizzly bears of Alaska before one killed him. Film critic Kenneth Turan says director Werner Herzog has fashioned a riveting story of Treadwell's obsession.

'Grizzly Man', a Dreamer Lost in the Wilderness

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Review

Culture

Killing Time with 'The Dukes of Hazzard'

The Dukes of Hazzard is a film so meaningless that it is almost impossible to review, according to critic Kenneth Turan. He says the movie is, "not empty calories, which implies pleasure, but simply empty. It's a cosmic void where a movie ought to be."

Killing Time with 'The Dukes of Hazzard'

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