Accessibility links
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.
thumbnail
Stories By

Kenneth Turan

Arts & Life

'Hero': Sword-Fighting Take on Chinese History

Hero, China's biggest-ever box-office movie, opens in U.S. theaters Friday. The film, which stars Jet Li as a master swordsman, alternates gravity-defying swordplay with Chinese history. Los Angeles Times film critic Kenneth Turan has a review.

'Hero': Sword-Fighting Take on Chinese History

Listen
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/3874389/3874390" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">

Arts & Life

'Mean Creek': Teen Film with a Brain

The film Mean Creek, starring Rory Culkin, dives into the messy reality of teen life, combining sensitivity and teen themes in a plot with echoes of Deliverance. Los Angeles Times film critic Kenneth Turan has a review.

'Mean Creek': Teen Film with a Brain

Listen
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/3861119/3861120" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">

Arts & Life

Documentary Explores Life of Musician Tom Dowd

Los Angeles Times film critic Kenneth Turan reviews Tom Dowd & the Language of Music, a new documentary about a musician that he says did not receive recognition during his lifetime.

Documentary Explores Life of Musician Tom Dowd

Listen
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/3849639/3849640" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">

Movies

Cruise, Foxx, Mann Collaborate on 'Collateral'

Tom Cruise plays the bad guy in Collateral, a new film by director Michael Mann, who employs a creative soundtrack and stunning digital cinematography. Jamie Foxx co-stars as a cab driver caught up in the action. Los Angeles Times film critic Kenneth Turan offers a review.

Cruise, Foxx, Mann Collaborate on 'Collateral'

Listen
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/3822647/3822648" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">

Review

Movies

A Director's Debut: 'Seducing Dr. Lewis'

The film Seducing Dr. Lewis focuses on a Canadian fishing village where a new factory promises to restore prosperity. But developers won't commit to the project unless the town finds a physician. First-time director Jean-Francois Pouliot makes the most of the town's colorful characters. Los Angeles Times film critic Kenneth Turan offers a review.

A Director's Debut: 'Seducing Dr. Lewis'

Listen
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/3611725/3611726" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">

Arts & Life

'The Corporation' Puts Firms on the Couch

The new documentary The Corporation, which won an audience award at the Sundance Film Festival, takes a humorous approach to questioning the power multinational firms wield across the globe. The film analyzes corporations as if they were persons, and concludes most act like psychopaths. Los Angeles Times film critic Kenneth Turan has a review.

'The Corporation' Puts Firms on the Couch

Listen
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/3456013/3456014" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">

Arts & Life

'I'll Sleep When I'm Dead': An Adventure in Film Noir

The new movie I'll Sleep When I'm Dead untangles a violent mystery. Los Angeles Times film critic Kenneth Turan thinks the story is anything but straightforward film noir.

'I'll Sleep When I'm Dead': An Adventure in Film Noir

Listen
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/3246010/3246011" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">

Obituaries

Marlon Brando Dies at 80

Marlon Brando, an American movie legend known for his revolutionary method acting in such classics as A Streetcar Named Desire, dies at age 80. Brando won two Oscars: for On the Waterfront and his later role as the iconic Don Vito Corleone in The Godfather. NPR's Steve Inskeep and Los Angeles Times film critic Kenneth Turan recall Brando's life and legacy.

Acting Legend Marlon Brando Dies at 80

Listen
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/3097091/3097092" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">

Arts & Life

Kenneth Turan Review: 'Spider-Man 2'

Spider-Man 2 weaves its way into U.S. movie theaters Wednesday. Tobey Maguire returns as the title superhero, this time suffering a crisis of confidence. Alfred Molina joins the cast as his evil nemesis, Dr. Otto Octavius -- better known to Spidey fans as Doctor Octopus. Los Angeles Times film critic Kenneth Turan has a review.

Kenneth Turan Review: 'Spider-Man 2'

Listen
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/3046057/3046058" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">

Arts & Life

Kenneth Turan Review: 'Farenheit 9/11'

Farenheit 9/11, director Michael Moore's scathing depiction of the Bush administration's response to the Sept. 11 attacks, opens in U.S. theaters Friday. The controversial film won the top prize at this year's Cannes Film Festival. Los Angeles Times film critic Kenneth Turan has a review.

Kenneth Turan Review: 'Farenheit 9/11'

Listen
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1977437/1977438" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">

Arts & Life

Movie Review: 'The Terminal'

Based on a true story, the new film The Terminal stars Tom Hanks as a tourist to the United States whose country undergoes a coup while he is airborne. Officials won't let him leave the airport while he remains in a stateless existence. Los Angeles Times film critic Kenneth Turan reviews the latest offering from director Steven Spielberg.

Movie Review: 'The Terminal'

Listen
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1963790/1963791" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">

Arts & Life

Movie Review: 'The Five Obstructions'

Danish directors Lars von Trier and Jorgen Leth team up on The Five Obstructions, a 90-minute rumination on the nature of cinema and creativity. Von Trier challenged Leth, his mentor, to remake Leth's 1967 film The Perfect Human five different ways. Los Angeles Times film critic Kenneth Turan has a review.

Movie Review: 'The Five Obstructions'

Listen
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1954319/1954320" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">

Arts & Life

Movie Review: 'Harry Potter' Grows Up

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, the third installment in the popular film series about a British boy wizard, opens in U.S. theaters Friday. Critics say the movie is darker, edgier and more complex than its predecessors. Los Angeles Times film critic Kenneth Turan has a review.

Movie Review: 'Harry Potter' Grows Up

Listen
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1922809/1922810" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">

Arts & Life

Movie Review: 'Since Otar Left'

In the French film Since Otar Left, a mother and daughter conspire to hide tragic news from 90-year-old grandmother Eka. The film, which won the Grand Prize at Cannes in 2003, explores the poignant interplay between the three generations of women in the former Soviet republic of Georgia. Los Angeles Times film critic Kenneth Turan has a review.

Movie Review: 'Since Otar Left'

Listen
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1914181/1914182" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">