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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

'Ratatouille:' Nervy, Funny and Thoroughly Tasty

Kenneth Turan says director Brad Bird did something audacious — made a major motion picture with a rat for a star. The comedy they've created is imaginative, good-spirited, funny — and brave enough to let the rats be ratlike, even as they charm the audience.

'Ratatouille:' Nervy, Funny and Thoroughly Tasty

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Review

Culture

'Fantastic Four' Simplistic, Inoffensive

Hollywood puts the planet in peril again with Fantastic Four: Rise of The Silver Surfer. The comics were hip enough to last for more than 40 years, but the movie treatment is far from must-see cinema.

'Fantastic Four' Simplistic, Inoffensive

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Review

Movies

'Ocean's Thirteen': A Slick Scam, Sure — and Smug

Ocean's Thirteen is the latest Steven Soderbergh-directed movie, starring George Clooney and Brad Pitt. Clooney plays Danny Ocean, the mastermind behind a gang of thieves who steal from casinos. In this third installment of the franchise, their target is casino owner Willy Bank, played by Al Pacino.

'Ocean's Thirteen': A Slick Scam, Sure — and Smug

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Movies

Cannes Cheers Films from Moore, Coens

As the Cannes Film Festival marks its 60th year, the premier place for premieres welcomes a pair of American movies: Michael Moore's health-care documentary Sicko and the Coen brothers' violent Western No Country for Old Men.

Cannes Cheers Films from Moore, Coens

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Review

Culture

'Once' With Feeling: Small Musical Has a Big Heart

John Carney's unpretentious musical romance is completely winning — with appealing characters, an unforced sense of intimacy and a light-fingered way of mixing music and story.

'Once' With Feeling: Small Musical Has a Big Heart

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Review

Culture

'Jindabyne': A Death, and Dark Things Surface

Jindabyne is a movie in which friends on a fishing trip find a body, but choose not to report it. It's an Australian film based on a short story by Raymond Carver.

'Jindabyne': A Death, and Dark Things Surface

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Review

Culture

Unexpected Adventures 'In the Land of Women'

Jonathan Kasdan's debut feature brings a refreshing human touch to what could be clichéd material about looking for love and finding a way through life. Maybe that gift runs in the family: His dad wrote and directed The Big Chill.

Unexpected Adventures 'In the Land of Women'

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Review

Culture

A Deeply Imperfect 'Perfect Stranger'

Halle Berry stars as a newspaper reporter in Perfect Stranger, investigating bad guy Bruce Willis. But the facts get fuzzy, and the film may have you asking yourself what's going on — and why it was even made.

A Deeply Imperfect 'Perfect Stranger'

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Review

Culture

The Lived-In World of 'The Lookout'

The Lookout, a thriller starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, invests more than the usual amount of effort in developing characters. It marks the directing debut of Scott Frank, known for his writing work.

The Lived-In World of 'The Lookout'

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Review

Culture

Wahlberg: One Cool Character in 'Shooter'

The heroic loner, battling incredible odds. That's the character Mark Wahlberg inherits in Shooter, a thriller about a former Marine set up as a patsy in a political killing. Wahlberg gives a Steve McQueen-style performance.

Wahlberg: One Cool Character in 'Shooter'

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Review

Culture

'Barley' Explores Angst of IRA's Early Days

Ken Loach's film The Wind That Shakes the Barley examines the early days of the Irish Republican Army and the radical organization's impact on the Irish people. Some British papers have criticized Loach for making the movie.

'Barley' Explores Angst of IRA's Early Days

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Review

Culture

Film Contrast: Loud '300,' Quiet 'Silence'

Two debuts: 300 is a fierce, stylized retelling of Spartans at the Battle of Thermopylae. Into Great Silence is a documentary about a French monastery where a vow of silence is observed.

Film Contrast: Loud '300,' Quiet 'Silence'

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Review

Culture

'Amazing Grace' and the Power of Truth

The film Amazing Grace focuses on William Wilberforce, who led the movement in the British Parliament to abolish slavery. It tells a story of idealism and speaking truth to power.

'Amazing Grace' and the Power of Truth

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Review

Culture

'Breach' Spins a Harrowing, Human Spy Tale

The story of FBI spy Robert Hanssen makes for a film that offers a tale of real-life espionage that doubles as a compelling psychological drama. A cast led by Chris Cooper offers a compelling look at the complexities of human relationships.

'Breach' Spins a Harrowing, Human Spy Tale

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