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. He has been a staff writer for the Washington Post and TV Guide, and served as the Times' book review editor.
A graduate of Swarthmore College and Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism, he is the co-author of Call Me Anna: The Autobiography of Patty Duke. He teaches film reviewing and non-fiction writing at USC and is on the board of directors of the National Yiddish Book Center. His most recent books are the University of California Press' Sundance to Sarajevo: Film Festivals and the World They Made and Never Coming To A Theater Near You, published by Public Affairs Press.
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The big movie opening this week is Pacific Rim. Morning Edition's critic says that it has plenty of explosions and special effects — but there's more to it than most blockbusters this summer.
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The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald's classic, has been turned into a film five times. Morning Edition's reviewer says the latest version is nothing to brag about.
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Director Danny Boyle is best known for the Oscar winning Slumdog Millionaire. His latest film is called Trance. Critic Kenneth Turan says the film's overall coldness means there isn't anybody you care to identify with or any outcome you want to see.
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Gimme The Loot is a new independent film that's had a charmed life, including winning the best narrative prize at South by Southwest and an appearance at Cannes. The comedy is written and director by Adam Leon.
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The story of Jack and his beanstalk has been filmed innumerable times by people as diverse as Gene Kelly, Chuck Jones and the Three Stooges. While he's been through the Hollywood shuffle before, there's never been a Jack tale that's delivered so little pleasure for so many dollars.
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Sound City is a documentary that came out of the Sundance Film Festival about a legendary recording studio in Van Nuys, California. It's a mash note to the Neve soundboard in the Sound City studios.
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The Sundance Film Festival is underway in Park City, Utah. Fruitvale is based on an incident in which a young man was shot and killed by a BART police officer. His death triggered riots thorughout Oakland, Calif.
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Daniel Day Lewis is a two-time Oscar winning actor, but he surpasses himself and makes us see a celebrated figure in unanticipated ways in Steven Spielberg's Lincoln. The movie unfolds during the final four months of the president's life as he focuses on getting Congress to pass the 13th Amendment outlawing slavery despite fierce opposition.
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Robot and Frank is a movie that makes us believe that a serene automaton and a snappish human being can be best friends forever. It deftly uses elements from both science fiction and classic caper films to tell its futuristic tale. Frank Langella's sensitive portrayal of a geriatric career thief carries this sci-fi story.
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The Odd Life of Timothy Green is a "when you wish upon a star" fable in the old school Disney style. Though the film's heart is pure, its execution is so cloying and contrived, it brings on tears of frustration.