Kenneth Turan

Kenneth Turan

Agrees with the Tomatometer 79% of the time.

Publications:
Journal News (Westchester, NY) , Los Angeles Daily News , Los Angeles Times , Newsday , NPR's Morning Edition
Critics' Group:
Los Angeles Film Critics Association, National Society of Film Critics
Total Reviews:
1827

Listing Of All Reviews & Articles

Showing 1 - 50 of 1827
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Rating T-Meter Title | Year Add Date
4.5/5 89% Cronos (1994) " Cronos surprises with its sophisticated and spirited look at a tale straight from the crypt." — Los Angeles Times
Posted Oct 5, 2013
5/5 95% Peeping Tom (1960) " Fear, as it turns out, is the most frightening thing in the world, and Peeping Tom makes us feel it palpably as few films have been able to do." — Los Angeles Times
Posted Oct 5, 2013
4/5 80% The Summit (2013) " A complex and gut-clenching human drama that has the great advantage of all being true." — Los Angeles Times
Posted Oct 3, 2013
5/5 97% Gravity (2013) " Words can do little to convey the visual astonishment this space opera creates. It is a film whose impact must be experienced in 3-D on a theatrical screen to be fully understood." — Los Angeles Times
Posted Oct 3, 2013
3/5 —— Okami kodomo no ame to yuki (The Wolf Children Ame and Yuki) () " Rather an odd story, told in a one-of-a-kind style that feels equal parts sentimental, somber and strange." — Los Angeles Times
Posted Sep 26, 2013
4/5 89% The Trials Of Muhammad Ali (2013) " An intriguing portrait of a man who never wavered no matter what the world threw at him. Which was a lot." — Los Angeles Times
Posted Sep 26, 2013
4/5 91% Inequality For All (2013) " Smart, funny and articulate, Robert Reich is the university professor we all wish we'd had. He's so accessible and entertaining he takes a subject that sounds soporific and makes it come alive like you wouldn't believe in "Inequality for All."" — Los Angeles Times
Posted Sep 26, 2013
4/5 —— First Cousin, Once Removed () " Heartbreaking, haunting and unexpectedly heartening, "First Cousin Once Removed" is an uncommonly moving documentary portrait of a mind in disarray." — Los Angeles Times
Posted Sep 20, 2013
2.5/5 88% Rush (2013) " Despite its strengths, the telling of this counterintuitive tale about the mysterious ways cutthroat competition can enrich lives never manages to be completely convincing." — Los Angeles Times
Posted Sep 19, 2013
4/5 95% Enough Said (2013) " One of the pleasures of "Enough Said" is watching Louis-Dreyfus and Gandolfini, two well-known performers only Holofcener would think of putting together, come alive both as individuals and the two halves of a relationship." — Los Angeles Times
Posted Sep 18, 2013
3.5/5 100% Red Obsession (2013) " "Red Obsession" gains interest as it delineates how the production and sale of first-growth Bordeaux has become the biggest of businesses and how the Chinese may or may not fit into the picture." — Los Angeles Times
Posted Sep 12, 2013
3/5 98% Wadjda (2013) " Drawbacks and all, it's heartening to have "Wadjda" around." — Los Angeles Times
Posted Sep 12, 2013
4/5 89% You Will Be My Son (2013) " A strongly acted, character-driven melodrama, concerned with the dynamics of family in general and father-son issues in particular, it presents situations so emotionally supercharged that the whole story could have come straight out of Balzac." — Los Angeles Times
Posted Sep 11, 2013
3.5/5 75% Populaire (2013) " The less seriously the genial French comedy "Populaire" takes itself, the more amusing it is. Fortunately, with small exceptions, this film doesn't take itself very seriously at all." — Los Angeles Times
Posted Sep 5, 2013
3/5 34% Salinger (2013) " All of this is compelling. But Salerno, as if he's unsure of what he's got, goes to great lengths to heighten the drama with crisp editing, a strong score, frequent sound effects and snappy visuals." — Los Angeles Times
