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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

'Elevator to the Gallows'

Film critic Kenneth Turan, takes a look at the restoration of the iconic French film, Elevator to the Gallows. Made in 1957, it is a melding of French cinematography and American music that Turan is thrilled to see in theaters.

'Elevator to the Gallows'

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Review

Culture

Crashes Crush Coherent Story on 'The Island'

A summer movie season is hardly complete without a popcorn epic by Michael Bay (Pearl Harbor, Armageddon.) Bay's latest, The Island, has a scifi premise rooted in fear of genetic engineering.

Crashes Crush Coherent Story on 'The Island'

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Movies

Burton Finds the Darker Side of Willy Wonka

Director Tim Burton confesses that when it comes to confections, he likes "dark, bitter chocolate." His version of Roald Dahl's 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory' is dark, if not exactly bitter.

Burton Finds the Darker Side of Willy Wonka

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Review

Culture

Bergman Makes Welcome Return with 'Saraband'

Film critic Kenneth Turan reviews what Swedish filmmaker Ingmar Bergman's calls his final movie, Saraband. The film features a divorced couple from one of his earlier works.

Bergman Makes Welcome Return with 'Saraband'

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Review

Culture

Spielberg Takes Cruise into 'War of the Worlds'

Steven Spielberg takes a new crack at the classic H.G. Wells novel War of the Worlds. Tom Cruise, Tim Robbins and the talented child star Dakota Fanning lead the cast. The film emphasizes the power of evil and highlights the volatile nature of human fear.

Spielberg Takes Cruise into 'War of the Worlds'

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Review

Culture

'My Summer of Love,' No Average Teen Flick

Film critic Kenneth Turan reviews My Summer of Love, a teen film from director Pawel Pawlikowski. Turan says the film is not your usual Hollywood teen fare. Fore one thing, it was named best British film of 2004.

'My Summer of Love,' No Average Teen Flick

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Review

Culture

'Howl's Moving Castle': Fantastical, Full of Heart

Los Angeles Times film critic Kenneth Turan says Howl's Moving Castle, a new animated film from by Japanese filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki, is fantastical but has heart. Miyazaki is best known to U.S. audiences for his wildly successful film Spirited Away.

'Howl's Moving Castle': Fantastical, Full of Heart

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Review

Culture

'Cinderella Man' Lacks Faith in Audience

Ron Howard's latest film Cinderella Man tells the story of James Braddock -- but doesn't share the boxer's confidence. The real Braddock believed enough in himself to accomplish miracles in the ring, notes Los Angeles Times film critic Kenneth Turan. But the movie lacks faith in the audience, which undercuts its ability to deliver complete satisfaction.

'Cinderella Man' Lacks Faith in Audience

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Review

Movies

Highlights of 58th Cannes Film Festival

L.A Times critic Kenneth Turan talks about notable films at the 58th Cannes Film Festival -- including Woody Allen's first feature filmed outside New York City. But Turan notes that despite the quality of this year's offerings, no one movie is causing a stir.

Highlights of 58th Cannes Film Festival

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Review

'Star Wars' Comes Full Circle

'Revenge of the Sith': The Power of the Dark Side

Has the power of the dark side been underestimated? Los Angeles Times film critic Kenneth Turan reviews Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, the final chapter of the Star Wars series. He says it's easily the best of the trio of Star Wars prequels.

'Revenge of the Sith': The Power of the Dark Side

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Review

Movies

'Mad Hot Ballroom' Dances into Audience's Heart

Some fourth and fifth graders in New York City are the stars of the new movie Mad Hot Ballroom. Los Angeles Times movie critic Kenneth Turan says these kids will fox trot, merengue, rumba, tango and swing their way into your heart.

'Mad Hot Ballroom' Dances into Audience's Heart

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Review

Culture

'Heaven' Stars Scott's Gift for the Visual

Los Angeles Times film critic Kenneth Turan reviews Kingdom of Heaven. Gladiator director Ridley Scott's take on the Crusades features actor Orlando Bloom as a young blacksmith who saves the people of Jerusalem.

'Heaven' Stars Scott's Gift for the Visual

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Review

Culture

An Inside Look at Enron

Los Angeles Times film critic Kenneth Turan reviews Alex Gibney's award-winning documentary, Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room. Gibney adapted a book that chronicles the fantastic rise and demise of the company that was engulfed in scandal when its outrageous accounting practices were exposed.

An Inside Look at Enron

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Review

Movies

'The Interpreter': Intelligent but Too Ambitious

Los Angeles Times film critic Kenneth Turan reviews director Sydney Pollack's The Interpreter. The complex political thriller, which stars Nicole Kidman and Sean Penn, is the first movie the United Nations has ever allowed to film at its headquarters in New York.

'The Interpreter': Intelligent but Too Ambitious

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