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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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Movie Reviews

Mathematician's Story Is Dramatic Enough For The Big Screen

The new movie The Imitation Game is about British mathematician Alan Turing and his attempts to crack Germany's Enigma Code during World War Two.

Mathematician's Story Is Dramatic Enough For The Big Screen

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'Hunger Games: Mockingjay' Opens Where 'Catching Fire' Ended

The final novel of the trilogy has been cut into two pictures. This one is a placeholder film. It exists to smooth the transition from its successful predecessors to a glorious concluding part.

'Hunger Games: Mockingjay' Opens Where 'Catching Fire' Ended

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Jon Stewart's 'Rosewater': The Serious Side Of Comedy

Written and directed by Jon Stewart of The Daily Show, the film tells the true story of an American journalist covering Iran's 2009 election, who was detained and tortured by Iranian authorities.

Jon Stewart's 'Rosewater': The Serious Side Of Comedy

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'Interstellar' Is Christopher Nolan's Space-Time Epic

Earlier generations of science fiction fretted about nuclear radiation or alien invasion. What powers Interstellar is an up-to-date concern about the viability of Earth as home for the human race.

'Interstellar' Is Christopher Nolan's Space-Time Epic

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Review: Gyllenhaal's 'Nightcrawler' Is Pulp With A Purpose

Kenneth Turan reviews Nightcrawler, a thriller set in the "nocturnal underbelly" of Los Angeles. Jake Gyllenhaal plays a young man who discovers the world of L.A. crime journalism.

Review: Gyllenhaal's 'Nightcrawler' Is Pulp With A Purpose

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Message From Documentary 'Citizenfour': Be Afraid (Of Surveillance)

Ken Turan reviews the documentary Citizenfour from filmmaker Laura Poitras about Edward Snowden and his decision to leak information about the National Security Agency's surveillance activities.

Message From Documentary 'Citizenfour': Be Afraid (Of Surveillance)

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Starring In 'Fury': The Horrors That People Are Capable Of In War

The WWII drama Fury is about a U.S. sergeant and his five-man crew on a mission behind enemy lines. Kenneth Turan reviews the film, directed by David Ayer and starring Brad Pitt and Shia LaBeouf.

Starring In 'Fury': The Horrors That People Are Capable Of In War

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Journalist Gary Webb's Story Told In 'Kill The Messenger'

Kill the Messenger is based on the true story of a reporter at the San Jose Mercury-News who uncovers the CIA's role in arming the Nicaraguan Contras, then becomes the target of a smear campaign.

Journalist Gary Webb's Story Told In 'Kill The Messenger'

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'Equalizer' Devotes Time To Character Development, Graphic Violence

Denzel Washington stars as a retired intelligence officer in The Equalizer. Scott Garfield/Sony Pictures hide caption

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Scott Garfield/Sony Pictures

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'Equalizer' Devotes Time To Character Development, Graphic Violence

When Denzel Washington and director Anton Fuqua collaborated on 2001's Training Day, the film won Washington an Oscar and changed the trajectory of his career. They're together again in The Equalizer.

'Equalizer' Devotes Time To Character Development, Graphic Violence

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Movie Review: 'Last Days In Vietnam'

Director Rory Kennedy's documentary isn't an examination of the rights or wrongs of U.S. involvement in Vietnam, but a thrilling narrative told with first-person stories of the war's chaotic end.

Movie Review: 'Last Days In Vietnam'

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Movie Review: 'God Help The Girl'

God Help the Girl is a classic movie musical. The film is about the Glasgow music scene written and directed by Stuart Murdoch, frontman for the Scottish group Belle and Sebastian.

Movie Review: 'God Help The Girl'

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'Life Of Crime' Has Authentic Elmore Leonard Snap

The late author wrote close to 50 novels, and several of them, including Get Shorty and Out of Sight, were made into films. His 1978 book The Switch has been turned into a film called Life of Crime.

'Life Of Crime' Has Authentic Elmore Leonard Snap

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Romance Fans Will Fall For Characters In 'If I Stay'

If I Stay is based on the best-selling novel by Gayle Forman. Chloë Grace Moretz plays a 17-year-old girl, in a coma after a car wreck, who has to choose between life or death.

Romance Fans Will Fall For Characters In 'If I Stay'

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'Giver' Fans Likely To Be Disappointed By Movie's Pace

The new movie The Giver stars Meryl Streep and Jeff Bridges. It's an adaptation of the young adult novel by Lois Lowry about a world where emotion and feeling have been done away with.

'Giver' Fans Likely To Be Disappointed By Movie's Pace

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Movie Review: 'The Hundred-Foot Journey'

Films that mix food and romance have become a staple of recent movie-making. The Hundred-Foot Journey, starring Helen Mirren, is the latest example.

Movie Review: 'The Hundred-Foot Journey'

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