Posted Sep 5, 2013
4/5 88% The Servant (1964) " Glaciers might be melting, the polar caps might be crumbling, but not even the passage of half a century has taken the frozen edge off this brilliantly icy film." — Los Angeles Times
Posted Aug 29, 2013
3.5/5 46% Closed Circuit (2013) " A crisply enjoyable, professionally executed paranoid thriller of the "everyone is out to get us" variety." — Los Angeles Times
Posted Aug 28, 2013
4/5 74% The Grandmaster (2013) " You'll feel decadent enjoying it, but everything is so tasty, it would be foolish to object." — Los Angeles Times
Posted Aug 22, 2013
5/5 99% Short Term 12 (2013) " "Short Term 12" is a small wonder, a film of exceptional naturalness and empathy that takes material about troubled teenagers and young adults that could have been generic and turns it into something moving and intimate." — Los Angeles Times
Posted Aug 22, 2013
4/5 92% Museum Hours (2013) " Difficult to describe but not to enjoy." — Los Angeles Times
Posted Aug 15, 2013
2.5/5 73% Lee Daniels' The Butler (2013) " This is one significant film where less would have been a whole lot more." — Los Angeles Times
Posted Aug 15, 2013
3/5 57% When Comedy Went to School (2013) " For a disorganized film that has trouble deciding what it's about, "When Comedy Went to School" can be a lot of fun." — Los Angeles Times
Posted Aug 15, 2013
1/5 22% The Canyons (2013) " If the creation of self-important tedium were a competitive sport, "The Canyons" would take home the gold." — Los Angeles Times
Posted Aug 8, 2013
2.5/5 68% Elysium (2013) " Although the pulp energy that Blomkamp brings to this material makes it consistently watchable, the film doesn't feel as singular as we would have hoped." — Los Angeles Times
Posted Aug 8, 2013
4/5 93% Our Children (2013) " This is a taut psychological study, based on a true story, of the complexities of personal power relationships that begins with the kind of shattering revelation that would be the conclusion of most films." — Los Angeles Times
Posted Aug 8, 2013
2/5 69% Cliffhanger (1993) " Cliffhanger no doubt makes for a great coming attraction, but as a two-hour movie its claims are much more problematic." — Los Angeles Times
Posted Aug 3, 2013
4.5/5 94% Dave (1993) " Though replete with amusing situations and clever lines, its strongest suit is the delicately pitched comic performances of its actors, most especially star Kevin Kline." — Los Angeles Times
Posted Aug 2, 2013
5/5 96% Unforgiven (1992) " The Western is back. With a vengeance. Saddle up or get out of the way." — Los Angeles Times
Posted Aug 2, 2013
3.5/5 79% Rising From Ashes (2013) " Its story line is as positive and affirmative as the title indicates, but it turns out there are dramas going on in this documentary that you wouldn't initially suspect." — Los Angeles Times
Posted Aug 1, 2013
3.5/5 78% Europa Report (2013) " "Europa Report" is a Grade A version of a B picture, a streamlined science fiction story that smartly tells a familiar tale without breaking the bank." — Los Angeles Times
Posted Aug 1, 2013
2/5 64% 2 Guns (2013) " Though individual set pieces are well done, the film inevitably leaves an empty taste behind it once it's done." — Los Angeles Times
Posted Aug 1, 2013
2.5/5 85% The Secret Garden (1993) " Rather than a fresh breeze, it's the stale air of gilded calculation, the uncomfortable feeling that things are excessively "just so," that overhangs much that is genuinely appealing about this film." — Los Angeles Times
Posted Aug 1, 2013
3.5/5 90% The Lion King (2011) " Even with its flaws, this latest Disney animated feature once again delivers what its audience wants. Too bad flesh and blood films can't be this consistent." — Los Angeles Times
Posted Jul 31, 2013
4.5/5 93% Speed (1994) " Action directing is a put-up-or-shut-up game, a skill that can't be faked or finessed; even a 10-year-old can tell if you've got it or not. And on the evidence of the invigorating Speed, Jan De Bont has definitely got it." — Los Angeles Times
Posted Jul 30, 2013
4.5/5 95% In the Line of Fire (1993) " Every part of this film trades so heavily on Eastwood's presence that it is impossible to imagine it with anyone else in the starring role." — Los Angeles Times
Posted Jul 30, 2013
4.5/5 96% What's Love Got To Do With It? (1993) " Though the picture rightfully belongs to Bassett, a final word must be said about Fishburne, who never fails to make Ike seem human if not defensible. Even in defeat, he is remarkably compelling." — Los Angeles Times
Posted Jul 29, 2013
5/5 96% The Fugitive (1993) " The Fugitive is a super-adrenalized stemwinder, a crisp and jolting melodrama that screws the tension so pitilessly tight it does everything but squeak." — Los Angeles Times
Posted Jul 29, 2013
4.5/5 92% Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) " More elaborate than the original, but just as shrewdly put together, it cleverly combines the most successful elements of its predecessor with a number of new twists to produce one hell of a wild ride." — Los Angeles Times
Posted Jul 29, 2013
5/5 97% The Act Of Killing (2013) " It's a mind-bending film, devastating and disorienting, that disturbs us in ways we're not used to being disturbed ..." — Los Angeles Times
Posted Jul 25, 2013
2.5/5 69% The Wolverine (2013) " "The Wolverine" is an erratic affair, more lumbering than compelling, an ambitious film with its share of effective moments that stubbornly refuses to catch fire." — Los Angeles Times
Posted Jul 25, 2013
5/5 94% Fruitvale Station (2013) " Made with assurance and deep emotion, "Fruitvale Station" is more than a remarkable directing debut for 26-year-old Ryan Coogler. It's an outstanding film by any standard." — Los Angeles Times
Posted Jul 11, 2013
4/5 72% Pacific Rim (2013) " In a field rife with impostors and poseurs, Del Toro, like his mentors, is the real deal. It's good to have him working his magic again." — Los Angeles Times
Posted Jul 10, 2013
1.5/5 31% The Lone Ranger (2013) " The real problem with the new "Lone Ranger" is that, for those who are familiar with the multibillion-dollar "Pirates of the Caribbean" franchise, there is little fresh or exciting about what we have here." — Los Angeles Times
Posted Jul 3, 2013
4/5 64% A Rage in Harlem (1991) " Duke and company have been true to Himes' brash, blaspheming spirit, and that is no small thing." — Los Angeles Times
Posted Jul 1, 2013
2.5/5 23% Dying Young (1991) " Yes, it is good to see how much of a difference actors can make with flimsy material, but wouldn't it be nice if they had something with more than the emotional weight of a Twinkie to work on?" — Los Angeles Times
Posted Jul 1, 2013
4/5 90% The Attack (2013) " Though it's never less than involving, it grows in stature as it unfolds and ends as a more subtle and disturbing film about love, loss and tragedy than we might initially expect." — Los Angeles Times
Posted Jun 28, 2013
3.5/5 78% A Cop (Un Flic) (2013) " Though not among Melville's classics, "Un Flic" is a pleasure to experience." — Los Angeles Times
Posted Jun 27, 2013
3.5/5 50% White House Down (2013) " "White House Down" is a hoot and a half, a shameless popcorn entertainment that is preposterous and diverting in just about equal measure." — Los Angeles Times
Posted Jun 27, 2013
4/5 92% Reservoir Dogs (1992) " Tarantino's palpable enthusiasm, his unapologetic passion for what he's created, reinvigorates this venerable plot and, mayhem aside, makes it involving for longer than you might suspect." — Los Angeles Times
Posted Jun 26, 2013
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